Wall-Mounted PC: Everything You Need To Know

Are you also amazed by wall-mounted PC builds? Well, who wouldn’t be right? They make traditional desktops look boring by looking wicked and awesome. They are like art hanging off our walls.

Well, if you have been thinking of building one, then you’re in luck. Because in this guide, we will talk about the basics of building it. On top of that, we will also discuss several pros and cons of having them. 

Let’s get started.

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Key Takeaways

1. There are three ways to build a wall-mounted PC. You can use a pre-built case, a custom case, or a wall-mount mod kit.
2. To build one you need to first pick a baseboard material, draw everything and make holes, then assemble your PC, and finally mount it on the wall.
3. Such PCs look good, provide better cooling, and save up space. But, they are also difficult to build, inconvenient to maintain, and prone to damage.

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How To Build A Wall-Mounted PC

To mount a PC on the wall, you have three options. First, you can take the easy route and go with a wall-mount PC case. Many companies like Thermaltake and Cooler Master offer gorgeous yet practical PC cases that you can mount on your wall without difficulties. These pre-built wall mount cases are quite straightforward, and if you don’t have many DIY skills, then you should go with them.

Second, if you’re on a budget and want to mount your existing PC case on the wall, then you can use a wall mount PC mod kit to hang your existing PC on the wall. This way, you won’t have to spend extra on another case, nor would you have to build a case from scratch. However, it also might not look as gorgeous as the first or third option.

The third option is to build a custom wall-mount PC case. This option can be difficult for novice users, but if you enjoy making things and have some DIY skills, you can pull it off without any issues. 

Basics Of A Custom Wall-Mounted PC

To start with the custom wall mount PC case, you need to plan everything, and that doesn’t mean only planning out the compatibility of your PC components. It also means you must figure out how to put everything together on the wall. 

You can begin by drawing sketches on paper. Take measurements of your components, and draw how every component should be placed to fit perfectly on the baseboard. Make sure to consider cable management.

If you want to go the extra mile, then you can also use multiple baseboards to spread your components across the wall. However, keep in mind that it requires extra cables and adjustments.

Baseboard Material

In a custom wall-mounted computers, you must select a good baseboard material. It is the most important part because it holds everything together and ensures your PC doesn’t fall off.

There are a few factors to consider while selecting the baseboard. Most importantly, it must be strong enough to hold everything. Second, it must be thick enough for the screws you’re going to use, and third, it must not weigh too much that you can’t hang it off the wall comfortably.

For the first factor, you can easily go with a metal baseboard. It’s considerably strong, so it can hold everything. However, a metal baseboard is also going to be quite heavy, and on top of that, it can affect grounding as well. Overall, a metal baseboard could work, but better choices exist.

You can also go with a plastic baseboard. It’s relatively light, so you can easily hang it off your wall. But, the type of plastic you choose must be strong enough to hold everything. For that, acrylic can be a good candidate. It is durable, and you can easily drill holes in it.

Last but not least, you can also choose wood as your baseboard. However, good quality wood, preferably plywood, is necessary. Looking at existing builds, you will mostly find wood as the baseboard. That’s because it is strong, easier to drill, and not too heavy. Overall, wood makes the best candidate for the baseboard.

Drill Holes

Once you have selected a baseboard material, you need to make sure it’s big enough so that every component can fit comfortably. After that, put your baseboard on the wall, where it will be hung, and mark holes both on the wall and the baseboard to hang it off.

It should be fine if you’re hanging it out on a concrete or brick wall. However, for drywall, make sure to anchor it on the studs. You can get a cheap stud detector to figure out where the studs are. Alternatively, you can also knock on the wall and hear the sound. Remember, there will be a lack of reverb if there is a stud right behind the place you knocked.

Next, drill the mounting holes on the wall and the baseboard. Make sure to complete this step before attaching any hardware to the baseboard. After that, lay down every component on the baseboard and refer to the sketch you made earlier.

This should give you an idea of where to place the components. Outline every component and mark the points where you’re going to screw them. Make sure to add 2-3mm of extra space for errors.

When laying out your PC components, make sure to consider cable management. You’ll need a riser cable for the GPU, and for other cables, you can hide them behind the baseboard. You can also attach a second baseboard for those cables. 

Once you have marked the correct holes for the hardware, start drilling them in. Make sure to drill according to the thickness and size of the screws you will use.

Assemble Your PC

Next up, start assembling your PC. You can begin by screwing in the motherboard and then the power supply and the GPU. Remember, you might need to use extra cables and screws depending on your layout. If you want to liquid-cool your PC, then this is the step where you finalize all the tubing.

This is also the time to add any RGB lights to your build. Once everything is screwed in place, you can move on to cable management.

Cable Management

There are several ways to cable manage your wall-mounted rig. Most commonly, you can put everything behind the baseboard. This can be done by leaving extra space between the baseboard and the wall.

Some people also use a second baseboard behind the original one. This way, all of your cables can stay organized on the second baseboard and hidden from the first one.

You can also hide the cables inside the wall. This is the most complex solution, but it is also the best one. This way, all your cables will be completely hidden, and your PC will look absolutely gorgeous hanging on the wall. However, it is extremely difficult for novice users to pull off.

Last but not least, you can go for a creative way to show off your cables. You can use RGB cables and build a themed PC rig where the cables are a part of the theme.

Test Everything

Once everything is in place and connected, you can mount your PC on the wall. But before you do that, it’s best to check that your PC is working. Because running into issues after it’s on the wall can be hectic, as you will have to take it off again.

So, turn on your PC and make sure every component is recognized and working. If there are any issues, you can resolve them immediately without taking your PC off the wall. Make sure to check out our guide on PC building mistakes so you can avoid messing things up. 

Mount The PC

For this step, it’s best to call in a friend or a family member because you will lift your entire rig in the air. First, bring out the screws you will use to mount the PC on the wall. The screws should be durable enough to carry the entire PC weight while also being long enough to go all the way from the surface of the baseboard to deep inside the wall.

Next, have a friend lift the PC and align the holes on the baseboard to the ones on the wall you drilled earlier. After that, start mounting the PC with the screws. The trick is to gradually tighten all the screws one by one so that not a single screw is tightened completely before the rest.

Additional Tips

When building a custom wall-mounted PC, here are extra few things that you should know:

1. You must use an external power button to turn on your computer. That’s because, in traditional PC cases, there is a built-in power button that you can use. However, in a wall-mounted setup, you can either jump-start your PC or use an external power button.
2. When your PC is hanging on the wall, you wouldn’t want to get up to plug in an external component every time. So, you can invest in a USB hub for ease of access. If you want to use wired headphones, you can buy a USB hub with an audio jack.
3. If you think there is a lot of dust going on in your PC, then you can add a sheet of plexiglass to add some protection. However, it would require additional redesigning and work.

Advantages

Compared to a traditional desktop that sits on your desk, wall-mounted computers are quite different, and their unique form factor has its advantages and disadvantages.

Visuals

Everyone is used to seeing PCs on the ground or at a table, which has become boring. But wall-mounted ones have such a unique characteristic that they steal everyone’s hearts. Looks and aesthetics are the biggest reasons gamers and PC enthusiasts hang their PCs off their walls.

Such  PCs look even better if your setup has custom RGB lights and liquid cooling. You can also display your graphics card, motherboard, and every other high-end component. On top of that, if you add ambient lighting around your table, your entire room will look majestic.

Overall, everyone is a fan of how wall-mounted setups, which is definitely one of their biggest advantages of them.

Better Cooling And Airflow

Since your PC is up in the air, there aren’t many objects around it to block the airflow. As a result, your wall-mounted setup will perform significantly better in terms of cooling. 

Other than that, since your fans will have more room to take in the cool air and throw out the hot air, they will also be more efficient.

Save Up Space

If you plan to use a wall-mount mod kit to hang your existing PC on the wall, then saving up space might be the sole reason behind it. That’s because since your PC is no longer sitting on your desk, you will save a huge chunk of space that can be utilized for something else.

Disadvantages

While there are certain advantages of such setups, they also have their fair share of disadvantages. 

Difficult To Build

After following our guide, you might have noticed that building a custom wall-mounted setup is no way near as easy as building a normal PC. It requires extra effort, time, and money. On top of all that, it also requires significant expertise. 

Most of your problems with building it will likely disappear if you choose a pre-built wall-mount case or a wall-mount mod kit, but you will still have to drill holes in your wall and measure everything.

Inconvenient To Maintain

Once you have built and hung your PC off the wall, at the very least, it will be quite inconvenient to maintain.

First, if you’re using a custom case and you have not attached plexiglass, then your PC will get more dust than you can imagine, and not just dust, you will also get all sorts of bugs and insects. 

All of this is extremely hard to clean, and you will have to clean it quite often. If that isn’t enough, replacing components on a wall-mounted setup is also a huge headache.

That’s because to change any big component, you might have to take the PC off the wall to replace it. That’s especially true for pre-built wall-mount cases or a wall-mount mod kit.

Overall, maintaining any it is quite hectic, and you need to be prepared for it before building one yourself.

Risk Of Damage

The entire time your gaming rig is hanging off your wall, it is at a much greater risk of physical damage. There are many points of failure, and even a tiny mistake can cost you a lot.

Additionally, there are also accidental damages that you cannot stop. For instance, an earthquake can cause your PC to fall off, or maybe you drill something on the other side of the wall and it damages your rig.

Overall, if your PC is mounted on a wall, it is at a greater risk of damage as compared to a traditional PC.

Summary

In this guide, we have covered all the basics of a wall-mounted PC. There are three ways to mount a PC: buy a pre-built case, a wall-mount mod kit, or build a custom case. 

Building a custom case is not an easy task, and it involves lots of skills. First, you need to sketch the layout of your PC and then decide which baseboard material to use. After that, you need to mark holes and start drilling. Once that’s done, you can assemble your PC and test it. Finally, you can mount it on the wall.

We also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of wall-mounted setups. For instance, they look gorgeous, have better cooling, and save up space. However, they are also difficult to build, inconvenient to maintain, and at a greater risk of physical damage.