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pinkoos · Feb 25, 2005, 11:45 AM

Hi,

I put my 1.42 GHz mini in an enclosed cabinet which is part of one those "student" desks that you can buy at Office Depot/Office Max for a hundred bucks.

The cabinet is originally designed for, I believe, a tower-type CPU b/c it has a large hole in the back for one to run cords through.

Anyway, I have the mini in there and the cabinet door shut. I have noticed that the mini's fan turns on quite a bit, though it's not too loud b/c the cabinet door is closed.

When I open the cabinet door, the air inside does feel warm and the mini also feels warm.

Of course, with the cabinet door closed, the only outlet for air/heat is the cord hole in the back of the cabinet.

I'm guessing that maybe the mini needs better air circulation around it to minimize heat and the fan kicking on.

Do you guys think I should just take it out of that cabinet and place it on my desk/below my desk (maybe on the keyboard tray attached directly underneath the desktop)?

Thanks.

UberWeenie · Feb 25, 2005, 11:48 AM

Originally posted by pinkoos:
Hi,

I'm guessing that maybe the mini needs better air circulation around it to minimize heat and the fan kicking on.

Do you guys think I should just take it out of that cabinet and place it on my desk/below my desk (maybe on the keyboard tray attached directly underneath the desktop)?

Thanks.

Yes, take it out. Heat is slow death to electronic circuits. Regroup and rethink your arrangement.

jon l. dawson · Feb 25, 2005, 12:31 PM

Definitely take it out of there. I tried putting a PC in an enclosed space like you describe, except the back was entirely cut out on the cabinet, and it still ran so much hotter than when it was on a desk. That PC and actually the Mini are designed to pull in air from the bottom. Regardless if there is air flow somewhere in the cabinet, there's nothing pushing it out of there, and unless there's fresh air all around the system it's going to sit there recirculating its own air and run dangerously hot. Besides, having it up near you is better, you can access the cd-rom drive without having to move or open anything.

pinkoos · Feb 25, 2005, 12:35 PM

Yeah, I'm getting the general impression that I need to do some rearranging this weekend! Oh well.

UberWeenie · Feb 25, 2005, 05:09 PM

Originally posted by pinkoos:
Yeah, I'm getting the general impression that I need to do some rearranging this weekend! Oh well.

Remember that heat rises, and it should be a bit cooler close to the floor. But also be sure there isn't a heat duct or heat panel on the wall near where you place the computer.