Should I Put My Gaming PC On or Under My Desk

The next big thing after building or buying a gaming PC is where to keep it and for some reasons, where to keep the gaming PC boils down to two major issues which can affect its performance – ventilation and dust. Well, you just have to keep it close to you while gaming and this leaves you with two options – on or under the desk. 

 Keeping your gaming PC on or under the desk comes with some merits and demerits and I’ll be addressing both issues so that you can choose what suits you best.

Now to your question; “Should I put my gaming PC on top or under my desk”. To perfectly answer this question, let’s break it down:

Should I put my gaming PC ON my desk?

The time, effort, and resources that you invested in building or buying a gaming PC should get you an “omg, that’s the coolest PC that I’ve ever seen” remark from your pals and truthfully, nobody will see it except its standing tall in its full glory on your desk.

The possibility of placing your gaming PC on your desk is determined by the stability and desktop surface of your gaming desk, as well as the size and number of your monitors. Nevertheless, placing your gaming desk offers you tons of benefits such as:

• It is cooler:  Placing your gaming PC on your desktop will help it get more ventilation to keep the components cooler as hot air can be easily expelled through the front and side vents.
• It requires less dusting: Putting your gaming Pc on your desk makes it less prone to dust, debris, pet hair, and just anything that can get trapped in it while it is sucking in air to keep the components from overheating, Of course, you know that dust is no friend of a gaming PC as it can affect its performance and durability.
• More legroom: Placing Your gaming PC on your desk lets you have more legroom which can help you sit more comfortably when gaming. 

The idea of having your gaming PC on your desk is cool but at what cost?

• It takes up a sizable amount of space on your desktop surface.
• It can cause clutter on your desk.
• It is best for desks that are very sturdy and you might not want to find out how sturdy your desk is the wrong way. 

Should I put my gaming PC UNDER the desk?

Placing your gaming PC under a desk offers you more desktop surfaces that you can use for a lot of things. 

Just like putting your gaming PC on a desk, putting your gaming PC under the desk comes at a price that for some reason outweighs the benefits of having it under the desk. These includes:

• Dust. While on the floor, it is easier for your gaming PC to trap in dust, pet hair, and dirt than in any other place. This means that you’ll have to dust it more often than you’ll like and you might not have the time for that.
• Ventilation: While under your desk, your gaming PC does not get sufficient ventilation and you guessed right- it begins to overheat which is very bad for your gaming PC components. Even with the presence of high-end computer fans, your gaming PC might still be at risk because the gaming PC fans do not have enough space to expel hot air.
• Putting your gaming PC under your desks puts it in a position where it can be easily kicked, and you can also run your chairs into them. 

Will putting my PC on the carpet hurt it?

YES! YESS!! YESSS!!!

Although your original motive is to prevent dust from getting into your gaming PC when it is on the floor, putting your gaming PC on a carpet will block the air vents on the bottom of the gaming PC and this will cause the PC to overheat. 

Carpets build up static electricity which is not good for your gaming PC but this can be prevented by using an antistatic band. However,  you can’t do much about the dust because carpet traps more dust than any other type of floor. 

So what should I do then?

Now that we’ve discussed the highs and lows of having your gaming PC on or under the desk, what’s the best place to put it? 

You can place your gaming PC on the desktop surface of your desk because this position helps to prevent dust from getting into your gaming PC while ensuring that it is well ventilated. Just make sure that your desk has a good load-bearing capacity and it is wide enough to prevent clutter on your desk. 

Notwithstanding you can also choose to put your gaming PC under your desk after having some modifications to the location.

To prevent dust, hair, dirt, and whatever can be trapped in your gaming PC from being trapped while it is under the desk, you should put your gaming PC on a wooden construction that is 7” to 8” above the ground. 

This eliminates the havoc that placing your gaming PC on your carpet might cause because studies have shown that wooden and laminate floors do not conduct static electricity. Also placing your gaming PC at such a height will prevent dust from getting into it, plus it gets ventilation.

You can also use a box with grooves on all sides which will serve as ventilation ducts for the gaming PC, as well as good air filters to help the intake fans, but most importantly, it should be placed 7” to 8” above ground level.

Conclusion

It is no news that dust and insufficient ventilation are the biggest enemy of your gaming PC and how vulnerable they become to either or both of these factors depends on whether they are placed on or under the gaming desk.

We hope we were able to help out with this tough decision and that setting up your gaming PC goes as smoothly as you thought it would. If want to explore more options, check our site for more information.