After setting up a desktop computer, many people are accustomed to placing it directly under the table, so that there is more space on the desktop to place other things without worrying about crushing the table. While the benefits are many, if you’re not someone who regularly cleans out the inside of your computer, this may not be the method for you. Recently, the editor of the well-known hardware foreign media PCWorld shared a personal story. He put the gaming PC he built on the floor. After a year, not only the performance deteriorated, the temperature increased, but the entire case was also filled with dust. He reminded everyone not to do the same thing as him.
PCWorld editor left his gaming PC on the carpet for a year and regretted it: high temperature, low frequency, cat hair and dust filled the fan, and it took a whole day just to clean it up
Dominic mentioned in the article, he ordered a desktop computer a few years ago. The parts he chose at that time were all very good, so the size was very large, so the final assembled computer was quite astonishing in size and could not be placed on the desktop. In addition, this console is also very heavy, but the base is made too thin, and it will shake every time it moves slightly. Therefore, he is also worried that if he falls from the table one day, not only himself may be injured, but even the floor will be hit with marks.
After weighing the situation, he decided to put the computer under the table. This was no problem at first. The desktop became wider and the hot air from the case would not hit his face directly. At that time, he even felt that he had a “stable and reliable work machine that is not an eyesore.”
But about six months later, he moved the entire console in order to use the wall socket at the rear. Unexpectedly, as soon as he moved, the four small foot pads at the bottom of the casing that were used to raise the console by about an inch fell off one after another. He admitted that he didn’t take it seriously at the moment. After all, those small floor mats were just like ordinary chassis decorations and would not affect the boot and running of games, so he decided not to put them back.
The problem is that without these four small feet, the host is lying directly on the carpet in his house, with the bottom completely touching the ground.
Schematic diagram (generated by ChatGPT)
After about a year of use, the computer began to experience strange problems, such as a serious deterioration in performance, and the system monitoring software began to issue warnings about a significant temperature rise. He once thought it was because he was overclocking too hard or a fan was broken, but no matter how much he checked, he couldn’t find an obvious cause.
It wasn’t until a friend came to help him with the diagnosis and took the case apart that he discovered that his computer had sucked in everything floating near the ground in his home, such as microfibers, carpet fluff, self-shed dander, pollen, and cat hair. Dominic himself described the scene as exaggerated: “I could seriously open a ceiling insulation cotton company.” It took a whole day just to clean up these things.
Schematic diagram (generated by ChatGPT)
Dominic also added that in addition to placing his computer on the carpet, it was also very close to the wall, resulting in almost no air circulation space for the rear exhaust vents. The following are his recommended placement rules.
Don’t put it like this:
- If placed directly on the carpet, especially if there is an air inlet at the bottom of the casing, the airflow will be suffocated and dust will be sucked in.
- If it is too close to the wall or too close to the cabinet, there will be almost no space for the rear exhaust port and the hot air cannot be discharged.
- Too close to radiators, desk lamps, and household heat sources.
- Cover the case with a blanket, clothing, or cloth. Some people do this in winter, but this is almost equivalent to directly sealing the heat sink.
A more reasonable way to put it:
- Place on a desktop, shelf, or dedicated PC stand. Some players will set up an additional “console-specific small table” separate from the work table, which does not block their feet and is convenient for cleaning.
- If you have to put it on the floor, try to avoid carpets and choose hard floors that are easy to clean, such as wooden floors or tiles, and be sure to raise the floor by more than one inch.
- No matter where it is placed, clean the interior dust at least once a year. For families with cats and dogs, the frequency should be increased, preferably once every six months.
Source: KOCPC Chinese