0:03 Everyone says you can build a $500 desk.
0:05 They're lying. They leave out the chair
0:08 or the mic or a bunch of other stuff.
0:10 So, today I'm building one for real.
0:13 Desk, chair, monitor, audio, lighting,
0:16 everything except for the PC for under
0:18 $500. Now, let's start with the stuff
0:22 you interact with the most, peripherals.
0:25 This is the Aula F75. It's about $35.
0:27 It's pretty durable and this is the
0:32 sound you get right out of the box.
0:34 Now, there is a reason why every time
0:36 you search cheap mechanical keyboards,
0:38 this is always the top of the list. And
0:40 at this price, you're not getting better
0:43 value than this. Next up for the mice,
0:45 if you game, this honestly shouldn't
0:47 exist at this price. This is the MHose
0:50 A7. It's basically a Logitech Superlite
0:53 clone, but without the Logitech Tax.
0:55 I've used the Logitech Gro before and
0:57 for actual gameplay, this gets you about
1:00 95% of the same experience. It's
1:03 lightweight, responsive, and only about
1:05 $40 on AliExpress. But if you use your
1:08 desk more for work, this is the better
1:11 pick, the Rapu MT760. It's a Logitech
1:15 MXM style mouse for only around $30. It
1:17 has multiple wireless connections. It
1:19 has quiet clicks and is very comfortable
1:22 for long sessions. When I was working a
1:24 9 to5 staring at spreadsheets the whole
1:26 day, the horizontal scrolling was a
1:29 gamecher. Now, sadly on Amazon, it costs
1:31 around $45, but on AliExpress, it's
1:34 closer to 30. For the mouse pad, don't
1:36 overthink it. Just get the cheapest one
1:38 that fits your theme. Now, let's talk
1:40 about the desk. We need something
1:42 sturdy, long enough, and realistic for
1:45 this budget. And let's be honest, Eaya
1:47 is basically the only real option. I
1:50 thought about going with the Linmon, but
1:51 I decided to go with the Lag Captain
1:54 instead. It's sturdier. It comes in
1:56 bigger sizes, and I've been using this
1:59 Lag Captain tabletop for years now. For
2:00 most people, I'd recommend you to go
2:04 with the 140 cm or the 55 in version,
2:06 but if your space allows it, you can go
2:08 bigger. I've been personally using a 200
2:11 cm one. Now, since we're in a tight
2:14 budget, Alex drawers are off the table.
2:16 So, the move is simple. the tabletop
2:18 with adult legs on the side. It's
2:21 affordable, it's sturdy, and it just
2:24 works. Total cost only $50, which is
2:27 insane value. For this video, let's just
2:29 pretend that I removed the Alex drawers
2:32 and put in adult legs on the sides. Now,
2:34 for the monitor, this is where most of
2:37 the budget actually goes. And I'm giving
2:39 you two options depending on how you use
2:42 your desk. If you game, this is what I'd
2:45 get. The Kurui 27in curved monitor. It's
2:48 around $120 on Amazon, but on Shopee, it
2:51 only costs about $100. You're getting a
2:54 27in curved monitor, refresh rates of
2:57 180 Hz, adaptive sync, and really solid
3:00 motion clarity for the price. Now,
3:02 here's why I trust this brand. I've been
3:06 using this Kurui, formerly named HKC, as
3:09 my main monitor for the past 4 years.
3:11 It's been running basically 24/7 and
3:14 still no ghosting, no screen tearing, no
3:17 weird issues over the time. The only
3:20 real downside is that it's 1080p, but if
3:22 you're gaming, especially competitively,
3:24 refresh rate matters way more than
3:28 resolution. I mean, I play CS2 at 720p.
3:30 Now, if you're not gaming and don't need
3:33 the 200 Hz, this is the better option,
3:37 the KTC 27 in. It's about $15 after
3:41 coupons. It's 1440p IPS panel and 100
3:44 hertz. If you're editing, coding,
3:46 browsing, or just want more free space.
3:49 This makes a huge difference. Next up,
3:51 the monitor arm. This is a must for
3:54 every desk setup. It frees up space,
3:56 improves ergonomics, and makes the desk
3:58 instantly way more cleaner. I've been
4:01 using a North Bayou dual monitor arm for
4:03 years now and I still have not
4:06 experienced any issues at all. For this
4:08 build, you only need the single monitor
4:10 version. I only paid around $12 on
4:13 Shopee for it, but on Amazon, it costs
4:16 closer to $30. Now, if you can't get
4:18 this monitor for cheap, I recommend this
4:20 other monitor instead from Air Gear.
4:23 It's only $20 and is a really solid
4:25 option with really great reviews. Now,
4:27 to add some depth in my monitor, I
4:30 bought this $10 light bar, which I
4:32 attached to the back of it. Next up, the
4:34 microphone. This is actually the most
4:36 important gear for me. I run another
4:38 Faceless YouTube channel, and obviously
4:41 this one, too, so audio matters more to
4:42 me than almost anything else on the
4:44 desk. The mic I've been using for this
4:48 entire video is this Fifine K688. It's
4:51 only around $50, and it sounds this good
4:54 straight out of the box. It's a dynamic
4:56 mic, so it rejects noise way more better
4:59 than any condenser microphones. You can
5:02 also choose between USB or XLR. It has a
5:04 headphone jack, a gain knob, and
5:07 physical mute buttons. Here is what it
5:10 sounds compared to a $110 Logitech mic.
5:13 Hello. This is the $50 Fifi mic. And
5:17 this is the $110 Logitech mic. If you do
5:19 calls, streaming or YouTube, this is one
5:21 of the easiest recommendations that I
5:24 can make to go with it. I wanted a boom
5:27 arm, but not one of those big ugly ones.
5:30 This is a lowprofile one from Ulanzi. It
5:33 costs only about $25 and it stays out of
5:35 the frame, keeping everything pretty
5:38 clean. For personal audio, I actually
5:40 prefer IM over headphones. If you
5:42 haven't tried one yet, make sure to do
5:45 so. And these are the Moonrop Tutus.
5:47 It's only around $20. It has clean
5:50 tuning. It's not fatiguing. And it's way
5:53 better than any cheap headphone. If you
5:55 don't want any bulky headphones on your
5:58 desk, this is insane value. Now, the
6:00 chair. This is the part that most budget
6:03 setups quietly ignore. And a few months
6:06 ago, I bought this Eaya Flinton. It felt
6:08 good when I tested it, but after long
6:11 work sessions, I started noticing some
6:14 back discomfort. So, for a $500 desk
6:16 setup, this isn't the place to gamble.
6:18 What I'd recommend is the Amazon Basics
6:21 ergonomic chair. It costs about $75.
6:23 It's not flashy, but your back will
6:25 thank you. Now, for the rest of the
6:27 budget, this is where you make your
6:30 setup feel yours. For example, a second
6:32 monitor was really important to me, so I
6:35 just added the cheapest 24-in monitor I
6:37 could find and another monitor arm. and
6:39 I feel two times more productive for
6:42 some reason when I have two monitors.
6:44 After everything so far, the total comes
6:46 out to $471.
6:48 And that leaves a lot of room for
6:51 personalization. Add a plant, shelves,
6:54 posters, whatever makes the setup feel
6:56 yours. A good desk setup isn't about
6:58 copying mine. It's about building
7:00 something you actually enjoy sitting at.
7:03 Now, if you want more cheap tech that is
7:05 way better than it should be, make sure
7:07 to check out this video. Otherwise, peace
