Lian Li has been known to release some funky case designs, such as the oddly appealing snail shaped PC-777 Memorial Edition and the train inspired PC-CK101. With that kind of portfolio, it's no surprise that Lian Li is now the first to market with a standing desk chassis, the DK-04.
That's right, the DK-04 is both a standing desk with motorized action and a computer case. The idea behind the thing is that you'll stand up during work hours and then sit for a spell to play games. In that regard, the DK-04 might appeal most to anyone who works remotely, as the standing option will keep them off their rump during the day.
You can adjust the desk anywhere from 67.5 cm to 116 cm by pressing the up and down arrows on the front panel. There are four presets that you can configure and the desk will automatically adjust to the height you input with the press of a button.
This isn't Lian Li's first stab at a standing desk. It's gone through several iterations, with this latest version featuring a slimmer frame that tapers toward the user for better leg room. The legs are made from steel and can support loads of up to 100 kg.
To make building inside the desk easier, the DK-04 has a removable motherboard tray. Lian Li also made sure to leave ample elbow room inside the desk to help with piecing together a PC. You'll find anchored cable clips along the way to help with snaking cables in an organized fashion.
The DK-04 has eight expansion slots. It supports full size ATX and micro ATX motherboards, along with VGA cars up to 320mm in length, CPU coolers up to 140mm tall, and ATX power supplies up to 210mm.
There are four stacking drive racks with rubber insulation in the DK-04. That gives builders the ability to install a total of eight 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives with vibration dampeners. There's also a 5.25-inch bay on the front panel for an optical drive, fan controller, or audio breakout box (or even a cup holder, if you can still find one in stock), along with four USB 3.0 ports, HD audio inputs, and slots for the RGB controller (for optional lighting).
To keep your components from frying themselves, Lian Li includes four 120 mm intake fans in the front of the chassis and four 120 mm exhaust fans in the back. If you prefer to liquid cool, you can swap the front fans for a 480mm radiator and the rear fans for two 240 radiators.
A brushed aluminum finish gives the DK-04 classic styling that Lian Li is known for, and a tempered glass top panel lets you show off your setup.
There's some debate as to whether using a standing desk can lead to better health than a sitting one. Either way, you'll pay a premium for the luxury of being able to stand up, at least in this case. The DK-04 will be available May 10 for $1,499.
