Mirage - Another Computer Inside a Desk Mod.

Hey guys...I just got into building my own computer and I am astounded by the wealth of information on ocn. As I am currently in the process of building my first computer (in a custom case mod no less!), I wanted to share with everyone my joy and sorrow, happiness and frustration with this build. I have always tinkered with computers -- upgrading parts and fixing broken computers, but this will be the first time I am putting a whole computer together.

I started this project after seeing the l3p desk and some of the other computer inside a desk mods I have seen on various forums. I work full time, but am starting an interior design program that requires me to run revit / autocad / photoshop a lot. I want a computer that's fast enough to handle them with ease and without lag. I am planning on running dual monitors, and most importantly, I do not want a giant computer case laying around. I am turning my second bedroom into a work area for me with my drafting table and computer desk, and I want the room as clean as possible as it is currently a giant mess.

My budget for the whole project is around $1500. Luckily, I have access to a lot of building materials and a good set of machinery, so my goal is to reuse as many things as possible.

Unfortunately, I don't really know sketch up, so I will try to explain everything the best I can.

Old Set up:



Desk:
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/80115988/

The perfect size given my space requirement. It's clean, and I like the fact that it is very minimal in its design. I will be cutting a whole in the middle that corresponds to the size of my case and fit a piece of 1/4" glass.


Case:

The case needed to something that can sit underneath the table towards the back of the desk so that my leg can fit under the table. It also need to be deep enough so that everything fits. My company sells drawers for closets, so I took a 30"w x 19"d x 5"h drawer kit and built another box around it so that it sits about 7"h. I plan to drop down two panels underneath the table so that I can put the whole computer case on a rail so that I can pull everything out and fix things as needed.



I will be cutting out holes in the front and back to set up 4 - 12cm Enermax Silence fans creating a one way airway going to the back of the table. In additional, I will be slots for a usb hub, dvd player, and power source.

Components:

asrock z77 extreme4 mobo
Core i5 3570k
Zotac gtx 570
Corsair Vengeance 2x 8gb
nzxt hale82 750w psu
Corsair 128gb ssd

Due to height requirement, I will be running a pci-e ribbon from the motherboard to the gpu so that I can lay the graphics card down. Still in the process of figuring out how everything can be safely secured. The motherboard will be raised using standard risers.

I am very excited about this build. Hope everything works out well.

(PS: If you're wondering about water cooling, I am probably going to try to hold off on it as I have 0 experience with water cooling. Maybe for my next build.)
Edited by shikap - 8/22/12 at 9:35am

Finally got some work done on my desk.

After sanding it down and repainting the panels about 3 times, I was finally ready to cut the holes and securely put the box together.

For then fan openings, I found that a new roll of packaging tape is almost perfect at 4-1/2" for the case fan. So I draw a template on the front and back panels of the box, and used a jig saw the cut holes for the fans.



Using a sharpie, I colored in the inside of the holes so that it becomes less noticeable.

I picked up several packs of #6 1-1/2" machine screws and washers from Home Depot, and it was the perfect size to mount the fans onto the panel with a fan cover on the outside.





Because all the side panels are only 1/4" Popular Hobby Boards, I decided to take some scrapped pieces of quarter round molding in order to secure the panels together. I painted them black, and then using some 5/8" screw to hold each panel to the quarter round.



Here is the somewhat finished box.



I probably should have made the slots for the DVD player, USB hub, Power Button, and the Cable Holes before I put the box together, but I'll just do that after I know exactly how I want to lay everything out. The 1/4" panels are really easy to cut even if I use a small hand saw.

Next time is to drill the holes for the motherboard standoff, and figure out the best way to mount the video card / ssd / power source.

Stay Tuned!

Thanks!

Thanks! Will do that in the future.

Quick Update Before I plow on through and hopefully finish the desk this Labor Day Weekend.

Routed out the 5-1/4" Slots for the DVD drive and the Fan Controller. Even though the fan controller won't be seen normally, I wanted to have it there available to adjust the fan speed if necessary. Also drilled a hole for the bulgian switch for power. I really should have done this before I put the box together, and because I didn't, the cuts are not really aligned. Then I cut out two areas in the back for the motherboard controllers (usb, mic, ethernet, etc etc), and the power cables that are going to run into the box. I wanted to keep the PSU outside of the main box.





As you can see, I also finally added in the standoffs, which were an absolute pain to install because it was very difficult to get the holes drilled correctly so that all the standoffs lined up. But a test fit showed that it worked! :D





I actually started mounting the DVD drives and what not, but I didn't get a chance to take pictures of it yet. I will have more after the weekend.

See ya!