When it comes to setting up your workspace, you will eventually have to decide where should your PC go. The options are pretty much endless, but there are pros and cons to each.
In our last article, we talked about under-desk vs. on-top-of-desk placement options. But there is a lot more to it.
Depending on your goals, you might place your PC on the floor, on your desk, or often somewhere in between. Those with standing desks or L-shaped desks will have different requirements and levels of freedom.
In this article, we’re going to talk about which locations are typically best depending on your goals for PC tower placement and why.
Key Takeaways
- When choosing a location for your PC tower, keep in mind proper ventilation and general access.
- Keeping your computer on your desk is mainly for folks who don’t mind using up more desk space and want to show off their PC.
- Placing your PC somewhere other than your desk will give you a lot more desk space back.
4 Places To Consider Placing Your PC Tower
Turns out there are a lot of options when it comes to deciding where to place your PC. Let’s walk through some of the most popular options out there.
Before deciding on one, think about what is most important to you. Is it having the most desk space? Is it showing off your beautiful custom gaming PC? Or perhaps ensuring your PC is as safe and clean as possible?
We’ll touch on all these factors in the following placement locations.
PC Tower On Top Of Desk
Placing the computer tower on your desk is by far the most common location for most people. Especially gamers who want to show off their glass-paneled PC.
There are a couple of benefits of a PC tower being placed on top of your desk.
First of all, you get to show it off. Many PCs these days come with beautiful build quality and have a ton of design work behind them. This includes custom builds.
Having a beautiful PC and hiding it somewhere is a little sad, to be honest.
Another benefit is that your PC is not on the floor where most of the dust lies. Having your PC on your desk will mean you have less dust build-up on your PC’s filters. Basically, you have to clean your PC less.
There are some downsides to a computer being placed on your desk, however. The first reason is desk space. I had to move my PC off of my desk because it just took up way too much desk space.
My PC is a pretty compact build (NR200 for you PC builders out there), and it still took up too much desk space. I talk about this in-depth in our article on how to hide your PC.
These days, I much prefer more desk space over staring at my custom PC (even though I added RGB).
The last risk here is that when you keep your PC on your table, it has the potential to fall off. There is a pretty low chance of this happening in reality, but it’s a risk nonetheless.
Most computers are pretty heavy and have rubber feet, so it would take a pretty strong unintentional push. If this sounds like something that would happen to you, check out our article on ways to prevent your PC from falling over.
Under Desk Mounted PC Tower
Now that we covered the PC placement on top of the desk, all of our other options will take the PC off of your desk. You will get a ton of desk space back as a result!
The next closest thing to a PC being placed right on top of your desk is a PC being placed right underneath your desk. Enter the world of under-desk PC mounts.
Under desk PC mounts are big brackets that are screw mounted to the underside of your desk, like the one below:
- Supports up to 22 lbs.
- Swivels for easy backside port access
- PC width range: 3.5 to 7.8 inches
- PC height range: 11.5 to 20.5 inches
- Does not support small form factor computers
- PC can interfere with standing desk frame
This is a perfect solution for people with standing desks and who want to free up desk space. When a desk needs to move up and down, keeping your computer with your desk means fewer cables moving up and down.
When your PC is elsewhere, your standing desk could pull your PC if your cables are not properly managed. You avoid the entire headache if your just desk mount your computer.
Another benefit of this placement is that your PC is not located in a dust-collecting environment!
The downside of this mount is that you need a strong desk material and you have to drill into your desk. The IKEA hollow core desks will not support something like this.
Placing Your PC On The Floor
Taking your PC off of your desk opens up a TON of desk space.
However, placing your computer on the floor is a big no-no in the computer world. Dust always settles on the floor, and when your computer is on the floor, it can collect a bunch of dust.
If you want to place your PC on the floor, follow our guide on preventing a dusty workspace. This will keep your PC a bit healthier over time.
The worst place to keep your PC is on a carpeted floor. Your PC can sink into the carpet and completely block your airflow. You’ll find your PC will the throttling its performance in no time.
Many people have a perfectly fine experience placing their PC on their hard floors, but I still recommend against it due to the dust build-up.
I highly recommend using a computer riser to lift your PC a few inches from the dusty floors. This is exactly what I use under my PC which is currently on the floor under my desk.
This durable metal shelf raises devices by 3.9, 4.7, or 5.5 inches off your desk or floor. It has a maximum support weight of up to 44 lbs, features anti-skid rubber pads, and prevents overheating with vented holes.
This way you minimize the dust build-up in your computer while retaining all the benefits of gaining desk space. You also have zero risk of your PC falling off your desk and have the benefit of pulling cool air which is lower than warmer air.
Depending on where you place your PC on the floor, it can be a bit inconvenient if you have to access ports on a regular basis. I would recommend extending a set of USB ports to be at your desk level.
Using A Dedicated PC Stand
There are a few other options for PC placement that many folks don’t think about. This is the world of PC stands.
These are short carts that are made to hold a PC and typically have wheels and an upper shelf.
They are basically a computer riser on steroids as they have a lot more features. It’s a glorified floor stand.
If you could use a shelf for other items like a printer or a bookshelf, this would be a great solution. It takes your computer off of your desk and gives it a dedicated location.
The main benefit of this type of furniture holding your PC is that you get additional storage space at your desk, and you keep your PC off of your floor.
You get all the benefits of keeping your PC on the floor, but it is more isolated from all the dust and debris.
Which PC Placement Location Is Best?
The best location to place your PC tower depends on your workspace goals.
- If you want to show off your beautiful custom gaming PC, you can’t beat placing it right on your desk.
- To make the most desk space, the best PC placement would be on the floor using a riser, PC stand, or under your desk with a mount.
The Worst PC Tower Placement Location
The worst place to keep your PC is on a soft carpet floor with lots of loose fibers. You will be limiting the cooling capacity of your PC dramatically. This will lead to performance throttling and just a bad time.
Do yourself a favor and use a PC stand or computer riser if you have carpet floors and want to place your computer off of your desk.
