TL;DR: I have a desk like the one pictured and I want to build a PC into the bottom left hand drawer and a power bar and fan set into the body. so that it's my dream desk. What do I need to know before I do this?
So I have a very similar desk to the image provided (not my desk it's currently covered in projects), it's a mid century tanker desk with Formica top. I also have a modestly good PC that I use for gaming. Unfortunately my tower is pretty bulky and this desk definitely wasn't built with the idea of that in mind.
I'm considering modifying the desk so that I can fit the internals of the PC into the bottom drawer on the left side. currently, everything will be able to fit and if I place the board at the middle I will be able to upgrade the graphics card (whenever they become affordable) without issue as that would be the biggest concern space wise.
The two biggest issues I foresee are cooling and cable. For cables, I'm thinking I'll get extenders for the video, internet, USB's, and run them through the body of the desk. one side will feed into the drawer to connect to the PC with a little slack to allow the drawer to slide, the other will be part of a tasteful 3d printed hub on the desk, either under the lip of the back or on the table top. That way I'd be able to plug in flash drives or the monitors without trouble.
Cooling is a trickier matter. The entire desk is enclosed but not air tight by any measure. I figure, I can drill out a vent pattern in the bottom front and top back of the left tower to allow a sort of chimney effect, the hot air coming out the back of the desk will draw fresh air in to the bottom. From there, I do a similar bottom front, top back array for fans on the drawer itself, so that it draws cool air into the enclosed space near the desk intake hole, and blows hot air up the back wall of the desk. I could then even wire fans into the desk itself to further move the air if it's not staying cool enough as I already plan to be in there running wires and maybe installing a power supply so that I always have a free outlet to test things with.
All that said, This is a bit more involved than the case mods I've previously done on PCs, and while I am confidant that I can do all this without damaging anything, I would like some input from others before I jump on it. Is there anything I should consider? anything I'm overlooking? I have a deep love for these desks and I've always wanted to integrate a computer into my desk instead of just sitting it near by. Now I kind of have the resourced and tools I need for both. I just want to make sure I do it right.
I thought all that stuff too.
Even if you’re right where I was wrong I can tell you for a fact that the airflow is going to be a problem.
A better choice is might be to reinforce the modesty panel and put a little shelf or retention hook on the inside of it. Those old desks have a footwell so deep you can definitely fit a computer in it.
Actually you sort of hit the new idea right on the head. Someone else pointed out those wall hanging PCs that lay all the parts flat and suggested putting that on the side of the desk. That got me thinking, both the towers extend past the kick shield by about the same distance as the height of my power supply. I could easily lay the whole pc out flat on a nice wooden board, put some risers in the corners and a glass sheet over the top, then mount it to the outside of the kick shield. It'd get wonderful airflow, fit perfectly, and take a fraction of the work to set up. I even have a real nice slab of wood and some dark walnut stain from my couch that would go perfectly with the burnt orange I'm doing the desk in!