We had this desk from Costco in our office for a while and we wanted to challenge ourselves with a cool project. 3 years ago, we built our mineral oil PC and recently did some servicing on it. This time around, we are taking this boring desk and turning it into the ultimate gaming rig. See what it takes for our team to build an insane gaming desk in the full video below!
Desk Constraints
Before we jump into the parts we used for the gaming PC, we have to discuss the constraints surrounding the desk. The desk is small and the drawers are even smaller. All the parts have to fit into a drawer that has about 2 inches in thickness. All PC parts have to clear the top part of the drawer
PC Parts
The parts used to complete the PC are:
- Motherboard: MSI B550
- Ram: G Skill Trident Z
- CPU: Ryzen 5800H
- GPU: EVGA 3070
- Power Supply: Corsair SF750 with Modular Cables
- SSD: Seagate Fire Cuda SSD
- Cooler: MSI Coreliquid 240R
Other components used to help build the full desk include:
- External Power Button
- Right Angled Power Cable
- Mesh Filter
- Cable Riser
- Led Strips
Desk Prep
Fortunately, the desk came with a glass top already so all we had to do was cut the wood beneath and we would be able to see the working PC parts through the top of the desk. As a result, the first part of the desk prep involved cutting through the top of the desk. It was important that we left enough space on the edge so the glass sits on top. After Jeff cut the desk, he used a sander to smooth out the wood and finished it off with black paint and primer.
We also had to cut into the drawer to leave enough room for all the PC parts to sit. This is where the mesh filters will come in handy because not only will it prevent dust from accumulating within the drawer, but it also provides a bit of support underneath the areas where the drawer is cut. The final drawer with all the parts looked like this.
Building The PC
The motherboard was installed into the middle of the drawer where it wasn’t cut. The radiator gets placed to the right of it and sits a little lower on the mesh filter. Other components of the PC stayed in place using small brackets. We installed the power supply in front of the motherboard with the GPU sitting on the mesh filter on the left side of the drawer. After getting all the cables and wires linked up the drawer looked like this and it was time to put it back in place.
Final Set Up
The final set up involved adding LED strips to the back of the desk for some added flair. After adding the LED strips it was time to turn it on and we were impressed. It turned out great! We tested it out with some RBG peripherals and the PC looked great working away inside the desk. Although we did not get to do a proper benchmark test, the PC felt extremely smooth. We can’t wait to play some games to fully test its performance and take advantage of all the parts. Take a look at the gallery how it turned out for yourself!
Overview
This project was fun and challenging. We still can’t get over the fact we built a gaming rig in a drawer that is only 2 inches deep. We’re really happy with how it turned out. If you want to see Matt and Jeff take on the full project check out the full video on our YouTube page.
We have completed a mineral oil PC and now a desk PC, what do you want us to try next? Give us some cool project ideas in the comments below.