In-Desk PC build

[Glorious123]

I am currently trying to design an in-desk pc build but I dont know what the best kind of wood to go with is. The inside where the components sit would be treated and maybe wrapped in vinyl. I also am planning to house a sub in the left leg of the desk and want to know if this is a good idea. Same thing for the surround speakers up on top of the desk, they will be built in. What are your thoughts on the best way to do this?

 

[basroil]

Do NOT put a sub near the computer, especially as part of the same cabinate. The vibrations from that will destroy your equipment.

In general, it's best to have an internal case that's isolated (floating), so consider first getting a workbench type "case" and building around that rather than building the mounts straight into the desk.

 

[Glorious123]

Would any amount of anti vibration mat or carpeted material protect from the vibration?

 

[basroil]

Would any amount of anti vibration mat or carpeted material protect from the vibration?

It'll help, but there's a reason you always see subs completely separate from speaker systems. If you're running a passive computer, it might work, but HDDs and fans will see problems.

You have to remember that anti-vibration pads are generally don't isolate against very low frequencies or high ones, and making everything out of wood isn't helping things.

 

[MU_Engineer]

You can make your desk out of whatever wood you want. 3/4" cabinet grade plywood with edge banding and/or trim and a face frame to hide the edges would be the obvious choice for a large casework project like a desk due to cost, ease of working, and not having to worry about wood movement. I wouldn't attempt to build a desk though unless you have some decent experience with woodworking, especially with a casework projects, and the equipment available to make it.

I would echo the sentiment that putting the sub in the desk would be a poor idea because the subwoofer is often not electromagnetically shielded and would wreak havoc with a computer.

 

[Ralston18]

Agree with previous posts.

Plus you must consider air flow/ventilation and heat build up. You will also need some additional space, often specified, on all sides for most electronic devices.

 

[MU_Engineer]

Keeping one side of the "box" formed by the cabinet open is going to be sufficient for airflow. Look at the commercially-available computer desks. They have a cubby hole for the case and the front is left open. If you want to close the front with a door so that it looks better, leaving the side of the cabinet that faces the knee hole (opening where your legs go) accomplishes the same task. You can disguise it with louvers or mesh and it will work well too. I would consider forced ventilation if you cannot leave much of an opening.

I built an entertainment center expressly for the purpose of housing some warm-running AV equipment and I left the back open as it butts up against the wall. The front is enclosed by locked doors to keep toddler hands out. My HTPC is a real pig, a pair of Xeon X5460s (with FBDIMMs to boot) and an NVIDIA GTS250 as that's what I had. It works well and does not overheat. You can feel a little warm air come out the back of the entertainment center when the HTPC is at full roar but it doesn't run any warmer in the entertainment center than it did when it was my file server and sat next to my desk out in the open.

 

[usman90]

http://www.modders-inc.com/thor-d3sk-mod-oak-desktop-case-system/