The Never Ending Story (Are We Ever Really TRULY Done With Building Our Setup?)

An0maly_76 · June 6

So, recently, I've swapped around some furniture and gotten a new display due to my 55" Sceptre failing. The room has been cluttered for awhile, but I still have things I'd like to set up for use, so some consolidating and downsizing where possible is necessary. I have some ideas I'd like to run by anyone that might have some insight for improvement.

For reference, this is my setup at this moment. The display stand uses the display's VESA mounts, with the stand perched on an old chest of drawers. My PC case sits on a table to the right that sits somewhat lower, allowing the 75" HiSense A6 to clear it, along with my home theatre system. Keyboard and mouse are wireless. Don't mind the mess, I'm still figuring out where I want to put things.

BTW, for those interested, I highly recommend this stand for larger displays. It's a TAVR, available through Amazon. It supports up to 110 lbs, with 30 degrees swivel from center in either direction, and yes, it supports multiple VESA mount configurations as shown below. At $60-$70, it's not much more expensive than the dinkier budget stands, either. Great value for the money, my only real gripe with it is the plastic safety locks, they should have been metal.

But uh, back to the lecture at hand...

Now, here's the dilemma. I once played / recorded music, and I'd like to get back into that. My music keyboard will fit this lower table perfectly, but will take all of the space available, meaning the PC case and audio system need to go elsewhere. However, there's little to no room for it in the most common / obvious location, and setting it on the floor is not ideal, due to the internal Blu-Ray burner. I love this Fractal Pop Air, so as much as I hate to, I may have to abandon it unless I can relocate it without hindering accessibility. Putting the burner in an external USB case isn't my favorite approach, but I can live with it if need be.

I like the rack setup idea explored by LTT and a couple other YouTubers, which might look good under the display stand and keep things accessible. However, my 5900X needs more cooling than a 1U or 2U can fit, probably the least I can get away with is 4U, and the stand and display are only going to accommodate so much height revision. LTT's video referenced Protocase and mentioned they will make custom cases, but will they do a 4U?

I did find some rather nice wooden rack cases available in 1U-6U on Etsy, like this one... I see some custom work needed here that I'm not sure I can do, however.

And then it hit me. This chest of drawers my display and stand are sitting on are relatively empty at the moment. I'm not likely to use all the drawers, either. The two small ones topside measure 5.5" H, 21" D, 14.75" W. Quite spacious, so maybe I could transfer my components to an open-air test bench, like the one shown here, and mount it to the floor of the drawer. Newegg has this one for $23. A larger one appearing to have more space for larger mobos or perhaps more drives is available for a bit more.

However, my existing Mugen 5 measures 6.08 inches tall, and I'm not sure if that includes motherboard / CPU / standoff height. There is a bit more vertical clearance inside the drawer cabinet, but I'm wondering how much finagling it will take to make this work.

The beauty of this idea is that I can set up two systems if I want, one for gaming, one for media NAS (I have several laying around), maybe even run a dual system off of one power supply. I wonder about cooling, but I can probably work this out, and maybe this would be an excuse to go liquid cooling (not my first choice)? Or would it really be necessary? Anyone think the Noctua low-profiles will keep my 5900X cool if the Mugen 5 won't fit?

Anyone have any other ideas or thoughts I might not have considered?

jaslion · June 6

1 hour ago, An0maly_76 said:

much finagling it will take to make this work.

Worst case router the wood thinner

1 hour ago, An0maly_76 said:

. I wonder about cooling

Mesh front and have fans blasting air in. The pcie slots in the back will provise enoigh air out for the gpu

As for your title:

Yeah I'm done for a couple years after building. Usually till I need to add an upgrade and thats it. There is a reason my pc mostly still looks like it was from 2013

An0maly_76 · June 7

21 hours ago, An0maly_76 said:

I wonder about cooling

20 hours ago, jaslion said:

Mesh front and have fans blasting air in. The pcie slots in the back will provide enough air out for the gpu

So, after some thinking, headscratching, plotting and conspiring, I noticed the lower drawers looked slightly taller. Measurements reveal they are. A whopping 6.5" D, 30.5" W, with the same 21" depth. So my existing components should have no problem fitting in the lower drawers, even with non-standard plastic standoffs.

Theoretically, I could even set up dual systems in the first wide drawer. Although the barrage of pump failure / evaporation horror stories I've read make me leery of liquid cooling, it occurs to me the two top drawers can each fit a 280 front and rear, with room to spare, if I elect to do so. And I have to admit, I've been toying with the idea of a custom loop -- if a better pump setup can be cobbled up. And I've had some ideas.

OH, BOY, have I had some ideas. Automotive in-tank electric fuel pumps last a LONG time. Most multi-port injection systems use 30-70 psi or more, but throttle-body-injection systems use a mere 9-13 psi of pressure, which should be low enough not to stress the fittings and tubing. I'm sure an ATX PSU has at least one output with enough amperage.

These pumps are designed to be submerged, but I'm considering using a 2-3 ft section of 8" PVC pipe I have laying around, it would make a great reservoir with the right caps and sealing. I've wondered about submerging the radiators too, possibly a fully-contained system, with only a supply and return from the cooler plate.