I'm setting up a new office space and am in the market for a new desk, so it was interesting to note that Thermaltake has released a new electric height-adjustable L-shaped gaming desk at CES. Among its charms this desk features; anti-collision electric height adjustment, full-surface 16.8m RGB mousemat, cable management, and the strength and room for a decent number of peripherals and/or multi-monitor setups.
Starting with the basics, the ToughDesk 500L RGB Battlestation GGD-EDL-BKEINX-01 is L-shaped, with the surface dimensions as in the illustration below (in brief the desk surface is 60 x 160cm + 60 x 80cm. The height of the desk can be adjusted from 70 to 110cm. Thermaltake has constructed the ToughDesk with a steel frame, with a 3cm thick laminated anti-scratch top. It is said to be both stable and durable. The new desk supports a maximum load of 150kg.
Users have access to a push button control panel with four presets, up-down adjustment button plus a digital height display. As per the intro, if the desk surface descends and hits your leg, for example, it has a safety feature which will automatically stop the motion of its triple motor adjustment system.
Other features worth mentioning are the desk's smart cable management around the lower rear of the surface. The top of the desk is fully covered by a mousemat surface (two sections, and for frills the larger section has RGB lighting around its periphery. Users can change lighting effects in the iTake Engine software, sync with other TT RGB Plus peripherals, and it works with Razer Chroma too. However, this is a bit of a half-baked effort, with the smaller mousing surface lacking the RGB (so it is like a ToughDesk 300 with a bolted on non-RGB extension)
Is the adjustability enough for me?
Various sites I have checked seem to agree that a 6ft tall person will be comfortable with a standing desk surface that is between 111 and 117cm from the ground. Thus, the ToughDesk (max height 110cm) may be a little short for taller folk wishing to switch to standing work from time to time. A Conservative power stance might help you to lower your elbow height, but I don't know if that is very natural pose over longer periods.
Thermaltake says the ToughDesk 500L RGB Battlestation is available to purchase now worldwide, and buyers get a two year warranty on the desktop, motor, frame and controller. In Europe it is priced at €1,699 inc VAT, in the US it is $1,499 before sales tax.
