Motherboard standoff screws are machine screws, so how do I fasten those to wood securely? Can I forgo standoffs entirely since wood isn’t conductive?
Also, I’m looking at a spare Radeon RX 5600 right now and I can’t find any holes that would make suitable mounting points (RX 7900 XTX is what I actually plan to mount).
I see an L-bracket under the PSU so at least that one looks straightforward at least.
Edit: It looks like that PCIe ribbon comes with a mounting bracket attached. Maybe that’s how they did it here.
Not sure how wide a variety of sizes there are, but I’d search for “threaded inserts.” You drill the holes and screw the inserts in and that gives you an interface for machine bolts. I’ve only seen them in bigger sizes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some that would fit standoffs.
Yes, that’s it! That’s the technical term I needed to know. Thank you!
Yep, you just need threaded inserts. Check the manuals on your components, but mostly you’re expecting M3 metric screws or #6-32 UNC imperial sizes.
Just wood screws. You don’t need inserts unless you’re looking to make it more complicated. Pilot-hole first, then screw. You don’t need to worry about earthing the board.
I’ve been running motherboards on plywood for over a decade. (Actually, much longer. I built a plywood case back in the 90s) Okay, more horizontal than this and less aesthetically pleasing, but that’s because I put them in a noiseproofed cupboard. The only real tricky bit is supporting a heavy GPU if you have one. Otherwise it is simply a case of fixing them to a piece of wood so they can’t move around.
Oh, and keep cats away.
Mounting the GPU securely is currently my greatest concern.
The cats problem crossed my mind. I have a big CPU cooler assembly which would make a tempting ledge for cats to jump and perch on. I’ve considered putting a plexiglass covering over it for that reason.
I built a little bracket for mine to stop the GPU flapping around.
Here’s a pic, which explains a bit better: https://imgur.com/tCtpH8g
Oh so yours is directly plugged into the motherboard. I plan to use a ribbon cable like my example picture.
That looks so sick!
Yeah, I like the look and I also like that it frees up floor space. Should get less dusty too.
It would also be super easy to clean when you need to and say goodbye to taking off glass panels every time you want to upgrade.
I think I read somewhere that this isn’t good for thermals. It would only ever stay at ambient temperature, so it wouldn’t benefit from cool air being moved through the case and past the components
The case fans pull in ambient temperature air aswell 🤔
Yes but it is not moving that air at a rapid pace past the components as it drags it though the case
It’s fine. The usual cpu, psu and gpu fans locally cool the hot bits, just as they would inside a case. You don’t need case fans if there’s no case, because the volume of free air means convection moves it away better than any case.
