Engineer Eric Maglio’s gaming desk looks stunning. The Reddit community thinks so too. (Image source: Eric Maglio)
Modern gaming computers generally look quite similar: a mostly cuboid case with a glass pane through which the RGB-filled interior can always be clearly seen. Of course, there are also systems that do without big bling, but these are now the exception.
Reddit user and engineer Eric Maglio apparently finds the common design too boring. That’s why he decided to to install your gaming computer directly into your desk. You can marvel at the result in the picture above.
What’s in the gaming desk?
The built-in hardware is still powerful, but no longer at the current high-end level. Eric started building his gaming desk at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 and needed about a year to complete it. The reason we’re only reporting on it now is because the creative engineer only wrote about it a few weeks ago Reddit has gone to the general public.
The components at a glance:
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
- Mainboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Dark Hero
- Graphic card: EVGA Geforce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra Gaming
- Random access memory: 64 GB DDR G.Skill Trident Z Neo
- Storage: 2x M.2 NVMe SSD 2 TB Sabrent Rocket 4
- Power adapter: 850 Watt Corsair RM850X
The water cooling uses components from the manufacturer EK Water Blocks. Eric cut and bent the acrylic pipe connections by hand, just like our sister magazine MeinMMO reported.
Even though the individual components are no longer state-of-the-art, you can still play well with it. After all, the RTX 3090 achieved an average of over 60 frames per second in 4K resolution in the Gamestar test of the successor model RTX 4090.
However, the system isn’t just for gaming, like Eric on his Homepage reveals. He also uses it for CAD programs, i.e. for computer-aided 2D and 3D design.
How did the gaming desk come about?
For this purpose, Eric created a CAD model with which he was able to plan even fine details such as holes and cable lengths in advance. He then transferred the 3D model onto a wooden plate and installed the entire computer on it.
For example, the hobbyist was able to determine the position of cable clamps. The experimental setup was also needed to be able to estimate where the acrylic pipes needed to be bent.
This is what the first test run looked like on a wooden plate with a paper mask. (Image source: Eric Maglio)
After passing the test run, the final assembly began on an acrylic plate, which was processed using a CNC milling machine. CNC stands for Computerized Numerical Control
In addition to the acrylic plate, Eric also had to work on the wooden table. According to his own statements, he acquired the necessary skills during the construction work and with the help of friends.
Dealing with individual water cooling and its processing was also completely new for Eric. The result is all the higher.
Also interesting: Four fans on both sides of the table provide the necessary fresh air, half of which sucks in air and the other half releases the air back to the outside. The radiator, in turn, is not directly supported by fans.
According to Eric, the temperatures in the system are within the normal range: The processor therefore has an operating temperature of 70 to 80 degrees, the graphics card at 50 degrees, and the entire water circuit on average at 45 degrees. There is certainly still significant potential for improvement here.
Eric himself writes that if he were to build a gaming desk again, he would install two 240 or 360 millimeter radiators on both sides instead of a single 480 millimeter radiator.
And in case you’re wondering, if Eric throws a tantrum while playing and hits the glass, it won’t break straight away. After all, it is almost a centimeter thick.
Unsurprisingly, the Reddit community reacts consistently positively to the stylish gaming desk.
AteoRex for example writes: Looks beautiful.
Reposti_geraldo69 puts it a little less elegantly: That is sick.
ExnDH sums it up like this: This is absolutely fabulous.
Our opinion on the gaming desk is also clear. We can only stare at him in awe and with wide eyes. Especially when we consider that Eric has never built anything comparable before and that many work steps, such as setting up an individual water cooling system, were completely foreign to him until then.
So-called all-in-one water cooling systems are much easier to use. You can find out why GameStar editor Alexander Köpf thinks that every player should use one in the following article:
What do you think of the gaming desk? Are you as excited as we are? Have you ever built something similar yourself? And if so, how did you approach the project? And how long did it take you to finish it? Or do you think gaming computers like this are even unnecessary? Feel free to write it to us in the comments!
