Posted by Kromey at 3:49am Dec 22 '09#1: Wheels.
#2: Those bizarre lips on the sides of the keyboard tray.
My own desk is similar to what you describe - a turn-of-the-century number made of the cheapest particle board made by man and that likewise assumes you have a single monitor and a computer tower no larger than an HP "mini tower". I would have bought a second monitor for my own dual-monitor awesomeness by now (I, too, have the video card to support it) if the desk would allow it.
Basically, I look for three things in a computer desk:
1) A good keyboard tray. It's gotta be plenty big enough for my keyboard and my mouse (my current one is definitely toeing the edge of "too small"), and it's gotta be a flat surface - don't give me no stinking walls on the side!
2) It's gotta have something to aid in cable management - my current one turns out to be ideal in this regard after I repurposed the compartment intended to hold the computer to instead hold all my power connections. In a new computer desk, I'd look for a similar compartment and those nifty holes in the desk that allow cables to pass through them.
3) It's got to be sturdy. My current one barely fits this requirement - it wobbles like crazy, yet remains standing firm. This requirement also precludes wheels in my book.
I haven't shopped for one recently, so I can't offer any specifics, but were I to I would start at my local Office Depot and see what they have, then off to Fred Meyer (department store) to see what they have in the "won't make your wallet cry" arena.
#2: Those bizarre lips on the sides of the keyboard tray.
My own desk is similar to what you describe - a turn-of-the-century number made of the cheapest particle board made by man and that likewise assumes you have a single monitor and a computer tower no larger than an HP "mini tower". I would have bought a second monitor for my own dual-monitor awesomeness by now (I, too, have the video card to support it) if the desk would allow it.
Basically, I look for three things in a computer desk:
1) A good keyboard tray. It's gotta be plenty big enough for my keyboard and my mouse (my current one is definitely toeing the edge of "too small"), and it's gotta be a flat surface - don't give me no stinking walls on the side!
2) It's gotta have something to aid in cable management - my current one turns out to be ideal in this regard after I repurposed the compartment intended to hold the computer to instead hold all my power connections. In a new computer desk, I'd look for a similar compartment and those nifty holes in the desk that allow cables to pass through them.
3) It's got to be sturdy. My current one barely fits this requirement - it wobbles like crazy, yet remains standing firm. This requirement also precludes wheels in my book.
I haven't shopped for one recently, so I can't offer any specifics, but were I to I would start at my local Office Depot and see what they have, then off to Fred Meyer (department store) to see what they have in the "won't make your wallet cry" arena.
I've got two problems with that desk - Kromey