Running a laptop alongside an external monitor is one of the most common desk setups for remote workers, developers, and creative professionals. The external screen handles your primary workspace, while the laptop serves as a second display, a video call screen, or simply stays open for email and chat. The problem is that two devices on a desk, each on its own stand, eat up surface area fast and create an ergonomic mess of mismatched screen heights.
A monitor arm with laptop tray, or a monitor arm paired with a separate laptop riser, can help raise both devices off the desk and make it easier to position screens closer to recommended viewing height. Some setups use a single arm with an integrated laptop stand combo, while others pair a separate monitor arm with a dedicated laptop riser. Both approaches work, and the right choice depends on how you use your laptop and how much desk flexibility you need.
Why Dual Device Setups Need Better Ergonomics
The typical laptop-plus-monitor arrangement has a built-in ergonomic problem. Your external monitor sits at one height (usually on its factory stand), and your laptop sits flat on the desk, well below eye level. Every time you glance down at the laptop screen, your neck flexes forward. Over an 8-hour day, that repeated motion adds up.
OSHA guidelines recommend keeping the top of your display at or slightly below eye level, with screens at least 20 inches from your eyes. A laptop placed flat on the desk often sits well below that recommended height. Raising the laptop closer to monitor level, either with a dedicated riser or a tray attached to a monitor arm, helps close that gap.
There’s also the desk space issue. A monitor on its factory stand plus an open laptop plus a keyboard and mouse can easily overwhelm a standard 48-inch desk. Mounting the monitor on an arm and elevating the laptop clears the surface for actual work.
Two Approaches to the Dual Device Mount
There are two main ways to set up a dual device mount workstation. Each has trade-offs.
Approach 1: Monitor Arm + Separate Laptop Riser
This is the more flexible option. You mount your external monitor on a standard monitor arm (gas spring or mechanical), and place your laptop on a separate riser or stand on the desk surface. The two devices are independent, which means you can position each one exactly where you want it without one affecting the other.
The advantage is simplicity and flexibility. You can swap out the laptop riser, change its position, or remove it entirely without touching the monitor arm. The monitor arm only needs to support the weight of one display, so any standard arm rated for your screen size will work.
The downside is that the laptop riser still occupies desk space, and you’re managing two separate pieces of hardware instead of one integrated system.
Approach 2: Dual Arm with Laptop Tray Attachment
Some monitor arm systems offer a dual device mount where one arm holds a monitor and the other holds a laptop tray. The tray replaces the VESA plate on one arm, creating a platform for your laptop. Both devices connect to a single desk clamp or grommet base.
The advantage is a cleaner desk with a single mounting point. Both the monitor and laptop are elevated off the surface, and you can adjust each arm independently.
The downside is that you need an arm system specifically designed for this configuration. The laptop tray arm needs to handle the laptop’s weight (typically 3 to 6 lbs for most laptops), and the tray dimensions need to fit your laptop’s footprint. Also, if the laptop is closed and used in clamshell mode with an external keyboard, you may not need the tray at eye level at all, which makes the simpler riser approach more practical.
Choosing Between the Two Approaches
The decision comes down to how you use your laptop in your daily workflow.
Use a monitor arm + separate laptop riser if: You use the laptop as a secondary screen that stays in one spot. You want the flexibility to easily remove the laptop from the desk. You use the laptop in clamshell mode sometimes. You prefer keeping the monitor arm purchase simple and adding the laptop solution separately.
Use a dual arm with laptop tray if: You always use the laptop open as a second display. You want both devices elevated and adjustable from a single base. Desk space is extremely limited and you need every inch of surface back. You don’t plan to frequently disconnect the laptop from the setup.
What to Look for in Each Component
Monitor Arm
The monitor arm is the anchor of this setup. The same selection criteria apply here as with any single-monitor arm purchase:
Weight capacity matched to your external monitor’s actual weight (without its factory stand). VESA compatibility, which for most monitors means 100x100mm or 75x75mm. Adjustment range including height, tilt, swivel, and ideally rotation. Build quality, with steel construction holding up better under sustained daily use.
For gas spring arms, make sure your monitor’s weight falls within the arm’s rated range so the gas cylinder can balance correctly. For mechanical arms, verify the friction or spring tension can hold the screen at your preferred height without drifting.
Laptop Riser or Tray
For the laptop component, the key factors are:
Height gain. The whole point is getting the laptop screen closer to your monitor’s height. Some risers are fixed-height, others are adjustable. For fixed-height models, check the riser’s published dimensions to see how much elevation it adds, and whether that’s enough to bring your laptop screen close to your main monitor’s level.
Ventilation. Laptops generate heat, and placing them on a solid surface with no airflow underneath can increase operating temperatures. Open-frame risers or those with ventilation cutouts help with cooling.
Stability. The riser or tray needs to hold your laptop securely, especially if you type on the laptop keyboard while it’s elevated. Rubber pads or grip strips prevent the laptop from sliding.
Size compatibility. Laptop sizes range from 13″ ultraportables to 17″ workstation-class machines. Make sure the riser or tray surface is wide and deep enough for your specific model.
ThunderTech Pros Products for Dual Workstation Setups
ThunderTech Pros, founded in 2008 with 45,000 square meters of manufacturing facilities across China and Thailand, offers products that cover both components of a dual workstation setup.
For the monitor arm, ThunderTech Pros lists gas spring options like the ALS-100 (single arm) and ALS-200 (dual arm), as well as mechanical options like the DA-0 (single) and DA-2 (dual). All feature steel construction with 100x100mm VESA support and a rated load of 17.6 lb (8 kg) per plate. For larger or heavier monitors, the QTH-1CW and QTH-2E Gas Spring Monitor TV Mounts offer higher weight capacity and broader VESA compatibility.
For the laptop component, ThunderTech Pros offers several desk-based laptop/monitor risers with fixed dimensions. The LSM401E (steel and plastic, 370x235x105mm, supports up to 20 kg) is a simple, clean-lined option. The LSM101 (steel and plastic, 550x270x115mm, up to 20 kg) features a distinctive design with a wider surface. The LSA101 (acrylic and bamboo, 540x270x115mm, up to 20 kg) offers a more transparent, minimal aesthetic. These risers elevate your laptop off the desk surface and create clearance underneath, which can help with both viewing angle and heat dissipation.
Pairing a ThunderTech Pros monitor arm with one of their risers gives you a dual workstation setup sourced from the same manufacturing system, which includes 100+ stamping machines, automated welding robots, and two powder coating lines. Browse the full lineup at the ThunderTech Pros product page.
Setup Tips for a Laptop-Plus-Monitor Workstation
Align screen heights. The goal is to minimize the vertical gap between your main monitor and laptop screen. Adjust the monitor arm so the top edge of the external display is at or slightly below eye level. For the laptop, choose a riser height that brings the laptop screen as close to that level as practical. If the riser is fixed-height, you can fine-tune the monitor arm’s position to reduce the gap from the other side.
Angle the laptop screen. Even when elevated, a laptop screen is smaller and closer than an external monitor. Tilt it slightly backward so you’re looking at it more head-on rather than downward.
Use an external keyboard and mouse. If both screens are elevated, you’ll need input devices on the desk surface. This is better for ergonomics anyway, since it decouples your hand position from your screen position.
Plan cable routing. A dual device setup means more cables: monitor video, monitor power, laptop charger, and possibly USB or docking station connections. Route the monitor cables through the arm’s built-in channels first, then manage the laptop cables separately along the desk edge or through a cable tray.
Consider clamshell mode. If you don’t need the laptop as a second screen, closing it and running it in clamshell mode frees up even more desk space. In that case, a simple riser underneath the closed laptop keeps it ventilated and off the desk surface, and you don’t need a laptop tray on an arm at all.
Conclusion
A monitor arm with laptop tray setup, or a monitor arm paired with a laptop riser, transforms a cluttered two-device desk into a clean, ergonomic workstation. The right approach depends on whether you use the laptop open as a second display or closed in clamshell mode, and how much desk space you’re trying to reclaim.
For the monitor arm component, ThunderTech Pros offers gas spring and mechanical options that cover most screen sizes and weights. For laptop elevation, their riser lineup provides a simple, desk-based solution. Visit the ThunderTech Pros product page for the full range, or contact arya@nbthundertech.com.cn for setup recommendations.