Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a professional audio/video installer for 30 years and I've assembled a lot of racks and desks and this one still took about 2 hours and 45 minutes, but then I'm very fastidious about detail. First, there are some errors in the instructions to look out for. Step 14 tells you to put hinge parts on the left and right side panels (1&2) of the CPU section. This is false, they go only on part one, the left side. It would be a bit weird if the door had hinges on both sides. The diagram also fails to show enough detail to be sure how to position these hinge parts. Before you separate the two hinge pieces, hold the hinge onto the left panel with the larger part facing outward. This is the position for the smaller (8A) piece. Only loosen the one raised screw on the hinges and slide the two apart. the other inset screw is for adjusting the hinges later. Another problem, in step 21, you put the drawer rails onto the panels, three on each side. You will find later (Step 23), that when you go to lock the base to those panels, you can't access the locking cams on the bottom because the large drawer rail covers them. You will need to remove one of the rail screws and swing the rail aside to tighten, then put back. The last thing is, there is a hole behind the keyboard tray for running cables through and a plastic piece that is not in the parts list nor anywhere in the instructions. It wouldn't be such a mystery, but the piece is too small to snap into the hole tightly and there are no screw holes to attach it. I guess you could either drill holes into the piece or glue it into the back panel. There is another snap-in piece that fits inside this that has an adjustable aspect. Definitely use a cordless screwdriver for most of the assembly, but be careful not to over-torque. The most difficult pieces to put in are the larger locking pins because they tend to lean if you're not careful and could go in crooked. They need to be straight for proper assembly and don't tighten them any more than to the last thread. Be VERY careful putting in the hanging file folder rods. They do warn you not to tighten them too much but even with slight finger tightening, you can go too far and they can punch through the drawer face. "happydieter" commented that this desk was "very low" and that he/she was very short. I find this odd because I'm 6'6" with long legs and there is still over an inch of clearance above my knees and the keyboard tray with my legs bent at 90 degrees. It's taller than my old desk where my knees rub the bottom of the keyboard drawer. The desk is very sturdy and looks nice. There are large oval cut-outs in the back panels so it is easy to run cables and also allows for heat to escape from your computer. Since nobody seems to think people are actually interested in complete dimensions of a desk (huh?), here are some details: Top desk width = 47-5/8" Top desk depth = 23-5/8" Top of desk height = 29-1/2" Keyboard drawer width = 24-1/2" Keyboard drawer depth = 11-13/16" Keyboard drawer fully extended comes out 7-1/2" from desktop Height from bottom of keyboard drawer = 25-1/2" Height of CPU area (without middle shelf) = 21" Width of CPU area = 10-1/2" (9-1/2" wide clearance to pass door) Depth of CPU area = 17-1/4" (door closed) Area above drawer and desktop = 4-3/4" height, about 13" wide) Seating area between storage = 19-3/4" (narrow) {EDIT 3/18/2012} I am reducing my rating to four stars based on new discoveries. The middle area under the desk is a bit narrow and takes some getting used to when getting in and out so as not to hit your legs on the desk. The keyboard drawer is difficult to lock into the fully extended position; One side usually moves back a bit. The biggest disappointment is that the CPU area is not large enough for a computer that uses a regular ATX motherboard. Only those micro towers with the micro-ATX motherboards will fit. If you're computer shopping, this would mean cases that house at maximum boards that are 9.75" x 9.75" will probably fit. Case depth should be under 17" for the desk door to close.