Ikea do gaming: The "Utespelare" gaming desk

1sascha · March 11, 2022

Not sure if this is the right subforum for this, but I thought I'd let you guys know about this product. I was inspired by one of Linus' older videos to use Ikea furniture for my new setup. Initially I wanted to do what he had done in the video: Use a wooden or laminated kitchen-board with a couple of metal trestles underneath for a desk. However: Since I wanted a desk with a bit of depth to it and the Ikea-boards are all 63 or 64 cm (instead of the 80 I was looking for), I started looking for alternatives.

Came across Ikea's new(-ish) line of gaming accessories and checked them all out at their local store. The electrical desk ("Uppspell") is a dream of course, but at €499 (now more like €550 after some hefty price increases from Ikea... thanks Vlad!) it was way out of my budget. So I checked the €149 Utespelare, fully expecting it to be a one-way-ticket to wobbletown. But it really wasn't - not even slightly. After some more looking around the web, I decided it'd be my best bet. Went to my local Ikea and snagged the second to last grey one they had in stock.

It's a 160cmx80cm desk they sell in either black or grey. I'd avoid the black, since it really shows every fingerprint or smudge - plus my entire rig including the monitor, mousepad, mouse, keyboard and case is all black, so I wanted a bit of contrast. Assembly was done without a second pair of hands - which was a bit awkward but not impossible. Took me 90 minutes or so, and now I'm typing at the desk. The whole thing is surprisingly solid for an Ikea table. I've been using their stuff since 1990 and I did run into a fair amount of wobbly crap over the years. Not so with this one. There's a pretty sturdy steel frame underneath and the tabletop is affixed to that via beefy screws going into metal threaded sleeves that are pre-mounted into the top. The larger screws connecting the frame come with Loctite pre-applied and so far the desk hasn't wobbled on me once.

It's also quite versatile, since you can choose two positions for the top (cutout towards the front or towards the back) and the whole thing is height-adjustable. Which works, but is a minor pain if you have to do it yourself. There's no electric motors or manual gears to adjust the height, instead you have to undo two steel bolts per leg, change the height, then re-insert the bolts and tighten them down again. Not something I'd recommend doing on your own.

Other than that, it has some cable-management built in: The rear part is steel grate (to prevent heat buildup underneath I guess?) and between it and the main table top, there's a gap running the entire length of the table. Underneath that is a fabric net where you can store your excess cable-lengths and/or connector strip(s). Simple, but practical.

Here's what mine looks like mid PC-build ... sorry bout the mess...

All in all, I'd highly recommend this thing - especially given its price point. And since its price is still unchanged but Ikea don't seem finished with raising their prices by pretty substantial margins, I'd probably buy it sooner rather than later.

S.

Commodus · March 15, 2022

Appreciate the review — and "one-way ticket to wobbletown" is definitely a phrase for the ages.

oktob3r · March 15, 2022

gotta say, i recently picked up this desk as well as a cheaper alternative to the Ikea butcher block drawer build so many do enjoy. It's only been about a week but it's been rock solid and fits my tower and a 27 inch monitor with plenty of room for another down the road.

1sascha · April 13, 2022

Seeing how the pic in my original post shows such a mess, I thought I'd make amends by upping another pic now that the PC is up and running. That's a 32 inch monitor sitting on the desk and there's still room to spare to the right of the case (pic is cut off). I'm pretty sure I could squeeze my 27'' monitor on there too as a second screen once I'll get it out of storage.

I'm also going to congratulate myself for predicting the completely predictable: When I checked Ikea's site yesterday, I saw that the desk is now €179 instead of the €149 I paid.

S.

Commodus · April 14, 2022

23 hours ago, 1sascha said:

Seeing how the pic in my original post shows such a mess, I thought I'd make amends by upping another pic now that the PC is up and running. That's a 32 inch monitor sitting on the desk and there's still room to spare to the right of the case (pic is cut off). I'm pretty sure I could squeeze my 27'' monitor on there too as a second screen once I'll get it out of storage.

I'm also going to congratulate myself for predicting the completely predictable: When I checked Ikea's site yesterday, I saw that the desk is now €179 instead of the €149 I paid.

S.