# Improving my Setup



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

This is my current setup. Please tell me how I can improve it with any suggestions or recommendations (i.e.: use a surge protector).


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

What are looking to "improve"?
This is the "Building" section of the forum where we assist in building PC's.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

I didn't know where else to post it. Usually when something is in the wrong section a mod simply moves it. Guess I should have posted this in the offline subforum.

And I'm just looking for feedback tips on how my hardware is setup. Maybe users with years of experience can suggest me things that I'm not aware of (i.e.: don't keep the drives too close together for air circulation, same for the chassis, don't stack the router/modem, etc.). Usually when I got to a friend's house I always have something to say about how their computer is set up like "You should change the printer side to maximize reach/room" or "Try to add a lamp".. anything...


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Get a bigger desk or move the printer and land line phone to a side table. Place the PC tower on the floor; put your sub and modem/router on the lower shelf. Take your satellite speakers off the wall and place them behind/beside your monitor; otherwise deal with pulling/knocking them down every time you need to access behind the desk. Get rid of the lamp cord and use a proper power bar(s). 

Those corner desks sound good in theory but being a quarter circle means you have only half the space of a normal desk. 

Be prepared to frequently be picking up pencils.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

gcavan said:


> Be prepared to frequently be picking up pencils.


I don't get that.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

I can't see them staying on the edge of the desk for long.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

They actually never fell from there. But when I move the printer and router oI'll have more room to push the monitor back and have more desk space.


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## Fjandr (Sep 26, 2012)

For surge protection, nothing beats Tripp Lite. Their Isobar line is the absolute best, and their lifetime warranty is fully transferable, at least as of the last time I needed to use it. They ship just with serial number confirmation; no need to return the equipment if it fails.

They will protect equipment from full transmission line voltage, such as when a utility transformer explodes within a couple miles of your house. I had that happen, and the surge literally melted the surge protectors of every neighboring house into the floor, in addition to killing every electronic device connected to them. The Monster surge protectors are also reliable, but they're overpriced and the return policy requires insured return of the destroyed device.

Other than that, you might want to look into getting a wall-mounted monitor arm. They're awesome. I wouldn't want to live without one since having gotten it. You can readily move the monitor, and it gives you back the desk space that the normal pedestal mount takes up.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I've always used APC for my surge protection.

American Power Conversion

But I like hearing about Tripp Lite and the lifetime warranty.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

They're all great suggestions. Keep them coming!

MC, the APC website is very user friendly.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

What would be a nice way that I could move things around to have my case more accessible for when I need to troubleshoot components? It's a hassle lifting such a heavy case from under there every time I need to work on it.


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## sspof (Aug 15, 2013)

I saw something on lifehacks that may help you with your cable management. Buy a bunch of the medium to large sized binder clips and clip them on to the back of your desk. Once they are attached, thread your cables through them, and "lock" them in the narrow part of the clip. That should help you with cable management on a budget. Also, there are small velcro "cable neat" ties that work wonders for cleaning up cables behind your set up.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Sort of like what i did with my iphone plug in the last pic of the OP?


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## sspof (Aug 15, 2013)

Hehe just saw that, yes. LOTS of those!


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

@MC,

Before










After










Better? I even labelled the plugs with bread-ties. :grin:


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

I would put the printer on the shelf where you have the tower and put the tower up top. I have always felt that the tower stays cleaner the more off the floor it is and you touch the tower more often than change cartridges on the printer and that gives you substantially more room on the desktop assuming the printer throws paper forward when printing as it seems to.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Rich, what about when we need to use the printer scanner bed to send documents or faxes? It will be all the way down there.. If it were up to me, I would want a lower level, it's pointless.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

And while were at it, how can I do something about this mess!


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Solidify said:


> Rich, what about when we need to use the printer scanner bed to send documents or faxes? It will be all the way down there.. If it were up to me, I would want a lower level, it's pointless.


Well to me its a question of how often I do that vs how often I put a cd or dvd into tower then.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

It's a family computer so the printer is always being used. Atleast once a day for faxes and scan jobs. But I take care of the setup so I arrange it however I see best, and the tower is a pain in the *** to have on the ground.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Well the other thought would be to turn the printer sideways, add a telephone table for the phone and put the tower on the top of the desk then.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Hm. that would work. Although I thin it's just this corner desk that is giving me a hard time. Ideally, I'd love to have the workstation setup against a flat wall using a normal rectangular desk.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

I've made some more changes. The chassis was accumulating too must dust down there. It was a bit difficult to do because of this crappy corner desk but it passes. :grin:

It will be much easier to clean/troubleshoot the inside of the case now. My case is pretty heavy.

Thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx7vvkdSck8​


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Whatever arrangement works for you is what you should use.
I would recommend keeping the side cover on the case. It's there to help insure proper airflow and leaving any electrical components exposed attracts dust.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> I would recommend keeping the side cover on the case.


LOL! Ofcourse Tyree, I'm just incredibly superstitious, like the rest of YouTube, so I left it off until I confirmed it booted up. Plus, I wanted to showcase her! But no worries, it's on now.

Also, every time I unplug my computer and then replug it, the initial boot up is incredibly slow. After that, everything is back to normal. Do you know why it does this?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Understood, just checking. 
I really don't know why the first boot would be slow after the power was cut and restored? Maybe it takes longer for the wiring to fill with current? 
That was just plain stupid........ but I couldn't resist it. :banghead:


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Lmao hey, without speculation we'd never get anywhere.


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

Well for your cabling and wiring issues on the top of your desk....I recommend using furniture grommets. They come in different diameters and makes rerouting the cables a snap. 

Grommets & Wire Managers


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## Fjandr (Sep 26, 2012)

Some motherboards do additional checks during POST if they've lost power to the motherboard since their last POST. That may explain the difference in boot times.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Thanks Fjandr, that makes a lot of sense. 

Yeah, my cable management is awful on the desk because I got tired towards the end. I'll fix it up next weekend. I have a grommet:


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

There's not really a need for that hole since there's nothing under the desk though.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

You should get some simple Velcro ties and gather your cables at fixed points it will look much better.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

I'm not really concerned about how it looks since it's behind the desk; I'm more concerned with having the wires places easily so if I need to remove or replace one, I don't need to go over and under ten others. This is difficult because the wires don't all follow the same general direction like it did before when all the cables came from the bottom portion of the desk and went up through the hole to connect to their equipment which was on the desk. Now, everything is on the top of the desk, so the wires are going in all kinds of different directions, so I can't just tie them all down in unison.

I have velcro ties.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

That rhythmic vibrating sound from a previous thread is driving me even more nuts now that the chassis is on top of the desk. I have much better access to the case now. How can I troubleshoot the noise?


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