Rackmount in a dorm room?

M

machination

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Feb 24, 2009
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My electronics collection keeps getting larger and larger, but I'm still in a college dorm room.
I've got:
PS3
Xbox 360
Gaming PC
Roomate's gaming PC
2000w stereo amp (rackmount)
A rapidly growning collection of 1080p movies (2.4tb and counting)
gigabit switch

I've worked it out, and I could fit all of my stuff and my roomate's stuff into a 20u rackmount, if I put my PC's innards in a 4u rackmount chassis, and the consoles on shelves. Are the space savings and convenience of a rackmount system worth the cost? The reason I'm looking at one is that I want to acquire a dedicated file server to host files to the university DC hub, as well as a muxing (foreign releases) and dedicated newsgroup download box. My current desktop grinds to a halt while repairing with .par2 files, and I'd like to offload that. I'm also looking at a dedicated media center box (<$400 build with an e8400 and HDMI) so other people can watch movies and listen to music while my power-hungry desktop is off or in use for homework.

What do you guys think? Should I move to rackmount? Any other ideas for saving space?
 
What are you going to do about the noise levels? Packing all of that stuff into one area plus having to cool it with fans won't be a quiet task.
 
There's music playing in our room all the time, so noise isn't really an issue while we're awake, and we're both sound sleepers. There's plenty of white noise (window looks out to the ocean). The plan for noise was to lower the fan speeds on the individual rigs, and have larger lower RPM fans on the rack itself. It seems like rackmount should end up quieter, if only because of that.
 
machination said:
There's music playing in our room all the time, so noise isn't really an issue while we're awake, and we're both sound sleepers. There's plenty of white noise (window looks out to the ocean). The plan for noise was to lower the fan speeds on the individual rigs, and have larger lower RPM fans on the rack itself. It seems like rackmount should end up quieter, if only because of that.
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Ocean view....Salud! :)
 
Sorry didn't address your question. I think its a great idea. Seems to me you thought it through. I considered a rackmount, but moved into a house with a dedicated Mancave, so don't need one now. Besides when you meet that person of your dreams, it will be clear that you will need your own space and you won't have that testy argument down the road about the Man/Girl cave. (Can't assume you are a guy) :)
 
There are probably ways to optimize space without putting everything in a rack. Perhaps investing in some shelving might be the solution. Also think about re organizing. A simple bookshelf worked for me, after some cutting. It allows you to organize movies and games, and you can cut holes in the back for power cables. In theory you can put your PS3, 360, and the stereo and switch on the shelves and possibly both gaming pcs. You would have to position them so they don't overheat, but thats not hard. If your not going to use the rack after you move, it really doesnt make sense to buy one. But its your money, and if you have it to spend, have at it.
 
Be sure to make a bunch of 'rack' jokes with the ladies lining up outside your door..
 
I've been also thinking about going this route since I'm in college as well, and space is literally of the essence, so I say go for it. To save money though, you may want to build your own rack. Even at the 20U size, they're still kinda expensive.
 
If you have a rack in your dorm, you will never get laid.

All kidding aside, with that much stuff (and a TV?) you should probably be looking at an apartment. Unless your stuff is already rackmountable, you're also looking at significant costs to get everything in the desired form factor (new PC case, new switch/brackets, etc).

Also, be prepared to face the wrath of your university's IT police if you start hosting a dedicated DC hub and streaming media server. Chances are that they don't look to kindly upon high bandwidth usage. It's hard to absolve yourself of guilt when you have a server rack sitting in your room loaded with copyrighted media.
 
-=Antimatter=- said:
If you have a rack in your dorm, you will never get laid.

Also, be prepared to face the wrath of your university's IT police if you start hosting a dedicated DC hub and streaming media server. Chances are that they don't look to kindly upon high bandwidth usage. It's hard to absolve yourself of guilt when you have a server rack sitting in your room loaded with copyrighted media.
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Both valid and good comments, i am in Australia so i dont understand all this college stuff, but our universities are VERY strict on what you can do on their networks, you get kicked out for breaching their usage policies, and lol there could be 2.4 terabyte of non-copyright material! ok no your right, their copyrighted lol.

question, so you stay in dorms? and you have access to their awesome internet? and you can use torrents and things and they dont care?
 
Most people would just just this innovative new technology called "shelves", but to everybody their own.
 
carnag3 said:
question, so you stay in dorms? and you have access to their awesome internet? and you can use torrents and things and they dont care?
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I only download late at night, (100mbit uncapped) and have a scheduled pause in the early afternoon. There's already a DC hub. Torrents and p2p are monitored, but newsgroups aren't.

My issue is that finding a 20-24u rackmount is damn near impossible, unless I want to spend absurd amounts of money.
 
They make rackmount cases for DJs, muscicians and the like; small cabinet-sized things with two rackmount sections on the front (think the ones I saw were 24u) and an open panel on the rop for a mixing board (or a touchscreen with a switch between pcs?).

Can find some on ebay for like $70. Has the added benefit of being portable and blends in slightly better than a server cabinet.
 
OP, rackmount would deff. look cool, but do you have the room for a rack?
Also, if you can, could we get a pic of your desk and your room now? That would help with seeing what you have in regards of space and shelves and stuff
 
Sheesh, I thought college kids didn't have enough money for this type of luxury...
 
Personally, I wouldn't want to "live" in the same room I kept a rack. Heat + noise = insane.
 
OniExpress said:
They make rackmount cases for DJs, muscicians and the like; small cabinet-sized things with two rackmount sections on the front (think the ones I saw were 24u) and an open panel on the rop for a mixing board (or a touchscreen with a switch between pcs?).

Can find some on ebay for like $70. Has the added benefit of being portable and blends in slightly better than a server cabinet.
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Beware that audio racks tend to be shallower than racks for computer equipment. Make sure to pay attention to the depth of your gear.

You could probably build your own rack. The standards with the threaded holes can be purchased and all you have to do is build a box. I build myself a six foot tall 19in rack in my office for about $100. It pretty much a plywood box with the standards mounted inside.

Ebay is good place for fans, shelves, blank panels, etc.
 
I got a 10u rack that came with 2 shelves for $75.00 on ebay. It's worth a shot.
 
I was going to say something about how dorky it would look to have a rack in your dorm and then I remembered that I have an AV rack in my (college) house. It's a sound road one (so it's a rack surrounded by foam inside an ATA case) which would actually probably be the perfect size for you. We have a power conditioner, audio processor, AV switch, cable box, an amp for the mains (which are JBL TR225), a dvd player and a laptop on a shelf for playing back video. There is still quite a bit of free space there. PCs can get loud though, which is why we have a laptop for video playback.
 
how big is your room? i was able to fit both mine and my roommates gaming PCs, all 3 nex gen consoles, and a 37" panasonic in my room with plenty of room to spare. there are 2 beds and a couch as well. pictures would be nice.
 
Damn, rack in the dorm room, ocean view, 100mbit unmetered internet at night...

shit... I went to the wrong school....
 
Rampage1329 said:
imagine having to explain the rackmoutn to girls
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Oh please give me a break. You don't know anybody who has a rackmount setup for music? I know several people who have all their guitar equipment racked (except the cab of course).

Also...why would they be more interested in "What is this rack of stuff" rather than YOU. You're doing it wrong, bro.
 
Shaman said:
QFT.

Less is more.
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See, that's the one thing about living in a dorm, you just accumulate a bunch of stuff through the years. I remember dorm-ing as a freshman, and I brought almost nothing, just clothes and my computer. By the end of the year, I had a bunch of stuff, and it seems this happens to everyone.
 
crazjayz said:
See, that's the one thing about living in a dorm, you just accumulate a bunch of stuff through the years. I remember dorm-ing as a freshman, and I brought almost nothing, just clothes and my computer. By the end of the year, I had a bunch of stuff, and it seems this happens to everyone.
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Indeed, but the older you get, the wiser you get, and the longer you spend getting rid of excess stuff.

I wish I had someone to enlighten me like this in my early years. :)
 
Shaman said:
Indeed, but the older you get, the wiser you get, and the longer you spend getting rid of excess stuff.

I wish I had someone to enlighten me like this in my early years. :)
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haha. I'll keep that in mind.
 
Volkum said:
Oh please give me a break. You don't know anybody who has a rackmount setup for music? I know several people who have all their guitar equipment racked (except the cab of course).

Also...why would they be more interested in "What is this rack of stuff" rather than YOU. You're doing it wrong, bro.
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Music equipement rackmounted = getting laid
Computer and gaming equipment rackmounted = say hello to your hand

Then again I'm currently juggling a couple of girls while my friend who plays guitar in a band hasn't gotten laid in five years! lol
 
CrimandEvil said:
Music equipement rackmounted = getting laid
Computer and gaming equipment rackmounted = say hello to your hand

Then again I'm currently juggling a couple of girls while my friend who plays guitar in a band hasn't gotten laid in five years! lol
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I couldn't help it but lol at this post. Seriously, that's a very good observation.

And about your friend... If in five years he hadn't gotten laid, he's either EXTREMELY ugly (so much the girls run away from him an into your arms :rolleyes::D), a hopeless romantic (*raises hand*) or gay (which would mean he has probaly gotten laid, you just don't know about it ;)). Not that there is a problem with any of those three things, of course (well, except the first one, for him... :D)

Ok, now back on topic.

From the very limited experience I have with racks, it seems to me you're getting yourself into trouble. Airflow and temperature buildup in racks is always a very big problem, no matter on how many fans you have cooling it (I'm remembering a Cisco rack specifically, with at least four 12cm fans on top).

You see, once you start stacking heat-producing stuff on top of each other with a single point of air intake (like most racks do, to keep noise somewhat in check), you'll eventually have heat recirculation or heated air being sucked in by the stuff on the top. Either way, you end up with hotter components (not in the good way :p), which in turn result in more noise (and heat; and repeat... hehe).

It is possible to offset this, however, but not only with fans. You'll need active cooling in the bedroom 24/7, which adds to noise and the power bill.

Not to mention the MAJOR reconfiguration costs for cases (have you seen 4U rack case prices lately?) and hardware (most big coolers aren't compatible with rackmount cases smaller than 5U; and using desktop switches inside a rack is just asking for trouble), as well as extra costs for dedicated rack shelves (for those pieces of equipment that just can't be converted to racks).

So, tempting as it may seem, I'll still recomend sticking to the classic shelf approach. There are very few things cheaper and more efficient than a few cement blocks and wood boards piled up...

Anyway, let me know how how this unfolds... hehehe

Cheers.

Miguel
 
OniExpress said:
They make rackmount cases for DJs, muscicians and the like; small cabinet-sized things with two rackmount sections on the front (think the ones I saw were 24u) and an open panel on the rop for a mixing board (or a touchscreen with a switch between pcs?).

Can find some on ebay for like $70. Has the added benefit of being portable and blends in slightly better than a server cabinet.
Click to expand...

These usually aren't deep enough for server cases.
 
Aw, how nice, you want to put all your valued electronics on a single cart with wheels so people can wheel it right out your door easier when they 'borrow' it.

Bad idea IMO. I would keep them all hidden and in seperate places. Heck, I wouldnt even keep all that in a dorm room...lol.
 
undertheradar said:
Aw, how nice, you want to put all your valued electronics on a single cart with wheels so people can wheel it right out your door easier when they 'borrow' it.

Bad idea IMO. I would keep them all hidden and in seperate places. Heck, I wouldnt even keep all that in a dorm room...lol.
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Depends on the rack.
 
Or you could just stack crap up like some kind of tech pyramid like I did. i swear I have a two foot walkway through my apartment....
 
If you're going to go rackmount, the cheap place to look is craigslist. The smaller racks will be more expensive, but they're there and pretty affordable.
 
When I lived in the dorms, it was all about space efficiency at the most efficient price. This usually meant rolling your own solution out of cheap materials (read: cinder block and board). The less you spend on organization and "cool" factor, the more you can spend on games, girls and gear, though not necessarily in that order. :D
 
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