We are constantly recommending monitor arms throughout our articles. Turns out they solve a lot of problems and just make a desk look better.
For those not yet convinced that you need a monitor mount, we’re going to talk about what benefits you can expect if you did purchase one.
Especially for those on a budget, you might be thinking, why replace the factory monitor mount that works fine? After all, you paid for that monitor stand that came with your monitor.
We’ll be answering this question fully because I also like an affordable desk setup. That’s why my ultrawide monitor and Herman Miller chair were purchased secondhand on Facebook Marketplace!
Before we talk all about monitor mounts, ensure your monitor is VESA compatible to ensure this is an option for you. You can learn more about VESA mounting here.
If you find that your monitor does not have VESA holes, check out our article on how to mount non-VESA monitors.
Now that we have that out of the way, here are some practical reasons why you should switch to an aftermarket monitor mount arm.
Key Takeaways
- Monitor arms give you a bunch of benefits, but the main three are:
- You get more desk space and they make your desk setup look very clean
- You can dial in an ideal ergonomic position
- They are affordable and therefore accessible to most people
Get More Desk Space
This is by far the biggest benefit in my opinion, especially if you have a small space with a small desk. We touch on monitor arms in our article on small desk organization and our article on maximizing your desk space.
Most monitor mounts come with a big flat base that takes up a huge chunk of desk space. Some monitors have large awkward geometries to make them look cool, but it just eats away at the available desk space.
A desk clamp monitor arm on the other hand gives you a desk that looks like this instead.
All you have is a tiny section of your desk being clamped on. You get 90% of the space back from the factory monitor stand. This makes any desk more adaptable and functional for different uses.
If you value space efficiency, this benefit alone should make you join the monitor mount club!
More Organizational Opportunities
When you have more space, you can use that space to your advantage. This means you now have room for more organizational solutions.
A monitor mount can make room for an all-in-one organizer, document trays, small shelves, a pencil cup, or whatever your workflow needs.
You now have space that you didn’t have before. As you can tell from my photos, I keep my Stream Deck in this area. If you haven’t heard of this device before, here’s how I use a Stream Deck for productivity.
I also keep my planner here or the book I am currently reading. Being right under my monitor, it’s an area that draws my attention so I keep items that I reach for frequently.
Make Your Desk Look Extra Clean
Monitor mounting arms that clamp to your desk makes a desk setup look dreamy to me.
But don’t take my word for it, you be the judge yourself. Take a look at these two images below.
One has a factory bulky monitor stand, and the other uses a small base clamp monitor arm. Which one do you think looks better?
The more space under a mounted monitor just gives off a super airy and lightweight look to your monitor. The effect is compounded for larger monitors like this one.
Of course, this is very subjective, but judging from all the great desk setups I find on r/workspaces, I am not alone!
Dial In The Perfect Monitor Height
Not everyone talks about ergonomics in the desk setup world. But a desk setup is completely useless if you’re uncomfortable when you work.
Turns out, your monitor height is part of the equation. We have a dedicated article on finding the ideal monitor height.. Basically, a monitor should be placed such that your eye level is around the upper half of the monitor.
Some factory monitor stands come with no adjustability at all. Kind of difficult to dial in the perfect monitor height when your monitor stand has no adjustability.
Even if your factory monitor stand does have height adjustments, not all of them go high enough!
This is an issue of the past when you have a monitor mount arm. They have huge ranges of height adjustment.
For example, look at the measurements of this mount. You can see just how much vertical flexibility there is with this setup.
Gas spring monitor mounts can be adjusted quickly at any time. Other fixed-height mounts need to just be set up once.
More Adjustability
The adjustability doesn’t stop at height. Monitor arms give you way more adjustability than a factory stand.
You are able to tilt your monitor up and down, side to side, and adjust where it sits relative to the stand. If you ever wanted to try a vertical second monitor, aftermarket stands can easily rotate your monitor 90 degrees.
Look at how I am able to pull off this monstrosity with my monitor mount:
We have a guide on how to vertically mount a monitor. Sometimes it’s as easy as just literally rotating your monitor.
Place Your Monitor Anywhere
Monitor mounts are so common these days that you can literally place them anywhere. We have dedicated articles on less common places you can mount your monitor:
Mount Your Monitor Under Cabinets
Monitor Mounts For Desks Without a Lip
If you have a desired location you want a monitor to live, there is likely a solution out there that involves using mounting arms. Walls, desks, cabinets, floor stands, the list goes on!
Affordable Options
There is a big price range for monitor mounts. The good news for us is that prices start pretty low for a simple monitor mount. Check out this mount that does the basics for around $30 at the time of writing.
This single-arm mount fits monitors on the market between 13” and 32”, that weigh up to 22 lbs with VESA mounting. It offers adjustable height, tilt, and rotation for flexible viewing angles and integrated cable management for a clean setup.
If you can tell from the first image I shared, I started with a monitor mount like this. It just gets the job done for the least amount of dollars. Why wouldn’t you go this route?
If you have a heavy or ultrawide monitor, you will need a beefier mount. We have ultrawide-specific monitor arm recommendations here. As you increase your budget, you get more gas spring mount options.
Gas springs are mechanisms that can support the weight of your monitor without being fixed in place. That means you can adjust your monitor at any time without any tools.
Your monitor feels pretty light when mounted on one of these mounts. Just make sure it falls within the weight range.
A typical high-load gas spring mount can get closer to $100 in price. Take the mount below for example. This even has a USB port on the base, fancy!
I’m currently using the gas spring monitor mount shown here:
That brings us to the holy grail of monitor mounts: Ergotron. These are mounts that have actual VESA compliance. That’s some serious stuff!
Everyone who purchases one typically does so because their monitor costs a significant amount more.
Here is an example of a high-end Ergotron mount:
Ergotron is the go-to monitor mount for those with expensive monitors or anyone who wants the best monitor mount money can buy. This mount fits single screens up to 34 inches diagonal and between 7 to 25 pounds.
- Comes in three colors to match your workspace
- Clamps desks up to 2.4 inches thick
- Can be used with LX Extension for more reach
- Expensive
When you have a crazy $1,000 monitor like this it makes an Ergotron mount a necessity for protecting that investment.
Check out this video by David Zhang comparing the wide range of monitor mounts out there.