PCs on desk or floor?

[kennethk]

My PC is luckily sizeable enough to sit on a desk, though I had it on the floor most of its life. Which do you prefer? Does it really matter to you if a PC is on the floor or does it have to be on your desk?

[WereCat]

Unless the PC case is tiny I see no reason to have it on the desk at all, it's just a waste of desk space.

I've got this desk on wheels for moving heavy crates for like 10eur and it's the best thing I've done for my PC case, it's so easy to move it around when I need to clean or access the rear side.

 

[ChrisLoudon]

14 minutes ago, kennethk said:

My PC is luckily sizeable enough to sit on a desk, though I had it on the floor most of its life. Which do you prefer? Does it really matter to you if a PC is on the floor or does it have to be on your desk?

Its 6 or half a dozen really unless your PC draws significant air from the bottom and its sitting on carpet which might impede the fans.

 

Most of my home PCs sit at low level. Not directly on the floor but on a shelf a couple of cm above carpet / floor level. I've also got a few office PCs (Del Optiplex) that are pretty small and sit at desk height.

[PcBeExpensive]

11 minutes ago, WereCat said:

Unless the PC case is tiny I see no reason to have it on the desk at all, it's just a waste of desk space.

I've got this desk on wheels for moving heavy crates for like 10eur and it's the best thing I've done for my PC case, it's so easy to move it around when I need to clean or access the rear side.

 

I keep my pc on my desk so I can see the rgb and its easier to cable manage, there are less cables under your desk and what not.

[Arika]

As long as it's not directly on carpet, its really up to you, dust settles more on the floor purely due to surface area, so it might get slightly dustier than if it was on your desk, but if you keep your room clean it won't really be that much different.

[duncannah]

I've had it under the desk for a while now, and it's nice having more space on the desk. Although, it gets dusty quicker. One less thing to worry about making it look good 

[Heliian]

I have a dog that sheds, nothing is safe at floor level.  

 

However, I'd have it on the desk regardless as I use the ports on both front and back regularly.  

 

I also just installed a new corsair AIO to go with my mouse and kb that I have set to a nice tranquil blue colour and I like looking at it. 

[IKEA Cherry Chair]

I use it on the floor personally, mainly due to lack of space on my desk.

On the bright side, keeps my legs warm when I'm playing some very taxing games

 

[gravitywave]

I like them on the floor. I use the Silverstone cases that have the inverted ATX mount design where the PSU is up top, but upside down. So no issue setting them on carpet.

[CommanderAlex]

On 12/23/2022 at 7:34 AM, kennethk said:

My PC is luckily sizeable enough to sit on a desk, though I had it on the floor most of its life. Which do you prefer? Does it really matter to you if a PC is on the floor or does it have to be on your desk?

That was one of the design constraints that I had to build my desk to have it on the desk as I have carpeting and a dog, so it gets dusty on the floor pretty quickly. Therefore, I have it on my desk so I don't have to bend down and pull it out awkwardly/fumble with the rear connections. 

[ie-techtip]

Ideally desk nowadays since you all buy fancy glass with RGB. But I always put it on the ground since a kid, however, I would put it in a stand with wheels or something even if a piece of wood never directly into the ground.

[Sarra]

I have a glass desk, so, being worried about vibrations over time damaging the glass, I leave mine on a case riser that's on the floor. It's actually a foot stool I made in HS wood shop, but we have no other use for it, so my PC lives on it. If I had space, I would get a free standing server rack and some 4U cases and go that route, but I really do not have the room for that. o.x

[PC Master Blaster]

I use to leave the tower on the floor but after a mishap with a cat and a opened bottle of beer I moved it up onto a table and its been there ever since.

 

If you were ever curious, Yes your computer tower can drink a whole beer and keep on running through a competitive gaming session.

[YellowJersey]

Mine's too big to fit on my desk, so I have it sitting on top of a cardboard box about 30cm off the floor so that the power supply isn't sucking up dust off the carpet.

[LogicalDrm]

Age old question. Those who have fancy lights and window want to see/present their, so its either on desk or very near at visible location. Those who don't have space on desk, or do not care, have it on floor. And then there are those who think outside the box. Either having it on shelf next to desk, bolted to wall, built as part of table itself. Or:

On 12/23/2022 at 2:52 PM, WereCat said:

Unless the PC case is tiny I see no reason to have it on the desk at all, it's just a waste of desk space.

I've got this desk on wheels for moving heavy crates for like 10eur and it's the best thing I've done for my PC case, it's so easy to move it around when I need to clean or access the rear side.

 

Same. I have had it on old office holder (steel) for 5 years now. Before that, it was hanging under the table. At the moment, its hidden so far that I have to reach for power button. Not optimal, but works until I can upgrade to smaller case.

 

23 hours ago, Sarra said:

I have a glass desk, so, being worried about vibrations over time damaging the glass, I leave mine on a case riser that's on the floor. It's actually a foot stool I made in HS wood shop, but we have no other use for it, so my PC lives on it. If I had space, I would get a free standing server rack and some 4U cases and go that route, but I really do not have the room for that. o.x

What kind of glass shatters from vibrations coming from PC? Those are mild compared to many other types of vibrations. Like subwoofer. Glass, unless really, really thin, is not that brittle. Just don't hit it with anything sharp and pointy and you are fine (my brothers coffee table shattered when cat tree fell on it).

[Sarra]

19 minutes ago, LogicalDrm said:

What kind of glass shatters from vibrations coming from PC? Those are mild compared to many other types of vibrations. Like subwoofer. Glass, unless really, really thin, is not that brittle. Just don't hit it with anything sharp and pointy and you are fine (my brothers coffee table shattered when cat tree fell on it).

I have a VISIO monitor stand, 4 monitors, a steam deck, and some other stuff on this desk. The floor in the room is unstable, so people walking around makes the entire room shake. The desk shifts as well.

 

I guess I'm trying to say that this poor glass desktop has a lot of static load, adding too much dynamic stress on top of it might be too much for it, and since I have so much crap on it, I don't want it to break.

 

And yes, I'm looking for a replacement desk. The closest IKEA is a 5 hour drive away, so we'll have to see what I can find that will work. o.x

[LogicalDrm]

6 minutes ago, Sarra said:

I guess I'm trying to say that this poor glass desktop has a lot of static load, adding too much dynamic stress on top of it might be too much for it, and since I have so much crap on it, I don't want it to break.

Saying that out front is more in line of reality than HDD spinning causing any glass to shatter. Unless its made in Hollywood.

[Sarra]

Just now, LogicalDrm said:

Saying that out front is more in line of reality than HDD spinning causing any glass to shatter. Unless its made in Hollywood.

Thinking back, I did have a Dell Optiplex SFF sitting on the glass for around 2 years. I think now it's more a problem with available space. My Steam Deck takes up the space my Optiplex used to occupy. It also didn't have any fans, except the PSU fan and CPU HSF. Then it only had the CPU HSF... And then died, and I recycled it. I think that will be my last true SFF system for a long, long, time, unless I get a Minisforum or Beelink machine, but that will get sandwich mounted on my monitor stand behind a monitor.

[rockyroller]

avoid directly placing the case on the floor, it should be raised off carpets and on a flat hard surface to allow air flow. Is where you place the case a dust magnet is something else you should be concerned about.

[ewitte]

I have a huge case on the floor.  The only issue is it makes the house uncomfortably hot in the summer.  When I was nearly 100% work at home, I placed a fan under the desk as well to blow it out.

[vertigo220]

I've done both, including with my current PC. In one setup, I had it on a desk because it was easier to access that way and it kept it away from all the dog hair, and the desk was just in the corner, used only to hold stuff, so it wasn't in my way or taking up valuable space. In another setup, I had it on the bottom shelf of a metal shelving unit, to raise it off the floor (carpet) some, plus I build a rotating stand to put it on to make it easier to access the rear and inside. In the next two setups, including currently, it's just been on the floor because that's what my setup allowed/allows for and I'm able to keep the floor clean enough, plus my case has good filtration. So it really depends a lot on the situation.

 

Generally, though, I'd say floor if desk space or noise are a concern if, as pointed out, you do so in a way that it won't become a Hoover. If you want to see it or have easy access, desk might be better, though floor right next to the desk can be just as good if done properly. One other thing to keep in mind is there is a slight temperature difference because hot air rises. So on the floor, it will be able to draw in slightly cooler air. Hardly enough of a difference to matter at all, though, and it also means the warm air it pushes out will likely affect you more, vs having it push that air out at a higher level.

[darealsoulless]

Both can be fine under certain circumstances.

If a PC is placed on the floor, the power supply may need to be flipped so it's drawing air from inside the system if the floor is carpet. Another complication with putting them on the floor is dust intake is elevated especially if you have pets. But placing it on the floor isn't all disadvantages. If it's under the desk, the solid surface of the desk's top will block a lot of the noises that PC's make. Floor placement can also reduce the amount of heat radiating into your face/torso if the computer is closer to you.

Desk placement means the PC will be more audible, lights could be distracting, heat radiation may be annoying and it may take up a bit too much space on the desk. For me, desk placement has less advantages but the main one to me would be the close-up visibility of the components. Like with anything, some people prefer one and some the other option. I reckon a lot of the time the placement is chosen because of the aesthetic. That's how I do it.

[Mark Kaine]

On 12/23/2022 at 1:52 PM, WereCat said:

it's just a waste of desk space.

i wouldn't call it waste if the "desk's" sole purpose is a place to put the pc on... but yeah, as long you don't have carpet or pets etc... btw is that an inwin case?

 

 

heres mine, space for my DS4 maybe a few external drives... 

 

 

small room too, i can't actually "afford " to put it in the floor, even though its oak, too risky,  id probably hit the poor thing constantly lol... 

 

ps: my actual desk is actually at the opposite site of the room... im not using it much, typically for laptop stuff, or pc parts/assembly, etc

 

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

 

[Galaxy2007]

My desk isn't very large so I keep it on the floor, I have vinyl flooring so it isn't an issue really. Used to keep it on carpet in my old house and i'd have to clean the dust out more often.

[Kisai]

On 12/23/2022 at 4:34 AM, kennethk said:

My PC is luckily sizeable enough to sit on a desk, though I had it on the floor most of its life. Which do you prefer? Does it really matter to you if a PC is on the floor or does it have to be on your desk?

All computers go on the floor unless the following conditions are met:

1) Your desk is solid wood, or steel. eg it's heavy enough by itself that it will not warp from weight or temperature of the computer.

2) Your floor is not carpet or linoleum. Carpet is nasty for computers to with air-intakes on the bottom, but Linoleum is worse because it will deform from a heavy computer being on it, and that will cause bottom vents to become blocked.

3) You have room for it

 

If you have a hardwood floor, tile floor, or a cement* floor, the PC is better off on the floor for cooling reasons. Heat rises, and when people put PC's inside "desk"'s the cooling suffers greatly. If you have something like a loft desk, where the "desk" portion isn't solid (eg it's just straight particleboard/plywood) then there should be nothing but the monitor and computer screen on the desk. The computer will be too heavy and potentially make the desk collapse. The same goes for IKEA computer desks. These IKEA type furniture is all particleboard or aluminum, and are not strong enough by themselves to have a 20lb+ computer on it.

 

* A cement floor is potentially abrasive, only put a computer on a bare cement floor if it's been sealed or painted. Even then you are better off putting it on wheels so the case isn't close to the floor.

 

While on the same topic, if you have a heavy desk, you should have your monitors on VESA mounts if you're putting you computer on the desk. Because that gives you more room on the actual desk itself. The key reason why you put the computer on the desk when it's a heavy desk is due to cable lengths being usually too short to "cable manage" because you usually only have 3-6' for cables like your GPU. So you usually trade off one problem for the other. It's easier to reach the HDMI and USB ports when it's on the desk, so a VESA mount makes sense then. If you are putting the computer on the floor, then usually there will not be sufficient cable lengths for USB and HDMI devices to reach the computer unless they're directly over top of it. Many heavy desks that aren't designed to have computers on top of it, will not have cut-outs in the desk for cable management. 

 

In general, you can work around the cable lengths (I have a bunch of USB stuff above the computer monitors while the computer is on the floor) but not every device will like being put on extension cables or hubs to do so. When you need a "webcam" above the monitor and your free USB ports are at the bottom slot of the computer, you can see how that becomes rather obnoxious.