Bombproof Builders Desk.....Build

[braaaiiins]

This is so cool. I'll definitely be coming back to this thread later when I do something like this.

[mistakemistake]

Sweet build, more pics!

[Amarok]

Wow really neat idea. I just "Ikea'd" my office and I am super jealous I don't know how to do any of the things you guys are doing. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

[dieseldog49]

Ok guys, I have been working 14 hour days so no build updates but the parts are still rolling in here is another sampler pic or 2.

[dieseldog49]

Ok guys here is my first crack at a video update, let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uC [...] ature=plcp

[dieseldog49]

Ok guys I shot a video update but I am having issues with it unfortunately so here is a regular old update.

Ok so I have been on a backup rig for over 2 months now and it has been killing me. So I now have most of the components I am planning on using in the desk build, so I threw all of them into a Bitfenix Shinobi XL case to test all of the components and make sure I am happy with the performance and everything works before I go through the trouble of mounting it up. This is just a temp build so its not my prettiest work.











Also I managed to snag a Dell 30 inch 2560x1600 to replace my triple monitor setup. I freaking love it! I may go up to three of them but at the moment 1 is enough. Specs for the system are as follows

Intel 2011 8320 w/ XSPC Raystorm waterblock

MSI Big Bang II Mobo

Gigabyte 7970 with EK Acrylic waterblock and backplate

G-Skill 16gb 1866 ram

Swiftech 360mm rad with gentle typhoons in a push configuration

Swiftech 240mm rad with Noctua fans in a pull configuration

Swiftech Pump with XSPC res.

Koolance 3/8 ID and 5/8 OD compression fittings

Corsair 1000w PSU

Asus Blu Ray drive

Crucial M4 256 SSD

WD Green 2TB Media Drive


Ok Guys I am ordering more parts for the build however I will not be posting much till the beginning of September as I have a huge workload to get done before I head to PAX Prime   I will be going full steam ahead on the project when I get back. Thanks again for everyone following the build I will try to get the video update redone and working in the next few days though.

[oTurtlez]

I am incredibly jealous of that setup. Well done sir.

[el2k]

This desk is SWEEEEET! I built my own but it's nowehere near as good as this!
Don't like the carpet though

I also use a Dimastech bench, It's so good for ease of access huh! Don't do much benching anymore though so am probably going to sell it.

[dieseldog49]

if you decide to sell it lmk I am looking for another one.

[dieseldog49]

This Build still lives but there have been some changes, including a second PC. Here are some screenshots for what I have planned


















More to come soon.

[jeroplane]

Holy **** this is an awesome project - this is my first time seeing it and I just read through the whole thread. Everyone dreams of their perfect workspace, but very few ever get around to completely customising every aspect. This is a great build and I really admire your hard work and persistence with it.

Some great ideas - the branding iron is sick. I can't wait to see it all complete!

[tp4tissue]

Um... you certainly like to waste time LOLOL.... You could've bought a few select size fold up tables. they're all good for 100s of pounds, more than enough for PC gear.. Much cheaper and faster..

[alaricljs]

Dude, remember where you are... we build keyboards ffs, which of course can easily be purchased in one piece cheaper, quicker and easier.

[Internetlad]

Ok so I have been planning on building a new desk ever since me and my brother in law built me a new PC work bench (Pictured below)

Show Image

Oh, that looks nice.

. . .Heres a pic of the space I am working with please excuse the mess.

Show Image

AAAAAAHH!


Anyways, on-topic, but I don't know much about engineering. Cool project though. GL;HF.

[dieseldog49]

Um... you certainly like to waste time LOLOL.... You could've bought a few select size fold up tables. they're all good for 100s of pounds, more than enough for PC gear.. Much cheaper and faster..

If you will notice in the first few pics I have fold up tables, they were not even close to competent for my uses. This build has been pretty cheap and incredibly effective for my uses, thanks for the comment though!

[dieseldog49]

Ok, sorry for not posting more details with the design updates guys, it was late and I had just gotten them done. Anywho So its been a couple months since my last update, between PAX, work and a unexpected medical issue I haven't been able to post much. However I have been making headway on the build so here is a list of some of the changes.

First off obviously is the monitor setup I have added 2 Dell 2007 1600x1200 monitors to my Dell 30 for a PLP setup, I have to say that out of all monitor configurations I have tried this is by far the one I prefer most it allows for crazy high levels of productivity without being crazy wide or narrow.

I also have a 24 inch 1920x1200 monitor to the left, that is for the next phase of my project. I am mounting a PC in the wall behind the Desk as the designs above illustrate. The room behind my office us unfinished as its where the HVAC is located in the house, so I decided to do something fun and interesting with this area as its basically used for just storage. The PC will be mounted on a hinged board with dual triple rads bellow.  The reasons I did this are threefold

1. As some people have brought out there may be issues running a liquid cooled rig in this horizantal configuration and before I go through the trouble of modifying my desk this way (I have a backup configuration) This will serve as a proof of concept build for the liquid cooling layout and help me work the bugs out in a more forgiving setup with cheaper components. And should it not work I will put it in the up position and be no worse off.

2. I will need another PC up and running ans I am modifying and building the desk rig so this will serve as my backup and interim rig.

3. It s a chance to do something cool and different with PC components, duh!

So the specs for this rig are

i5 2500K processor
EVGA FTW mATX Mobo
Koolance 360WB
655 Pump
AMD 6970 Video Card with Heatkiller waterblock
2x 360mm slim rads
8gb of G-skill 1866Mhz ram
SeasonicX 750w psu

More coming soon, I am waiting for parts today and tomorrow, thanks for reading!

[0100010]

Very awesome!  All your hard work looks amazing, great job. 

[Internetlad]

Are these all new parts? Why did you go with all last-gen stuff?

I would have got a 7950 instead of a 6970, and an Ivy Bridge 3550 on a x77 chipset if I was buying new, but either way that system is no slouch. I've got the same parts, but an older video card and a mid-tier SSD.

It'll smoke. In a good way.

[dieseldog49]

Its a backup rig and everything but the mobo and RAM is used. I forgot to mention the Samsung 128GB SSD Boot drive

[whiteduck]

Very sweet build man.  I also IKEA'ed a new desk as I lack any woodworking skils   thx for sharing!

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[dieseldog49]

Honestly to build a simpler version of this desk would not take too much skill just patience and about 4 tools.

[TheProfosist]

Honestly to build a simpler version of this desk would not take too much skill just patience and about 4 tools.

tis what I did except i made a standing height one.

[chrono000]

Impressive job. I'd love this if I had the space.

[dieseldog49]

Thanks guys, my next desk project will be much smaller and the 2 after that should be alot closer to the average desk size.

[dieseldog49]

Also Profosist, pics?

[TheProfosist]

Also Profosist, pics?

o my bad just saw this ill hopefully take some soon once i clean up the mess from the kmac builds

[winzds]

very cool!

[dieseldog49]

Ok guys, small update today but I can say that I will be posting more regularly as all of the parts I need for the next stage of the build are either here or in the mail. Anywho today was all not tech work on the desk. First off as this coffee stain will show you I need a better way to have beverages on my desk.



Enter the stainless steel 3 3/4 inch cupholders





They have a drain at the bottom that I will have a plug for, so should I spill a drink in the holder I simply put the trash bag bellow in and drain it.



I will be using my 3 and 3/4 inch hole saw for these. Costs alot of money but work every penny, remember modders, the right tool for the right task



First one cut and mounted (sorry forgot to snap a pic before I put it in)



Then number 2



And Bam! 2 sexy additions to my already awesome desk



Ok, next up in anticipation of the 6970 and motherboard tray arriving for the wall PC part of the build I decided to mount the power and reset buttons for the wall PC. First off a strait edge to make sure my marks are right.



Then a couple of pilot holes.



Now the trick with these is to drill with 2 different size paddle bits from each side so I can get the mounting ring for the switches in the hole. So 3/4 inch in the front.



Then 1 inch in the back



Getting the rings to stay in place was a pain in the butt however my trusty leatherman came through for me on this one.



These were a bit of a hassle but I am really happy with how they turned out.




But now I have this awesome place to put my beer but I have to keep a tacky bottle opener lying around, cluttering up the top of my desk. Well I solved that problem today as well




One last piece of advice guys, when ever I mod I test, test, test :drink:






Expect another update in a week guys  and as always thanks for reading!

[YMSNoms]

I hate your wood working skills... but amazing work

[bace]

damn this is amazing work! The cup holders and monitor mounts are some great ideas! also the computer setup lol. makes me want to build one of my own.

[metalliqaz]

What do you use for your CAD drawings?

[CPTBadAss]

Gotta love the enthusiasm. Buy a desk? No, BUILD a desk. And of course it needs to have all the details to be just right. Really cool stuff. I'm super jealous.

[dieseldog49]

Thanks guys, I use Google Sketchup metal.

Ok guys, small update, today I am back over at Bryans shop to get some parts fabbed up. Here we have the Plasma Cutter we will be cutting the parts out with.



And these are the items the parts are being made for.



Templates made up, its time to cut.







Smooth em out, and drill out the holes for attaching to the 2x4





Bend them to shape and I have some sweet purpose built Brackets to hang my Rad from.



Next up is a new triple rad template, as the compessed paper one I have is just not going to last.  16 Gauge steel, should last me the rest of my modding career



Went outside, and who do I see? Gerry! Man he has gotten big!



Ok so I will be having Bryan make alot more parts for me after the first of the year. But now onto the actual area I will be installing the wall PC into. Now, to be clear everything I am doing is just test fitting. I will be cleaning up the area and paint it as well.






Next up my 6970 came in and I got to slap my Heatkiller WB on it (Man I love the way these look)






Sorry I dont have more to show right now, I hurt my hand, and due to the holiday. I will have more soon and hopefully have the wall mount fabbed up in the beginning of january.

[Glod]

really digging what your doing with the desk setup and water cooling

I guess ill see what your computer setup looks like when its done, i'm not exactly following what it will finally look like even in the rendering you provided.

i have similar heatkiller blocks on my 2 non-reference design 6950s running at 910Mhz each (from 800) and they run on load below 32C on load, amazing stuff. Pretty easy to put on too.

potato picture from earlier this year. http://almightyglod.com/public_stack/2012-06-07%2020.01.42.jpg

[dieseldog49]

My new power supply showed up today Seasonic 1000w Platinum





This will be the PSU for the Trapdoor PC with the 750w Seasonic for the wall PC I will be Sleeving both of these PSU's and it will be my first time doing so. Thanks again fro reading!

[daerid]

This project is truly inspiring. Keep up the good work!

[nereme]

I love this project I have always wanted to build my own desk, and i will be keeping my eye on this

[dieseldog49]

hey guys, sorry for the break in updates. However my finger is pretty much healed up and over the last 2 days pretty much all of the parts for the wall build have showed up in the mail. I am only waiting on the screws to mount the radiator.



I am having a hard time deciding which res to use for this build thoughts?

Also over the new year I managed to score a 1080P Viewsonic Projector for really cheap and with 0% financing for 18 months



I also upgraded to a Motorized 100 inch screen which means I can run everything from my desk, double

As soon as the screws come in I will start fitting everything and moving forward however I am in need of some 45 and 90 degree adapters for my compression fittings and I am pretty much out of budget until next month so I will have to source some through trade or whatever. Anywho thanks for reading as always, my next update will be a video of me explaining the full wall PC setup.

[dieseldog49]

Ok guys, time for a fairly large update. I was going to make a video of me explaingin how the wall pc was going to work and the purpose of it but I came home from work today feeling angry for no good reason so I decided to take it out on some modding. So here are the fruits of my labor for the afternoon.

First off I cut the Screws i had ordered from frozen CPU to leagnth so I could mount the rad.



Next up I needed to remove a bit of pipe from the area I would be working in as it was no longer in use.





Then vacuum and mount the rad



Next up is the pump



Then the Res.



After that i needed to get the 2x6 I would be using to mount the hinges to level and secure.



After that it was time to make the plank I would be using to mount all of my hardware. There are 4 holes in the lian li trade that make good mounting points.






And just my luck the Seasonic PSU fits perfectly between the nuts







next up was mounting the hinges and testing out the concept.



Woo Hoo, all looks well. Time to start running some tubing. Unfortunately the danger den res. I am using will not allow me to us compression fittings, so I am going to have to use barbs on the res (eww )







CPU heatsink installed



and the video card next.



And here is a mockup, the tubes are too long atm but I wanted them that way till I am finished so I have some play room. Now I just need to get a bracket for the PSU and a couple other things and this thing is ready to rock! As always thanks for reading.

[verbhal]

This is incredible!  Quite the project.  I just keep thinking I need a bigger desk.

[dieseldog49]

Ok a slightly smaller update today. I am still waiting on some parts to arrive (A huge thanks to deadlift1 you are truly [H]ard!) He offered me some free extensions so I can use compression fittings on my reservoir.  However I did swing back by Bryans shop to have a PSU Bracket mad up yesterday and I got the rest of the mounting hardware for the tray installed.

First off is the Latch to hold it in the upright position, nothing fancy but it works like a charm.



Then we have a tensioning cable to reduce stress on the wood the hinges are mounted to and prevent sag. I mounted a adjustable hook on one end so I can adjust sould the cable stetch out or I need to alter the position.





Then off to the plasma cutter again.



And viola a PSU bracket.



Mounted.



And we now have a place to slap in the Seasonic 750w PSU





You can see here the PSU has plenty of room to breathe and there is only a slight gap between the wood which I will address when I do cable management.



Hopefully another update and maybe a video by the weekend. As always thanks for reading!

[singaporean123]

When I grow up I want to be able to have my own work shop. I hate it when I want something to be customized slightly to fit my uses and then suddenly the price soars by 50%!

[dieseldog49]

Ok guys, I am getting close to being done, last night though I decided I needed to re work a bunch of stuff to get the Wall PC right, so I ended up working until 3am on it then spent the next 3 hours after that ordering more parts. So much for this being a ultra cheap build ( Facepalm) Anywho on with the update.


First off is wiring up the power and restart buttons, I am using a run of cat5 wire so that if I decide to get LED buttons later on I can use the extra 2 pairs for the LED's, Green is Power, Orange is Reset.







Side note I found a great new way to use the little LED flashlight in my mini leatherman



Now that gets passed through the wall and that brings us to the wall side wiring.

First off the Fans, I am using a Phobya fan splitter.



Now Cables you see here from left to right, Pump Cables,Power Switch Cat5 Cable then the Fan Power cable.



Here is what its shaping up like on top, please ignore the terrible wire sleeving as I realized the stuff I have it just terrible and I have just ordered Paracord this morning. I also will be sleeving all of the Seasonic PSU cables as well, which will be a first for me.






Now I also decided to replace of of the tubing with Tygon tubing as the Flexability will come in handy plus I get to use Mayhems Deep red Dye for a better color scheme







Next up is test fitting my hard drive mounting solution, a Syba Dual Slot 2.5 caddy.







Its quite light and should suite my needs quite nicely, I have a 1tb Spinner and a Intel 160gb SSD in the mail. I also have the wall pass through and a USB slim housing for a disk drive as well as a couple other things on their way. As always thanks for reading!

[harrison]

I've never seen an ssd caddy like that before... do you have a link to the product page (or brand/model info?)

[dieseldog49]

Its a syba, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MN2GQQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00 They sell out quick, I had to wait 2 weeks for mine.

[dieseldog49]

Ok guys, another big update.

I had a bunch of stuff show up today including my paracord



I will be using the 3 colors on the left.

My 160gb Intel SSD and Samsung 1 Tb Spinner for storage.



I also got more heat shrink, ordered a Crimp setup from MDPC. I also got deadlift1's Extensions for the DD res in.



Thanks again man they did the trick perfectly!

So with those, I had everything I needed to get this setup wet. I was super stoked so I started wiring up and sleeving the power and reset switches.



Then disaster, as I was measuring out a wire length and I bumped the latch holding the tray up and slamming it down. The heavy water blocked video card ripped the PCIE 16x Slot right from the motherboard





Now while this is frustrating, it is also entirely my fault, I had considered a better more secure latch but opted for the simpler setup. I am sad to see this mobo die before it even had a chance, I rather liked how basic the bios was and I also liked the built in buttons and display, however I picked this board cause it was on sale and I got it for a good price. I am undeterred however because I really do want to see the effects of cooling a CPU upside down and you can't try something that hasn't been done before without some risk .  First priority obviously is a MUCH better latch and then a new motherboard, any suggestions that will go with black, red and grey and are fairly affordable please let me know.


Well instead of posting a video of getting my system topped off with water and leak checked I leave you with pictures of a ruined motherboard but thats modding, some times it all goes terribly wrong and thats what makes it exciting .

[harrison]

for whatever its worth, i've seen a failure like this before, and it looks like it's entirely repairable, especially if the board wasn't powered on at the time.

yes, it's a lot of soldering, but it's definitely do-able.  there's more than a few guys on here that have the skills to be able to fix it for you.

[SpAmRaY]

Get all the way to the end hoping to see finished desk pictures and nothing.....

But thanks to OP for some ideas, I'm thinking about building a desk for my new 'home office'.

[katushkin]

Get all the way to the end hoping to see finished desk pictures and nothing.....

But thanks to OP for some ideas, I'm thinking about building a desk for my new 'home office'.

Holy necro Batman!

You are right though, this is a really awesome build. If only 

[jdcarpe]

This was a thread worthy of the necro bump.