I absolutely would love to have my PC in the desk. But I would get creative with the form factor to avoid crazy limitations when it comes to hardware and cooling.
I already had enough of limitations and measurement after building one “SFF” system (RVZ03 - 14.6L).
The 1u is a bit too extreme, especially the noise it will generate because it is so cramped inside the fans need so much RPMs to clear the same amount of air. 4u is more reasonable and can fit standard consumer stuff. Not sure about those bigger Noctua fans, though.
If I did a Vertical Rack style Full Tower, but have the Server Racks slide foreward instead of upward, I found out that in the space of a standard:
Lian Li Full Tower with 10" Case Width, I can fit 5U of Racks
Lian Li Full Tower with 12" Case Width, I can fit 6U of Racks
A standard Lian Li sized Full Tower can be designed to fit vertically orientated 23" Wide Standard Server Racks Chasis
A standard Lian Li sized Mid+ Tower can be designed to fit vertically orientated 19" Wide Standard Server Racks Chasis
All Tower configs can use standard 24" Deep Server Rack Chasis
Has there ever been a time in your life where you wanted a “Full Tower”/“Mid Tower” like case but has sliding foreward U-Racks of your choice so you can customize your Full Tower to be multi-machine in any way you wish?
e.g. One Full Tower can have a 4U & 2U racks in it
One Full Tower can have 6x 1U racks in it
One Full Tower can have 3x 2U racks in it
What ever config you feel like as long as it adds up to 5U/6U depending on the Tower Width you buy.
I once used a 2U dell power edge as a desk on 2 small end tables because my dumbass bought a 43" 4K tv without anywhere to put it on
I have a proper desk now though
not sure if that’s gonna be relevant enough for the thread though
I wish all computers were standardized into rack chassis years ago. Computer desks could have 4u slots and the computer would have never been in the way. When you get a new pc, just swap it out. All coolers, motherboards, heat sinks, fans, etc would be made for the same form factor. Hell, by now 1u could be standardized and be cool and quiet.
If we had more PC’s with MoBo Add-in Cards like the “Intel Ghost Canyon NUC” and a custom Base Board to link the MoBo AiC to the GPU, we could potentially get 1U into a standard form factor ready for super thin and quiet computing.