I just had a brainstorming session in which to figure a way to make my rig quieter. Now this particular idea will not work for me in my current living arrangements but I think would be a great idea for those that own their own houses.
What about building a false wall and modding the whole desk into it? What I mean is that you could build some type of slide-out drawer for the case where the front bezel could mount flush with the wall when closed. This could also pave way for better air cooling solutions where noise was a factor before. Depending on the size of the new wall "enclosure", you could get some serious airflow in there if you decided to run with the side panel off.

yeah kinda like most custom home theaters are built, only with a PC instead.

Airflow won't be a problme unless the cabinet is inclosed on the sides and top, how ever you could run a duct to the back of the PC andand use two 120mm runnin low RPMs to remove the heat from the back of the PC to the next stud over..have the duct brach into three sections, two for the back of the case, and one for the back of the PSU and have a 120mm fan for one and the other for the other duct

~Bob

Yeah, there are all kinds of possible cooling solutions available with air if you did something like this. And the fact that it would be on the other side of a wall definately means less noise. Cold air could also be ducted into this "enclosure" as well for lower ambients with the side panel off.

Sounds like a very ingenious idea...definately original.

Just keep in mind that you would more than likely have to run with a wireless keyboard and mouse, not to mention the 20+ inch LCD screen that you would need to mount onto the wall. Why? Well, you would have to sit back from the edge of the wall if you wanted to stretch out your legs. Moving back would probably mean a bigger screen size and you could easily mount the LCD on the wall along with the speakers.

Another thing to keep in mind is the access that a person would need. For example, all the cords running out of the machine would need an extra 1 to 2 feet for pulling the unit out of the wall.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like a great idea but it would take an extreme amount of thought/counter-thought to design a functional and efficient mod of that nature. Perhaps one of the things you can do is to "reverse" mount the board inside a modded tower so that way all the I/O ports could be coming out the front with a sliding panel that would conceal it when you didn't have any I/O devices hooked in.

Now, counter-thought jumps in and tells me "hey dummy, do you want to unplug the monitor and speakers every time you shut it off or what's the point of having it that way?".

Well, what about mounting the board 90 degrees clockwise towards the front of where the tower should be? This way, your video/sound cards will be in the rear while the other ports are towards the front. Expand the access area to a "cubby hole" and keep the sliding panel.

Like I said, it's going to take a lot of work. If you give it a shot, let us know so we can give an opinion or two.

Good luck!

Rob

When I originally got the idea and gave it a little more thought I figured it would be good use for one of the non-atx enclosures that I have and yes, I just got a wireless kb/mouse combo so that wouldn't be a problem. As for the "enclosure", I was thinking something along the lines of a "phone closet" like some companies use for their key systems. Basically like a 4x6 or 4x8 foot room.
Unfortunately, I do not have the space for something like this currently, nor do I own a house but in the future perhaps.
Then it hit me...... an idea for an even crazier mod that incorporates much of the same idea. The huge enclosure I have (the Scitex Dolev 200) I have made some special plans for already to make it look like a Pimp Rig. By this I mean it will look like the front-end of a semi truck pimped out to include a chrome (or simulated chrome if I can't swing the first) grill, actual semi headlights, and velvet lining w/ gold colored fasteners "under the hood". I will be drawing up sketches (with my meager drawing skills) for the initial layout during the week.
Anyhow, here is the updated idea..... how about if I mod the wall of this new "enclosure" to look like the Pimped Rig just crashed through it. That way I can put my old drywall skills to use again and inadvertantly have a functional performance art piece.
Realistically though, this mod (at least not the entirety of it) could not be finished this year as I do not have a house to do it in, although I can start on the Rig part of it. I am really excited about getting the drawings down on paper (after taking and re-taking many measurements) so I can get some feedback as to the direction of this project. It will have lights, H2O, plenty of Pimp bling (maybe even curb feelers).
I just realized I may have let the proverbial cat out of the bag so more details on this project soon.

hmmm..... sounds like a good idea i would try it sept i live in an appartment that costs me $1280 a mo and I dont want the land lord to jack it up any hire because he was mad at me but do you think the same could be done with a temporary enclosure like a cabinet ?

Damn boy! 1280 a month? We're paying 900 a month for a 4 bedroom 2 bath house. I was thinking about doing something like that except I only have 2 computers and both of them are coming with me to lans.

absolutely the same can be done to a cabinet.

Yeah it would be tuff to convine the landlord or tenent to let you cut a hole in the wall so you can hava a quieter overclocked computer

~Bob

Well, Dave....



My roommate and I in Foster City, CA (just south of San Francisco) had paid $2100 a month for a two bed/two bath 1100 sq ft apartment.

Back on topic...

Good luck on your mod and I'm happy to see that one idea is sparking another. That's what builds things like the Colosium.

Rob

Quote: Originally Posted by mtmanrob Well, Dave.... My roommate and I in Foster City, CA (just south of San Francisco) had paid $2100 a month for a two bed/two bath 1100 sq ft apartment. Back on topic... Good luck on your mod and I'm happy to see that one idea is sparking another. That's what builds things like the Colosium. Rob

my appartment is the same as yours sept mine is 1200 sq ft

but yeah i will try something out with a cabinet and see what i get

I have had plans for building my Starship Rig inside of an actual spaceship-c0ckpit that I will build out of fiberglass. This spaceship will then take up an entire 15' x 20' room, and will have its own air conditioning units for the "PC(s)" and "Crew Members(LOL)". I will switch all of my monitors to LCD, and will eventually put in a large plasma screen as the main display. It will basically be a full living room inside, although it will be the media control center of the entire house.

I have a frame design at work right now, but my bosses won't let me work on it until our business slows down a little...which could be awhile.