A desk setup is the place where I find my happiness; where I work, create, and have fun. A year ago from writing this post, my first desk setup video was uploaded. Since then, a lot of things have changed. I took note of all the feedback in the comments, and upgraded the desk setup. In this post we will go through all the upgrades. If you want to see the first video, check it out here.
YouTube wasn’t the only place where the desk setup got a lot of eyes. The subreddit: ‘r/battlestations‘, also seemed to love it.
After absolutely loving this desk setup for a while, I realized that it was time to bring it to the next level. Let’s go through every step of the way how this desk setup was brought to another level.
Before we get started, I quickly want to mention that if you want to apply any of these upgrades to your own desk setup, feel free to click on the products in the image below. Most of the product links in this post are affiliate links, which helps to keep the website ad-free. Thanks for clicking!
Table of Contents Hide
- How to Upgrade a Desk Setup
- Getting a Standing Desk
- Getting the Perfect Monitor(s)
- Mounting a Monitor Arm
- Getting the Perfect Speakers
- Rearranging the Desk Setup
- Getting the Right Cables
- Upgrading the PC
- Upgrading Peripherals
- Mounting Under the Desk
- Painting the Audio Interface Knobs
- Upgrading the XLR Cable
- Cable Management
- Accessories: Plants, Shelves, etc
- Custom Wallpaper
- Clean the Desktop
- Conclusion
How to Upgrade a Desk Setup
“Ever since I was a kid, I loved spending time behind my PC and rearranging the desk always felt like a fresh start.”
Felix Kruip – How to Creative
Before I knew what to upgrade on this desk setup, I made sure to read every single comment under the video. Here is some of the feedback I got:
- One monitor is not optimal
- Your face is too close to the monitor
- The cables are bent and could be damaged
- The position of the PC is not optimal
It quickly became clear what the common theme of the feedback was: more space. This created a challenge: how to create more space, on the same desk. Let’s see how we upgraded the desk setup, I also came up with some upgrade ideas of my own.
Getting a Standing Desk
The most important part of a desk setup, is for sure the desk itself. For this upgrade, I did not change the desk. I still use the largest version of the Ikea Idasen sit- and stand desk. For the price, it is absolutely amazing. Here is my review, if you’re interested.
Since this desk is 160 x 80 cm, it has plenty of space to place all the items on the desk. It was a matter of re-organizing the items to find a good balance and great more space. But before I show you how I did that, here is how I upgraded the desk itself.
Mounting a Headphone Holder Below the Desk
Before we start reorganizing things, I already did a small upgrade by mounting a headphone holder under the desk that fits the color of the desk perfectly.
This is such a cheap and simple way to add functionality to the desk and creating more space on the desk. What’s next?
Mounting an LED Strip Behind the Desk
The next upgrade is kinda unmissable for every desk setup; mounting an LED strip behind the desk, in this case the Philips Hue LED strip. By positioning the desk a little away from the wall, it creates a really nice beam of light on the wall behind the desk.
With the Philips Hue Sync application, it can even replicate the most dominant light from videos and games played on the monitor in real-time. This really brings the media experience to another level. Of course it is more important what is going on, on the monitor(s).
Getting the Perfect Monitor(s)
The first major upgrade I did, was getting a second monitor. After deciding between the LG 27GP950-B and the LG 34GN850, I went for the second option. I placed a pole on my Instagram which layout I should go for, and the ultra-wide monitor was the most voted option (I also liked this one most to be honest). I found these two options from RTINGS reviews. But eventually went for the LG 34GN850 ultra-wide monitor.
Main Monitor
I needed a monitor that I could use to edit videos, mostly for the settings and timeline, as I would be doing most of the previewing on my 4K monitor. I also wanted to use it for some gaming.
This ultra-wide monitor is perfect for that, it is great for productivity and gaming. It has a 10-bit, P4 color spectrum, as well as HDR. The 160hz is also a big bonus and gives it a super smooth experience. In my opinion, it’s a fantastic all-rounder. A dedicated video on this monitor is coming soon. In short, it’s perfect for my needs. Find a monitor that suits your tasks.
Second Monitor
The second monitor is still my AOC U2777PQU. It’s a very affordable 4K 10-bit monitor, which makes it great to preview the native pixel of the 4K video that I edit for YouTube.
After I decided on my monitor selection, the layout was still a bit tricky.
Dual Monitor Layout
I played around with some different layouts as mentioned before. A quick gallery will be placed here so you can check out the different options that I considered.
After testing these three layouts, I decided to go with the vertical stacked monitor setup, as I mostly work with video. I also don’t have a lot of horizontal space for two 27″ monitors next to each other.
Mounting a Monitor Arm
For this layout to work, I had to get a new monitor arm that would support these two monitors. It should also be able to hold them on top of each other, which is a heavy task.
In the end, it really worked out the best it could. It’s incredible how much weight it can hold.
Getting the Perfect Speakers
When the new monitor layout was finally decided, I noticed that it still was not going to get my face farther away from the monitor(s). The only option was to change the position of the PC.
Giving the PC a new position was difficult since the IKEA IDÅSEN is a sit- and stand desk which would require the PC to move with the desk. After thinking about ways to reposition the PC, even considering mounting it under the desk – I decided to place it on the right side of the desk facing the wall. Originally, there was not enough room because the speakers would take up all the space on the desk. Getting rid of the KRK Rokit 6 speakers was not an option, because I enjoy listening to them too much. The only solution was to remove the KRK Rokit 6 speakers from the desk.
Mounting the Speaker Arms
Someone mentioned mounting the speakers on the wall, but this was going to be difficult because of the standing desk part. Eventually, I found Millenium speaker arms that would fit the speakers perfectly.
It was almost too good to be true. The speaker arms are clamped to the desk and could be aimed straight at the ears from the right height and angle to create a perfect listening experience. Here is a quick picture of how to place your studio monitors correctly.
Rearranging the Desk Setup
This was such an underrated upgrade, I really regretted not doing this sooner. This also created so much more space on the desk and allowed the PC to be positioned on the right side of the desk. Another surprise was how much more effective the Philips Hue LED strip was behind the desk since the speakers, PC, and monitors weren’t blocking the light anymore. The monitor arm also gives the whole monitor setup a floating feeling. The small contact points to the desk are amazing.
Getting the Right Cables
Every update led to new surprises, but also challenges. I quickly figured out that some cables were not long enough to get it all the way from the monitors to the PC and get it nice and tidy. In order to solve this issue, I got two very high-quality UGREEN Display Port cables. These support up to 8K – 60Hz and are three meters long. The quality is incredible for the price.
UGREEN has the best bang-for-buck cables!
Felix Kruip – How to Creative
The monitor arm made it very easy to hide all the cables. As you can see in the image above, I was able to open the arms and hide the cables in there; very smart. Furthermore, I also got another cable from UGREEN for another upgrade, but more about this later.
Upgrading the PC
This is a great moment to talk about the PC. A few years back, I built my PC and it is still going strong. However, I did give the PC a small upgrade with a second, very fast NVMe Samsung 980 SSD. If you feel like watching me build this PC, or listen to me talk about this PC build – here you go.
The H510i case is great to have some LED game going on. For this upgraded setup, I changed the LED colors in the PC from an orange theme to a blue theme.
PC Build
If you’re wondering which parts are used in this custom PC build, or you want to build this PC for yourself – here you go.
Let’s move on with the desk peripherals.
Upgrading Peripherals
Peripherals are a very important part of a desk setup. Even though I kept using most of my items, I did upgrade and/or replace some of them.
Changing the Desk Mat
For a desk setup, I really like to use large desk pads or mouse mats; the bigger, the better. I came across this group buy on Reddit and decided to go for it. I waited over half a year, but it eventually led to a new theme for this desk setup upgrade; black & white with Japanese accents.
The desk mat says ‘Custom’ in Japanese in the top-right corner. The creator of the mouse mat is also helping me create a ‘How to Creative’ mouse mat, which I’m super excited about. Let’s see what’s on my desk pad.
Upgrading the Keyboard
For the Keyboard, I love to use mechanical keyboards. I still use the wireless mechanical Keychron K6 that I reviewed last year. I still love it. If you’re interested, check the review below.
I decided to upgrade the keyboard to make it fit the new theme. I got Gateron Ink Black V2 switches, which I also lubed and filmed. Next, I got a white Japanese keycap set to go with it. It looks, sounds, and feels so much better! You can watch me upgrade the Keychron K6 here.
If you don’t feel like watching the video, don’t worry. Here is the end result. Looks nice right?
Choosing the Mice
As I like to do some work and play some games, I prefer to use different mice.
Productivity Mouse
As my productivity mouse, I still use the Logitech MX Master 2S. Logitech did already released a third version, so if you decide on getting a new mouse – I would highly recommend getting the MX Master 3.
Personally, I did not feel the urge to replace the 2S; it is still amazing. I did also make a video review about it a while back. It might not be the most up-to-date, but you can check it out if you want.
Gaming Mouse
For my gaming, I use the Glorious Model O in matte white. I have noticed some people mention that it isn’t the best mouse to get, but I love it and never had any complaints.
As you might have seen in the images above, I started using some interesting wrist rests.
Wrist Rest(s)
Deltahub reached out to me if I wanted to try their new Carpio 2.0. I have since then started using them, and I cannot live without them anymore. Skating from my mouse to my keyboard, and avoiding getting my wrists hurt – has never been easier. At first, I used a Keychron wooden wristrest, but the material is a bit hard to the touch – so I replaced it.
The Carpio 2.0 is available in both black and white, but I think the white fits the theme of the new desk setup perfectly.
Wireless Chargers
When I sits at my desk, I like to charge my devices. For a while, I used a Baseus wireless charger, but when I upgraded from my Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus to the iPhone 12 Pro – MagSafe opened a new world for me.
Wireless Phone Charger
I got the Baseus Magnetic wireless charger that works with the MagSafe on the iPhone. This is amazing, because it holds the phone in a floating position, and allows for easy rotation while charging the phone at its maximum capacity at the same time.
As you can see in the image, I also like to charge my AirPods wirelessly.
Wireless AirPods Charger
Secondly, to charge my Airpods Pro – I use the white Baseus Jelly Pad. It is not very complicated, but it looks very nice and does a great job at charging the Airpods, which is all it is supposed to do.
Thirdly, I also came up with a great way to charge my mouse or phone by cable if I have to.
USB Hub
Working with a lot of data often requires external hard drives. I am in love with the Samsung T5 drives, which are very tiny and have great build quality. Most importantly, they have a very fast data transfer. To easily access all my HDD and SSD drives, I was looking for a good USB hub. Eventually, I found the TP-LINK USB 3.0 7-port USB hub (that’s a mouth full). This looked like the perfect solution.
Since the ports are all USB-C, I also got some Baseus USB-A to USB-C converters, so I could still connect USB-C cables to it. The hub even came with two additional 2.4 amp USB ports to fast-charge devices. This is just too good to be true. When I need to, I can charge my mouse, my phone, my camera batteries; anything basically while having it next to me on the desk.
Cable Replacement
Since I wanted to connect the USB Hub to the fastest USB 3.1 port on my PC, I would have to run it below the desk, all the way up to the PC. The cable that came with the hub was not close to long enough. So, this is when I got the second cable replacement: a gold-plated UGREEN micro-B USB 3.0 Cable. These cables are just such high-quality, and very affordable.
Secondly, I got the idea to mount the USB hub under the desk for easy access.
Mounting Under the Desk
This idea, opened up even more possibilities. To do this, I used some heavy-duty velcro by TESA to mount it under the left corner of the desk. This made it quickly accessible, still removable, and allowed to place the hard drives on the desk and connect it.
USB Hub
Even though I mentioned that mounting the PC under the desk was not going to work, the USB hub under the desk worked out fantastic.
Audio Interface
I also decided to mount the Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 under the desk with the remaining velcro. This also resolved the bent cables on the desk.
As a little extra, I also themed the knobs that came with this first-generation Scarlett Focusrite 2i2.
Painting the Audio Interface Knobs
The grey knobs that come with the first generation Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 look awful and cheap, so I got some matte white spray paint to make them nice and white and complement the theme. I first tried sanding them down. I started with a white paint marker, which was a quick solution but didn’t give a satisfactory result. For a second try, I got matte white spray paint, sanded it down again and applied a thin layer of spray paint, let it dry, and repeat. It ended up looking amazing!
As you can see in the last image, I also upgraded the XLR cable going into the audio interface.
Upgrading the XLR Cable
For the voice-over work in my videos, I love to use the Rode NT1 kit together with the Rode PSA1 studio arm connected to the desk. This arm also holds the XLR cable going from the microphone to the audio interface. I went from a cheap XLR, to a premium entirely white XLR cable that goes perfectly with the theme.
Furthermore, let’s talk about how I tidied the cables and made them (almost) disappear.
Cable Management
The desk setup came along nicely, but it still needed the small dots on the ‘i’: the cable management. Cable management is a challenge for a sit- and stand desk, this is how I did it.
Cables Under the Desk
Let’s start where we left off: the XLR cable. I used cable clips with sticky tape to clamp the cables in place and keep them snug to the desk. I used the same tactic for the USB Hub on the other side of the desk.
Secondly, I also got a new certified black power strip to safely power all the devices on the desk, and have only one cable going down to the outlet – together with the LAN cable. I got a nice white cable organizer that holds the cables also when the desk is raised to the standing position.
Thirdly, the speaker arms have their own cable management system, but I placed an extra sticky cable clip on them to better guide the cables down.
PC Cables
All the cables going to- and from the PC, are first bound together with Velcro straps, and then pushed together in a piece of fabric with a zipper. This bundle of cables then enters the side of the cable net that comes with the IKEA Idasen desk. This net pushes all the cables up against the desk, brilliant.
Cables On the Desk
Now, the cable clips also worked great for cables on the desk. This was a great way to easily organize the cables that had to be on the desk like the SD-card reader, and the charging cable for the keyboard – that are connected to the USB hub 3.0 on the back of the LG monitor. Also connected to the USB hub of the AOC monitor, is the Logitech Bluetooth dongle for the mouse; the closer it is to the mouse, the better.
The gaming mouse is wired, but is held by a very nice cable holder that comes with the LG monitor.
That’s about it for the cable management, let’s check out some things around the desk.
Accessories: Plants, Shelves, etc
A desk setup is nothing without a little atmosphere. This can be done with a lot of things, but plants, in my opinion – are the most important to set a comfortable atmosphere.
Plant
To create a pleasant atmosphere in the space, I added some plants. The plant next to my desk, is a rare Monstera with white pigment, more specifically a: ‘Monstera Albo Borsigiana’.
Wall Shelves
Above the desk are some shelves that are hand-painted CD racks from IKEA with wooden planks in between. On these shelves, I placed some items that I love: vintage cameras, and a FliqClock.
FliqClock
I have swapped out the old metal-colored version, for a black version to fit the theme. If you are interested, you can get this, or the white version – on fliqclock.com. Full disclosure, I own this website – so thank you for ordering! 😄
Custom Wallpaper
As a final upgrade, with the help of @threepix3ls, I created a custom ‘How to Creative’ wallpaper pack. It was very difficult to find high-quality wallpaper that look good on multiple high-resolution monitors and getting it consistent on all my other devices. This wallpaper pack includes abstract 3D, 8K, 32-bit wallpapers in both light, and dark theme.
Get this wallpaper pack, and some other digital goodies like the custom animated cursor pack – by becoming a Patreon. This way you can support my full-time journey as a YouTuber and keep this website live.
If you’re not really into Patreon, you can also purchase these on my website Howtocreative.com. If you already bought the cursor pack, thank you so much for the support and all the positive feedback! 💖
A nice way to keep the wallpaper from looking unorganized, is to clean it up with some tricks.
Clean the Desktop
The desk isn’t the only place where it should be tidy and clean; your digital desktop should also be appealing and organized. I created a video with some tricks how you can keep your desktop nice and clean.
Conclusion
That was about it for upgrading my desk setup. I hope you liked it and maybe got some inspiration or ideas to upgrade your own desk setup. If you prefer watching the video about the desk setup, that is also possible. But before you do, here is quick image slider with a before- and after.
