The price difference is the biggest differentiator, that and finding the stuff that looks more sturdy. If it looks like real wood and weighs like real wood, it most likely is real wood.
I just got back from a trip to Ikea to buy multiple computer desks, and got the really cheap particle board ones to save money, but there were definitely some nicer desks there that looked even better that felt like real wood.
I just got back from a trip to Ikea to buy multiple computer desks, and got the really cheap particle board ones to save money, but there were definitely some nicer desks there that looked even better that felt like real wood.