Full Tower Set Desk Set Up?

First off, never use any of those cubby holes that they build into desks. The person who first thought of those should have all their skin peeled off an inch a time.

Any computer, gaming rig or not, you want it up off the floor and away from any obstructions as much as possible. Some people keep their systems down on the floor for space but dust and all the other nasty stuff that you don't want in your system naturally settles. As such the floor collects more dust, dirt, skin cells, hair, pet fur, and everything else then any other surface in your house. It also gets kicked up and disturbed the most because you are walking around.

Personally I have used an old entertainment unit to put my computers on over the years. It's a cheap old wooden thing you'd find at Walmart or Bestbuy. It's just big enough for my rig to sit on it safely but does not have a large surface area for dust to collect on. It also has built in shelves that are good to store things like my headset, 360 controller, external HDD and all sorts of things. It's also shorter then my desk which allows my rig to sit at a good height.

The HAF X is a heavy case, 35.5lbs on it's own, so what ever you get make sure it's rated to support at least 50lbs. As most TVs are flat panels now the right kind of stand can be hard to find, you just have to shop around.

I like my little cubby hole, I keep my pile of laptops in there 

The cubby has it's uses. My trash can is in there and my surge protector is hidden behind that trashcan. 

I'm one of the idiots who keeps their case on the carpet. I'm looking for a wire frame stand that can support the HAF X and also provide good air flow for the PSU.

In the meantime, do you think installing the wheels on the case will be adequate for air flow?

Hi wisepoiboi,

Every time you vacuum the rug dust is thrown up into the air. Just moving your feet around on the carpet is a problem. The computer will suck that in and blow it over the inside of the computer. I don't want my computer any lower than the top of my desk. Some compromise and set them on a stand. Most stands are too low to avoid the dust like I am talking about. Over time dust will build up inside of the computer. If you have a cat they will love the computer on the floor so they can rub up against it every time they walk by.

Frank

So yesterday I went to Walmart to see what I could find in order to prop up my HAF X. This is what I found:



It is a 3 piece dish rack all stacked under neath each other for extra support. I realize this isn't the best idea.

I was thinking about using two bricks to raise the HAF X -- any thoughts?

Brewtus... If ya hose down your HAFX case to keep it spiffy clean  then this will allow it to dry properly.

Nice pics everybody, jm299 and Brewtus, I specially like yours, love how haf looks, its beast.

the 600t is looking very good also in those pics guys

Yeah i ended up getting a new desk and ill probably set up my computer on top of it.  I guess this was actually a good topic to post, my last desktop sat on top one of those really old Big Boxed TVs that was their just in case friends wanted to play Halo 4 v 4.  I think im gonna get rid of it now that it has no real use.

Thanks for all the photos and advice. ill try to get pictures up with my full set up when its up and running!

Originally posted by Brewtus I like the case too -- it is definitely one big mother. I'm surprised how silent it is. I think the top led fan is the loudest fan of them all. Checking the temperatures of the cpu and gpu have become my new obsession. I was just want to make sure things are running nice and cool.

The top fan is the loudest? That's odd as those large fans spin much slower and are quieter then smaller 140mm or 120mm fans. It's what makes big fans better, same good air flow with much less noise.

Your CPU cooler and GPU (while under load) should be the loudest fans in the system. It's probably your Noctua that you hear. If not the speed of your top fans is set too high. Those big exhaust fans should be spinning around 700rpm or less. Compared to the Noctua that spins around 2000rpm.

There is a lot of great, and easy, ways to monitor your temps. If you don't already have it get EVGA Precision and set up the OSD option. I personally set mine to display FPS, GPU Temp, Fan Speed and VRAM usage in the OSD while I am in game. I also set precision to show my GPU temp at all times in the system tray.

Also with my G15 I can use it's built in performance monitor to monitor CPU and RAM usage and Core Temp comes with a G15 plug-in so I can see my core temps in the display.

Yeah, any fan below 1000rpm is a case fan and as you can see your CPU fan is spinning at 1200+, that's the fan you are hearing. It's hard to say but that is more then likely the larger 140mm center fan of the Noctua that is giving that reading of only 1200rpm. The smaller 120mm right side fan on the unit is more then likely spinning faster, like all small fans do.