Pcs under the stairs
 

Hi,

I have my pc under the stairs but I was hoping on either building my own pc enclosure or if there was any good places to get pc desks from that utilise the maxiumn space.

I would like to have a black glass finish. If you have your PC under the stairs can you share with me what it looks like I want to get some ideas. on how I could layout my PC and utilise the maximum space under my stairs.

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Here's mine:

http://www.reelmakeup.co.uk/blacksquare.gif

;)

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Do we address answers to Mr H.Potter or just let the owl find it's own way ;)

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

lol

no heres mine.

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

And, more sensibly, this is Mrs A's - a Morex Venus Black - ITX (or mini-ITX) mobo only:

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Just for interest sakes. How much would one of these babies cost and whats does it come with.

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/subc...20Center&cat=3

this place I have linked to before has a large range of cube/desktop/mediacentre cases that are just that cases you can built anything that fits into them. A lot of places sell cube cases complete with mobo

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...de=CA-ECUTE-SI for example :)

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...e=CAA-CSBLOCKS

perhaps a desktop case may suit so you can put your screen on top to save space?

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...code=CAS-LC03B this is full size midi. Note the vents on the side sp the screen will be ok on top

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...de=CAS-LC04B-A slimmer

anyway loads on that site. If you do decide to use them call them make sure the stuff is in stock before you order

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

so the two examples you gave include the mobo? If they dont how can I tell if a mobo will fit/work in the case?

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

They won't. Normally the motherboards are specific to those cases.

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

so for example if I bought http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...de=CA-ECUTE-SI I would then have to buy cpu,ram,HDD ? Could I reuse my existing ram and CPU/hdd from my dell dimension 3100?

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

They will say in the specs if they take microatx or full atx mobos. The full sized case will take anything pretty much . The cubes take micro Atx and there are plenty of these to choose from specially AMD based but there are plenty of intel about too

The barebone cube systems as Graham says ship with a mobo and will not take other boards

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(34402)...ntegrated.aspx intel based micro atx

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(37368)...2-GF-8200.aspx amd micro stx


here is the star for anyone wants a mini pc the intel atom board comes with onboard cpu http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(37635)...Processor.aspx

---------- Post added at 10:51 ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 ----------

what cpu is in it is it an LGA775 cpu?

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Cant remember off hand how do I check what CPU it is?

---------- Post added at 10:56 ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 ----------

Do they run quieter than their bigger brothers and sisters?

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

ive had a look around and it looks like it is. Download everest and have a look, Quieter well that depends on the fan. Personally I would install a E2200 with the board I pointed to but the P4 should be ok

As for your desk I would make your own. get the glass cut to fill the area available and mount it on a frame around the wall and staircase so you do not need legs. The glass will not be cheap though

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Click the image!
..or about £60 in VAT for the case and PSU.

More(x) details here:
http://www.morexintl.com/product/itx_668.php

It supports mini-ITX mobos such as the Via EPIA range. More details here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-ITX
http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/mainboards/

Actually, it supports ITX too (which is slightly larger and has space for two I/O cards) but I don't think there are any mobos. It may support the more common FlexATX boards too but I'm not certain.

For more Small Form Factor stuff check out:
http://www.sfftech.com/
http://www.mini-itx.com/ (pictures of loads of self-builds)
http://linitx.com/
http://www.lightcomputers.com/brands/lex.htm
http://www.mini-box.com/site/index.html

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

I ran Everest and heres some results

Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4 630, 3000 MHz (15 x 200)
Motherboard Name Dell Dell DV051
Motherboard Chipset Intel Grantsdale-G i915GV
System Memory 2038 MB (DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM)
BIOS Type Phoenix (04/04/06)

Display:
Video Adapter Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family (128 MB)
3D Accelerator Intel GMA 900
Monitor Dell E176FP [NoDB] (FC5295CHCLFS)
Monitor Dell E176FP [NoDB] (FC5295CHCLFS)

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Ok it is an LGA 775 so it will fit on the intel board I pointed to it will use your ram and the rest

---------- Post added at 11:15 ---------- Previous post was at 11:14 ----------

stuff that the Atom holds it up against the wall rips its head off and urinates down its neck ;)

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Ok I think we may have gone off the subject here. I think I'll either build myself a desk or buy another one but having a look at these small pc have made me think of perhaps moving to a smaller pc seeing as I only use my pc for downloading,surfing the net streaming media to my xbox 360 and I dont really need a gaming pc just something that is really quiet and I can leave on all the time.

Thanks for all the info guys I really appreciate it. Is there any where that I can get up to speed with what processors/mobos/ram etc are compatible. thanks again for your help.

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

:erm: Is that meant to be funny?

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid...e=expert&pid=1
http://www.trustedreviews.com/cpu-me...-Intel-Atom/p1
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/08...view_via_nano/

Via do some fanless boards and Mrs A has one of these. Until the PSU warms up, the thing is virtually silent.

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

I think the intel gpu lets the Atom down. The sisoft memory test conflicts with the other memory test. The Atom consumes less power. I also do not like Via chipsets at the best of times. I stand corrected and it would not urinate down its neck but it will be cheaper to run and plenty good enough for a tiny general purpose machine

Bare in mind the Atom is also brand new and the Nano has been around a while. Give Intel a bit of time and see what happens at this form factor

Re: Pcs under the stairs
 

Here are some glass PC desks...
http://www.standanddeliver.com/acata...ter_Desks.html

Not sure they'd fit well under the stairs though.