Monitor mounts are an excellent way to build out a productivity setup featuring one or more monitors without losing desk space. However, it can be hard to find a great monitor arm or mount that works with your current setup, such as your specific model of monitor or your type of desk. Some things to consider, for example, are whether your desk has enough overhang to fit a monitor arm clamp or if a mount can place your displays in the perfect orientation. If these are some of your concerns, it might be worth considering the StarTech Articulating Dual Monitor Arm. While this monitor mount isn't perfect, it's the most modular one I've tested, and you should be able to assemble it in a way that meets your needs and preferences.

This dual monitor arm from StarTech only comes with a handful of pieces, but there is a lot of freedom in how they are put together. There are two spring arms for height adjustment, two swivel arms for horizontal positioning, and a dual mount that these arms slide into. The fun part is that there's no right or wrong way to assemble this monitor mount. You could put the swivel arms in first and connect them to the spring arms, or vice versa. Don't need both? That's fine, you can pick just the spring arms or the swivel arms. Really, there's only one rule: you can't connect more than two arms together. Chances are, due to this mount's modularity, it'll work with your current setup — and maybe future ones.

About this review: StarTech provided us with a Dual Monitor Arm for review. The company did not have input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing and availability

StarTech's Articulating Dual Monitor Arm supports two monitors, each up to 30 inches in screen size and weighing 19.8 pounds or fewer. This mount retails for $287 directly from StarTech's website, but can be had slightly cheaper at third-party sites like Amazon. This dual monitor arm has the product identifier ARMDUAL30, which is important to look out for, because a lot of StarTech monitor arms have similar names but vastly different features. Most of this monitor mount is made out of silver aluminum, but some black plastic is also included.

Specs

What I like

Assembly is quick, easy, and much better than my last StarTech mount

This is my second time reviewing a StarTech Dual Monitor Arm, with the first one being the "pivot" version. While the StarTech pivot mount was good overall, the assembly process was clearly a weak point. The instructions were confusing, there were a lot of small screws, manual adjustments, and Allen key turning required. In fact, one of my screws was completely defective on the first model and fell apart. I'm happy to report that the experience assembling this StarTech Dual Monitor Arm couldn't have been more different. StarTech's instruction manual could still use some work, but the assembly process for the StarTech Dual Monitor Arm is simple and intuitive enough that you can figure it out without a manual.

The assembly process is user-friendly, and anyone will be able to do it without specialized tools. For example, the spring and swivel arms have small plastic clips that lock in place when they're installed. You have to listen for an audible "click" to make sure it is secured, but once locked, these arms are not going anywhere. It's an infinitely better experience than the last StarTech mount I put together, which was too reliant on cheap screws. As for the desk mount, a central mounting pole can be affixed to your tabletop with the pre-installed clamp or optional grommet hole mount.

Perhaps the best example of the StarTech Dual Monitor Arm's simple assembly is the VESA mounting bracket. You can screw the monitors onto the bracket before moving the mount to the arms, which is easier than trying to do it suspended in the air. Better yet, the VESA mounting screws are thumb screws. It's absolutely possible to put this entire mounting system together without touching a screwdriver. You'll need to use an Allen key to release the tension in the spring arms, but that should be the only point in the assembly process that a tool is required.

There are plenty of ways to build this mount exactly how you want it

By far, the part of the StarTech Dual Monitor Arm that stands out the most is its modularity. Most mounts are designed to be assembled in a specific way, and there's usually not much room for customization. With this mount, there's only one step in the instructions that is set in stone, and that's attaching the central mounting pole to your desk. Because, of course, everything else needs something to connect to. Otherwise, you can basically assemble the rest of the StarTech Dual Monitor Arm however you see fit. For this reason, the StarTech Dual Monitor Arm is the most modular mount I've used so far.

The first choice you have is whether you want to install the dual mount, which is the part of the dual monitor arm that lets you install both monitor arms at the same point on the mounting pole. However, you don't have to use it. If you want to install the arms at different heights on the mounting pole, or you only want to use one arm, you can mount the arms directly to the pole. Then, you can decide whether to mount the spring or swivel arms first. The spring arms give you spring-assisted height adjustment, while the swivel arms give you horizontal adjustments. Or, you can only opt for one of the two arms. For my setup, I used the spring and swivel arms for the horizontal monitor, and only the swivel arm for the vertical monitor.

I used the StarTech USB-C to dual HDMI adapter to connect my dual monitor setup to my M3 iMac, but didn't spend much time on cable management. Cables can't be completely hidden with this StarTech mount, but there are two plastic cable clips on the back of the mounting pole to help with routing.

What I don't like

You need a lot of space to get the most out of this StarTech mount

The one thing that the StarTech Dual Monitor Arm's modularity can't overcome is the amount of space around your desk setup. This monitor arm works best with desks that either have a lot of depth, or desks with lot of space between their backs and the wall. Due to the way the swivel and spring arms move, their range of motion will be limited when placed near a wall. That's why if you're limited on space, I probably wouldn't recommend this mount. I had to get creative in order to fit the monitor arm in the tight corner near my desk.

Another thing to keep in mind is how much space is available on the edge of your desk's surface for the monitor arm to clamp onto. I ran into difficulties with my FlexiSpot E7 Pro standing desk because it doesn't have much overhang, and this made clamping the StarTech Dual Monitor Arm difficult. This monitor arm's specific clamping mechanism is rather large, too.

Should you buy the StarTech Articulating Dual Monitor Arm?

You should buy the StarTech Articulating Dual Monitor Arm if:

• You want a modular dual monitor mount that can be customized to suit your needs
• You have a pair of 30-inch monitors (or smaller) that you want to mount together
• You're willing to pay a lot more for the premium build and customization features

You should NOT buy the StarTech Articulating Dual Monitor Arm if:

• Your needs would be met with a more basic, and cheaper, dual monitor arm
• You have a desk with little or no tabletop overhang for the mounting clamp
• You're on a budget or have a monitor bigger than 30 inches

Many of the best monitor arms offer height, tilt, and swivel adjustments, so this functionality isn't new with the StarTech Articulating Dual Monitor Arm. However, you're often limited to the set range of adjustments that your monitor arm supports, and that's where the StarTech mount shakes things up. By mixing-and-matching pieces, it's possible to effectively change the range of adjustments and create a monitor mount that fits your setup best. With this one mount, you get a handful of unique assembly combinations for supreme modularity. Not everyone will need that level of control over their monitor arm, but for those that do, the StarTech mount is a great fit.