Pc in a cupboard - stupid idea?

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So... since the mobo in my previous pc melted and I upgraded to a new pc in a HAF X case to try and stop the melting thing happening again, the wife is not happy about the amount of space my pc is taking up on the desk.

To get a quiet life, I was thinking of putting it in a cupboard and fitting a sliding shelf for mouse and keyboard. The dimensions are approx. 88cm wide / 78cm high / 57cm deep. HAF X case is 23cm wide / 60cm high / 60cm deep (allowing for cabling).

Am I asking for trouble putting a pc in a cupboard in an already hot room? If I put the pc sideways against the back wall (fan intake on the outside) it will fit ok. Guess I will have about 15cm clearance for the rear exhaust fan and about 18cm for the top exhaust fan...

Ambient room temps are around 20/21 degrees, rising to mid 20's after pc has been on for a couple of hours. In summer time it can get even hotter.

Will the cupboard turn into an oven? Are there recommended minimum clearances for exhaust fans? Any suggestions on what I can do? Desk fan blowing cold air in / warm air out? Add extra fans / change airflow direction?

I would like a quiet like with the missus, but obviously not at the extent of damage to my gaming rig

 

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LOL @ vanandjuanunited - it would cost more than the PC is worth...

deFiniLoGy - It is wood, no ventilation at the moment. Guess I could cut holes and stick fans in but not ideal from a cosmetic perspective. I'll probably get moaned at more for cutting holes in cupboard...

spoffle - Well wife works from home during day time and I get office evenings & weekend for gaming, so guess its a time-share desk. It isn't huge to start with and is part of the built in furniture that includes the cupboard too, so cant even buy a bigger desk...

Just looking at options really and wondered if it could work.

Thanks for replies though!

 

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dholdi - no, internal wall

doyll - ok, this is starting to sound too much trouble then. I will need to have both the double doors fully open to pull the sliding keyboard shelf out - so it will be fully open to the full dimensions of the cupboard.

Kieran - I'll see if I can grab a quick pic later and upload.

Steviepunk - that's one option I guess lol I do have noise cancelling headphones, so it maybe easier just to put them on But yes, we built new house and went mad on insulation. I had a cr@ppy old case with bad cooling and during the hot summer last year it just melted... Do not want a repeat of that.

andy_taximan - yup, wc could well be an option as well, but total novice at it...

Well thanks for confirming it probably is a stupid idea. I can put it on the floor next to desk if the complaining continues but am worried about it getting battered by the kids and also picking up lots of dust (new houses are incredibly dusty for a while).

Thanks for your time in replying!

 

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dacads - great minds think alike just mentioned that above whilst you were posting

abbotsmike - super insulated new house + the hot summer last year (30+ degrees) + poor cooling performance case (themaltake shark) = cooked mobo... at least that was what a more technically savvy friend of mine informed me.

shatpank81 - I really love some of the smaller cases and would have gone with one instead of the giant HAF X if not for previous experience of overheating PC. I just picked case with best air cooling performance (bit-tech ratings). Sadly I am not confident enough to do wc myself so had to stick with air...

 

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Thanks IceWind, I think that will be the easiest option if I do need to move it. A single 120mm hole with a nice fan grill wouldn't be too noticeable. That is still quite a jump in temps though... Another hot summer and I could be in trouble again...

Cheers for the suggestion!

 

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I think I'm going to try and find/build a stand to the side of the desk. It's going to be ugly with exposed cables everywhere, but easier than drilling holes in the new built-in furniture...

abbotsmike - you could well be right mate, I'm not very technical myself. All I know is that I played 2 nights during the crazy 30+degree summer last year and immediately started to get BSoD's and hardware failure crashes that increased in frequency until the PC was pretty much unplayable. Just don't want to go through anything like that again!

 

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I can totally see this happening