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.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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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

I'm a geek, a gamer, a dad, a Quic user, and an IT Professional. I have a full rack home lab, size 15 feet, an epic beard and Asperger's. I'm a bit of a Cypherpunk, who believes information wants to be free and the Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. If you use my Quic signup you can also use the code R570394EKGIZ8 for free setup.

niekerkj

79 posts

Master Geek

#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.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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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

79 posts

Master Geek

#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!