My computer is in my basement.
My computer is in my basement.
I'm working with an older home and planning to add Ethernet and a small data center in the basement. You need to move your PC from the living room to the basement while keeping the keyboard, mouse, and display in the upper floor. To handle the heat from your PC and support 4K HDR at 60Hz, you'll want a reliable setup that ensures good airflow and cooling.
This resembles the typical configuration Linus employs at home. He relies on optical Thunderbolt connections to transfer information between his computer, mouse, keyboard, and screen. Similar setups exist, though they tend to be quite costly.
Just handle it. Honestly, it’s not that bad unless you’re using that kind of powerful hardware. 200-400W heat isn’t a big concern unless there’s no window or ventilation. If you don’t have one, you might want to explore other options. Running a 650W-1000W system can become problematic in smaller spaces without proper airflow. But with a window, it’s better to avoid running cables through multiple floors. Linus’s approach is not only impractical, it’s costly and often causes more problems than it solves. You could also set up the server on your main PC and connect it remotely from your room—much simpler than dealing with wiring challenges.
Linus employs fiber optic connections inside his house for his PC remote access. For flexibility across various environments, he utilizes a KVM from level1, with a link to level1 KVMs available here: https://store.level1techs.com/?category=Hardware. I suggest prioritizing comfort over investing heavily in such equipment.
In addition to the thunderbolt recommendation, you might consider:
1. Adding 10gb cabling such as cat6 or cat6a (if your home is particularly noisy)
2. Using a 10gb over copper switch
3. Relocating your primary PC to the basement and adding a 10gb Ethernet adapter
4. Purchasing a budget mini PC for your desk upstairs equipped with a 10gb NIC (possibly USB-C for the mini PC)
5. Obtaining a license for Parsec and a remote connection from your mini PC to your main PC, or simply enabling game streaming
Editing: All these options are compatible with 2.5gb Ethernet too, which is affordable and not overly expensive. However, 10gb Ethernet offers more performance and is definitely worth the investment.
This approach appears to be the best solution. The Linus configuration seems too complicated and prone to issues. I use a similar method for streaming on Steam, but my PC is in another room with a 100mbps wireless connection between it and my home, and it functions perfectly at 1080p.
He had lightning in his previous home and faced a lot of issues. Now he employs distinct optimal HDMI (or DisplayPort) and optical USB connections for every machine.