Help building a PC into a drawer

[jinkazama]

So with the new PC coming in shortly and I, I will be dedicating my old PC. i7 3770k, 780ti, yada yada to a dedicated media server. I have a huge drawer in my tv cabinet that has nothing in it. I'm looking to transfer my old PC into this drawer. I got the dimensions and everything of the drawer and some plexi glass cut for a top cover on the drawer. My question is, how do I secure everything down without a mounting plate from a case.

[Arkanna]

I've got no tips for that but you might want to remove the 780ti from that setup and either go with the integrated video, or pick up something like low-profile, something from this list: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...09%20600038363

*edit* That is, assuming you don't plan to game on it.

[jinkazama]

Hmm.. Yea I could remove it, but the drawer is about 2 feed wide x 3 feet long x probably 1 foot deep. Its got the clearance, but yea why risk it i guess. Plan is to line the inside of the drawer with plexi glass and then have a hinge on top to allow the plexi glass to fold down and latch. I guess since I'm not placing the motherboard onto metal I could just get some rubber washer and screw the mobo down into the plexi. As far as ventilation goes, I got the backside of the drawer marked up for ventilation and my radiator dimensions. Honestly probably wont do too much gaming on it (if any) really just looking for something that'll output 1080p

[Arkanna]

Yeah, if not gaming on it, I'd definitely say remove the 780. Reason being, if your ventilation is poor, heat can become a problem REAL fast. Never hurts to cut down on power consumption to help ye olde electric bill also.

[jinkazama]

lol very true.

[Krandor]

I guess since I'm not placing the motherboard onto metal I could just get some rubber washer and screw the mobo down into the plexi.

This should work np. I'd make sure you're giving yourself a little bit of clearance on the bottom of the mobo so any pins or whatnot aren't touching the plexiglass. Mostly just to make sure you're not putting any pressure on any components or the mobo itself and to provide a little bit of free air.

[Cutriss]

You will probably need some active cooling in there. Wood traps heat much better than your conductive metal chassis. Depending on the dimensions of this drawer, if the sides are far enough apart, you could put inflow on one side, outflow on the other, and some baffles in the middle to direct the airflow around the "case" so that it doesn't just take the most direct path in and out.