Custom PC projects are often designed to stand out, but Heartwood takes a particularly integrated approach. The wood-and-aluminum gaming rig, created by Reddit user Mithiral67, is effectively built into the desk beneath it and was completed over seven years.
The system uses an InWin 909 case with a semi-open design. Its motherboard sits in an open section without a rear panel, while the finished exterior combines wood, brushed aluminum and lighting positioned at the top of the case.
The build’s most unusual feature is hidden below the desk. Liquid-cooling and power cables pass through the bottom of the case, run along the underside of the desk and descend through a leg into the floor. The main water-cooling hardware is located in the basement and is built around a Mora 400 system.
According to Mithiral67, the wood alone cost about $4,000, excluding the woodworking tools used for the project. The computer is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9800X3D processor and an Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card.
The lengthy construction period was largely linked to the graphics card. Mithiral67 said they spent most of the seven years waiting to obtain a GPU at its manufacturer’s suggested retail price, eventually getting lucky at Micro Center after going through four generations of graphics cards.
The RTX 5090 was ultimately purchased as part of a complete PC to obtain it at the equivalent of its list price. That arrangement also allowed Mithiral67 to use the other computer for gaming while Heartwood was being completed.
Sources: TechRadar.