This video is brought to you by Brilliant! Last year I put together an IKEA desk setup
for around $1400. Since the video brought a lot of attention and questions, I decided
to create an updated 2022 version and challenge myself to go below the $1000 mark (excluding
the computer, of course). As soon as I began exploring the items I would pick for myself,
I almost quit because of the ridiculous price jumps. For example, the IKEA Marcus chair
last year was $199. Right now, it's $269. That almost 30% price increase is throughout
IKEA's catalog. Nevertheless, at the time of the recording
of this video, I managed to squeeze all items to just a hair below 1K. We follow the 3 C's
- cost-effective, clean, and comfortable. Also, I will give away some of the items mentioned,
so if you want to know which ones, stick to the end of the video.
As you can see, the desk follows the classic IKEA combo of a drawer, 2 legs, and a tabletop.
The tabletop is called LAGKAPTEN, and it is one of the cheapest items on the list, coming
in at just $29. It is the smaller variant of two at around 24 by 47 inches - large enough
to accommodate a right horizontal laptop SBS. If you are unsure what I am talking about,
watch my dual monitor guide, which I'll link at the end of this video. What's unique about
this table top and why I picked it was the newly released light green color which matches
perfectly with the chair. This ultra-light tabletop is made from Honeycomb structure
paper filling, which is recycled and requires gentle care. It's durable, long-lasting, and
can hold a monitor arm, but you must avoid dropping heaving objects on it or scuffing
it with metal. The world-famous Alex drawer was $76 last
year. Now it's an even 3-digit price of $100. The price jump doesn't justify omitting this
fantastic drawer unit, however, and the white version with the white ADILIS legs that cost
$7.5 each is the ideal light leg combo for this setup. Sure, the legs weigh almost nothing,
but once the tabletop is attached to the heavy Alex drawer, things stay in place, no problem.
The light green LANGFJALL Chair is one of my favorite compact office chairs because
it looks like something a Danish designer, Henrik Pedersen, would create for like $1100,
yet cost a fraction of the price. The IKEA designer Eva Löwenhielm did a fantastic job
creating this minimal-looking light green pastel chair. It is not ergonomic, nor is
it barely adjustable, but boy, is it comfortable. For some reason, sitting on this chair is
hugely relaxing and forgiving on my lower back. When unlocked, I can rock back and forth
for hours. The wheels are meh, but I don't travel distance with them.
The entire desk setup with the tabletop, legs, drawer, and chair cost $354 total, which is
not a bad price, considering that some lesser office chairs alone can cost more. Do you
know what's absolutely free? Subscribing to the channel. You were supposed to say WHY
NOT? Well, it didn't fit in the script. BUT YOU HAVE TO SAY IT… OK WHY NOT?
The monitor I picked for this setup is undoubtedly an underdog worth looking at. It is by a company
called Pixio, model number PX275C. The worst part for me when it comes to this display
is the fact that it's not 4K but WQHD. Before I tell you the best part, however, let's talk
about the ultra-thin all-around even bezels that look stunning from any angle. This 100
HZ, 27-inch productivity/gaming monitor has HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C with 65W charging
capabilities. It even has built-in speakers. With AMD Free Sync covering 90% DCI-P3 and
122% sRGB, Pixio is no slouch when it comes to display punch and color representation.
It is VESA mount equipped with a very sturdy and ergonomic stand and comes with a built-in
power supply. Pixio claims it's a flicker-free monitor, which is very important for me, and
the best part is the fact that it costs $299. It's a great all-around package which, if
I have to describe in one word, is Unpretentious. BTW, since I get asked a lot, the wallpapers
in this video are from my own collections, which I'll place links for below and in the
cards above. As you can see, I am powering my 16" inch
MacBook Pro with it, but you can use any Mac or even non-Mac computers for this setup and
arrangement. A great companion for the setup is the Anker
341 USB-C Hub. This 7-in-1 hub is one of the most popular hubs on Amazon, with tens of
thousands of 5-star reviews, and I understand why. At $35, you pay only $5 per port, which
comes in handy in various situations. If I don't necessarily need the hub or I am headed
somewhere, I can just toss it in the bag and move on. I'll be sure to put the link for
the hub in the description below and all the other items we are going through.
On top of the monitor, I've placed a Xiaomi light bar. Going back to any other desk light
makes no sense if you've used a light bar. Light bars take 0 space on the desk, don't
reflect on the screen, nor poke your eyes out. This rotating Xiaomi light bar is exceptionally
well crafted, where the bar itself attaches to the mount magnetically. It has a USB-C
cable that you can plug into any power source. The light provides variable brightness and
color temperature adjustments with the help of the 2.4GHz wireless remote control in the
form of this highly minimal-looking and satisfying rotating knob. Press it once to turn on and
off, hold and press to change the light temperature and simply rotate to adjust the brightness
level. One of my favorite items on this desk is the
Logitech G305 gaming mouse. It's not my fault I got hooked into gaming mice for productivity
- it's his fault. Anyways, for less than $60, the G305 has a lot to offer, and I am not
only referring to the lower carbon footprint of this product. The 12,000 dpi HERO sensor,
as Logitech calls it, is BUTTER. Using this mouse and then going to the MX Master feels
like I am switching from a 120 hz monitor to a 30. The mouse works great with the Mac
via the Logitech G hub. I created Macros for the buttons to move through my desktops left
and right. I use the DPI button on the top to switch to more precision when doing cut-outs
or other graphic work. The fastest setting is ideal for dual-monitor setups when I have
to cover a lot of real estate. At 99 grams, this mouse is not the lightest of gaming mice,
especially considering that it has to be used with an AA battery, but it's manageable and
lasts 250 hours. It's not Bluetooth, and it comes with a receiver that tucks neatly inside
the opening top shell. The white version of this mouse looks fantastic in person, so I
assume the variety of other colors will look just as dope.
The keyboard I used for this setup was again a trendy Amazon pick, and I wanted to try
it. It's called Redragon K530 Draconic, and it's a 60% compact RGB Wireless Mechanical
keyboard. It's adorable in person, especially in this pearl white version. I picked the
Hot-Swappable Brown Switches, which sound decent. SOUND TEST. Now, this is not a Mac-oriented
keyboard because it doesn't have extra Mac keycaps for the Command and Option keys, nor
does it have an option to toggle between Mac and Windows layouts. It can, however, be easily
connected to a Mac and swapped in the Keyboard Modifier settings. Since it doesn't have dedicated
arrow keys, I can use the FN + AWDS keys to navigate around, which surprisingly is easy
to get used to. At $57, this keyboard is a solid shortlist for anyone looking for a compact
mechanical keyboard. Both the keyboard and the mouse are placed
on the ENOUGH mouse pad. This truly black pad is my own creation which at 15x32 inches
stays ideally even on this smaller IKEA tabletop. Someone once wrote that it's a door mat, which
technically can be used as such, but if you get it for its purpose as a desk pad, you'll
be delighted. Made from 100% post-consumer polyester, this environmentally friendly pad
will provide a soft and gentle feel on your wrists while helping you mouse effortlessly.
At 4mm, it elevates any desk setup and stays firmly in place, thanks to the anti-slip dots
on the bottom. Next, these are some of the best-selling headphones
on Amazon. I bet you've seen them, right? I just realized that might be too close for
the human eye to visualize. Not for a computer, though, since computers think in numbers where
a digital image is represented by an array of numbers, called pixels. Suppose you want
to learn more about the computer vision problem and even implement your own computer vision
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a better thinker! Visit brilliant.org/thisise or click on the first link in the description
below, and the first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription.
OK, so the headphones are the best-selling Anker Soundcore Life Q30. The 40 mm audio
drivers provide a very punchy sound. I can describe them as BASS-oriented, with mids
and lows being neglected in certain situations. Definitely not a concern for daily use and
even for commuting since they come with active noise cancellation with individual modes,
like transport or outdoor traffic. The battery on these headphones is rated at 40 hours of
wireless playback with 60 hours of playtime in standard mode, which is definitely very
competitive. The reason I appreciated them immediately after unboxing was the comfort
level. They feel very premium despite costing hair less than $80. Very soft and forgiving,
especially for big-headed people like me. Note that given the budget restraint, I didn't
go for speakers but chose headphones since they are more important for various reasons.
If you are looking for inexpensive speakers, you can check out my previous video, which
I'll link below and at the end of the video. I had to place the Pixio monitor on an arm
because it felt flat on its own. In terms of an actual arm, I didn't use anything special,
but rather a basic popular choice for less than $20. The same goes for the laptop stand.
I could've left it on its own, flanking the monitor, yet placing it on a stand elevated
everything and made the entire setup more ergonomic. As I discussed in my dual-monitor
guide, I can use the laptop in both clamshell and second monitor mode, which is very practical.
So, I'll give away the pair of Anker Soundcore headphones, the Redragon K530 keyboard, and
2 of the ENOUGH mouse pads. I've placed a simple participation form in the description,
which you can fill out in no time, and 4 weeks from the publication of this video, I'll draw
the winners on Twitter and Instagram. If you enjoyed this video, check out my monitor
guides here and my desk setup playlist. Like and subscribe to the channel and my newsletter,
and as always, it's been an absolute pleasure, This is E