chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Behrens) (04/03/91)
Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) Thank You. Chris Behrens ChrisB@Hubcap.Clemson.Edu
cb@tamarack12.timbuk (Chris Brewster) (04/05/91)
In article <1991Apr2.180531.10930@hubcap.clemson.edu> chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu Chris Behrens writes: Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) On a related subject, opinions about standard big box vs. slimline? Does a slimline greatly decrease the amount of extra hardware you can add? Christopher Brewster
) (04/05/91)
In article <1991Apr2.180531.10930@hubcap.clemson.edu>, chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Behrens) writes: > Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? > > 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) > > 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) > > 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) > > Thank You. > Chris Behrens > ChrisB@Hubcap.Clemson.Edu Two & Three is basically the same. With a desktop case, one would probably buy a computer stand. Also, some people do have towers on top of their desk. To answer question, it's a tie between two and three. -- +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Santanu Sircar BITNET: ssircar@umaecs.bitnet | | University of Massachusetts/Amherst INTERNET: ssircar@ecs.umass.edu | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
millerje@mozart.cs.colostate.edu (Jeff Miller) (04/05/91)
In article <CB.91Apr4115825@tamarack12.timbuk> cb@tamarack12.timbuk (Chris Brewster) writes: >In article <1991Apr2.180531.10930@hubcap.clemson.edu> chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu > >Chris Behrens writes: > > Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? > 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) > 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) > 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) > >On a related subject, opinions about standard big box vs. slimline? Does a >slimline greatly decrease the amount of extra hardware you can add? > >Christopher Brewster To answer the first question, I would say "none of the above". I used to own a 386 with a full tower case (#3), but I found that it used up too much floor space (floor space is tight in a dorm!) and furthermore, I would never use all 6 drive bays. So I got rid of the tower and bought a mini-tower. MUCH BETTER. It has 4 drive bays (good for 2 disk drives and a full height HD) and it fits a regular 386 motherboard. For the second question, most slimlines don't have the full slot capacity, although Northgate (I believe) has a slimline with the slots positioned horizontally, so you can get 6 cards in there. _____________________________________________________________________________ | | | "NUKE THE UNBORN GAY WHALES!" | Jeff Miller | | - graffiti | millerje@handel.CS.ColoState.Edu | |_____________________________________________________________________________|
shwake@raysnec.UUCP (Ray Shwake) (04/05/91)
cb@tamarack12.timbuk (Chris Brewster) writes: > Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? > 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) > 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) > 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) I put my monitor atop my Power Director; that leaves the former at just the right height for viewing. I leave my full-size desktop just astride the monitor, as I need ready access for media. When short of desk space, the box goes on its side, on the floor. >In article <1991Apr2.180531.10930@hubcap.clemson.edu> chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu >Chris Behrens writes: >On a related subject, opinions about standard big box vs. slimline? Does a >slimline greatly decrease the amount of extra hardware you can add? Distinguish between card slots and peripheral slots. A well-integrated slimline supports lots of memory, floppy/hard disks, serial/parallel ports and video off the motherboard, leaving lots of card slots. They tend to be limited to only two or three peripheral slots for, e.g., disk and tape drives, and those are often limited to a 3-1/2" form factor. ----------- uunet!media!ka3ovk!raysnec!shwake shwake@rsxtech
jwi@cbnewsj.att.com (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ) (04/05/91)
| Chris Behrens writes: | | Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? | 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) | 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) | 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) | Christopher Brewster | | On a related subject, opinions about standard big box vs. slimline? Does a | slimline greatly decrease the amount of extra hardware you can add? How about a tower on the desktop right next to the 20" monitor. On a related subject, some slimlines will hold 3 long cards, others 3 long plus 2 short cards. Most regular size will hold at least 6 or 8 cards. On the other hand, most slimilines have VGA and IDE controllers on the motherboard so that you don't have to use two slots for them. Jim Winer -- jwi@mtfme.att.com -- Opinions not represent employer. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "The change (due to distance from the center of the earth) in the acceleration due to gravity is trivial for dropping cats from high buildings or airplanes, but must be taken into account when launching them from satellites or far planets." Bill Schulz
flint@gistdev.gist.com (Flint Pellett) (04/06/91)
chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Behrens) writes: >Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? >1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) >2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) >3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) >Thank You. >Chris Behrens >ChrisB@Hubcap.Clemson.Edu I use my tower at home sitting on the desk top and prefer it that way. Floppy access is at eye level when sitting (maybe someday I'll move the floppies into the lower drive bays so they are a tad lower) and I never have junk blocking access to the floppies like you do if you put the case under the monitor. Having it up off the floor makes for fewer dust problems, and also keeps it away from the "little hands" in the family. I would not want a desktop case: having it stand on the desk takes up a lot less desk. -- Flint Pellett, Global Information Systems Technology, Inc. 1800 Woodfield Drive, Savoy, IL 61874 (217) 352-1165 uunet!gistdev!flint or flint@gistdev.gist.com
steved@hrshcx.csd.harris.com (Steve Daukas) (04/06/91)
Chris writes: Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) I have a mini-tower type unit that I stand next to the desk on the floor. I chose it because I eventually want to put the monitor on a stand that I can swing out of the way. The mini-tower can hold 6 half-height devices, with 5 being exposed (three 5.25" and two 3.5"). It also holds a standard motherboard (DTK) and takes standard cards (8 full height 16 and 8 bit). If I wasn't planning on the monitor being movable, a desktop would probably have served just as well given that it's footprint would be nearly the same as the monitor, and that the monitor would sit on top. Now that I have the space for various devices, I kinda like the mini-tower. Steve -- .-------------------..-------------------------. | Stephen C. Daukas || sdaukas@csd.harris.com | | (617) 221-1834 || uunet!hcx1!misg!sdaukas | `-------------------'`-------------------------'
fordke@infonode.ingr.com (Keith Ford x8614) (04/06/91)
> Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? > 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) Beside it. Top of monitor viewing area should be near eye level. This helps to relieve strain on eye and neck muscles. > 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) Would get more dust on the floor. Mine is sitting on a printer stand beside me with extension cables to video & keyboard. > 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) The thing I dislike about towers is that a 1/2 or 3/4 card will have gravity pulling against the end that does not screen down. Full sized cards don't have this problem. >On a related subject, opinions about standard big box vs. slimline? Does a >slimline greatly decrease the amount of extra hardware you can add? It does cut down the number of card add ins, which I don't like. I tend to move things in and out. I prefer a large flip-top case so it is easy to get your hands into machine. But that still doesn't answer my question: Why isn't there anything in a hole? :-) -- __ fordke@ingr.com, ...!uunet!ingr!{fordke,infonode!umagic!sysop} / \ Micro Magic CBCS 1:373/12 (205)830-2362 sysop@umagic.fidonet.org \__/ home of OBUL and the Rush archives, running Opus+DV+UFgate+X00 [__] "He knows changes aren't permanent, but change is" -Rush
jokim@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (John H. Kim) (04/06/91)
In article <1162@gistdev.gist.com> flint@gistdev.gist.com (Flint Pellett) writes: > >I use my tower at home sitting on the desk top and prefer it that >way. When I was shopping for mail order firms, the last person I talked to said you couldn't get an FCC B rating on a tower. Can anyone verify or dismiss this? If it's true, it's technically illegal to have a tower at home. -- John H. Kim | (This space to be filled when I jokim@jarthur.claremont.edu | think of something very clever uunet!jarthur!jokim | to use as a disclaimer)
cs060128@csusac.csus.edu (h philip chen) (04/06/91)
ssircar@ecs.umass.edu (Good writers re-write -- not write!) writes: >chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Behrens) writes: >> Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? >> 1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) >> 2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) >> 3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) >> >> Thank You. >> Chris Behrens >> ChrisB@Hubcap.Clemson.Edu >Two & Three is basically the same. With a desktop case, one would probably buy >a computer stand. Also, some people do have towers on top of their desk. To >answer question, it's a tie between two and three. True, but be cautious about ventilation for case (2). For most desktop units, the fan is placed in the middle (at the back). When you flip is to the side, the fan is still going to be in the middle, except it's ~halfway between the top and bottom. Since we all understand that hot air rises, that may also mean that the top may a little warmer than one may like (ie. may overheat components after some time). For case (3), towers are usually designed with the fan (on the power supply) placed at the top. This will help suck the hot air (at the top) out of the box/case. Theoretically, this should be better (ie. cooler inside the box). Well, just my $0.02. -Philip PS. I've got a mini-tower, yep, sitting on top of my desk. Sometimes I wished I had a desktop case so that I can put it under the monitor and free-up some space for putting other stuff. But then I somehow like it now because the system looks more like a terminal (monitor & kybd) instead of a pc (monitor, cpu & kybd). Oh, the tower is on the other end of the table (next to the wall) Tip: Get a monitor with tilt & swivel if you like to do the terminal-look_alike setup. Without tilt, the screen may be sitting too low on the desk (ie. tuff to read). ============================================================================== chenh@athena.ecs.csus.edu cs060128@csusac.ecs.csus.edu
i1neal@exnet.iastate.edu (Neal Rauhauser -- ) (04/06/91)
In article <1162@gistdev.gist.com> flint@gistdev.gist.com (Flint Pellett) writes: >chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Behrens) writes: > >>Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? > *choice of tower or desktop, floor or desk* Desktops are nice if you work on internals a lot - I wish I had a suntac 286 in a desktop case just for diagnostic work. right now I have a minitower on the desktop next to the printer - I have two desks side by side so I have enough room. The little tower would work on one desk with monitor if the desk was wide/deep enough for you to be comfortable. Floor mounted towers are a deadly peril for hard disks. If I had a dollar for every hard drive I've un-fucked that came out of a tower on the floor, I'd take you out for a nice dinner. The thing with being on the floor is that the machine gets kicked or rammed with a chair leg at least once a day - not good for data integrity. -- Neal i1neal@exnet.iastate.edu "A poor fool indeed is he who adopts a manner of thinking (meant) for others!" - Donatien-Alphonse-Francois de Sade How do I spell relief? D I V O R C E!
gettys@regent.enet.dec.com (Bob Gettys N1BRM) (04/07/91)
In article <11563@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>, jokim@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (John H. Kim) writes... >In article <1162@gistdev.gist.com> flint@gistdev.gist.com (Flint Pellett) writes: >> >>I use my tower at home sitting on the desk top and prefer it that >>way. > >When I was shopping for mail order firms, the last person I talked >to said you couldn't get an FCC B rating on a tower. Can anyone >verify or dismiss this? If it's true, it's technically illegal to >have a tower at home. >-- >John H. Kim | (This space to be filled when I >jokim@jarthur.claremont.edu | think of something very clever >uunet!jarthur!jokim | to use as a disclaimer) I have also noticed that most (all?) towers don't have an FFC class B rating, but I don't know of any reason for this. As someone who must deal with this sort of thing (I'm a hardware designer for DEC) I know of no restriction on packaging other than that of passing the emmissions tests mandated by the class levels. If you don't exceed the emmissions that the FCC allows, then they don't care what kind of a package you are in (or even if you are packaged at all!). What I suspect has been happening is that the towers are considered a commercial type of unit by the people who make them, and as such, they only need to pass class A. There is no reason they couldn't (or aren't) made to pass class B except for the tighter construction and (probably the most important reason) the more expensive testing. Second point - it is NOT ileagle to have a class A system at home. It merely changes what you must do if there is interference. You become responsible for making it go away. If you have class B equipment, your responsibility is much! less. /s/ Bob Gettys standard disclaimer goes here-----------
sauer@chs.dell.com (Charlie Sauer) (04/07/91)
In article <1991Apr5.181414.12603@infonode.ingr.com> fordke@infonode.ingr.com (Keith Ford x8614) writes: >The thing I dislike about towers is that a 1/2 or 3/4 card will >have gravity pulling against the end that does not screen down. >Full sized cards don't have this problem. Some floor standing machines, e.g. Dell 425TE and 433TE, have the cards mounted vertically. In the 4XXTE's, this was done to allow easy access to the card connectors, which end up under a sliding cover on the top of the unit. But this also avoids the cited gravity effect. -- Charlie Sauer Dell Computer Corp. !'s:uunet!dell!sauer (512) 343-3310 9505 Arboretum Blvd @'s:sauer@dell.com Austin, TX 78759-7299
marshall@wind55.seri.gov (Marshall L. Buhl) (04/09/91)
chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Behrens) writes: >Given the choice, which would you prefer and why ??? >1) Desktop case ON the desktop (under monitor or beside it) I prefer a desktop PC sitting on my desk next to my monitor. I use the top to store floppies, pencils, etc. at home or keep my scanner on it at work. >2) Desktop case on its side (on the floor, shelf, etc.) IMO, this is a BAD idea for two reasons. First, the ventilation was not made to work that way. The cards are not oriented vertically like they should be either. My secretary once insisted on keeping her's on it side and after a year of use, one of her long cards was badly warped. It was even supported on the front, but warped in the middle. See below for second reason. For the same reason, I dislike slimlines. Boards should be vertical. >3) Tower on the floor (Where else would a tower go ?) I don't like this either. I have a Dell 433TE running Unix and a Dell 433E on my desk in my office. The 433E is MUCH easier to work on the the 433TE (tower). It takes force to insert boards and on a tower it tends to tip the machine. I HATE working on the floor. I'd much rather stand. You have a greater chance of damaging a floor-standing machine. More dust too. At least with the 433TE, the cards hang from the top, so gravity doesn't tend to warp the boards. Removing the case tends to rip off nails - it's a bitch. Floppy and tape drives are not as convienent either. Only get a tower if you need more than five drive bays. -- Marshall L. Buhl, Jr. EMAIL: marshall@seri.gov Senior Computer Engineer VOICE: (303)231-1014 Wind Program 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401-3393 Solar Energy Research Institute Solar - safe energy for a healthy future
twong@civil.ubc.ca (Thomas Wong) (04/10/91)
In article <1991Apr7.162437.25472@dell.dell.com> sauer@chs.dell.com (Charlie Sauer) writes: >In article <1991Apr5.181414.12603@infonode.ingr.com> fordke@infonode.ingr.com (Keith Ford x8614) writes: >>The thing I dislike about towers is that a 1/2 or 3/4 card will >>have gravity pulling against the end that does not screen down. >>Full sized cards don't have this problem. > >Some floor standing machines, e.g. Dell 425TE and 433TE, have the cards mounted >vertically. In the 4XXTE's, this was done to allow easy access to the card >connectors, which end up under a sliding cover on the top of the unit. But >this also avoids the cited gravity effect. How are the vertical cards positioned in a tower? I'm trying to imagine this. So does the cards hanging down from the top and have all the slot openings on top of the tower? Or are all the slots internal mounted vertically on the motherboard side by side, meaning all the connectors and cables will have to go right into the tower? Thomas.
ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) (04/11/91)
What about those Baby-AT cases? Do they really save very much room over a full-size AT case? What about cooling considerations? Speaking of cooling, how do the mini-towers behave? One reason NOT to put a tower on the desktop is that the floppy drive bays are at the top... somewhat inconvenient. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala Internet: NTAIB@AQUA.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach Bitnet: NTAIB@IUBACS ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sauer@chs.dell.com (Charlie Sauer) (04/14/91)
In article <1991Apr10.163915.5959@unixg.ubc.ca> twong@civil.ubc.ca (Thomas Wong) writes: >In article <1991Apr7.162437.25472@dell.dell.com> sauer@chs.dell.com (Charlie Sauer) writes: >>In article <1991Apr5.181414.12603@infonode.ingr.com> fordke@infonode.ingr.com (Keith Ford x8614) writes: >>>The thing I dislike about towers is that a 1/2 or 3/4 card will >>>have gravity pulling against the end that does not screen down. >>>Full sized cards don't have this problem. >> >>Some floor standing machines, e.g. Dell 425TE and 433TE, have the cards mounted >>vertically. In the 4XXTE's, this was done to allow easy access to the card >>connectors, which end up under a sliding cover on the top of the unit. But >>this also avoids the cited gravity effect. > >How are the vertical cards positioned in a tower? I'm trying to imagine >this. So does the cards hanging down from the top and have all the >slot openings on top of the tower? Or are all the slots internal mounted >vertically on the motherboard side by side, meaning all the connectors >and cables will have to go right into the tower? This is a side view sketch: +--------+ |(*) | +========---+ | | | | | | | | | | | +--------------------+ The = signs indicate traditional AT-like card slot openings, though the connectors inside are EISA, not ISA. On the vertical panel by the (*) are connectors for integrated I/O (keyboard, mouse, VGA, 2 serial, parallel). There is a sliding cover that normally covers the I/O cables both for integrated and optional I/O and makes the top more or less flat in the normal (closed) position. There is a cable guide that snaps on the back to help route the cables together and toward the floor. Most pictures in Dell ads/catlogues don't show the cable guide at all and show the sliding cover in the normal (closed) position, but some of them give a hint of what it looks like with the cover slid forward a little. -- Charlie Sauer Dell Computer Corp. !'s:uunet!dell!sauer (512) 343-3310 9505 Arboretum Blvd @'s:sauer@dell.com Austin, TX 78759-7299