The humble PC case has evolved into a huge number of creative variations, but the most audacious might be the PC built directly into into a desk. Undeniably cool, this isn’t always a practical PC build, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to do it!

Building Desk PCs Has Been a Thing for Years

I don’t even remember how long ago I first read about it, but pictures of DIY desk PCs have been online for over a decade. I remember seeing forum posts about it all the time and thinking how cool it was, but that I didn’t really have the money or skill to rip up a perfectly good desk and then redesign it to fit an entire working PC inside.

There’s No Need for DIY Anymore

The good news is that you don’t actually have to DIY one of these desks anymore, since there are now mass-produced PC desk cases from companies like Lian Li, and the results are stunning. Just look at the massive dual-system DK07.

I say companies “like” Lian Li, but I actually haven’t been able to find any other PC chassis makers that offer this option. Also, they don’t seem to be readily available on US websites, but in the part of the world where I live, you can still get the smaller DQ2 for around $700.

It’s Definitely a Slick Solution

As someone who prefers a computer that takes up as little space as possible, and has largely stuck to mini-ITX and laptop computers for the last decade, you don’t get more minimalist than this.

People love building clean setups, and if the computer is inside the desk you don’t really get cleaner than that. Of course, this does mean most of these desks are quite fat in the middle, so people with tall knees might have issues, but I use my chair at the lowest height anyway.

If You Never Need To Take Your PC Anywhere

Back when I first saw the concept of a PC built into a desk, I was still carrying my computer around. There were LAN parties, and I was moving from one apartment to the next, so having a desk-sized PC was never going to be practical.

These days, my desk isn’t going anywhere, and if LAN parties came back (we actually have a few each year where I live) I’d want to use my gaming laptop anyway. So the idea of an integrated PC desk is now far more appealing than its ever been.

Or You Don’t Need a New Desk

The only real issue here is how good the desk is at being a desk. I’d argue that many of the models are simply too small, or that you’re missing important desk features, like storage space which is now taken up by a whole computer inside your office furniture.

And if I want a new desk for whatever reason, I’d have to buy a regular PC case and transfer the innards of my desk computer to a regular chassis anyway. While the whole desk PC idea is pretty elegant, it might end up being more hassle in the long run.

But I Still Want One

I’m not even a streamer or some other type of online content creator where the aesthetics of my desk matters to anyone other than myself. I will be the only person to ever see the PC barring my wife, or housekeeper, wandering into my office.

The thing is, the heart wants what it wants. Getting one of these desks isn’t as expensive as I thought it would be, and if you consider that it is in fact also a desk, you can deduct the cost of said desk from the total. That still makes for a pretty expensive PC case, but the functionality and aesthetic of this setup is worth something all by itself.

I’ve left desktop computers far behind at this point, but if I ever do get back into the big tower PC game, I’m seriously going to consider the possibility of a PC built right into a desk.