Building My Brother a Hybrid Gaming Work From Home Setup

My brother Ethan works from home four days out of the week and for a pretty tech savvy guy who's into gaming and computers, he never really got into the desk setup craze. His current setup is simple and gets the job done and it used to be in this room but we recently moved it out to make space for the new changes. After checking out his office space, I said hey why don't we build a completely new setup for you. We had a few discussions on the desired aesthetics and he told me he trusted my vision and allowed me the creative freedom to do whatever I wanted. To get a better idea of how the space was going to look, Ethan used SketchUp and did a 3D design of his layout and even took it a step further and added a few other things. We decided that an all-black setup with a dark accent wall would really match the color palette of the new floors he recently installed. Having the mock-up made it more convenient to visualize how everything was going to look and ensured a clearer understanding of the final arrangement. Ethan likes to build things on his free time so he's pretty knowledgeable about designing things to spec. He purchased this old arcade and rebuilt the entire controller platform because the one it came with didn't have enough surface space. He even printed out all the graphics individually for a more custom look and added a raspberry pi to run a few emulators. The first thing we decided to do was remove the old ceiling fan. It visually made the already low ceiling extra low. Fortunately this room stays pretty cool throughout the summer so removing the fan was an easy decision. We replaced the fan with these flush mount ceiling lights from Amazon. They are dimmable with the minimalistic design and are plenty bright and they are very affordable at 30 bucks for a 2 pack. And here's a quick look at the blank canvas before we begin. A majority of the products have already arrived but there are still a lot we are waiting on. We have gear from Secret Lab, The Wood Veneer Hub, Govee, Gigabyte, Yeelight, and Ugreen so shout out to these guys for hooking me up and making this build possible. First thing to do on the list was to assemble the new Secret Lab Magnus Pro XL desk. We hauled all the boxes upstairs to the office and got to work. I must say that the Secret Lab packages looked so good. If you haven't heard of Secret Lab before, the company initially started manufacturing gaming chairs and became a household name in the world's premier esports tournaments. And they now offer gaming desks and other accessories that are designed to enhance the gaming experience and provide gamers with a comprehensive setup. The Magnus Pro XL is a sit and stand metal desk that measures roughly 70 inches by 31.5 inches with a magnetic ecosystem. There are so many clever features built in that we will go over later in the video. And if you've seen any of my previous desk setup videos, then you know one of my favorite things to do is add casters to every desk I build. By having the casters installed, you have the freedom to move your desk around when needed, enhancing the flexibility and adaptability of your workspace. This makes it convenient for easy reconfiguration but also promotes a dynamic and efficient environment that can cater to various tasks and preferences. One of my favorite features of the Magnus Pro desk is the hidden cable management tray that is built in on the back of the desk. The heart of the new setup will be powered by the Gigabyte Aorus 15X laptop. It's running an Intel Core i9 2.2GHz CPU with 16GB of RAM and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070. The Aorus 15X is a 15.6-inch laptop with a 165Hz Quad HD display with a beautiful, slim design. For the external displays, we went with a pair of 27-inch Gigabyte GS27F gaming monitors that also have a refresh rate of 165Hz. To maximize the desk space, we will be mounting both monitors onto the Secretlab Magnus dual monitor arms. The Magnus arms look super sleek with an all-black metal design and red accents and offers next-level cable management with a magnetic cover. And just as we were finishing up with the monitor arm, we realized that we completely forgot about the Secretlab MagPad desk mat, so we had to backpedal a few steps to get it installed. Next up was to add an accent wall, and thanks to my friends over at the Wood Veneer Hub for sending over these beautiful matte black wall panels. I'm pretty sure you've seen a lot of people with these decorative panels lately, including myself. I recently installed a set of gray panels in my home office earlier this year, and it's one of my favorite upgrades to date. The reason why these acoustic panels are so popular is because they completely transform any space with very little effort. It's relatively easy for one person to handle the job, but my brother is lucky to have an extra set of hands to help him out. Each panel were perfectly designed to line up with one another, so all we did was added 6 screws to each panel to secure it onto the wall. The total time to cut and install 10 panels was about an hour, and after that, it was time to build out the setup with all the new gear and accessories. So here we are, the final version of the new office space. I really love how well the matte black wall panels and the all-black furniture compliments one another. Tucked in the left corner is this hidden gem of a cabinet I found on Amazon. This all-steel cabinet feels really solid, and I really like the built-in pegboards on the sides. It's perfect for keeping some of your accessories organized and easily accessible. You can lock up your valuable items below like this high-end state-of-the-art video device. We used the upper shelves to display some decor pieces and products, and added a custom charging station below, powered by the all-new Ugreen Nexo 300W charger. This beast of a charger offers hyper-fast charging with the Power Delivery 3.1 protocol, capable of charging a 16-inch MacBook Pro from 0 to 56% in just 30 minutes. You can power up to 3 laptops with a maximum output of 140W for one, 100W for the second, and 60W for the third. And the built-in smart thermal guard system helps protect your devices from overheating and overcharge. It's quite impressive to see how much power this charger packs into such a compact design. With a total of 4 USB Type-C and 1 USB-A port, this is the only charger you'll ever need to power all of your devices, whether it's on your desk or on your next flight. To keep all of the cables neat and tidy, we used these awesome magnetic cable organizers from Secret Lab. The rectangular channels were designed for the desk leg, and these little ones were for the desk, but we had a few spares. We are also considering to add this Ugreen 65W charger to the bottom shelf for quick access, because it offers 3 outlets as well as 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports. And at a quick glance of this frame teardown of the Google Pixel, you might have assumed that it was purchased from Grid Studio or another company within that space. But in actuality, Ethan took apart his old phone, designed and printed out the layout, and created this fancy frame from scratch. Like I said before, Ethan likes to build things. Along the backside of the cabinets, we added a Govee-powered LED strip, as well as a few other Govee products around the office space. I'm a huge fan of Govee and have been using their products for a few years and never had any issues with them. The Govee Cylinder Floor Lamp is one of their newer products and has a minimal design and can get very bright. And on each side of the monitors, we have the Govee Wi-Fi Gaming Light Bars. You can use the included smart dial controller to adjust the brightness, change effects, or power them on and off. There are so many different unique lighting effects you can choose from, and everything can also be controlled using the Govee app or hands-free with Google and Amazon voice assistance. And one of the coolest lighting products I've seen in a while are these, the Yeelight Cube Smart Lamp. These cubes feature a magnetic modular design, so you can arrange them in a variety of ways, including horizontally or stacking them upright. There are three different cube components in the kit, the matrix, the panel, and the spotlight. With the latest LED programming control technology, you can customize the Yeelight Cubes to display any array of content through the application. With the desktop software, you can enable the cubes to match the colors on your display or respond to music and audio. You can have a mini light show while you're gaming or watching music videos. It's really neat to see that all of this is possible without needing the cube lamp to physically connect to your computer. It's done completely through the software via Wi-Fi. And with the mobile app, you can select from a variety of preset lighting configurations and effects. Customize each component to your desired theme or display the time and date. You can even create your own design on the 5x5 grid matrix cube, and they are matter compatible and supports voice control via Google, Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, etc. After seeing all of the features of the Yeelight Cube Smart Lamp, I think I may want a set for my own setup as well. Now let's talk about the gaming setup. The Gigabyte AORUS 15X is the heart of the setup, and thanks to the Core i9 processor, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and the NVIDIA RTX 4070, gaming on it is a dream. As I mentioned earlier in the video, the AORUS 15X has a Quad HD 15-inch 165Hz display with a slim design, a 240W power supply, and features a Thunderbolt 4 port. The portability of a gaming laptop makes it versatile and convenient to pack up and go if needed. Maybe you want to step out of your office and game in the living room or check emails at your favorite hideaway spot. You can also fully customize the LEDs on the AORUS 15X using the Gigabyte Control Center desktop application. During gaming sessions, you do hear the cooling fans running, but the laptop stays relatively cool and within the safe operating temperature range. Overall, the AORUS 15X gaming laptop is a great option for anyone who's looking to upgrade, and I would highly recommend it. For the displays, we are running dual Gigabyte GS27F gaming monitors. The GS27F features a 27-inch IPS panel with a 1920x1080 Full HD resolution display and a refresh rate of 165Hz. The colors look great and gameplay is ultra smooth. And one of the best accessories in this setup is the AV-AXIS KVM docking station. With this 12-in-1 dock, Ethan is able to quickly switch between his work laptop and gaming laptop in seconds with the press of a button. With the AV-AXIS dock, you can run up to two 1080p monitors at 240Hz. It's packed with plenty of ports including a 60W power delivery USB-C port. And best of all, it's plug and play so you don't need any drivers or software. The keyboard of choice is the full metal Carbon Black Keychron Q3 Pro. The colorways of this keyboard is just a perfect match for this setup. This is the fully assembled special edition with the Keychron K Pro Red switches. I love the aluminum knob and the extra customizable keys on the left makes it even more attractive. And we paired the Q3 Pro with the Keychron M3 Mini wireless mouse. For audio, we have the Vigilant Audio Switch One wireless powered speakers, sitting on a pair of wedge stands by Human Centric. Each speaker features a closed box design with 3-inch drivers and dual 4-inch passive radiators that help deliver rich sound. These speakers offer versatility with a range of input options including Bluetooth, RCA, auxiliary, and optical connections. Overall for the size, I am pretty impressed with the sound quality. Now let's jump over and talk about the innovative Secretlab Magnus Pro XL desk. The Magnus Pro desk boasts a unique blend of functionality and aesthetics that sets it apart in a league of its own. For starters, the built-in cable management tray is something I wished every desk had. You can neatly organize all of the adapters and cables and keep everything tidy and easily accessible with the integrated storage compartment. There's even a built-in socket inside for a power strip and a fully integrated power supply column on the lower left desk leg for a super clean look. You also have the option to add the Secretlab Mag RGB magnetic light strip which is powered by Nanoleaf. The light strip installs in seconds via magnets and just snaps directly onto the desk. And the fully integrated control panel is built into the edge of the desk so you don't have to worry about it getting in the way or accidentally bumping into it with a chair. You can store up to three custom height positions and the control panel can easily be locked by flipping the switch. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the Magnus Pro desk far exceeded my expectations and it's honestly one of the nicest desks I've seen. And no setup is ever complete without a chair. The award-winning Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chair is one of a kind. You can fully customize the chair before you purchase. Select between three different sizes, upholstery options, colors, and more. You can easily swap out the magnetic armrest or take a nap with the memory foam pillow because this chair can also recline. There are multiple adjustments to dial in your comfort with a four-way lumbar support system and an adjustable armrest. The model you see here is the cookies and cream color combo with the soft weave plus fabric, a 3D gradient knit that's durable, soft, and breathable. Overall, the Titan Evo offers exceptional comfort, making it an ideal choice for individuals who spend extended hours at their desk. And lastly, we swapped out the dated blinds and upgraded them to the Graywind Smart Zebra Shades. The Zebra Shades instantly make the entire space look more modern and they can be controlled via a remote, using the app, and even by voice. You can schedule them to open or close at a specific time or integrate them with your home automation routines. They are battery powered and can last up to six months on a single charge. I personally upgraded my entire home to the Graywind Zebra Shades a few years ago and they are still working flawlessly. Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this video and everything mentioned in this video will have a link in the description below. Stay tuned for another setup video because I actually have some new furniture for my own office space that I will be sharing very soon. Thanks for watching and take care guys!