PC Setup for Small House with Child? 199
nzgeek asks: "I've been managing with a pokey Windows notebook for a couple of years now, and am desperate to get a decent PC for development and gaming. Problem is, our house is tiny and we have a 1-year-old entropy generator running amok. What's the best recommendation for getting a full-power desktop PC installed in our house? My ideal setup would be a mini-tower case hidden in a cupboard, with a remote LCD monitor, mouse, keyboard, and headphones. The keyboard and mouse can be done via bluetooth, and there is no problem with cable length for headphones. The major stumbling block is VGA connection for the monitor. Any suggestions on how to overcome this problem?"
Better yet (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Simple Solution (Score:5, Informative)
As a side note, go with the CRT tube. It takes a hell of a beating and the little one will be unlikely to move the mass of a 21" monitor.
He said *GAMING* (Score:2, Informative)
From Experience (Score:3, Informative)
Oh, and keep power cords off the floor. They don't get shocked easy, but they like to press the switches on the power strips and UPSes.
FFS, NO! (Score:4, Informative)
seriously, the way to do it is this:
* a shuttle small form factor PC. put unit in cupboard.
* an LCD vesa-mounted to the wall with cables cable tied out of the way
* a cheap wireless kb/mouse (forget bluetooth, it's overkill)
* nothing else.
this is the answer. any other suggestions are just plain wrong.
Re:Height, and Distraction (Score:3, Informative)
All bets are off once they master climbing
For the love of... Please get to them before they master this on their own. Teach them, and let them know it's not allowed. Or make sure you don't have any sets of kitchen drawers where the drawers are all on top of the other. (As a 2 1/2 year old I learned that you could pull the bottom drawer out all the way, and each higher drawer a little less to make stairs. I still have the burn scars from getting onto the kitchen counter...)
Re:Better yet (Score:3, Informative)
Bzzzt. Wrong. but thank you for playing. The problem with this is that then you can get into a "power struggle" with the kids. Below a certain age, they just do not understand, as their brains are not developed enough to have any sort of self-control. Above 1 year you might be able to teach them, but they start crawling around 6 months, so that is 6 months of problems. Also, the less that you tell your kids "no", the fewer problems that you will have. It is good to give your kids dicipline, but only fight the fights that you HAVE to (don't run into the street, don't go anywhere with strangers, don't touch the stove, etc). A little preparation now will save you headaches in the future.
I went through this myself (2 kids, currently 2 and 3-1/2), and let me tell you my experience.
My last computer was a Celeron 466 (old, I know, but it is tough to upgrade when supporting a wife and two kids). I had a desktop case (one meant to lay horizontal on your desk. That worked fine, as everything was out of reach.
But then I got the money to upgrade. Being a true geek, I had to build my own computer. HERE [antec.com] is the case that I chose. Yes, it is a little large, but it is great quality, has a great power supply, and it has a locking door over the drive bays and power switch. When this case is locked, the only thing that they can get into from the front is the USB/Firewire ports, which are not that interesting. The door also hides most of the blinking lights, and I can tell you from experience that kids love drive trays. Once kids get past a certain age, cable are boring. But flashing lights and buttons that do things are always interesting.
I have this case wedged between a desk and a small 2-drawer file cabinet, so the cables are mostly out of sight. Throw in a wireless keyboard/mouse combo and you can keep the cables to a minimum.
One more idea: Take an old computer (1 GHz or less) and give it to your kids. Pick up some cheap educational software from your local cheapo-department store or garage sale and throw it on there. Something like Alcohol 120% or similar may be very useful, as they will not ask you to chage CDs or try to do it themselves. Once your kids hit 2, then will start to figure out the mouse and can use it. This will also take the "mystery" of the computer away, so they will feel less of a need to play with yours.
Kids are a blessing. Have fun with them. I am also assuming that you either have a brand-new baby, or will be getting one soon. The older that your kids get, the more fun they are!
Also, you may want to look at the "Comparison and Conclusion" page at the bottom of this page [dansdata.com].
Re:Simple Solution (Score:4, Informative)
Frankly, with four working computers in this house (not counting the firewall), the only problem caused by children is their tendency to mimic mommy and daddy and try to type something or click the mouse, problems you're going to have no matter what you do with the VGA cable. As a father I really think this is a non-issue.