[SOLVED] Is there such a thing as a remote head for a chassis?

[Involute]

Just discovered my four-year-old Win10 PC won't hack it for Win11, so I'm starting to think about the next one (not in any hurry, though). One thing I often thought would be nice in a PC is a remote head. The only reason I need the tower right next to me is to get to the power button and, occasionally, the USB ports and Blu-Ray drive. If I could put these into a small box, I could put the box somewhere convenient and discrete, and burry the tower under my desk where I hardly ever need to access it, freeing up floorspace at the front of the desk where it would otherwise go. Do architectures like this exist? If not, how hard would it be to roll my own? I'm an EE with a well-equipped bench and shop, so I'm pretty sure I could handle building a system; I've just always bought my PCs.

Thanks for any tips.

 

[USAFRet]

What does Win 11 have to do with this?

'remote head' might point to a thin client.
Which, on a single instance, is more money, time, and effort.

Or possibly you're thinking of something like remote desktop ? Control PC B from PC A?

Or maybe just longer USB/monitor cables?

 

[geofelt]

The power button is a momentary shorting switch.
No reason that switch can't be at the end of a 10 foot wire pair.
There are usb hubs like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Indi...ocphy=9011560&hvtargid=pla-569337141582&psc=1
For a dvd drive, you could use a usb connected drive attached to the usb hub.

 

[Involute]

What does Win 11 have to do with this?

The advent of Win11 has prompted me to start thinking about my next PC since my current one won't be able to run it. This, in turn, started me thinking if I could buy or build a PC with this feature I've occasionally thought about.

Or maybe just longer USB/monitor cables?

Something more along those lines, but for the power button, too. The current monitor cabling is fine.

 

[Involute]

There are usb hubs like this:

The problem with that approach is that, on rare occasions, it's better to connect a USB device "directly" to the motherboard via a motherboard-connected port than through a hub. How are the USB ports on the front of a PC tower connected to the motherboard, and how far can they be extended? I assume it's not just a ribbon cable.

For a dvd drive, you could use a usb connected drive attached to the usb hub.

That would work in normal use, but could be problematic if booting from a recovery disk. Are USB thumb drives just as reliable in that situation as an optical disk?