Boarding house scam- htpc

[{ace of spades}]

Yup, you heard it. My damn boarding house will only let us bring in laptops and me and a friend are fed up of it. I want to bring in my computer in one of the following cases:

http://www.xoxide.com/htpc-cases.html

so that it looks like a sterio or dvd player and then use the screen on my laptop as the monitor. My question is (as we will be doing lans) can i fit a graphics card into any of these? I did look and it says "fit in all the standard features" but im not sure if a graphics card (like the fx5200 [yes i know its crap] that i have a the moment) will fit.

If any of you guys could give me any information id 'love ya forever' :p
Also if there are any, small cases that dont look like normal computers please do mention them

James

[4GHZ_or_bust]

Here's an idea: build a standard desktop PC and hide them inside something that looks like an ordinary object like an aquarium stand or in one of your extra drawer. Wireless keyboard and mouse can hide the evidence of a desktop PC. Or better yet dig up an old laptop like the Compaq 286 and change the gut to suit your need. Finding a 5" color CRT would be tricky but if you use PSOne LCD screen and the TV out of your video card, that should do the trick.

OK a bit extreme but it does sucks when you're limited by rules for no apparant reason. Why does your boarding house have laptop only rule anyway? If they are worried about theft, they are a bit funny since typical laptop usually costs more than typical desktops.

[Scott9027]

Yeah, I'm wondering what this rule is based on. It's going to be hard to hide a computer, not because of the size, but because if you want to use it you need some kind of display and input devices (keyboard, mouse). If you can say the keyboard and mouse are for the laptop, then perhaps you could use an LCD TV as the monitor, and switch it to TV when it needs to appear to be one, then just hide the tower somewhere and run the cables to and from it.

[Ridenow]

Those be expensive. I would be looking into gutting an old VCR case. You might need risers so you can turn the cards sideways and get them to fit, but that is much cheaper than some of those cases.

[{ace of spades}]

The rule is stupid is think, i have a friend whos laptop is getting near the size of a sff pc and they didnt moan....plus i have my own room this year so im not disrupting anyone with it!

I think they are saying this because the school has computers at the boarding house for everyone to use. Maybe i could use one of those server cases that look more like a safe than a pc :P

btw no idea if a Graphics Card wil Fit?

[{ace of spades}]

Sorry i missed that when i first read it but what was that about risers turning the card sideways?

Also...we're not allowed tv's in our rooms either lol. Im getting one of those TV tuners for my laptop.

[Dell_Axim]

What about Shuttle PCs?
As for the monitor, what about find a broken laptop and put a LCD monitor inside? Or buy one with two inputs so you can say that it's so you can get a bigger screen on your laptop. What about those small projectors?
Have you thought about hiding the PC in what looks like a stereo system?
BTW, what's a boarding house anyways?

[4GHZ_or_bust]

The PCI riser that was mentioned are generally used to allow you to install a single or 2 PCI cards at 90 degree just an inch or 2 above. Useful for building a really silm case like VCR sized PC. Whether you need one depends on the mobo you get, most mobo have everything you need via the rear ports.

No TV either??? What kind of boarding house do you live in-- the Spanish Inquisition? :D

[{ace of spades}]

Tell me about it, and was my jordan poster allowed...not a chance !

A boarding house is like a house at your school where you can stay instead of going back home. Its just the 2 hours on the bus per day is starting to get to me X(

Anyway i have two more questions for you knowledgable lot if you dont mind:

1. Is it possible to use the screen on my laptop as the screen for my computer too (i.e without modding it or breaking it off or anything else that ). I wasnt sure if theres like a secondary input on laptops.

2. Can shuttle pc cases contain a good, full sized graphics card? I recond i could hide that pretty well like you suggested.

James

[{ace of spades}]

Forgot to mention i have a mini atx mobo

[Fighter2a]

Can you sneak your pc in?

[{ace of spades}]

Im sorry to sound rude but did you even read my post? Thats what the whole thread is about >.<

[Dell_Axim]

A boarding house is like a house at your school where you can stay instead of going back home.
I thought that those were called dorms.
1. Is it possible to use the screen on my laptop as the screen for my computer too (i.e without modding it or breaking it off or anything else that ). I wasnt sure if theres like a secondary input on laptops.

2. Can shuttle pc cases contain a good, full sized graphics card? I recond i could hide that pretty well like you suggested.
I haven't encountered a laptop with a video input. You could try something like XDMCP over a LAN.
And what classes are you taking that require the use of a good video card? And what grade level? I have to say that a 9000 Pro was plenty for 9th grade CAD. As of yet, even the 11th grade CAD class I'm taking right now hasn't pushed my 9000 to the limit. When I was in 9th grade, I do know some 12th graders who managed to push a 9700 Pro to the limits, although that was with rendering houses at high detail levels. In 9th grade, I did, however, slow down a GF2 (school's PC) to the point where it took minutes to render a frame!
But to answer your question, yes, you can put a high end video card in a Shuttle. However, I suggest to go with a mainstream video card and upgrade when you need to. You probably won't even max out a 6200 during the first month of CAD. I suggest a 6600 unless your teacher says otherwise. But if you can tell me more about the class, I can tell you more about the requirements (if possible, show me a screenshot of the work).

[Cobalt]

Shuttles can indeed take full sized graphics cards. I'm not sure but there may have been a problem fitting in a 7800GTX but if your in uni I doubt you'll be getting one of those (damn topup fees, going to ruin my future *grumble*)

Edit: Damn got beat to it

[{ace of spades}]

We call them boarding houses in the uk (although im not at uni, ive only just taken my GCSE's, owned them :D).

As for the class's im afraid i didnt mean it for demanding AUTOCAD (although i am taking DT @ A level ) i meant for in-boarding house gaming :D. I have a fx5200 which i have altered to get a good 60 fps on css with high settings. Is the 6600 worth the extra cash?

[johan851]

Yeah, the 6600 would be head and shoulders above an FX5200. You can go check out the VGA charts at Tomshardware, which are great for a sort of rough estimate of the performance gain.

A shuttle would have no trouble fitting in a high end graphics card.

For the monitor/keyboard woes, I would get a port replicator for your laptop, then an LCD and keyboard/mouse for it. That way you could use your laptop on the LCD, and with a KVM you could switch between the two whenever you wanted.

The shuttle case would hide in your desk or something, as long as it has a little ventilation. Keep it quiet, don't really overclock (maybe run less than stock voltage), and a wireless keyboard/mouse would work fine on a KVM.

[{ace of spades}]

Ok, firstly thank you for the reply.

Secondly i think it might be too obvious if i have a big screen when my laptop already has one. Also id like to try and avoid using another screen because from what ive heard from my friends such a peice of equipment wont last to long in the boarding house :( (although that is a damn good idea and i might have to do it if there is no other way)

[Dell_Axim]

Idea: find a big electrical panel and put a big label on it, such as "power supply" or "relay box", and of course, "Danger: High Voltage: Discharge Capacitors Before Servicing". Cut some holes in the sides for fans. Hide your motherboard inside it, maybe with a metal sheet over it so it can't be seen when the panel is open. Also hide HDDs behind that sheet. Take apart a PSU and mount the PCB above the sheet. Get some large high voltage capacitors from discarded PSUs, etc. and mount them above the sheet just for effect (attach some wires to make them look like they actually do something). Take apart a wireless router, mount it inside the panel, then connect it to the motherboard with a short Ethernet cable. Drill holes for the antennas. Add some more electrical parts for even more effect. A really funny thing to do is to wire a bright LED and resistor in series and connect it to the large capacitors. Use a bridge rectifier and resistor to charge the capacitors. Properly done, the LED should glow for minutes after the box is unplugged. If your panel has a large switch on the side, use it to turn on the PC (flip it to on and then to off to do this for ATX).
Then run the monitor cables through a piece of flexible conduit. For the wireless keyboard/mouse, route the USB cable through the same conduit and hide the receiver behind the monitor. Also take apart a KVM switch and hide it inside the panel. Mount some connectors for USB and video on the side of the panel. Also add an electrical power outlet if you want for the laptop.
Just make it look like some strange piece of electrical equipment and not at all like a PC.

[{ace of spades}]

Well....i do fancy making a pc case, not sure what the cleaners will think of "Danger: High Voltage" but i think i might just give it a go!

[zip22]

have you (or your parents) contacted them to find out why? say that for budget reasons, all you can afford is a desktop or something. maybe your parents will be able to talk some sense into them (since i'm assuming they are paying for the schooling).

[{ace of spades}]

Ok ive now seen sence and im forgetting the "making my case" idea although it was amusing reading it :D

I DID contact them a while ago but i cant remember there reasons, i think the main one was that there were computers downstairs (which are always full and slow). Ill ring them again on monday and pester them some more. If they dont give in ill bring in a shuttle case.

[zip22]

so what if there are computers for you to use? then why allow laptops?

(please note, i'm not arguing with you, just trying to argue through you with them ;) fight the power!)

do you have an email address or phone number we could call to grill them on their policies?

[jpersinger]

I wager that if they allow use of laptops and not desktops, it is probably because they are trying to minimize power consumption.

[zip22]

hmmm, maybe. but if that was the case, you could argue that you will not be using the power downstairs in the lab, but in your room instead. you could also tell them of all the glorious power saving features in windows and that it won't be on 24/7. tell them you won't use your lights and you will work by candle light to make up for your "power hungry" desktop. or tell them you'll replace the standard lightbulbs in your room with power efficient flourescent bulbs.

[millhouse]

Tell them that its solar powered and install fake solar panels on top. :p

[AKDUDE]

I wager that if they allow use of laptops and not desktops, it is probably because they are trying to minimize power consumption.
that usually is the reason for the requirement for laptops. A regular computer, plus large CRT monitor can burn some serious juice compaired to a laptop.

[TheGreySpectre]

Hassel them enough and unless they have a really good reason I would guess they might let you have it. In other news whats your budget?

[SniperXX]

I wager that if they allow use of laptops and not desktops, it is probably because they are trying to minimize power consumption.

Thats my guess since he said they also dont allow TVs. But make sure you post on their reason ok? Man I am glad the dorms around here in the US arent strict like that.

[{ace of spades}]

Hmn :(

Anyway, i still havent phoned them (being sunday morning >.<) but i think i remember the reason why they dont let us have them. Its because people were staying up past 12 on their computers when its meant to be lights out at ten. So every night people have to put their laptops in a little case downstairs and if i had a computer they wouldnt be able to stop me going on it...

[Dell_Axim]

Anyway, i still havent phoned them (being sunday morning >.<) but i think i remember the reason why they dont let us have them. Its because people were staying up past 12 on their computers when its meant to be lights out at ten. So every night people have to put their laptops in a little case downstairs and if i had a computer they wouldnt be able to stop me going on it...
So at night, unplug and remove the monitor and store it downstairs! Leave the computer itself running if you have downloading, folding, etc. running on it.

[zip22]

ahh, that makes sense.

[techun]

isnt this a college u pay to go to?

why do they have such strict rules..

maybe it's a different culture thing? lol

[{ace of spades}]

Not yet at college (im 16) and we dont have some strange culture, just one stuck up headmaster...

Thats another thing, id like to start "folding" and it seems really unfair that i wouldnt be able to help the world (how ever minor my contribution with folding would be) because of a stupid rule, i mean they charge enough extra for boarding!

But thats a good point, if people can put there laptops in the storage downstairs why cant i put a screen there. Theres not a lot i can do without a screen...

What would be cool is to (in the crappy ikea furniture we are given) hide 3 rack mount severs with a custom rack inside one of the larger storage compartments, that would show them!

[RoadWarrior]

I remember some of the older halls of residence where I went to university had lame rules mostly because the building's wiring was seriously out of date. There was one building that only had one plug socket per FLOOR, and that regularly blew fuses with everyone just trying to run alarm clocks and bedside lamps off it. Thankfully I was in some that were actually built in the second half of the 20th century :D and the only rule there was "no cooking appliances in rooms" so I just had a toaster and a kettle and hid them on inspection days :D

[Captain Slug]

Either disguise it, do without it, or just knuckle down and get a laptop (which I would never do since they require you to lock it in another room while you sleep).

If you had the skill to do so you may be able to buy an older dead laptop (Pentium II or III). Then gut it and replace the innards with a similar sized LCD monitor and it's circuitry as well as a USB hub for your peripherals. At night you could simply turn off your "laptop", unplug the peripherals and monitor power cable then stow it downstairs.

[apu318]

Be thankful you're allowed to have PC's. My friends school has all PC's banned. Mac's only, and the laptop is required. I hate Macs. They're 3000$ .mov players.

[Cap'n Pedro]

Edit: NVM, only read first page of posts.

[Stavros]

I think you're best bet would be to disguise it as a VCR or something like that. Maybe an Xbox, but I think someone already tried the Xbox idea and it didn't work. So as Captain Slug said either diguise it or do without it. God forbid you get a laptop. They just aren't powerful enough in my price-range to grant buying one.

[Albaholic]

I dont know if a vcr or xbox would be good since he isnt allowed to have a tv either. maybe a briefcase pc

[Xoligy]

id just get a lappy tbh i need one for work and uni lol tho i nkow there cack for games lol

as for an idea to hide it the xbox mod would fail due to no tv allowed and what not the briefcase is an idea tho ;)

what about packing all the parts sepratly in boxes and buying a small lcd screen and having it setup out on the side/in a draw? lol

[-maddog-]

No tv and pc what are they thinking?

[fuzzba11]

Why not just get a laptop if all you're planning on playing is CS? :rolleyes: You're just going to get in trouble if you bring a desktop of any size, shape, or form.

[-maddog-]

How do you plan on explaining why you have a htpc when you can't have a tv in there?

[Dukeman]

If the headmaster is that backwards about technology I doubt he could identify an HTPC if you put in the proper case with a matrix orbital display showing a radio station ID or something similar.

[sonicdrive]

well if i were you get a large brief case place the monitor in the top and the computer in the bottom have one that can lock so that they wont be tempted to look in it. you wouldn't need to hide any wires but a power wire connector that can be made in to any thing or hidden behind a name plate that would slide over there are lots of normal things to make a PC in to hell the world is yours guy think up some thing and fork out the cash to build it

[benbaked]

My friends school has all PC's banned. Mac's only, and the laptop is required. I hate Macs. They're 3000$ .mov players.

aw c'mon now, that's not fair. macs are just as capable as PCs in everything you could/would need or want to do with a computer, except the latest games perhaps. they are far more then .mov players (but yes, they are overpriced).

as to the boarding house situation...how can they be so strict about electricity usage? i wouldn't think running a htpc, even a mid-tower, along with a 15" tft would cost more then £4/month tops. i'm don't know how much electricity costs over there. it sounds like your headmaster needs to take a good long look at a calendar and get with the times.

[Benvanz]

i vote for a mini-itx fanless system, It uses less power than a laptop and wouldnt be easier to hide.