PC in Ikea desk?

miningshark23

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Nov 23, 2014
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I've been looking for a new desk recently as the one I have is pretty old and is a little scratched up overtime. Also, for the last 8 months or so I've been in the market for a new PC case. A thought came to me while looking at an Ikea product (http://) called Micke. It is an extremely small desk as that's all I have room for in my current space. However, I know literally nothing about modding Desks or PC cases. I believe that the components I have will not produce too much heat for this to be of any concern, but I'd appreciate tips on whether or not this would even work and on whether or not this would be worth my time. I can't find any other projects using this desk online

PC Specs;
-i5-3470
-Sapphire R9 380 4gb (with backplate)
-8gb DDR3 memory
-Generic MAtx H61 motherboard (Will be upgrading from an HP prebuilt)
-Currently a single HDD but would like to add a couple more

If there is any other information required I will obviously be willing to reply.

Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
Can it be done? Sure..there are plenty of systems built inside desks.
Can you do it? That's a different question.

Tools, woodworking experience, workspace, desired outcome, etc, etc.
That particular desk you've linked would require significant mods to hold a PC. Significant to the point of...don't bother with the £39 Ikea desk and just build the whole thing from scratch.
I don't think fitting in your PC components in the drawer in that desk would be worth your time or effort, especially when it would just be easier to shell out a little bit more money and get a decent case like everyone else. You could still get that desk for your monitor and put your case on the ground below it.

Of course, I hope you find someone on these forums with experience in this kind of modding who can tell you otherwise. Good luck!
 
in general yes this can be done. The biggest issue how much heat your rig produces but can that heat escape from the desk? If the heat is trapped even the lowest powered device will eventually overheat. So ensuring proper airflow is a must.

Also making sure the dims of the desk will actually allow for enough space for all your components.

If you haven't seen it Linus did an uber desk computer last year. More than you're thinking of but gives you an idea of the kind of things you should think about before you start spending money or drilling holes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyreJvig3KA
 
This is one of those "if you have to ask then dont do it" kind of things.

To house the parts in the desk you would need airflow (not just throw some fans in there but thought out airflow path).
You also need to secure the parts and elevate the motherboard above the surface. The hard drives need to be well securied (without crushing them either) to prevent any movement/vibration from damading the heads. Plus figuring out how to mount and support the video card so it wont damage the motherbaord port.
Not to mention needing easy port access to plug things into motherboard/gpu ports.

All of these things require specific tools to work with the wood and an understanding of the pc components and what vulnerabilities you need to protect them against

Much much simplier option is to buy a normal PC case and put it under the desk.
 
Can it be done? Sure..there are plenty of systems built inside desks.
Can you do it? That's a different question.

Tools, woodworking experience, workspace, desired outcome, etc, etc.
That particular desk you've linked would require significant mods to hold a PC. Significant to the point of...don't bother with the £39 Ikea desk and just build the whole thing from scratch.
 
Solution