I knew something was missing from that standing desk I purchased during the pandemic. It turns out it just needed some built-in RGB bling.
Cooler Master and its new lineup of gaming desks have me convinced. I mean, look at the glorious rainbow hues illuminating the front and back edge of this standing desk. It is so unnecessary, and yet I can’t take my eyes off that light band. It’s entrancing.
Anyway, Cooler Master says the flagship GD160 ARGB can mirror the colors shown on your screen for a more immersive atmosphere. So if you’re hunting down enemies in a dense jungle, the color strip will imitate that location in the game by turning green. You can otherwise use the MasterPlus+ (no really, that’s the name) software to customize your lighting setup by choosing one of seven preset effects, including reload, recoil, breathing, and refill (see the below video). That kind of functionality also gives it an edge over just taping a standalone LED strip to a regular desk.
Within the same software are options for changing the lighting colors on both the front and rear RGB strips. As the video shows, you can break up those strips as much as you like to create long bands of colors or tiny alternating dots. And these effects can be cycled on the fly by holding the “A” button on the height adjustment panel. Cooler Master says the front ambient light faces downward to reduce glare, so my astigmatic eyes shouldn’t prevent me from enjoying the light show.
The GD160 ARGB uses dual motors to raise to 51.2 inches or lower to 25.6 inches, so you can use the desk while standing or, erm, sitting in a beanbag. Once you find the right height—which is displayed in centimeters on an LED panel, it can be saved using one of three memory buttons.
Level up your earbud game
Apple has added premium features previously exclusive to its more luxurious AirPods Pro, such as spatial audio and water resistance.
Another nifty feature is the desk’s anti-collision sensor, which prevents the desk from lowering onto an object underneath it. I could see this feature being useful for my own setup given how many review unit boxes I have stashed under my desk at any given time. It works both ways, too, so the desk will lower if it feels an object hitting the top surface before it reaches its intended height. You can even adjust the sensitivity of the anti-collision feature.
When it comes to durability, the GD160 ARGB can lift loads of up to 220 pounds and has a scratch-resistant aluminum finish. Below the table is a metal cable management tray that feeds all of your wires through one location. The desk also comes with an extra-large water-repellent gaming mousepad that spans about half of the desk’s width at 35.4 inches. Cooler Master also says you can fast charge your phone through this desk, though I’m not convinced of that claim considering the desk comes with a single USB 2.0 port.
With a length of 63 inches and a width of 29.5 inches, the GD160 ARGB is a rather large desk. It’s also expensive, and goes on sale today for $899.
If you prefer something more compact or want to save some cash, Cooler Master also revealed the $370 GD120 ARGB, a 47.2-inch-wide desk that drops the rear light bar. Also available is the $349 GD160 for those who want the larger size but don’t need the pricey RGB.
