Overview / Usage

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The purpose of this project is to design a unique PC that allows me to engage in multiple activities with strenuous workloads to satisfy my academic and recreational desires. There are 4 main things I would like to be able to do on my PC: homework projects related to my computer engineering degree, competitive gaming, 3D modeling, and crypto mining.

Currently, I do not own a desktop machine and for projects/gaming that I want to do in the future, a PC at home would help me accomplish a lot of my future goals. The inspiration to build a desk that will house a PC came from walking into a computer lab on campus and seeing pretty RGB lights inside a desk. After seeing that all the computer components were inside the desk I was immediately hooked. Google searches showed me that PC desk cases were extremely expensive, well out of my price range. That's when I stumbled on this post about a Student PC-Build Challenge. I instantly knew what I was going to do and began brainstorming how my desk was going to look.

The fact that it was an intel sponsored event was perfect because I already use a lot of intel products. I currently use a laptop powered by the intel core i7 10th generation and have been very happy with its performance. I am excited for an opportunity to design a PC build around intel products, which I already know are reliable.

As mentioned earlier, there are 4 main areas in which I want my PC to be able to perform, and here is my reasoning for each:

Academic

I am in my first year in a 4-year computer engineering degree. The classes I am taking are semi-rigorous, but will only become more difficult as I progress in my degree. Having a PC at home would be a huge help, allowing me to run some of the intensive software in my own home. Also, the experience of building a personal PC, as well as future upgrade projects, will help me gain real-world experience in my future career field.

Gaming

In my free time(if I have any) I really enjoy playing video games. It helps me relax and I often queue up with my little brother who I don't see often in person. My games of choice are competitive PvP games such as Rainbow 6 siege, Valorant, or Halo Infinite. Having a PC that can maintain high FPS while gaming is critical to winning. Nothing is more frustrating than losing a match because of poor hardware rather than a lack of skill. From my research, the components provided by intel, such as the Core i9-12900K, are more than capable of consistently high FPS while gaming.

3D Modeling

One hobby of mine is 3D modeling. I was introduced to 3D modeling software in 8th grade and I have enjoyed learning about it since. Eventually, I would like to save up and purchase my own 3D printer to print personal projects at home. I love creating/inventing things to solve everyday problems and the ability to print my own modeled objects from home would make my projects a lot easier.

Crypto Mining

Something that I just got into recently. The crypto industry is growing and owning a high-end GPU is an easy way to get more involved. While a mining set up with just one GPU only has a profit of a couple of dollars a day, it's a fun amount of income that can pay for a date night with my wife once a month.

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Methodology / Approach

I spent a lot of time brainstorming and modeling/drawing different ideas and I am confident I have reached a design that will satisfy all my design constraints. My first approach to this design was to identify the criteria. This is what I wanted my PC desk to be able to do:

1. Transportable
   1. I live in a small college apartment and I want to be able to transport my desk into my living space with minimal hassle and with no fear of damaging PC components. I also will be moving in the next few years and I want to be able to move with little hassle and fear then as well.
2. Fully functional PC
   1. I didn't want to settle on performance just to be able to fit it in a desk. I also wanted to have a healthy airflow within my system to maintain peak performance.
3. Fully functional desk
   1. This is a bit obvious. I want it to function as a desk that I work and study on. I want it to have a comfortable feel and to be able to sit completely under without bumping my knees on things.
4. Low budget
   1. Computer components are expensive, so I am grateful that intel will provide those parts. For the rest of the build, I wanted to stay under $200 (not including a new monitor), which I feel is reasonable because that is the price for a normal PC case anyways.
5. Simple
   1. I wanted it to have a simple design from a construction point of view. That's why I opted to buy certain desk components such as the desk's surface and the legs. I do feel my design is possible to build even if I am not an expert carpenter.
6. Aesthetics
   1. I want it to look cool!!!

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Construction of Desk

After buying/receiving all the components of the build, if I am one of the finalists, I would start by constructing the frame of the desk (see the image of a square-like piece of wood). This will be made out of 2x4's and cut at my university's woodshop. Next, I will cut a rectangle out of the desk's surface (see the image of the desk surface) as well as holes for USB, AUX, and a power button. A clear acrylic or glass sheet will be inserted into the desk surface to show off the intel hardware. The back of the PC holding space will be made from wood(see the image of the back view of the desk) with holes cut for the CPU watercooler radiator and 4 fans. The motherboard, GPU, and power supply will be mounted to 3 different wood planks, which will be also uniquely cut to fit together, to allow for easy removal. A metal frame will be installed underneath the PC holding case, which the PC components mounts will rest on within the PC holding case under the desk. Plexiglass panels will be installed on the sides. Of course, RGB lighting strips will be placed inside the holding case to achieve sleekness.

Construction of PC

Once the desk is built I can start putting together the PC parts. The 3 large components, motherboard, power supply, and GPU, will already be attached to their respective mounts. After being placed into the holding case and fans/radiator mounted to the back, it is time for cable management! I have not decided if I want to keep the cables within the case or cut little holes to feed them underneath the holding case and up to the power supply. Next, I'll install the CPU into the motherboard as well as the heatsink. The airflow will flow from left to right. The 2 left-most fans will draw in fresh air, along with the radiator to cool the CPU liquid cooling. The power supply and GPU have their internal cooling fans and thus will be outputting hot air. The 2 right-most fans, which are placed right next to the GPU, will be drawing the hot air out of the system. I'll end by installing the operating system, performing tests and benchmarks to confirm that all components are functioning properly.

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Technologies Used

Intel Hardware

• Power Supply: Seasonic FOCUS PX-850 Power Supply
• SSD: WD_BLACK SN850
• GPU: MSI Ventus GeForce RTX 3070 Video Card
• Liquid CPU Cooling: MSI MEG CORELIQUID S360
• Motherboard: MPG Z690 Carbon WIFI
• RAM: 2 x 16 GB
• CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K
• Keyboard: CORSAIR K68 RGB Gaming Keyboard
• Mouse: Logitech G502 HERO Gaming Mouse

Other Hardware and Construction Material

• Monitor: Samsung - 27” Odyssey Gaming CRG5 Series LED Curved 240Hz FHD($270)
• 4 Cooling Fans: Cooler Master MasterFan MF120 Halo Duo-Ring ARGB ($70)
• Wood: 2x4's and 1 plywood sheet ($20)
• Push Button Switch ($10)
• USB extension cords ($5)
• Clear Acrylic Sheet ($35)
• Plexiglass ($20)
• Desk Top ($50)
• Desk Legs ($50)
• RGB lighting

Total: $530

Software

• Windows 11
• Ubuntu
• Autodesk Inventor 2022
• Visual Studio 2022
• Xilinx Vivado
• Minerstat(Crypto Mining)
• Halo, Rainbow 6 Siege, Valorant, and other PC games