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In desk build (Completed)

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Moratek

Registered
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Location
Australia
Hi all, I've just joined up, so thought I would share my most recent & largest build to date.

I started the project after moving house & wanting a big solid desk, I was sick of the unstable cheap things I had been using in the past, so decided to make my own.

During the planning & thinking about where I wanted the computer to be, I thought, why not build it into it, those builds always look cool.

So with a basic idea of what I wanted & some rough measurements, I went to work. To be honest, a bit more planning would have made things go smoother, but I subscribe to the idea of- 'it's not a mistake, it's a creative opportunity'.

The desk itself is pretty big, at 3ft deep x 6ft wide. It houses a pretty decent gaming rig, as well as a totally overpowered backup/media server- specs listed below.

I learned a lot from the build & will use that knowledge in my next project, which is about to begin- A modded Thermaltake Tower 900. Parts start arriving next week :)

Specs:
Built into the desk.
ASRock Extreme 7+ Motherboard
6700K, runs at 4.6 daily, has benched at 4.9 with ease.
16GB Hyper X Savage @ 2666
2x Gigabyte G1 Gaming 980TIs
EVGA P2 1200W PSU
Samsung 960 256GB NVMe
Samsung 850 1TB SSD
EKWB on the CPU & GPUs
EK X-Res 140 DDC res/pump combo
EK 540 Radiator with EK 180mm fans
ASUS PB279Q 4K 27" monitor

Media/backup rig-sits on a shelf under the left hand side of the desk. This was my old gaming setup before I got the 6700k.
BeQuiet Silent Base 800
MSI Krait Z97 Motherboard
4690K @ stock speeds
8GB RAM
BeQuiet! Pure rock CPU cooler
EVGA G2 1000W PSU
500GB Samsung 840 SSD
WD RED 2TB x 2

Building the frames for each end.
1.jpg

Cutting out the area for the clear panel to sit. I screwed down a piece of board roughly the size I wanted, then ran around this with a router to get the step for the acrylic to sit on. I then used a holesaw to cut the 4 corners & finally a jigsaw to cut away the rest.
3.jpg

2.jpg


Bases mostly completed.
4.jpg

Test fit in the room.
5.jpg

Looked good, I ended up reversing the positions of the cabinets though, for a reason that will be shown shortly :)
6.jpg

Top was then removed again, joined properly, sanded & oiled up.
7.jpg

The radiator sits down in a separate section under the motherboard. I decided to make up a cover for it using perforated steel sheet. I drilled out some of the holes slightly larger to create a pattern. I was pretty happy with the end result.
8.jpg

9.jpg

Painted.
10.jpg

Installed with LED lights.
12.jpg

With the desk now complete, it was time to start on the computer. This is the motherboard tray. I don't have pictures the underside, but it sits on small legs that have velcro pads on the bottom of them. This allows for easy removal if required & keeps everything in place- it's pretty heavy anyways, so likely wouldn't move even if it wasn't stuck down.

11.jpg

14.JPG

Waterblocks being fitted to the GPUs.
13.jpg

16.JPG

15.JPG

And all done. The small monitor needs to go. I'm swaying between a second 27", a 40", or a 34" widescreen at the moment. It's very handy to have the second screen though, especially when running VMs. So I think a multi monitor stand will be the way to go, maybe throw one up above the main display.
desk completed.JPG

I'm super happy with how this turned out. It runs near silent, the only noise is a slight wine from the water pump. I can fold all night during winter & the GPU temps never get above 42c, I wish I could fit the 540 radiators in more cases!
 
Very cool.

I would like to see a few shots of the rad mountings.

I vote, more monitors.

Thanks,

It's kind of difficult to get to the bracket, it's pretty well hidden. I just used a piece of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" aluminium angle & cut it out on one side so it wouldn't block airflow. I then used the standard radiator mount points to screw it on. It's pretty solid. I gave it a bit of a clean tonight & had the fans out, you can sort of see it under the radiator.

P1013035.JPG
 
It's an awesome rad, I've have idle temps as low as 13c in winter. sitting on 23c right now. The size really limits the amount of cases you can fit it in though, I think the Silverstone Fortress can use it.

I'd love to see EK come out with a case specifically designed around it.
 
I really like this build, great wood choice for the desktop. It was good to see these pictures as I hope to start my planned desk soon.

Great build and welcome to OCF!
 
Thank you.

The wood is an acacia laminate. It was good to work with & has a great finish with just wood oil, no staining at all.

I have noticed a bit of expansion in summer, but nothing too dramatic & it hasn't caused any issues.
 
Thank you.

The wood is an acacia laminate. It was good to work with & has a great finish with just wood oil, no staining at all.

I have noticed a bit of expansion in summer, but nothing too dramatic & it hasn't caused any issues.

That's great to hear about minimal expansion. For my desk I've been debating whether or not to use MDF or Banded Ply for the cabinets. I'm hesitant about MDF because it's going to be watercooled so I'd have to seal it really well first. For the top I will probably do Oak or Cherry solid wood.
 
That's great to hear about minimal expansion. For my desk I've been debating whether or not to use MDF or Banded Ply for the cabinets. I'm hesitant about MDF because it's going to be watercooled so I'd have to seal it really well first. For the top I will probably do Oak or Cherry solid wood.


I used pine for the frame & MDF for the cabinets, I like the smooth finish of MDF. Being black & in a fairly dark room you don't notice the edges on mine at all. For a light colour I would go with banded edges though.

Oak or Cherry will look great.
 
I'm looking at a Black and red desk with a darker wood finish on top. Here's the concept that I have.

Edit: It's also going to be a standing desk.

LL
 
I like that, the windows on the side are a cool idea. I think having the computer on the end is the way to go. The builds where the entire top is glass look amazing, but I don't like the reduction in leg room personally.
 
I like that, the windows on the side are a cool idea. I think having the computer on the end is the way to go. The builds where the entire top is glass look amazing, but I don't like the reduction in leg room personally.

Thank you.

I agree with the glass top desks, leg room wouldn't be a problem with mine as it's standing only haha. But, the one's designed well have a good cutout for the knees, but I'm still not a fan of being restricted like that.
 
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