How to build a PC with a hidden or remote case?

[teddymines]

We have a desk in the kitchen that currently has an old Dell Vostro with a slim case leaning against the side wall. There is a jumble of wires for keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor, power, network.

I'd like to clean up the area and have it be just a wall mount larger monitor, maybe 23" and a wireless keyboard and mouse. Behind where the monitor may go is a wall with access to power and my basement where a rack sits.

Can someone talk me through what I would need to do in order to have a PC live in the rack, and have its "head" live on the desk one story up? The PC would probably be a home built enclosed in a rackmount case. I'd probably end up wanting some sort of USB capability built into the monitor to talk with the PC in the basement, as well as small speakers along the edge of the monitor...I don't imagine it would be the case that all these wires would have to snake through the wall.

Thanks.

 

[Traciatim]

With HDMI the monitor can be pretty far from the case if you are willing to run the cable. The audio should be fine to either be through HDMI or use a regular 1/8" audio cable. A USB extension cable is only good for about 10' or so though before they sometimes get flaky.

If it's close enough then theoretically all you need to do is run a USB extension cable for the keyboard/mouse dongle and an HDMI for your video and you'd be all set. If you pick a VESA mount capable monitor then you should be able to mount it to pretty much any standard monitor mount or wall mount.

 

[teddymines]

Thanks. A friend suggested an all-in-one solution, which looks like a thick LCD monitor, but I am nervous about servicing and performance.

An outlet behind the monitor would drive it. Thinking out loud, cabling would include:
HDMI from case to monitor
Audio from case to monitor (speakers, maybe a mic or line in?)
USB 3.0 from case to monitor
Infrared to transmit keyboard to case, mount pickup to underside of monitor

How about mouse?
How would I be able to do a hard reset besides walking to the basement?

 

[Traciatim]

Try to avoid infrared since they need line of site to the receiver. Better RF or Bluetooth keyboard/mouse combos are available. I use a cheap little Logitech MK320 on my HTPC I think, it was about 40 bucks for the mouse and keyboard which I didn't think was too bad. I think they have a cheaper model available too.

If you wanted to physically hit a reset button or hold the power in then you'd have to go to the machine. It's pretty rare that you would have to do that short of locking up or something though, generally you would just use restart.

I don't like all in one PC's. It seems like most of them are just laptop parts designed in a non-portable case so you get all of the problems and issues of a laptop, but none of the benefits of it being portable. It just seems like you would want there to be some benefit to them, but it's morel ike you take the worst of each side and stick it together.

 

[Alabalcho]

How would I be able to do a hard reset besides walking to the basement?

Why you would need to hard-reset a PC?
Otherwise, once youi're building your own PC - extend Reset button from the PC mainboard alongside other cables. You can do the same with power button, and LEDs as well (I would try using CAT5 cable for that).