Open MB tray to mount MB and PSU on underside of desk

[Lurking]

I have a small (48"wide, 30"deep) standing desk and the bottom of the desk surface has steel braces etc. I don't want the PC on the desk (have two large monitors) and is also has to travel up and down with the desk surface. 

Only small desktops (like the HP z240 small formfactor) fit relatively well on the underside. Larger cases would interfere with my knees when sitting. 

 

I don't want small formfactor like ITX etc. those are more costly. and this PC basically will be older parts I have around. Or if I need to buy new, it would be a relatively cheap mATX MB. 

 

I have ATX PSU and normally mATX MB. I don't need a dGPU or SATA devices. This computer is used for remote work, some browsing, some YT watching. I also don't care about how it looks under my desk. I'm also fine with all parts being exposed. My idea is to get one of these open chassis  and mount it under my desk. Are thee any pitfalls or improvement to my idea? 

 

First thing I noticed, they all seem to be ATX (and not smaller mATX. This shouldn't really be a problem since the PSU and mATX MB will be at the back and the chassis being larger wouldn't interfere with my knees. 

I realize a properly vented case can cool components better than open air. But for my use case, this shouldn't matter and open case is better than a badly ventilated case.

 

For turning the PC on, I could find a button switch I mount on the desk. Or I just rely on the MB being able to start upon energizing (I use a switch to power off).

 

Anything else I should consider or a more suitable product than the ones I found? We have cats, but that should be out of their way and the CPU fan wire can be routed to be hidden. Installing the MB will be apain being upside-down, but should be manageable. 

[Alex Atkin UK]

38 minutes ago, Lurking said:

open case is better than a badly ventilated case.

Until a damp insect settles into one of the components.

 

Also cat hair is going to fun in the fans.

[SansVarnic]

-= Moved to New Builds and Planning =-

[Lurking]

32 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Until a damp insect settles into one of the components.

 

Also cat hair is going to fun in the fans.

I'm not aware of damp insects crawling around here  and cat hair won't be worse than non-filtered cases. Cat hair really a no-issue if you brush.

[brob]

2 hours ago, Lurking said:

I have a small (48"wide, 30"deep) standing desk and the bottom of the desk surface has steel braces etc. I don't want the PC on the desk (have two large monitors) and is also has to travel up and down with the desk surface. 

Only small desktops (like the HP z240 small formfactor) fit relatively well on the underside. Larger cases would interfere with my knees when sitting. 

 

I don't want small formfactor like ITX etc. those are more costly. and this PC basically will be older parts I have around. Or if I need to buy new, it would be a relatively cheap mATX MB. 

 

I have ATX PSU and normally mATX MB. I don't need a dGPU or SATA devices. This computer is used for remote work, some browsing, some YT watching. I also don't care about how it looks under my desk. I'm also fine with all parts being exposed. My idea is to get one of these open chassis  and mount it under my desk. Are thee any pitfalls or improvement to my idea? 

 

First thing I noticed, they all seem to be ATX (and not smaller mATX. This shouldn't really be a problem since the PSU and mATX MB will be at the back and the chassis being larger wouldn't interfere with my knees. 

I realize a properly vented case can cool components better than open air. But for my use case, this shouldn't matter and open case is better than a badly ventilated case.

 

For turning the PC on, I could find a button switch I mount on the desk. Or I just rely on the MB being able to start upon energizing (I use a switch to power off).

 

Anything else I should consider or a more suitable product than the ones I found? We have cats, but that should be out of their way and the CPU fan wire can be routed to be hidden. Installing the MB will be apain being upside-down, but should be manageable. 

 

Nothing really special about a motherboard tray. A piece of plywood, mason board, or metal sheet will do.

[Lurking]

2 hours ago, brob said:

 

Nothing really special about a motherboard tray. A piece of plywood, mason board, or metal sheet will do.

I need to have the MB standoffs in the correct location and something to thread in. Same for PSU mounting. And sheetmetal will be thinner than a wood solution. 

 

Years ago I considered building a case from wood to be exactly the size I need. Never happened because once you consider thicker wood and enforcements using up space, you are back at the size of a standard case for much less cost and better looks.

[brob]

47 minutes ago, Lurking said:

I need to have the MB standoffs in the correct location and something to thread in. Same for PSU mounting. And sheetmetal will be thinner than a wood solution. 

 

Years ago I considered building a case from wood to be exactly the size I need. Never happened because once you consider thicker wood and enforcements using up space, you are back at the size of a standard case for much less cost and better looks.

 

Use the motherboard to template the standoff locations.

 

Use something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026GUEN4/ref=biss_dp_t_asn for standoff installation.

 

Something like https://www.coolermaster.com/en-global/products/atx-psu-bracket-nr200/ would probably work for the PSU.

[Alex Atkin UK]

11 hours ago, Lurking said:

I'm not aware of damp insects crawling around here  and cat hair won't be worse than non-filtered cases. Cat hair really a no-issue if you brush.

Insects are everywhere, they can get into cases but a case does provide some protection against it.  Just a fly landing in the wrong spot could cause problems.

 

Even a basic mesh case blocks cat hair, I often have to remove it, it doesn't get as far as the filter which does the bulk of the dust filtering.

 

Even ignoring all that, putting it where one slip of the knee could smash your RAM slots seems a bad idea.