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Cooling question, install in a cabinet

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - Cooling question, install in a cabinet

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Sorry, but I couldn't figure out where to post this. I'm installing a PC inside kitchen cabinet (to pull up recipes, etc.). It's a fairly plain build (ie. no huge, hot graphics card, etc.). Will I have to worry about heat build up inside the closed cabinet? If so, I figured I could just cut a hole in the side, and mount a vent in it so air could be pulled in. Like a floor vent for home AC, but in the side. Would that be good enough (if even necessary)? Thanks for any advice.

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Depends on the specs. I'd say maybe. And yes, cutting a vent or even not having the side cover on the PC will help.

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Reply to Shadow703793

If you're only going to turn it on while using it then I wouldn't worry about it. But if you wanna leave it on all the time (and it seems like you do) then considering it is warranted.

Reply to False_Dmitry_II

Can you get creative and avoid installing the PC inside a closed kitchen cabinet?
Using a touch screen monitor?

Reply to WR2

It all depends on how much power the pc will use and how big the cabinet is. If it's a very low power pc in a fairly large cabinet, then you should be fine. Otherwise you'll need a way to get air flow through the cabinet to keep it from overheating.

Reply to orangegator

Your kitchen cabinet is now your case.

You need to have a place for cool air to come in from, a place for hot air to leave from, and a fan to cause the movement. Other than that, NP

I stopped using towers for my wife's kitchen PC - I use all-in-one's now. Yeah, I can't build them, yada yada yada . . . but the only thing on her desk is the monitor and wireless keyboard/mouse. They come in purty colors, too.

Did I mention there's only one wire . . . the power cord?

Message edited by Twoboxer on 09-13-2009 at 01:18:53 AM

Reply to Twoboxer

Touchscreen all-in-one sounds about perfect for a kitchen.

But I guess it's a PC you already have right?

Reply to WR2

I have a spare PC I was going to use. But what I originally had in mind (and the video cable is already run through the wall) is this: On the other side of the wall, in a closet (with the central air running into, and returning from) is another PC that is going to be a HTPC media server deal. I ran a second video cable for that through the wall, and was going to run a monitor in the kitchen as a second monitor from that system. Here's my concerns and why I just changed it to another PC, you can tell me if the original way would work though. That would be easier since it's already wired.
1 - The PC would be doing double duty, outputing to my HTPC and to the kitchen to pull up recipes from the net. I would have liked to have 2 sets of a wireless keyboard\mouse. They would never be used at the same time. Just one would sit in the TV room, one in the kitchen. I didn't know if I could actually sync up 2 at a time though.
2 - It would be nice to have a set of speakers in the kitchen, so that audio could stream into there too. But I didn't know if someone could be watching TV in one room, listening to music in the kitchen at the same time.
3 - I've never done a dual monitor setup, so with limited knowledge, I was afraid what I had in mind wouldn't work.

Reply to lucasbuck2

Monitor: Simple enough, clone two screens off one vid card with two output ports.

Wireless keyboards/mouses: There are several workarounds, so the short answer is two (RF wireless) will work. See example below. Note: I have a couple PCs with both wired *and* wireless kb/mouses attached, and that setup works absolutely fine. Simultaneously.

Two different sound streams outputting to two separate sets of speakers: Never done this, so not sure its "possible". Two sets of speakers outputting the same sound is fairly easy.

Anyhow, certainly using two different manufacturers/drivers should work, so let's just pick two examples and talk it through:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823126174
I've used this on several PCs. It has decent range IF there is no metal alongside of or in front of the receiver. (Not recommending this for your HTPC, just note is is quite different from the next one.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823217006
I am also currently using this on one PC in my home. It has OK range, especially if you don't plug the little USB receiver into the BACK of the PC (so the PC is not in between the receiver and the keyboard/mouse).

So we take advantage of the range (and what blocks them) and run a usb extender cable from the HTPC to the kitchen (cabinet) area, and (eg) use doublestick tape to attach the receiver directly on the kitchen monitor base.

Done. They probably will never know of each other's existence.

Message edited by Twoboxer on 09-14-2009 at 03:44:17 AM

Reply to Twoboxer

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Cooling question, install in a cabinet

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - Cooling question, install in a cabinet