Who does not know the situation? The desk is full of devices, and there are cables, extension sockets and power adapters everywhere. This can be messy and in combination with height-adjustable desks, it can also be an issue because the cables are often not long enough to rise the desk. The company Secretlab from Singapore, which is known for its gaming chairs, offers the MAGNUS Pro, a height-adjustable desk. It offers integrated power routing and cable management options. There are also plenty of accessories, so you can customize the desk based on your own needs.

The MAGNUS Pro is offered int wo sizes: The regular version is 150 cm wide and 70 cm deep (starting at $799); the XL version is 170 cm wide and 80 cm deep (starting at $949). The height of both versions can be adjusted seamlessly between 65-125 cm (25.6-49.2 inches). We review the Pure White version of the MAGNUS Por XL with some accessories.

The frame construction of the MAGNUS Pro is made of steel, while the desk top and the cable management tray are made of MDF with steel. Most accessories are therefore magnetic for easy attachment. The maximum distributed load capacity is 120 kg (265lb) and the control panel is seamlessly integrated into the right side of the desk top cover, so it is not possible to collide with it (with the arm rest of your chair, for example). The panel uses an OLED screen for the height as well as capacitive buttons. You can set three customs heights and activate them with one of the three preset buttons, and you can also just turn the control panel off with a mechanical slider. In terms of the size, you should know that the cover for the cable management tray must not be stressed, so the actual usable depth of the desk is reduced to 67 cm for our XL version. The integrated power supply column is grounded, equipped with a thermal circuit breaker, and uses insulated 12AWG cables.

One aspect you should consider is the shipping. The MAGNUS Pro is shipped in two boxes, and the larger package (desk top cover, cable management tray, rear cover) of the XL version weighs around 60 kg and is quite big. The smaller package with the motorized leg columns, table feet as well as the magnetic desk mat “only” weighs 23 kg and is much easier to handle. Accessories (if ordered) are shipped separately.

The assembly is very easy and there are simple instructions. Secretlab also includes the necessary tools, but due to the dimensions and the weight, you should assemble the desk with two people. If you have also ordered the PC mount as well as the LED strip, we recommend you install them directly during the assembly of the desk. After the assembly, you also have to attach the magnetic desk mat, which is a bit tricky. The mat itself is magnetic, which means you have to align it very precisely, because you cannot adjust the position afterwards. It is obviously possible to replace the desk mat with another model, but this requires some effort due to the difficult installation as well as the required disassembly of the monitor arms.

One of the highlights of the MAGNUS Pro is the integrated power supply in the left leg column. This means in an ideal scenario, there is just one power cord from the desk to the wall outlet. There is a regular socket at the top of the leg column, where you can attach a large power strip. If you adjust the height of the desk, all the cables and power connectors are simply raised/lowered as well. There is also an optional Ethernet extender, which can be attached magnetically to one of the leg columns.

The power supply works as intended, and we put a large power strip inside the cable tray so we can connect all our devices (desktop PC, display, power adapters for laptops, LED illumination). One disadvantage, however, is that the power supply is only available in the left leg column. Due to the location of our wall socket, it would have been more practical inside the right leg column. The top plate of the desk is already prepared for that, since the necessary cable connection is installed (and just left unused).

Secretlab offers numerous accessories, starting with magnetic cable organizers, LED illumination, magnetic desk mats all the way up to heavy-duty monitor arms for displays up to 16 kg. We were able to try out some accessories, including the PC mount and the monitor arms including laptop mount.

We start with the PC mount ($99), which is only available in black. The quality is very good, and it leaves a very solid impression. The maximum weight of the desktop PC is 25 kg. The adapter plate is directly connected to one of the leg columns and the corresponding connections are prepared on both sides. The PC mount itself is then clipped into the adapter plate after you have adjusted it to the size of your PC. Once it is installed, there is an additional attachment. Our PC weighs almost 20 kg and it is very secure without any wobbling. If we adjust the height of the desk, the PC is simply raised/lowered as well.

Secretlab offers a variety of monitor arms, which can be installed from above Regular monitor arms, which are usually secured from the bottom, will probably not fit in most cases due to the cable tray. The regular monitor arm ($149) can handle our 32-inch screen and the quality is once again very high. It offers magnetic cable channels, but they could be more spacious for our liking. We managed to install 5 cables, but we had another HDMI cable that did not fit. For most users, however, the place should be sufficient.

We also tried the laptop mount ($49), which supports a maximum wight of 6 kg and is only available in black. The mount offers an integrated handle, so it is very easy to adjust the position of the laptop. The big disadvantage is that you need an additional monitor arm to use the mount, so it basically costs $200.

Finally, there is the LED lighting, which is offered by Secretlab in cooperation with Nanoleaf and the configuration requires the Nanoleaf app. The LED strip can also be integrated into your Apple or Google Home setup. The length of the LED strip is suited to the size of the desk and the XL version costs $99. It is magnetically attached to the cable tray and the connector box can be attached via USB-C at both ends. The LED strip does not fit perfectly (identical on both sides), which is visible in the following picture. The app can be used to adjust the colors of the LED strip and you can also download pre-configured scenes (from the manufacturer or other users). If you use the monitor arms or the desk riser, you will have to move the strip around the mount and the lighting will be slightly blocked in this area as well.

We have already been using the MAGNUS Pro XL (black) for our YouTube video reviews for a while now, including the heavy-duty monitor arm for wide-screen monitors. We also talked about the desk including the monitor arm in our Setup-Tour 2024 (starting from 03:10) and the corresponding video is linked below.

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When you use the MAGNUS Pro XL, you immediately notice the high quality and the stability of the desk. If you use it in a raised position, the top moves slightly, but the overall stability is great considering there are just two legs. In a sitting position, the stability is excellent and there are no movements whatsoever. The two motors are also very quiet and do not have a problem with the weight once you have installed all your devices like the desktop PC, monitors and the like. 

So far, the desk works well we also use the laptop mount on a daily basis. It simply gives us more room on the desk. However, we would like to see additional accessories like a laptop mount or a console mount similar to the PC mount, so they could be cleanly integrated into the whole system. There are already some third-party shops that offer additional solutions, but it would be nice if you could purchase them directly from Secretlab. The easy access to the cable tray is very convenient with the number of laptops we test, because you do not have to fiddle around underneath the desk.

The magnetic desk mat (in our case Ash Gray Leatherette) with the double stitching along the edges looks and feels very nice. We were worried about the susceptibility to dirt at first, but it turned out that this is not an issue. The surface is very easy to clean and even an unplanned coffee accident did not leave any marks and was easy to clean with a wet cloth. Black cables will obviously be more noticeable when you have the white version, but we do not think this is an issue.

We have black devices (desktop PC, display, speakers) and we do not mind that the PC mount as well as the laptop mount are only available in black, but there are certainly users that who would prefer white versions as well. 

You also have to think about cables lengths if you have a speaker setup with a subwoofer. In the case of our 2.1 sound system from Logitech for example, the speakers are directly connected to the subwoofer. The standard cables are not long enough to raise the desk, so we had to use corresponding extensions. We then used a magnetic cable organizer to attach the cables to the right leg column, but you still have to be careful that the cables can extend when you increase the desk height. Contrary to the power/Ethernet connection, however, we have no idea how Secretlab could implement a solution since PC speaker cables are not standardized.

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Editor of the original article: Andreas Osthoff – Managing Editor Business Laptops – 1831 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2013

I grew up with modern consumer electronics and my first computer was a Commodore C64, which encouraged my interest in building my own systems. I started working as a review editor for Notebookcheck during my dual studies at Siemens. Currently, I am mainly responsible for dealing with business laptops and mobile workstations. It’s a great experience to be able to review the latest devices and technologies and then compare them with each other.