Smaller houses with PC in the living/dining room?

[allthatisman]

So my wife and I have a 2br, 2ba condo that we own. She is about 9 weeks pregnant and I'm going to lose my office/game room to the baby's crib etc. I would like to sell and move up to a slightly larger house, but at the moment I would have to write a check to the bank to do so, and I'm not prepared to do that...

Anyway, my two options are to move the PC into our bedroom or into the dining room. I don't really think I am going to have that much time to play TF2 once the baby comes, but I really only play for like a couple hours here and there. My bedroom would be pretty cramped, and playing plate night would not be an option if the PC was in there... but having a PC in the dining room seems kind of janky... I am just curious if anyone else has had to do something similar? I have also considered selling the PC and everything else I have for it and downsizing to a decent ~$1000 laptop.

Just looking for opinions.

 

[Tsaico]

I did that when I was in college. The PC out for the world to see when they visit is the only real down side to having it out there IMHO. As for getting the laptop, would solve your problem, but a descent laptop for moderate gaming would be closer to 1200-1500. And I also don't like gaming on a laptop myself, but have plenty of friends who do with a separate keyboard and mouse.

My vote is to just move small pc desk and pc out to living/dining room.

 

[zerocool84]

Get a nice small form factor case.

 

[vi edit]

I had to do that while in a rental home. I hated it. Not just from an esthetic standpoint but from a convenience. It was just too easy to plop down and jack around on the internet instead of spending time with my family. My wife was the same. She'd come home and instanty go sit down at it and facebook her day while my 2 year old was tugging at her for attention.

Since moving into my new place I even banned the laptop from being in the kitchen/living room. But now with iphones and kindles in the house there are still ways for electronic devices to steal attention away.

Not really answering your question, but that was my experience. Just make sure you don't abuse the accessibility.

 

[JimmiG]

Why not the living room, in a corner next to the TV?

Having the PC in the dining room sounds a bit weird. Bedroom is fine if you live alone, but if your significant other goes to bed much earlier than you, you're going to have a problem.

Maybe just get a 17" gaming lapotp that you can use anywhere in the house. Cheaper than a bigger house...

 

[AMDZen]

Maybe just get a 17" gaming lapotp that you can use anywhere in the house. Cheaper than a bigger house...

This

 

[Luzah]

To be honest, I have my computer in my bedroom... but my g/f can sleep thru just about anything, so the light/sound doesn't bother her at all. For more important issues (wife needing rest for the pregnancy) I would most likely move out to the living room, close to the t.v. Having a computer near the t.v would make it look like it "fits", if that makes sense. Having several wires and fans whirring in the dinning room, not so much.

 

[GotIssues]

Could always get a rolltop desk or computer cabinet to close off when the computer is not in use.

 

[NicePants42]

This just happened to me earlier this year. Baby is due any day now.

Spare bedroom/PC room is now baby room. My old desk and Sony FW900 monitor left the building, along with old Logitech 5.1 speaker set-up.

We got a nice, small desk and put it in a corner of the living room. TJ07 (water cooled) fits under it on one side. 24" flat panel monitor is mounted on a very adjustable wall-mount. I mounted a cheap speaker-bar underneath it that is rarely used. I've always tended to use headphones anyway, so Sennheiser HD555s are playing well with my Xonar DG.

Only downside was needing a wireless card. This was a VERY BIG problem due to general signal strength/software/speed issues, but we recently laid some new flooring and so I took the opportunity to lay some network cables while we were at it, rather than drop more money hoping for better wireless performance.

Currently, the change is A-OK.

If you need to go wireless, research as much as you can, and don't be surprised if you find yourself looking at a $150 router + $70 card. Investigate flat ethernet cables - you can hide them fairly easily.

Congrats and good luck with the family!

 

[rivan]

I don't have anything to add but: congrats!

 

[Zedtom]

I have a laptop sitting in the living room that is there just for convenience. There is a dedicated computer room/office, but sometimes you just want to check your e-mail or google something.

I've had guests over who are texting or checking their calls on their phones, and it doesn't bother me. I suppose if I was sitting there gaming while the relatives were visiting it would be rude.

 

[allthatisman]

Could always get a rolltop desk or computer cabinet to close off when the computer is not in use.

I've been kind of looking for something like this so that when I'm not using it, the PC is not all that noticable. Right now I have a Fractal Design R3 which is a mid tower case, that is for all intents and purposes, completely silent. Plus, it's a plain black box... so it's fairly discrete. But now that I think more about it, an ASUS g73 might just have to be what I go with... at least I can move it around... Just don't know how good it is to play on a laptop keyboard.

I'm not a huge TV guy. My wife likes to watch House Hunters and shows like that, so she pretty much owns the 50" plasma we have. I get home from work at about 6:00pm and am able to play at MOST, 3 hours of TF2, or whatever new game I am playing. But I mainly unwind with TF2.

 

[geecee]

When I lived in an apartment, I used to use one of those cheap rolling TV carts. I put the whole system on it (LCD, speakers, keyboard & mouse) on the top level, and tower laid sideways on the lower level. When I wanted it out of the way, I would just unplug the power strip and the network cable, put them on the cart, and roll it into the bedroom, or a closet. If the top level is too low to be comfortable, roll it next to a higher table and move the LCD, keyboard & mouse onto the tabletop and use it from there. There should be enough cable length to be able to do this. Also, it can be a temporary or permanent solution, and only costs the $30-40 for the cart from a Walmart or a Target or somewhere.

 

[Luzah]

. But now that I think more about it, an ASUS g73 might just have to be what I go with... at least I can move it around... Just don't know how good it is to play on a laptop keyboard.

I used to have a g72... it kind of sucks using the laptop KB to game with, IMO.

 

[allthatisman]

This just happened to me earlier this year. Baby is due any day now.

Spare bedroom/PC room is now baby room. My old desk and Sony FW900 monitor left the building, along with old Logitech 5.1 speaker set-up.

We got a nice, small desk and put it in a corner of the living room. TJ07 (water cooled) fits under it on one side. 24" flat panel monitor is mounted on a very adjustable wall-mount. I mounted a cheap speaker-bar underneath it that is rarely used. I've always tended to use headphones anyway, so Sennheiser HD555s are playing well with my Xonar DG.

Only downside was needing a wireless card. This was a VERY BIG problem due to general signal strength/software/speed issues, but we recently laid some new flooring and so I took the opportunity to lay some network cables while we were at it, rather than drop more money hoping for better wireless performance.

Currently, the change is A-OK.

If you need to go wireless, research as much as you can, and don't be surprised if you find yourself looking at a $150 router + $70 card. Investigate flat ethernet cables - you can hide them fairly easily.

Congrats and good luck with the family!

The wireless/wired connection would be the other issue. Wireless connectivity in my house is decent, but I've never played games on it... I could fairly easily run a wired connection to the dining room, and I've already run a wire to the PS3 on the TV. Just for reference, my system is a Core i5 750/6950/128gb SSD on a 28" Hanns G wall mounted LCD. Also have Klipsch 4.1 speaker system. I could MAYBE sell all of that and mostly pay for a decent game laptop, but I the speed and comfort would be hampered to say the least...

 

[vi edit]

Is a console an option? Console + laptop = neat & tidy computing and gaming. Probably cheaper too.

 

[Luzah]

The other question you got to ask yourself is how much of the upgrade bug are you into? For me, I couldn't stand not being able to upgrade my g72 to what I wanted... and the desktop bug bit me -hard- at that point in time. There's just something about the customization and satisfaction of building/re-doing a desktop that far out-weighs the portability of a laptop for me.

 

[allthatisman]

Is a console an option? Console + laptop = neat & tidy computing and gaming. Probably cheaper too.

Well I already have a PS3 Slim 120gb, but I have never played a game on it lol. I use it as a media PC essentially, but I did notice that there is a product that now allows you to use a mouse and KB with the PS3 and it seems to work fairly well. I can play TF2 on a decent ~$600 laptop, and anything new (since it all comes out for the PS3 as well) on the PS3. I still have some time to figure this all out. My only real concern is that, if I am going to sell any of my core components, the sooner I do it, the more I can get for them...

 

[allthatisman]

The other question you got to ask yourself is how much of the upgrade bug are you into? For me, I couldn't stand not being able to upgrade my g72 to what I wanted... and the desktop bug bit me -hard- at that point in time. There's just something about the customization and satisfaction of building/re-doing a desktop that far out-weighs the portability of a laptop for me.

Quite honestly, I am a pretty big bug... but I am somewhat moving out of it, simply because games don't seem to tax CPU's and GPU's like they used to. I don't even have a high end system, and it runs everything flawlessly. It's fast, silent, and really reliable. If I got a G73, I would technically moving up to Sandy Bridge, albeit mobile SB... but I think for the games that I enjoy these days, coupled with my SSD, it would last me at least a couple years, if not more.

 

[Luzah]

Hell, then you'd be set with the g73 and have no regrets (like I did lol).

 

[biostud]

I only have one room atm, so it's bed, living room all in one. I don't have a TV, but have a TV-tuner connected to my computer.

 

[PingSpike]

Could always get a rolltop desk or computer cabinet to close off when the computer is not in use.

This was going to be my suggestion. I knew a guy who lived in a double wide and had his PC in a nice looking cabinet in the living room which when closed looked like a nice dresser or something. Also consider when the kid is older he/she will try to destroy your computer stuff if its out in the living area. If you have a cabinet you can just shut the doors and lock it. If you're like me your desk is always a mess and would look like an eye sore in the living room. While shutting the doors on it is a bit like a kid pushing all his junk under the bed to clean his room, that's realistically as good as it gets with me.

 

[lxskllr]

I'd look into a new case for your current guts. That'll give you a fun project, and make things look more "respectable". A project I've had in the back of my mind for awhile, is to put a computer in an antique tube radio. No one would know it was a computer, unless you told them.

 

[geecee]

The wireless/wired connection would be the other issue. Wireless connectivity in my house is decent, but I've never played games on it... I could fairly easily run a wired connection to the dining room, and I've already run a wire to the PS3 on the TV. Just for reference, my system is a Core i5 750/6950/128gb SSD on a 28" Hanns G wall mounted LCD. Also have Klipsch 4.1 speaker system. I could MAYBE sell all of that and mostly pay for a decent game laptop, but I the speed and comfort would be hampered to say the least...

Your LCD is wall-mounted? Do you have a stand for it? If so, something like this could work for you and allow you to keep your current setup:
http://www.staples.com/Balt-Fold-N-G...ea=sku_pd_box2
and is more elegant than my previous suggestion.

As for networking, you could try some powerline adapters if you don't want to run wire. I used to have a few, and they are convenient and work pretty well, and probably quite a bit faster now than the ones I used to have.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Technically, my home office was billed as the "dining room" when I bought the house.... however, my dining area in the kitchen is plenty big for my kitchen table (and was big enough for my ex's dining table too..), so I have no need for a seperate dining room...