Lian Li Claims 'World's First' With New Standing Desk PC Case

Sit or stand using Lian Li’s new desk-based computer case, the DK-04

A standing computer desk gets you off your butt, but could prove tiresome after a while. Good thing Lian Li’s new computer desk chassis, the DK-04, can be transformed into a sit-down solution as well, giving those tired footsies a well-earned rest.

That’s right: Lian Li has created another computer chassis in the shape of a desk, providing an all-in-one solution that merely needs an additional monitor, keyboard, and mouse. This “desk” model even provides four different height settings, ranging from two feet to nearly four feet tall, with just the press of a button. That way, users can sit down to duke it out online in their favorite PC game and raise the desk when pretending to work.

So how does a desk-based chassis keep the components cool? There are four 120mm fans mounted on the front that pull cool air in, and four 120mm fans on the back that suck the warm air out. However, if that’s not good enough, the chassis supports water cooling too. For example, builders can rip the front fans out and replace them with a radiator measuring 120mm x 480mm, or remove the rear fans and install two radiators measuring 120mm x 240mm. Additional radiator sizes are also supported.

According to the specs, the new black aluminum chassis can accommodate a power supply measuring up to 220mm in length, a processor cooler measuring up to 140mm in height, and an expansion card measuring up to 320mm in length. Eight 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch hard drives can be crammed into to the desk, as well as eight expansion cards. The chassis supports ATX and Micro-ATX motherboards, and includes a removable motherboard tray for easy installation and management.

“The DK-04 features a new design, sporting a slimmer frame that tapers towards the user for better leg room,” the company says. “Inside the chassis, there are wide margins with anchored cable clips to simplify cable routing and organization. The internal compartment is spacious, bright, and visible.”

Externally, the desk has a tabletop consisting of tempered glass, allowing system builders to fall in love with their glowing hardware again at each glance. The height of the steel legs is adjusted electrically and managed by way of a control panel on the front that features an LED display, the up and down buttons, and a memory button to memorize a specific height. The desk even includes an external 5.25-inch bay for an optical drive, four USB 3.0 ports, and HD audio inputs.

Want to light up the innards? Lian Li supposedly provides an optional lighting kit although it’s not listed on the website as of this article. The desk actually features slots for an RGB controller on the front, so installing and maintaining a lighting system should be a snap. System builders can presumably use any lighting kit provided by other suppliers.

The DK-04 isn’t Lian Li’s first desk-based chassis. The company currently offers six sit-down models ranging from the DK-3 to the DK-Q1H. However, the new DK-04 seems to be the only model that actually stands, thus the company is claiming the “world’s first” title with this upcoming launch.

That said, Lian Li’s new DK-04 desk chassis will cost a hefty $1,500 when it becomes available on May 10, 2016.

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