Could this be bad for my Mac (home built cabinet)?

[Silly John Fatty]

The Mac Pro is too big for my desk, but I don't want to put it on the floor either. It's a parquet floor so still better than a carpet floor that collects dust and is hard to clean.
So I decided to build my own piece of furniture out of wood, just for the Mac Pro. It should be a vertical rectangle, with the front and the back open, so I can put the Mac inside. Like a tunnel
I would add wheels so I can easily move it when cleaning the floor. I think that's better than the Mac sitting completely on the floor.

Anyway, what I'm worried about is, if it's okay that the Mac is sort of "enclosed" in this box. The sides, the top and obviously the bottom would be closed. The back and the front like I said open, because that's where the fans are. The manual also says to not put it too close to something at the back or the front, but they don't mention the sides.

I'm not sure if you can picture the construction I'll make, but basically, would it be okay then if the sides were covered?

Thanks

 

[maflynn]

If the back and front is open, I can't see this being a problem.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I don't know, I thought it may still need some space on the sides, for whatever reason

 

[bennibeef]

The old tower mac pro or the 2013 nMP?

the old one no problem put it in anything just keep front and back open.

The 2013 one? Hm Keep front and back open but keep some height on top to get air through.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Old Mac Pro I would place the "cabinet" close to a wall at the back however, not sure how much space will be left. How much should be? But it won't be closed, that's sure.

 

[hfg]

Unless you really want to build it yourself for the wood look ... you can buy roll-around cpu floor stands from Amazon, Staples, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ds=cpu+floor+stand&rh=i:aps,k:cpu+floor+stand


My Mac Pro is in a purchased oak desk which has a "tunnel" such as you describe which is the perfect height and width of the Mac Pro, fully open at the front to insert the computer, and almost full open at the back for connector access and fan air outlet. It has been used with 3 generations of Mac Pros since 2006 with no ill effects or overheating. The computer sits about 3" off the floor. The rest of the desk is " L " shaped with drawers, file drawers, and a pull-out keyboard tray and easily holds my 2 monitors, speakers, a laserJet, and all-in-one inkjet printer.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Actually I already looked for "finished" ones, but didn't know what it was called and therefore couldn't find anything
Those things you posted remind me of those little platforms for flowers that you can move around:

That's what I searched earlier, I'd need two of them however and put them together, because the Mac Pro's lowest parts are not in the center, but the legs on the sides. So these would be sitting on the floor haha, that's why I'd need two, same for the thing you posted.

The only disatvantage I've come across earlier is when doing upgrades. The "design" I've made makes it hard to get the Mac inside or outside of this box. It can't really slide in there. So perhaps a simple, small platform, with wheels, would be wiser, instead of a whole construction like this

 

[Flynnstone]

Not sure if this helps, but ...
I bought an under desk mount for my G5 Power Mac. Same as Mac Pro
Very clean look and gets it off the floor.

Search "Under-desk mounting and security bracket for Mac Pro"

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Not sure if this helps, but ...
I bought an under desk mount for my G5 Power Mac. Same as Mac Pro
Very clean look and gets it off the floor.

Search "Under-desk mounting and security bracket for Mac Pro"

Wow, that looks scary haha! But I'm sure it can handle it. I'd need to find out what my desk can lift. Surely looks practical, especially for cleaning.

 

[AidenShaw]

...
That's what I searched earlier, I'd need two of them however and put them together, because the Mac Pro's lowest parts are not in the center, but the legs on the sides....

I bought 4 swivel casters from Home Depot, and a small square of plywood. Cut the plywood to fit the system and a pair of eSATA disk cabinets, and attached the swivel casters. Works great - keeps the system a bit above the "cat hair" zone, and easy to pull it out to deal with cable issues.

A simpler solution would be to buy one of the "plant caster" thingies, and screw a short piece of 1"x10" on top that will support the MP.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I bought 4 swivel casters from Home Depot, and a small square of plywood. Cut the plywood to fit the system and a pair of eSATA disk cabinets, and attached the swivel casters. Works great - keeps the system a bit above the "cat hair" zone, and easy to pull it out to deal with cable issues.

A simpler solution would be to buy one of the "plant caster" thingies, and screw a short piece of 1"x10" on top that will support the MP.

Haha "cat hair" zone, that's my problem too. Yesterday I put the Mac on one of those "plant casters" (I'm not sure if we mean the same, I mean those things with wheels to carry plants) and it felt safe on it and I could easily move it around. I say safe because in my thought the Mac was too high and not stable enough on these things (that's why my initian plan had "walls" on the side and a "roof" to hold these).

Anyway, the plant carrier doesn't look so nice, so I'll cut something to fit the measures of the Mac. It should be approx. 21x27 cm if anyone's interested in doing the same. And then just adding 4 wheels. It must be high enough so the legs of the Mac don't touch the floor. With the plant carrier it fit perfectly under my desk

 

[hfg]

As long as the "wheelbase" of the carrier is as wide or wider than the Mac Pro feet, the computer should be just as stable sitting on the carrier as it would be sitting on the floor. You might even be able to attach castors directly to the Mac Pro feet, or use a bar to widen the stance a bit.

Not having sides would allow access by removing the side cover without disturbing the setup other than moving it out to reach it. To get inside mine, I have to unplug everything, slide the Mac Pro out of the "tunnel" in my desk, and then remove the side cover. For testing while open, I move it around behind the desk where all the cables can easily plug in through the rear desk opening.

 

[s-hatland]

after reading this thread, i found it pretty interesting. if i were to do one, and had the woodworking tools to do so, it'd probably be something like this...

 

[Silly John Fatty]

That's a smart idea! I actually went for a simple carrier and just finished making it. Works very well and feels very stable! I'll be posting pics later maybe.

 

[s-hatland]

That's a smart idea! I actually went for a simple carrier and just finished making it. Works very well and feels very stable! I'll be posting pics later maybe.

please do! i'm very curious...

 

[Gav Mack]

Having an enclosure that covers the sides, top & bottom are fine, but anything the blocks the front and back of the unit is a seriously bad idea. A 980 watt powered unit needs a lot of airflow.

I had an OCD photographer get an enclosure built for his and it didn't take too long for it to overheat and fry his logic board!

 

[Sharky II]

I have a 'one room' studio and generally i haven't had too many issues with noise - at the moment i have some work in that requires super low ambient levels, so i've been thinking of building a cabinet, too.

I wonder how much covering the sides/top/bottom will actually help if the

Of course, building it with sound deadening baffles with right handles, and also ventilated with powered fans would be the next step up.... i'm considering that!

I'd love a nMP for the silence, but the noisy PCIe and HD enclosures would pose just the same problem, albeit at a higher more annoying/noticeable pitch.

I'll take a gander over at gearslutz.com to see if anyone has built a ventilated one on a 'budget' (and for someone who doesn't really know what he's doing!)

Cheers