Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk review

If you’re looking for a sturdy gaming desk that is as stylish as it is reliable, check out the Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk.

Not only is it sturdy and visually pleasing, it features a clever magnetic ecosystem, a comfortable desk mat, and an adjustable desk height. It has all of the makings for a great gaming desk, except for the egregious $549 buy-in price — and that doesn’t even include the accessories that you might spend hundreds on to complete your setup. Apart from the price, my gripes with this desk are that it’s not deep enough for a big monitor setup and the rear cover can block additional mounts for your system.

Overall, the Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk is one of the best I’ve used thanks to its rock-hard structure and clever cable management system. Just make sure it works for your set-up.

Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk price and configurations

The Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk features a base cost of $549, but there are a ton of add-ons you can purchase. There’s the Secretlab Magpad Desk Mat, which ranges from an additional $29 to $59, depending on the style you’d like (we have the Signature Stealth).

Secretlab just released the Secretlab Magnus L-Shape Extension, which adds an extra 63.6 (L) x 23 (W) inches of space, but it’s an additional $449. There’s a Secretlab Cable Management Bundle ($49 to $59), which features 3x Magnetic Cable Anchors, 2x Magnetic Cable Sheaths, 10x Cable Fastening Straps, and 2x Magnetic Accent Clips (Special Editions only). There’s also the Secretlab MagRGB ($79), the Secretlab Magnetic Bumpers ($19), and a Secretlab Magnetic Headphone Hanger ($29). For those doing the math at home that means you could spend $1,243 to get this desk completely kitted out.

This desk is bloody expensive. Unless this desk is literally perfect for your setup, it might be hard to justify blowing over half a grand on this.

Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk setup

Assembling the Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk was surprisingly quick. The desk itself is just one piece, so the first step required me to lay the desk upside down and screw in the legs with 16 short screws. Next, with four additional screws and two mounting blocks, I attached the support bar on the rear end of the desk. Before flipping it over, I attached the magnetic cable management tray to the desk with two short screws. Once the desk was flipped, I attached the rear cover to the back of the desk with four pan head screws.

At this point, the desk was complete; I just had to throw it on the table mat, which was way more complicated than I expected. I had to precisely line up the mat otherwise the end of the mat would be crooked. This took me longer than building the actual desk. Additionally, you can adjust the height of the desk (I didn’t), but you just need an Allen key, which lets you twist the feet of the desk to raise it an additional 20 millimeters.

Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk design and ease of use

Like a true Secretlab product, the Magnus Metal Desk features a sleek black design. The desk comes in at 59 x 27.5 x 29~29.8 inches and weighs 92.6 pounds. The table has a max load of 220 pounds, while the rear cover features a max load of 55 pounds. Both the tabletop and rear cover are constructed with medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and steel.

One thing I love about the Magnus Metal Desk is its sturdiness. It’s surprising how difficult it is to find a desk that won’t fall apart if you look at it wrong. The height is also a welcome change from the short desks I typically use, and since I’m also using a Secretlab chair, it pairs very well with the Magnus desk.

The magnetic ecosystem of the Magnus Metal Desk makes attachments and accessories quite simple to add on. I’ve been using the magnetic cable anchors to ensure that my mouse wire doesn’t get stuck on something while I’m gaming, and I use the magnetic cable sheaths to manage the mess of wires that would typically dangle behind my desk. I’m also a fan of the RGB light strip that goes under the rear cover.

However, I have had some complications unique to my situation. For example, I have the Alienware 38 AW3821DW gaming monitor on my desk, and in order for it not to be directly in my face, I had to push it back on top of the rear cover. That’s frustrating because now I can’t adjust the rear cover, which means I can’t easily manage my cables. Also, the rear cover makes it difficult to mount my Elgato Ring Light in the center, so I had to shove it all the way to the left side of the desk. For the same reason it is difficult to set up a mic arm, so I’m back to having my Blue Yeti X on the desk itself. 

I wish that the desk was a little deeper and that the rear cover was several inches closer to the center. With a long enough back, there would be enough room to fit larger monitors and mounts, like the Elgato Ring Light, so they wouldn’t be in the way of the rear cover.

As far as the Secretlab Magpad Desk Mat goes, it’s incredibly comfortable on the palms, but it may cause some issues with your mouse. I’m using the Razer Basilisk V3, and I had to tinker with some settings in the Razer Synapse app to ensure the sensor works smoothly. It was choppy and slow when I first started using it on the mat, which I can only chalk up to the pleather material.

Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk warranty

The Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk comes with a five-year warranty and a 49-day refund/return policy, which is pretty standard for premium desks like this.

Bottom line

The Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk is a great purchase if you have the funds to throw at it, and more importantly, if it works for your setup. The desk is a great width, but it’s just not deep enough for a big monitor. I love all of its little features, especially the magnetic ecosystem. 

If you take your handy measuring tape and dot the i's and cross the t's, ensuring that your mounts and monitors will fit just right, then the Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk is worth the investment.