Project: The Ultimate Computer Desk

PwnFrnzy said:

I don't think that an x16 slot with an x16 card vs. an x8 slot with an x16 card will have any sort of a noticeable difference. You could run just about any x16 card on an x8 slot without issues as far as I know.

Thanks PwnFrnzy, after doing a bit of searching around that's the conclusion I came up with as well

Corpsecrank said:

Glad to see someone else is making a desk too lol. I am going all out on one soon also. I plan to build mine as a 3 piece corner style desk. You wold have the middle segment diagonal in the corner and each side of it running along the walls.

Essentially it will be one whole desk comprised of 3 pieces that can be taken apart so I can move it easily. I am using heavy materials and the desk is going to be big enough that I need it to come apart easily so I can move it around when I need to.

Very cool Corpsecrank, what kind of wood will you be using?

So - it's been another few busy weeks, so apologies for the no updates. Have been enjoying those last rays of sunshine before the summer ends!

I think I mentioned last update that I tried to boot up the Asus DSFC-DW board but had issues - here was the attempt:





I got a green LED to light up (Standby power on the motherboard) but jumping the Power ON pins had no reaction whatsoever. Tried it with a different videocard, re-seated the RAM and CPU's, but still no luck.

Moving onwards - since I un-mounted almost everything, I decided to keep the copper heatinks instead of the aluminum ones for the other motherboard. I also picked up a pair of these units from Rosewill via Newegg:





They should do nicely for my hard-drive racks. I would like to mount them like so, except higher up:



Unfortunately, they are deeper than the cabinet I built. At the time, I was thinking maybe they would stick out of my air intake window, and I would just build-out the section of the door with the air filter... Not exactly what I had in mind initially though.

With most of the major components in place, I decided to start tackling the cable management with some cardboard templates, and then some 1/8" plywood:







At this point I was a little frustrated with how slowly this portion of the project was going. Things weren't quite fitting the way I had planned, and they were not looking as nice as I would have liked them to...

Maybe it's time for some thinking instead of doing.

I decided (In hindsight, unfortunately) to go ahead and mount the hard-drive racks so I could get some better measurements and ideas of how to manage the cables nicely.





Installed the fans and started to route some of the cables



Took out a handful of old SATA cables... (Yes, let's not forget, that I'm a computer tech first, and a carpenter second, or maybe even fifth or tenth...)



And had fun connecting all the bits and trying to get them in a reasonable state of organization







Ugh... this will not do, this will not do at all. Might as well boot it up and see if everything works though (I had mounted and un-mounted the board several times, banged around a few things, etc, so might as well see if it's all still working!)

This would be the first time I see if all the fans work as well. Keep in mind that this is with the door removed.



Until next time.. still not quite sure what I'll be doing next.

ICit2lol said:

Mate you have put some work into it eh?? I saw the suggestions for the filters and I personally like those medical grade mesh ones that I use on my own build (pretty ordinary compared to yours) as they are so fine.

I also use that bridal tulle (single or double layered) for those little and awkward shaped spots (from inside the case) held on with tape usually that can be taken off cleaned and put back in place with new tape or just renewed - it's cheap enough.

The medical grade ones I use are magnetic that are taken off for cleaning (usually stuck on the outside of the casing) so I guess being pretty smart you could make up your own removable ones??

But all the same am very impressed

Medical grade mesh? Bridal tulle? Man, those are some great ideas, thanks! I may go ahead and return that bulky furnace filter lol!

First off I want to give out a huge thank you to Seasonic, who has decided to sponsor The Ultimate Computer Desk by sending a ~really~ sweet Power Supply my way. An 850 Watt Seasonic Gold.




Thanks Seasonic! We'll take a closer look at that PSU a bit later..

I had been a little frustrated with the layout of the Dual CPU Xeon board for quite some time, so I finally made the decision to ditch it and setup the right-hand cabinet with an ATX sized board. This is more in spec with my initial design - the extra couple inches makes a big difference, and it will make it easier to upgrade in the future as well.

On one hand, I'm a little disappointed that I won't be using that super geeked out board, but rest assured, I'll find something else neat to do with it.

So I went ahead and removed everything and started from scratch. Looks way better already:





I then decided that, unfortunately, through the miracle of cable limitations, it would make a lot more sense if I put the optical drive in the front of the case, as opposed to up above the desk, where I had originally wanted to put it. So, time to do some more cutting.





The masking tape managed to pull off some of the polyurethane, but have no fear, I will be making a faceplate that will contain the power button, LED's, and USB ports that will cover that spot up quite nicely.



And, we've gone so far, yet, gained so little, eh? It'll get done, I swear!

jeepmann4x4 said:

+1 for website with an Order Button!!

Hehe, wouldn't that be nice? Unfortunately, there's a minimum 10 month waiting time though lol!

ICit2lol said:

Just another suggestion instead of using that masking tape try the Sellotape - opaque type it peels off much better as the masking tape tends to "cure" onto any surface and eventually become brittle. I sued to use it a lot for painting the house and sealing furniture after I made it and that's what happens if it's left on for any length of time.
Another alternative is tape called Micropore a medical tape we use at work and easily removed if really stuck with a solution we know out here as Zoff - it "melts" the tape adhesive but doesn't harm any surface.(Great stuff for getting really stuck on dressings on oneself too - as I am sure if you are like me you have cut or abraded yourself doing the woodwork LOL!!)

I use the Sellotape for my filter jobs and no probs.

Jeez but the unit is looking real good - gonna be something to behold so impressed.

Wow, thanks ICit2lol - I'll keep an eye out for that Sellotape - I should be able to get it at the local hardware store? I've still got a few more cuts to do on the finished portions, unfortunately. Thanks for the positive comments!!

linnemeyerhere said:

This is so much fun watching the progress from design to completion I almost don't want it to end........maybe start on design number two a fold away computer hutch which breaks down for easier moving?

Thanks linnemeyerhere! I'm so glad you and others are enjoying this - you've been a key part of my motivation to do work on it consistently and in a high quality fashion. As far as number two... This being my first "project log" and also "special project for computers" - I've got to say... I'm hooked!

Just between you and me (And I guess all of the Seven Forums members reading this log lol) I think the next project I'm going to attempt to use that dual-cpu board and make... a homebrew laptop for kicks lol

Feeling a bit more motivated about the right-hand cabinet, I decided that the foam fan-holder had to go. It was too large, was akward, and was difficult to keep straight and in the proper position.

I decided to put together a nice and clean fan holder:



After doing some measuring, I took it to the drill press for the initial holes (I didn't have a hole saw for 120mm fans unfortunately... that would be pretty huge!)





I then took out the spindle sander to sand right to the line. Just an fyi, I swapped out the spindle for a much larger one. This was my first time using this type of sander, and I was very impressed - the degree of accuracy and control is extremely high - perfect for sneaking up on the pre-drawn lines.



Time to drill some holes for the fan screws



And a test fit. The product came out quite nicely - accurate cuts, all 4 of the positions are secure with screws, and this piece should be much easier to align in the proper location in the case.





I had cut a few other new pieces for cable management, but they were rough cuts, as I will not know their exact dimensions until I install hardware. I can't install hardware until I finish cutting and drilling in the right-hand cabinet, and since there is still the issue of the power button, LED's, etc...

Time to get started on that, I suppose!



Kinda looks like a bull head eh?

i love this idea! well done.