Putting a computer inside a cupboard

bazzabear · 29 Dec 2018 at 20:17

How concerned would you be about doing the above, in terms of the effect on possibly overheating?

I have my eye on a twin pedestal desk which would mean placing the computer inside one of the pedestals. It would have about 4cm spare above it, 7cm to each side, and 10cm spare in terms of depth.

bremen1874 · 29 Dec 2018 at 20:22

You’d need to cut ventilation holes if it’s a sealed cupboard. Depending on the PC spec you might need to add fans.

bazzabear · 29 Dec 2018 at 22:54

I was wondering whether I could remove the back of the cupboard so it's open there. As it stands, it just has a large hole there for wires. Might have to go look at it in the shop to be sure.

LuckyBenski · 30 Dec 2018 at 00:47

Are you keen on having the front closed? You could just not fit the door. Alternatively fit mesh or even fans to the door.

bazzabear · 30 Dec 2018 at 10:00

Interesting thought. The reason for the whole idea is to make the lounge a bit more lounge-like. Now I think about it though, could simply always have the door open when it's switched on. Simple solution now you say it!

This is the desk in question. About the only one I can find with a cupboard that's big enough.

https://www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk/...al-solid-oak-large-computer-desk/1003023.html

ross_rs · 30 Dec 2018 at 10:39

One of my buddies had a similar sort of set-up.

He removed the back from one of the pedestals so the machine had room to breath and it seemed to work perfectly well.

Obviously the temps weren't as good as they could have been in a properly ventilated area but they weren't horrendous or anything.

bazzabear · 30 Dec 2018 at 15:03

Cheers guys, all useful info.

I think I'll nip in next time I drive past one of their showrooms, and see how easily I could remove the rear of the cupboard. With the back off, and the front open in use, I reckon I'd be pretty happy with it. I think my computer runs fairly cool anyway. (Is there any free temperature monitor software I could check with though?)

LuckyBenski · 30 Dec 2018 at 15:10

HWinfo is good for monitoring temps, voltages and clock speeds over time. MSI Afterburner makes good graphs and saves logs. I like those two.

Testiculous · 30 Dec 2018 at 15:23

Cupboard backs normally only thin ply tacked on with small pin nails. Swift boot with a size 10 usually works for speedy removal.

paradigm · 30 Dec 2018 at 15:28

Testiculous said:
Cupboard backs normally only thin ply tacked on with small pin nails. Swift boot with a size 10 usually works for speedy removal.

Not from OakFurnitureLand it won't be.

Quartz · 30 Dec 2018 at 17:37

bazzabear said:
How concerned would you be about doing the above, in terms of the effect on possibly overheating?

Are you going to be overclocking?

I've done this before with office machines and it's fine. You just have to think about airflow and noise. Make sure cool air can come in at the bottom AND WONT GET BLOCKED and vent at the top. Put the PC on a rubber mat or something and the fans on rubber mountings so the cabinet doesn't become a speaker. Noise-absorbing foam is good too.

Raggs · 30 Dec 2018 at 18:53

bazzabear said:
Interesting thought. The reason for the whole idea is to make the lounge a bit more lounge-like. Now I think about it though, could simply always have the door open when it's switched on. Simple solution now you say it!

This is the desk in question. About the only one I can find with a cupboard that's big enough.

https://www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk/...al-solid-oak-large-computer-desk/1003023.html

i had one of those well the Tokyo one just a heads up the keyboard thing in the middle is useless it's not wide enough looks nice but in terms of ergonomics it was the worse buy ever. sold it at massive loss just to get shut of it.

RobTi · 30 Dec 2018 at 19:35

had my htpc in a cupboard for years with half the back off, I had a hd5450 fanless gpu and I used 1 140mm case fan on a 5v mod blowing over the mb also the psu although not fanless hardly ever started up only in the height of summer and all that needed was the door left open

Glanza · 30 Dec 2018 at 20:20

Put some vent holes in or cut a hole out and the metal plate similar to what gets fitted in a kitchen and you'll be fine usually.

ExoMale · 31 Dec 2018 at 03:01

if it has no front or back to that part of the desk then you could just get a case with decent front and rear fan support, you dont really need to worry about the sides, so long the air gets pushed out the back then thats a that real matters.

bazzabear · 31 Dec 2018 at 10:32

Quartz said:
Are you going to be overclocking?

I've done this before with office machines and it's fine. You just have to think about airflow and noise. Make sure cool air can come in at the bottom AND WONT GET BLOCKED and vent at the top. Put the PC on a rubber mat or something and the fans on rubber mountings so the cabinet doesn't become a speaker. Noise-absorbing foam is good too.

Cheers, really good tips.

Raggs said:
i had one of those well the Tokyo one just a heads up the keyboard thing in the middle is useless it's not wide enough looks nice but in terms of ergonomics it was the worse buy ever. sold it at massive loss just to get shut of it.

Thanks for the tip - in fact I don't intend to use the shelf as a keyboard shelf at all. I much prefer to have the keyboard and mouse on the same level. So that won't be a problem (shame it's not just an actual drawer though). Was that the main problem? Or were there other ergonomic issues too?

It's actually a great shame that the cupboard bit of the Tokyo isn't big enough for my computer - as we have other Tokyo furniture so then it would match perfectly. But the Bevel is the right shade of oak, so I think it will be fine.

bazzabear · 31 Dec 2018 at 10:35

ExoMale said:
if it has no front or back to that part of the desk then you could just get a case with decent front and rear fan support, you dont really need to worry about the sides, so long the air gets pushed out the back then thats a that real matters.

Yes, my cases main fans are all front and back. The one concern is that the fans and rad panel for the AIO water cooling are at the top - and there's only going to be 4cm space there above the case. But to be honest, the fans hardly ever go above their slowest speed setting anyway (hence my claim above that I think the system runs quite cool).

WantoN · 31 Dec 2018 at 11:02

I do this.

The back of the cupboard is open, and three 140mm fans are mounted to the front behind a white grill. I used a connector from RS and mounted it on a pcie bracket, wired the fans up and ran the braided cable to the back of the PC, connected to the PCI bracket; that way I can easily unplug the fans if I need to move the PC. The fans are PWM and controlled by the Mobo (Formula).

Works lovely. Temps are fine on my WC’d system.

Raggs · 31 Dec 2018 at 14:51

bazzabear said:
Cheers, really good tips.

Thanks for the tip - in fact I don't intend to use the shelf as a keyboard shelf at all. I much prefer to have the keyboard and mouse on the same level. So that won't be a problem (shame it's not just an actual drawer though). Was that the main problem? Or were there other ergonomic issues too?

It's actually a great shame that the cupboard bit of the Tokyo isn't big enough for my computer - as we have other Tokyo furniture so then it would match perfectly. But the Bevel is the right shade of oak, so I think it will be fine.

at 840mm the tall the desk was too high as i couldn't use the pull out shelf my logitech keyboard wouldn't fit let alone the mouse, really your arms / elbows should be level with a desk in a seated position for good ergonomics my new noble epic chair could go that high the arms could but my feet would be 6-8 inch off the ground

i went with a alex ikea drawers in the end and a real oak worktop total height 710 mm made a riser out of some wood and ikea capita kitchen legs for the monitor too sit on too raise it up a bit.

(desk your looking at is not as high though it's 800mm )

WantoN · 31 Dec 2018 at 15:33

I use the Ikea Micke desk, it’s got a great cubby for a PC. I have the matching draw set and another, lockable cupboard of the same height. I’m replacing the tops of them all with a single, long top from Ikea to make it a little wider and deeper, and give it a cleaner look.

I had to remove the central drawer and runners from the Micke so I could fit my chair underneath it, which added a nice spot where I could mount the boom arm for my mic.

For me, I like a clean space, with only my essential items and peripherals on show. I occasionally put my pc on my desk, it fits the theme, I inevitably get sick of it though; makes my setup feel close and cluttered, rather than open and clean.

I see no temp difference when I put it in the (modified) cupboard, and it offers so much more space. The only annoyance you will find is that you have to open the cupboard to switch it on. If I didn’t leave it on all the time I’d setup a voice command for Alexa.

Raggs said:
my new noble epic chair could go that high the arms could but my feet would be 6-8 inch off the ground

(desk your looking at is not as high though it's 800mm )

How are you finding the noble? I have one in white, and while I absolutely love it, the head cushion annoys me. Without it I’m too far back (and end up slouching) and with it my heads pushed too far forward and I end up with neckache (coincidentally I end up with earache if I spend too long on the PC

)

Other than that it’s great because the arms sit flush with the desk, and they can be moved quite a way out for the wider person. Also, because they use three good bolts on the bottom, you could quite easily make up a bracket for mounting a HOTAS.