putting tower in a cupboard

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Coley.

Bryant Gumble
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Is there anything I should be aware of? At the moment its just under my desk but im thinking of putting it away in a cupboard just to tidy things up. I was thinking of having an a4 sized cut out with some of that radiator board (with holes) just so it can a bit of air.
Do I need to be worrying about providing an extra fan in the cupboard or should it cope o.k with just the vent in the side ?

Thanks
 
If I play games on my PC for a while it actually makes the room warmer so I guess the answer is also down to how hard you make it work. more power used = more heat to dissipate.
 
Airflow is going to be key. Whilst I have 4 computers that play nicely in the same 3m x 3m room here, I have to leave the door open to avoid the heat rising too much. Overnight in a closed room and they are very warm indeed (too warm for my liking).
 
So heats definitely something I need to be wary of.......would it make a difference that the computer shouldn't have to work too hard ? - I usually buy stuff that will do the job easily to save burning it out- im wondering if theres a way to monitor it, would the answer be somehow measuring the temperature ? Im guessing setting it to turn off after an hour ( instead of 4) would also help.

Thanks
 
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Google for

Speedfan, or
PC Wizard

They will monitor the temperatures of various components. Unfortunately if the cpu gets too hot if the PC is in a cupboard it will shut itself down.

Dave
 
Thanks for the info dave. Looks perfect for keeping an eye on things.
 
My mail server lives in the cupboard with the boiler and has done for a couple of years. No overheating issues, although it's only a 667MHz PIII in a full tower case.
 
if you have it in a space like that Have two vents one at the bottom and one at the top this will let air flow through and give the cooling you need. Heat rises so fresh air will enter the bottom vent and heat out the top one.
You can get covers in B&Q which will do the job
 
My work mate made the suggestion - 'if you're gonna use it a lot, can't you just open the door ?' I feel a bit silly now lol
 
Is there anyone who might be able to take a look at a screengrab i just did using speedfan please. I take it the little flames are a bad indication something might be a bit too hot- ive not even put it in the cupboard yet :nuts:

speedfan_zpsf9bd9d3c.jpg


Thanks

Coley

Edit : ive also noticed it doesnt tuen itself off anymore after inactivity - I had it set to turn off after 3 hours.....
 
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We have lots of PC's in desk compartments at work, but they're purpose bult and have ventilation. If I was building it myself I'd put vents in the floor of the cupboard (invisible) and duct the exhaust from the PSU straight to a vent to outside.
 
You can actually adjust the point at which the 'flames' show in the speedfan dialogue, around 50C is not too bad.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'll keep an eye on it. Ive cut a 5 by 9 vent in the side of the cupboard and if I remember I'll try to keep the shutter door open.
 
Just buy a cheap air thermometer and monitor the air temperature in the cupboard....
 
You could always sticks moles connector out the back of the case and add some fans to the cupboard powered by the PC, a little ghetto. Lol but should do the job.
 
arad85 said:
Just buy a cheap air thermometer and monitor the air temperature in the cupboard....
Click to expand...

Whats an abnormal temperature ? Im not very good when it comes to the mechanics of computers. We've got a water heater at work and its set to 45ºc for hand washing. That seems quite hot. I might whip the cover off before I put it in the cupboard to see if its sucked in any dust.
I had to Google mole connector lol but does seem a good solution if it does start overheating

Thanks all, much appreciated !
 
Coley. said:
Whats an abnormal temperature ?
Click to expand...
I'd be worried if the temperature doesn't stabilise in the high 20s. I have a room with 4 PCs in, if I close the door, the room keeps getting warmer (fairly well insulated).
 
It was supposed to be molex, bloody autocorrect.
 
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