What is your home TV set up?

[Orang Utan]

Alright apparently I am shit at judging the size of things
I got the tape measure out and it's 54cm h x 20cm w x 46cm d

For a gaming PC you need room for large components like the GPU which has a multi-fan cooling unit attached, and lots of fans with airflow (or a water cooling system with pump) because everything gets really hot and needs to kept cooler than really hot.

The case looks a bit like this, only less glowy, I'm not really into all the glowy stuff in a case.

There is no way I would put this on a desk.

View attachment 441322

Isn’t that a gaming PC though? It doesn’t look like one you’d use for work

 

[Epona]

Isn’t that a gaming PC though? It doesn’t look like one you’d use for work

This conversation started with you wondering how I used a computer sitting on the sofa rather than at a desk.

I'm explaining that the type of computer I use doesn't even go on a desk anyway.

(And it's not just a gaming PC, I've worked in plenty of offices - most actually - have tower cases under the desk, because it leaves desk space free for files and other items.)

 

[Orang Utan]

This conversation started with you wondering how I used a computer sitting on the sofa rather than at a desk.

I'm explaining that the type of computer I use doesn't even go on a desk anyway.

Yes, but I am still thinking of desktops people work on not these massive gaming rigs that I previously had thought only existed in films
But does yours go directly on the floor? No frame thing to make sure it’s elevated a little bit?

 

[pug]

I have a tv, it connects to the wifi.

 

[Epona]

Yes, but I am still thinking of desktops people work on not these massive gaming rigs that I previously had thought only existed in films
But does yours go directly on the floor? No frame thing to make sure it’s elevated a little bit?

Most office jobs I've done use computers with the exact same size case as the one I have at home - it's a fairly standard size for a tower case.
A lot of workplaces prefer them because there is usually dead space under a desk where it can go.
I do happen to have it on a piece of wood because it's a bit more stable than it sitting direct on the carpet when you have cats leaping on and off it - but it has filters and doesn't need to be elevated.

 

[Orang Utan]

I’d be scared of fires if I had somethng like that in my house

 

[Epona]

I’d be scared of fires if I had somethng like that in my house

What???

I think you're imagining something different than what I'm talking about, do you think gaming PCs are blowing up left right and centre?
You know what has caused a fire in my flat?

1) A mobile phone battery
2) A washing machine.

 

[Orang Utan]

Fears aren’t always rational you know

 

[Epona]

Fears aren’t always rational you know

It's just a computer.
It's only on when I'm sat next to it using it.
When I say it gets really hot and needs room in the case for airflow and fans, I mean hot compared to a non-gaming laptop, not hot compared to an oven, a hob, or a flamethrower.
You need to keep the temperature of the chips on the components lower than about 85 to 90C or the computer turns itself off and it could damage the chip, which is generally achieved by use of a few 3.5" fans inside the case to blow warm air out of the back and take in cool air at the front, it's not sitting here like some sort of pizza oven next to the sofa.

 

[Epona]

Also you're more likely to burn your legs by having a laptop on your lap and using it to do something high-performance than you are to have a gaming PC set fire to anything in a large tower case with good airflow - that's the point of a tower being better for gaming than a laptop, because it disperses heat a lot better and more safely and stays cooler.

 

[Orang Utan]

so, it’s in a case? And that prevents it from heating up?

 

[Epona]

so, it’s in a case? And that prevents it from heating up?

I can't believe I'm actually explaining how a computer works like it's 1985 or something, but here goes. (And it's OK, because my engineering brain loves explaining how stuff works )

A computer (your phone, a laptop, or a bigger home computer, tower or desktop, whatever you want to call it) is basically one or more circuit boards with microchips on them.
Microchips get hot when they are doing calculations due to electrical resistance (imagine it as electricity slowing down as it goes through a component and all the electrons, which want to be very busy and move very fast, are banging against one another in an electrical traffic jam causing heat to be generated, compared to when they are flowing fast along something with low resistance) - this always generates heat, it's just physics, it's the way electrical conduction and resistance works.
If a microchip gets too hot, it will stop working - maybe temporarily, maybe permanently.

Your phone has microchips, if you leave your phone in the sun on a hot day it will turn itself off to protect the components.
Many computers of all shapes and sizes will do similar, if they have temperature sensors built into the circuit board to measure the temperature of the chip, most do.

Laptops are the same, they are in a small case and have fans with very shallow blades, and not much room for air to flow through the case. So the case can get hot during operation, especially if there are obstructions around any vents or dust inside the case or on the fan blades. The case can actually get very hot due to heat radiated from the microchips. The more you ask your laptop to do, the more calculations the chips are processing, the more electrical resistance there is and the hotter the chips get, and the hotter the case gets, and if it's on your lap, it can get more and more uncomfortable.

Now imagine the same components in a big case which is mostly empty, just air around all the components. There is a fan for every major microchip and the fan is secured right over that microchip to disperse heat from the microchip into the mostly empty space inside the case. There are also small fans either on the front and back or top and sides (or all of the above) of the large case, some of them pull in cool air, and some of them push out hot air. (There are also water cooling systems involving fans and a pump, but even now they are less common than a traditional fan set up, especially as fans that can run very quietly are available these days).

The microchips on the components inside a large case with the sort of fan setup I've described have heat drawn away from them very efficiently and safely, and you can make them do many more calculations than the same chip inside a laptop with fewer fans and less airflow. So a gaming (or video editing, which is also very demanding of microchips) home computer will work better than similar laptop, and will be a lot less expensive.

So the reason for a "massive gaming rig" is because lots of small fans and empty space inside the case allows you to get more/faster calculations from your microchips and have them stay cooler. The outside of my metal PC case stays much cooler than the case of a laptop during similar operation.

I hope that makes sense and is a good explanation of everything

 

[cupid_stunt]

Jesus, it's like having a toddler constantly asking questions.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Laptops are the same, they are in a small case and have fans with very shallow blades, and not much room for air to flow through the case. So the case can get hot during operation, especially if there are obstructions around any vents or dust inside the case or on the fan blades

 

[existentialist]

Jesus, it's like having a toddler constantly asking questions.

"Why"?
"Because"
"But why 'because'?"
"Because because. Now shut up"

 

[Orang Utan]

I can't believe I'm actually explaining how a computer works like it's 1985 or something, but here goes. (And it's OK, because my engineering brain loves explaining how stuff works )

A computer (your phone, a laptop, or a bigger home computer, tower or desktop, whatever you want to call it) is basically one or more circuit boards with microchips on them.
Microchips get hot when they are doing calculations due to electrical resistance (imagine it as electricity slowing down as it goes through a component and all the electrons, which want to be very busy and move very fast, are banging against one another in an electrical traffic jam causing heat to be generated, compared to when they are flowing fast along something with low resistance) - this always generates heat, it's just physics, it's the way electrical conduction and resistance works.
If a microchip gets too hot, it will stop working - maybe temporarily, maybe permanently.

Your phone has microchips, if you leave your phone in the sun on a hot day it will turn itself off to protect the components.
Many computers of all shapes and sizes will do similar, if they have temperature sensors built into the circuit board to measure the temperature of the chip, most do.

Laptops are the same, they are in a small case and have fans with very shallow blades, and not much room for air to flow through the case. So the case can get hot during operation, especially if there are obstructions around any vents or dust inside the case or on the fan blades. The case can actually get very hot due to heat radiated from the microchips. The more you ask your laptop to do, the more calculations the chips are processing, the more electrical resistance there is and the hotter the chips get, and the hotter the case gets, and if it's on your lap, it can get more and more uncomfortable.

Now imagine the same components in a big case which is mostly empty, just air around all the components. There is a fan for every major microchip and the fan is secured right over that microchip to disperse heat from the microchip into the mostly empty space inside the case. There are also small fans either on the front and back or top and sides (or all of the above) of the large case, some of them pull in cool air, and some of them push out hot air. (There are also water cooling systems involving fans and a pump, but even now they are less common than a traditional fan set up, especially as fans that can run very quietly are available these days).

The microchips on the components inside a large case with the sort of fan setup I've described have heat drawn away from them very efficiently and safely, and you can make them do many more calculations than the same chip inside a laptop with fewer fans and less airflow. So a gaming (or video editing, which is also very demanding of microchips) home computer will work better than similar laptop, and will be a lot less expensive.

So the reason for a "massive gaming rig" is because lots of small fans and empty space inside the case allows you to get more/faster calculations from your microchips and have them stay cooler. The outside of my metal PC case stays much cooler than the case of a laptop during similar operation.

I hope that makes sense and is a good explanation of everything

Dunno, bit too nerdy for me. Still confused by the case thing. Is it a bigger box you put the computer in or part of the actual computer itself? The use of the word case is confusing me.

 

[Orang Utan]

"Why"?
"Because"
"But why 'because'?"
"Because because. Now shut up"

Fuck off

 

[existentialist]

Dunno, bit too nerdy for me. Still confused by the case thing. Is it a bigger box you put the computer in or part of the actual computer itself? The use of the word case is confusing me.

It's the thing that provides a mounting for the motherboards and peripheral cards, space for drives, slots, fans, etc., a power supply, wiring, and an enclosure. If you buy such a case from a retailer, it will usually be found in the "Enclosures" category.

 

[Orang Utan]

It's the thing that provides a mounting for the motherboards and peripheral cards, space for drives, slots, fans, etc., a power supply, wiring, and an enclosure. If you buy such a case from a retailer, it will usually be found in the "Enclosures" category.

Never mind. Wish I’d never asked a technical question about jargon. Should have expected to be just bombarded with more jargon

 

[cupid_stunt]

Dunno, bit too nerdy for me. Still confused by the case thing. Is it a bigger box you put the computer in or part of the actual computer itself? The use of the word case is confusing me.

Every bloody computer comes in some type of case, be it a tower, desktop, or laptop.

 

[Orang Utan]

Every bloody computer comes in some type of case, be it a tower, desktop, or laptop.

So it appears. To me, that’s just a component of the computer, like the keyboard or monitor. When I think of a case, i think of it as a separate thing to put something else in, like a a briefcase or suitcase. But forget it. Just my nerdiness about words instead of pooters innit

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Epona you've got me measuring the base unit too now

37cm high x 17cm wide x 42cm deep

 

[Epona]

So it appears. To me, that’s just a component of the computer, like the keyboard or monitor. When I think of a case, i think of it as a separate thing to put something else in, like a a briefcase or suitcase. But forget it. Just my nerdiness about words instead of pooters innit

It IS a thing that you put other things in.
The case doesn't have any processing function, it's a case that you put all the circuit boards that make up a computer in.
Your phone has a case, or it would just be an unprotected circuit board in your pocket.

This has to be the most bizarre conversation that I've had in the last 7 days, and I've had magic mushrooms within that timeframe, so you'd have thought that would have taken first place.

 

[existentialist]

Never mind. Wish I’d never asked a technical question about jargon. Should have expected to be just bombarded with more jargon

You're welcome

 

[Orang Utan]

It IS a thing that you put other things in.
The case doesn't have any processing function, it's a case that you put all the circuit boards that make up a computer in.
Your phone has a case, or it would just be an unprotected circuit board in your pocket.

This has to be the most bizarre conversation that I've had in the last 7 days, and I've had magic mushrooms within that timeframe, so you'd have thought that would have taken first place.

Yeah, but you’re only saying that cos you’re a computer nerd who thinks of such things as collections of components rather than thinking of them as a whole. Which is why I, a word nerd, assumed a case was a separate thing, rather than just a bit of a computer.

 

[Orang Utan]

You computer nerds would hate having to do my job, which includes, on pretty much a daily basis, having to explain what a cursor is, how to use the mouse to move it and what right click means instead of left click. And why I do not nor should not know the Gmail password they have forgotten.

 

[Epona]

There's no need to start getting irked.

One of my ND "special interests" is computers, sorry if it's too "nerdy" for you, I've tried to explain how it works it in good faith but please don't have a go at me or start being insulting if you don't get it.

Yes I was one of those kids who took stuff apart to see how it worked - and then put it back together again.

I am not going to apologise for that or be made to feel bad about it.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Yeah, but you’re only saying that cos you’re a computer nerd who thinks of such things as collections of components rather than thinking of them as a whole. Which is why I, a word nerd, assumed a case was a separate thing, rather than just a bit of a computer.

I am not a computer nerd, I understand it, because this is such basic stuff, you're just being weird.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Never mind. Wish I’d never asked a technical question about jargon. Should have expected to be just bombarded with more jargon

You are taking the piss I think.

 

[Orang Utan]

I am mostly amused and interested. I was only irked by existentialist ‘s comments that seem to have confused ignorance with stupidity or immaturity. Simple curiosity should not be scorned so patronisingly.