pc inside the cab?

[mastercave]

how dangerous is it to have the pc components just inside the cabinet without an actual pc case around it? will there be any kind of shortages or fire hazards? since i would be having an enclosed cab i plan on using some larger cpu fans in there without the case around it.

[cdbrown]

It's not a problem at all and many people have done this.  You do need to make sure that there is sufficient air flow in and out of the cab.  Putting bigger fans on the cpu will not help if the cab is full of hot air from the tv, power supply and cpu.  A few people have got an intake fan near the bottom and an exhaust fan at the top.  Also make sure you mount the motherboard using stand-offs or PCB feet to protect the circuits on the underside of the board.  Try to make sure the components are secure - don't want to find out that one of the cards has become unseated causing unstability in the system or worse.

Good luck
-cdbrown

[HeadRusch]

no danger...PC's need a case about as much as dogs need drivers licenses.

You can use any non-conductive material to mount the motherboard to, say, the side of the cabinet.
www.happcontrols.com sells PCB mounting spacers made out of plastic (or nylon, I forget)...those are also handy, as they give you some clearance under the board.  They're just spacers...you slide screws into the motherboard in the pre-determined places, then the screw goes through the spacer,a nd then into the wood.

Just make sure your video and sound cards have a nice snug fit in their slots so they dont fall out if you move the cabinet around (remember they'll most likely be hanging there on their own if you mount the MB on the side.  If you mount it on the bottom of the cab, its a non-issue).

To deal with this, you can go to home depot and get some plastic Plumbers Strapping and just literally make yourself a little "harness" to keep the cards in the slots if they are prone to slipping out.

[shmokes]

Many Inwin cases (and others, I'd guess) have a removable motherboard tray that includes the back panel.  This is an attractive option as you can mount the PCI and AGP cards the way they are meant to be mounted, screwed down.  I personally would be a little bit worried about having nothing holding my boards in place but the friction of the slot itself.

[Warborg]

Many Inwin cases (and others, I'd guess) have a removable motherboard tray that includes the back panel.  This is an attractive option as you can mount the PCI and AGP cards the way they are meant to be mounted, screwed down.  I personally would be a little bit worried about having nothing holding my boards in place but the friction of the slot itself.

This is similar to what I did, except I just took an old ATX compliant case and drilled the pop rivets out, and then put the MB mounting plane and backplate in the cab...  

[shmokes]

Cases do, however direct and influence airflow.  If you decide to go caseless I recommend monitoring the temperature inside your cab for the first couple of weeks.  Make sure you check it after some long intense gaming sessions, especially if you're playing games with 3d graphics that would tax your videocard, generating extra heat.

[OSCAR]

I agree with these guys, you wouldn't want to do this unless you have a way to secure your video/sound/lan cards.  I didn't want to mess with a PC case and cards so I used an nForce board w/ the integrated video/sound/lan in my cabinet.  The integrated mobo probably isn't the best solution for the ultimate game machine, but since my cab only runs MAME and a few 2600 & NES emulators, it works fine for me.

[HeadRusch]

I dont buy that "cases direct airflow" stuff.....

I find it hard to believe the rocket scientists who design these computer cases are doing dynamic hydraulic airflow analysis on the turbulence inside a PC case.  

I think its just "add more heat generating stuff in your cab? Add more fans! 5 out of 7 scientists agree a cool computer is a happy computer. Dont foget to add an etched window too, that also promotes cooling!"

[cdbrown]

I dont buy that "cases direct airflow" stuff.....

I find it hard to believe the rocket scientists who design these computer cases are doing dynamic hydraulic airflow analysis on the turbulence inside a PC case.  

I think its just "add more heat generating stuff in your cab? Add more fans! 5 out of 7 scientists agree a cool computer is a happy computer. Dont foget to add an etched window too, that also promotes cooling!"

Cases do promote cooling of your system but only because of the fan at the front suck cool air in which moves across the motherboard cooling the components then out the exhaust fans which are generally higher than the intakes.  Plus some even have fans mounted on the side panel to blow onto the AGP and PCI cards.  Nothing high-tech just common sense having air blown across the components (cooler air) will always help.  But you could have it outside the case and place a small desk fan so that it blows onto the motherboard and components.  Neither option is any good  if there's no fans blowing the air around

[mastercave]

thanks for all the inputs. what i meant by "cpu fan" was computer fan...i recently built my first 2 computers and i'm not too into the lingo as long as i know what i'm talking about. i plan on having like a few computer fans all working at once near the motherboard as well as a vented fan at the top for the monitor and rising air.

[mastercave]

another interesting idea...has anyone ever mounted a temperature reading panel somewhere on their cab? i'm not sure how to hook it up to read temp of the entire comp case, just the cpu though.

[Magnet_Eye]

I just mounted my PC inside my cab and I am looking for ways to "strap down" the PCI cards..they are really loose and hanging, who has some good suggestions for this?

 

[mastercave]

maybe i'll have to build a horizontal shelf and lay the motherboard on that instead of mounting on its side.

[bloodyviking77]

I just mounted my PC inside my cab and I am looking for ways to "strap down" the PCI cards..they are really loose and hanging, who has some good suggestions for this?

How bout just mounting a strip of pine/chipboard/whatever of the right height (bout 4" ) along the back edge of your mobo with cutouts for whereever you need a cable (should prolly only be keyboard/mouse/vga) and just screwing the cards into that?

Or if you have an old case lying around, cut out the back panel and use that??

Remember that it doesn't have to be too flashy - this will be on the inside of your cab, and all you are doing is holding some pcbs in place. There's not too much magic to it