Gamers distinguish themselves in many different ways, from the clothes they wear, to the hardware they use, and even in many cases, the food they eat. We have come a long way from simple ergonomic chairs, to gaming chairs that preach comfort, style and performance for long gaming sessions. In that arena, AKRacing is one of the best, and now, they’ve released a gaming desk geared for gamers. Is this desk, priced at $199, worth buying for the average gamer? This is our review of the AKRacing Summit Gaming Desk.
First, we must establish what makes a good gaming desk. I find that there are roughly 5 factors that should be taken into account when determining if a desk is right for you.
- Ease of assembly
- Sturdiness / Materials
- Style / Functionality
- Space / Cable Management
- Price
Without mincing too many words, let’s get down to the details.
Ease of Assembly
When it comes to assembly, AKRacing didn’t make the Summit Gaming Desk very difficult. The desk, in its entirety is only 5 pieces, and that includes the cable tray and headphone hook. All items for assembly are included, so while I did have my handy toolbox with me, the enclosed Allen wrench and simple instruction booklet was all I really needed to complete the task. As far as desks go, I’ve had some metal and glass desks with drawers, wheels, hydraulics, and slide trays that took a lot more work and did require that I provide my own tools, so AKRacing couldn’t have made it any simpler aside from assembling it themselves. It took me less than half an hour to get everything assembled and that included bumbling around with camera angles for the video review.
Sturdiness / Materials
In no way am I a desk connoisseur, if that’s even a thing that someone can be, but I’ve had more than a dozen computer desks ranging from solid wood to tempered glass, all with their own benefits and hindrances. In short, furniture of any kind gets some wear and tear to it as time progresses, and in the case of some aluminum computer desks, they feel too light and sometimes a little cheap. The Summit Gaming Desk doesn’t feel cheap by comparison. In fact, the desk itself when all packed up, weighed about 80 pounds (36 kg) and was a pain to get up the stairs by myself. The legs aren’t just four pins screwed into a plank, they are thick steel bars welded together, and screwed into a large Medium-Density Fiberboard with a Polyvinyl Chloride Laminate desktop (MDF-PVC). The end result is a very heavy and sturdy feeling desk. While it would be uncommon for any damage to come to the steel aside from some minor scratches, MDF is a very hardy surface as well, with my only real concern being that the laminate may get gouged after months of use.
Style / Functionality
Where style is concerned, this is really where AKRacing shines. While I’m not particularly a fan of the red stripes on the sides, more-so due to the color than the design (I like blue, is that a crime?) what really impressed me was the faux carbon fiber design from the PVC laminate. The sleek feel of the carbon fiber screams “racing desk” in a way that drips with swagger and identity rarely expressed through a desk. I’ve seen many gaming desks, but the Summit Gaming Desk has racing (quite literally) written all over it. The desk top also has a curvature at the anterior with a slight angle where you could place a driving wheel, or just rest your wrists, and a rectangular block cut out at the posterior that drops into the cable tray. You can select where you want to place your headphone hook, on the front left or right, depending on where you’ve placed your PC.
There are no moving parts to the desk, no drawers, no hydraulics to raise or lower the desk, aside from the screw-in levelers you attach to the desks feet, and no additional lights or plugs anywhere to be concerned with. The benefits of the Summits style are in its simplicity. When designed with the premise of gaming, and most especially, racing in mind, AKRacing leaves a large, clear space underneath the desk for pedals while also giving gamers a wide area on the surface for a wheel or other peripherals.
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Space / Cable Management
When it comes to computer desks, usable space is a key component. I often found myself running out of space on some of my previous desks, especially after purchasing a large after-market stand for one of my monitors that extends at least half a foot in front of my display. Add on to that, the matter that I have a second monitor, a desk mounted microphone stand and the mouse and keyboard, there is no surprise that running out of space on surface could be a common occurrence for many gamers like myself. The desks dimensions are just under 46 inches (just below 4 feet) long and almost 30 inches wide. Many of my previous desks were about the same length, but the width of the Summit was actually a welcome inclusion as it gave me a little more room for my enormous monitor stand. The cable tray placed underneath the back end of the desk has several areas for cables to be routed through.
My major sticking point with this desk just happens to be space management. I wasn’t entirely sure where I should place my PC. With the way the cable tray is positioned, it seems like the obvious region to place the PC would be on the floor, but I often try and stray from placing my PC on my carpeted floor as it can easily draw pet hair into the fans over time. The desk isn’t quite long enough to place the PC on the top and still have room for the second monitor. My major qualm here is that there was no PC platform despite still having several areas where one could have been added, especially seeing as how the cable tray has a lot of room to organize cabling underneath the desk.
Price
Last but certainly not least is the price for this desk. Depending on the color, the time of year, and where you get it from, the Summit Gaming Desk can range anywhere from 200 dollars on up to 400 dollars. When you look at the price, you have to consider that many well-made computer desks easily and often extend past this price point. I always find that comparing apples to apples, or gaming desks to gaming desks to be the best approach to determine how well the price point is. As it turns out, 400 dollars is a pretty common price point for a gaming desk. Taking that into consideration, the AKRacing Gaming Desk in my opinion is substantially more stylish, and can be found at very competitive prices.
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The Summit Gaming Desk isn’t going to give you better reaction times, nor will it make your car faster in Forza, nor will it bend space-time. It’s a desk, after all, but it just so happens that it’s an aesthetically pleasing, substantial, well priced desk that’s been built with the flashy, modern gaming culture in mind. For a racing fan, I can see this being a must buy. For the average gamer, there is a lot to like, especially if you can find one for the right price. If you find yourself in need of a desk, the Summit is a good place to start.
Pros
- Large Desktop Surface 3ft wide by 4ft long
- Stylish Carbon Fiber Laminate Desktop
- Comes With Headset Hook
Cons
- No Dedicated Place to Put PC Tower
- No Drawers or Storage
The product discussed in this article was provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.
