Computers Built Into Desks - Transforming Your Gaming PC Into a Real Battle Station!
A computer built into a desk also known as Desk PCs, is something we can all agree is the next level of Gaming PC builds. Building a PC into a desk may not be the most practical thing, but the level of awesomeness when you finish your build, is just that, awesome!
Table of contents:
Pros and Cons of building Desk PCs
Before going into details about how to build a computer in a desk let’s have a look at some pros and cons (after all, building PCs this way is not an easy project).*
Building Desk PCs PROS:
The looks are amazing, it can’t get any better than this
You’ll save allot of space (the computer is already in the desk, so no need for another case to take up space)
Great cable management (everything is inside your desk and all the cables for your components can be better routed)
Fewer cables on the outside of your desk (everything can be routed perfectly around your desk, so no more hanging cables everywhere)
Great airflow for your components (since the inside of a desk is more spacious than most normal desktop cases, air can move better between your components and you can add all the cooling solutions just the way you want them to be to maximize cooling efficiency)
Did we tell you that computers build into desks are awesome? Well think about what your friends will say when they’ll see your battle station. Just think about it…
Building Desk PCs CONS:
Upgrades can prove to be somewhat difficult in the future as you have to take everything down if you are doing a major upgrade, but this is really dependent on how the desk was built in the first place
Hard to move around with it - some might say that once you’ve built a desk PC it will remain there for good, but if you want to move it into another location (either to another room or to another place for that matter) can prove to be a hassle.
Challenging to clean - dust always finds its way inside of a computer, so doing regular maintenance to your components can be a pain, but again this is highly dependent on the way the desk was built in the first place.
More expensive than your standard desktop case.
Build your own Custom PC Desk
If you think you can handle building a custom PC desk, then by all means do it! After all this is the way computers inside desks came into being as popular as they are today. There are many examples out there and many have allot of common elements that you can build yourself. So how you are going to do it? Here is how you can approach this project.
Built in computer desk plans
Like all new projects you have to make a plan. You can either draw your own plans with plain old pen and paper, use a 3D modeling software, or if you are looking to take a bit less of a risk you can use something already proved to work and of course add your personal touch, or not as you might find something that you want to replicate and use for your build. Here are a few examples of guides that you can use:
Ultimate DIY Desk PC by IFR:
A DIY desk PC that can fold:
DIY Desk PC build from Linus Tech Tips with complete plans
Completely Hidden Desk PC:
Of course if there is the possibility of buying plans for your build, but unfortunately there are very few professionals that actually make these and the guys form craftedworkshop.com seem to be the only ones that we could find at this time to offer such a service.
Recommendend materials and tools to build a PC desk
Let’s have a look at the materials we can use to actually build your computer’s new home. First you will want to have a good set of power tools (yeah you can’t build anything without them) and of course some space where you can actually do the job. You can work in your garage, in your backyard, but never, and we mean it, never in the room you will actually put the desk, that is if you don’t want to spend allot of time cleaning the room after you are done with the build.
Many custom builders recommend MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) as the main building material. It is basically super compressed sawdust witch makes it very strong and durable but allot easier to handle than regular wood. Another way to do it is to use steel or aluminum and make everything out of these, but that will require allot of welding and you will increase the difficulty of the build itself, not to mention that the final product will require more polishing and of course metal crafting skills. Let’s just stick with what is easier to use for now.
Along with power tools, and MDF you will need screws, nuts and bolts of different lengths and sizes all depending on the thickness of your material and placement of your computer parts. Measure everything from the start, don’t just eye-ball it as you might come across the situation when you will have to start all over again because of a wrong sized screw!
For the top part of the desk, most desk PCs builders choose a glass top such that you can see the inside of your gaming PC, and to be honest this is the most obvious choice if you want to show it off. In the end, without the glass top, why bother building a computer into a desk in the first place if you are going to hide everything inside of it.
A very common practice for computers built into desks to have several fans for optimal airflow, as the last thing you will want is an overheating PC. Besides normal fans, another common practice is to use custom water cooling loops for your components as it is the most efficient way to keep your CPU and graphics card (or cards) nice and cool. The ways you can build water cooling loops are infinite and they will make everything look just awesome. We will talk more about water cooling in a future article, for now let’s just stay with the topic of desk PCs.
The next thing you will need are custom buttons. You have to have a way of turning your PC on and off, and here there are plenty to choose from. You will have to do some research, we’ll give you that, but it is a must, as it will be allot easier than lifting up the glass top to short the right pins on your motherboard for powering on or off your desk PC.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can also place a tiny information screen where you can display the various temps and status of your computer as well as RGB strips and we are sure that you will want some lights around your new desk PC.
Buying an already built PC desk
Up until now we talked about doing everything yourself, but what about buying an already built PC desk? And the answer is yes you can buy one that has been already made and you can just put your computer parts inside it. There are some great manufacturers out there that can deliver one to you. The biggest players at the moment in the custom desk PCs segment are Lian Li and Hydra Desk Here are a few examples of PC desks that we like:
Hydra Desk - Fully 1.5 mm aluminum E-ATX desk case with 8 mm thick tempered glass top
LIAN LI DK-05 FX Black Aluminum / Steel Desk Computer Case 2 x ATX PSU
Vector Desk Mini with 8mm thick thermal glass top.
Hybrid Desk PCs solutions with low effort
Another way to go with building computers into desk is doing some custom work on an existing desk frame. Some call it the “Lazy DIY”, but no one will judge you in the end if you choose to build your desk PC this way. What this means is you choose a normal desk that has been already designed or put together and you go with the rest from that. You can find allot of options on Ikea or Amazon furniture, and take it from there. Desk PCs always requires some manual work in the end, but we know you know the effort is worth it.
Building a desks PCs this way, can be done with basically any desk with or without drawers, and if you think at first that it will not work, we believe that with some creative insight from your part you will find a way to make it happen.
Computers Built into desks: FAQ
We talked about how you can start building your computer into a desk but we are sure that you still have some questions. Here are the most common questions many ask when building desk PCs:
1. How much does such a PC desk cost?
Well depending on what materials you use for building the desk yourself or chose to get an already built desk, you could be spending somewhere between $300 to $2500 for the desk alone.
2. What is the best material to build my desk out of though?
As we said above, MDF is the most popular choice when it comes to building the PC desk as you can do finer precision cuts and it is easier to manipulate
3. Will my desk PC get dirty and how will I clean it?
Dust will always find its way inside a PC. You might get away with less dust if you use dust filters for your fans but you will have to do regular maintenance to keep all your parts nice and clean. To clean it, you will just have to remove the glass top and take if from there. It will be a little more difficult to clean than a normal desktop computer, as you can’t just take your desk out and blow the dust out of it, but hey, where there’s a will there’s a way.
4. Can’t I just hire someone to build the desk?
We are sure that you can find someone to build the desk for you in your local area, for a fee of course. Just make sure when you do to be very clear on what you want the final product to look like.
5. What about thermals? Are the components better cooled inside a desk or not?
Thermals depend very much on the cooling solution and airflow of your desk design. Water cooling will help allot with keeping temperatures under control, but proper airflow must be taken into consideration just like in a normal desktop case. Plan your fan placement and cooling solution form the start of the project.
Desk PCs Conclusions
Computers built into desks are challenging projects. One can spend lots of time and money for a truly unique custom PC desk case but the end result will be very satisfying.
Chances are that you will want to go with already built solutions or hybrid ones as they can be less time consuming, but in some cases they can be a bit more expensive (at least the already build PC desks). In the end whatever route you choose to take, the end result will always be the same: an awesome gaming PC built, with excellent aesthetics and satisfying day by day usage. Just remember to plan everything well from the beginning and do not make compromises, after all this will be your companion for at least a couple of years.
Before ending this article, as promised, here are some awesome custom Desk PCs builds. Who knows, maybe you will find some fresh ideas for your project!
Custom blue PC desk build
The above desk PCs are just, as we said, awesome. There is no other way to describe them. Of course the examples provided above are (at least some of them) overkill in some situations, but that shows you how far you can go when building a gaming PC inside a desk . There are virtually no limitations, except the size of the desk you chose to use as a base start.
One final recommendation: power up your system and do a test run before adding the glass top to make sure everything is connected and working as it should. You don’t want any surprises when you sit down and want to game like a mad man.
These being said we hope you’ll have fun building your new gaming battle station, and in the end, when all the work has been done, to sit back, see your creation and just marvel at what you made. Then press the power button, take a sit, watch your beast come up to life for the first time and enjoy your favorite game with a big smile on your face.
We love seeing custom desk PCs builds, so please don’t just keep it for yourself and share it with us in the comment section.
