Lian-Li standing-desk computer case now available at US$2100 MSRP

Aside from portability, one of the common arguments for buying a laptop is that it takes up a smaller amount of space than a desktop or tower PC. Building a 'desk PC' isn't a new concept, a limited number of companies have been doing this for several years now and putting your computer inside the desk certainly frees up a lot of space.

Lian-Li has been one of the more prolific desk-case manufacturers in recent times, and their newest edition announced at CES 2017, the DK-05, is now available for purchase. Desk PCs are a niche market, with relatively small production runs compared to other computer cases, there is more material needed, and they likely require more steps during assembly. Even with that in mind, you might be surprised to find that the DK-05 has a whopping MSRP of US$2100, although they can be found online for around US$150 less than that.

You do get a fairly substantial bit of kit for that price though. First, you need to remember that you are buying a large piece of furniture with an aluminum body, iron legs, and a tempered glass top panel. This one is a standing desk, so it also includes motors for height adjustment between 69 cm and 118 cm (27 1/6 inches to 46 1/2 inches). There are mounting brackets for two motherboards inside, allowing the construction of two separate computers so that you could have one for general use and the other as a rendering station or a development PC to test code in another OS without rebooting. The fans are all arranged in banks, so it is easy to install water cooling radiators to help keep the system running cool. There is ample room for large components and multiple hard drives. Click on the picture below for exact specs.

If the price is too steep, then Lian-Li's older desk-cases sell for several hundred dollars less, but also don't look as sleek, and some are missing the standing desk features. There are also options from other manufacturers such as the cross desk and vector desk.

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