Putting a PC in a cupboard

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niekerkj

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#60179 21-Apr-2010 10:01

Hi All,

We are in the process of building a house and the idea is to have a study nook (architect speak for cupboard) where we will keep our computer equipment.

The study nook will have doors on it, so this brings me to my question: Will it be safe to leave a desktop pc running while the cupboard doors are closed?

The dimensions of the cupboard will be 1400mm(w)x750mm(d)x2800(h). The equipment will include a standard desktop pc, lcd monitor, laser and inkjet printer (not used very often) and an external hard drive.

If heat build-up will be an issue, will fitting louvre doors be sufficient or will I need additional ventilation? Perhaps a standard bathroom extractor fan activated when the doors are closed?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

xpd

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#321204 21-Apr-2010 10:33

Ventilation is a good move, prefereably with a fan - a largeish low RPM would probably be ok.

XPD / Gavin

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Lias

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#321205 21-Apr-2010 10:34

I have run a server in a cupboard for years with no issues.
YMMV

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niekerkj

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#321211 21-Apr-2010 10:50

Thanks for your responses, Lias and Xpd.

I gues I could fit solid doors and then monitor the temperature to see if I should fit a fan.

Do your know if there's a way to monitor the cpu temerature or should I be looking at the room temerature?

xpd

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#321226 21-Apr-2010 11:20

Plenty of software available for CPU monitoring - lot of people use SpeedFan.

Room temp should be watched also, as thats what the fans in your system are sucking in etc :) Hot air into case increases CPU temp :)

My system overheats (or use to until the sun stopped shining) due to the room temp...soon as I opened doors/windows, the system cooled down a lot :) Now Ive got a better case with extra cooling its been good.

XPD / Gavin

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lurker

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#321258 21-Apr-2010 12:17

I liked the DIY approach in this article: Fitting a temperature controlled fan in a cabinet.

In my experience, I once had a lot of heat issues with my PC overheating underneath my custom built desk, basically it's a solid corner unit with not much chance for hot air to escape. But I found that moving from a mid-sized Wavemaster to a larger full tower case made all the difference for me without having to go overboard with fans.

niekerkj

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#321399 21-Apr-2010 18:01

Xpd, yes, it will be a warm house, especially in the summer, so will keep that in mind.

Lurker, thanks for the link - looks like something even I can do!