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Physical Desktop Security at Uni

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    Physical Desktop Security at Uni

    No1 son about to go to Uni, has room in halls and wants to take his gaming desktop - it has fairly expensive CPU, graphics card and memory so theft is a serious worry. Just cracking open the case will allow a thief to leg it with hundreds of pounds worth that would fit in a large pocket.

    Wondered if anyone has crossed this bridge already? Or maybe secured a desktop in a B&B etc.

    He is not allowed to bring in furniture, drill holes in the wall, attach a cage or suchlike to the Uni furniture or add secondary locks to the door or window so its got me a bit foxed.

    All I can think of is a padlocked desktop cage secured to a table or bed using a couple of kensington locks. But I can't see how that would stop someone with boltcutters and/or a hacksaw.

    Laptop is not an option unless someone knows of a 20" quad core with 4GB and gaming desktop class GPU.

    For less than £500.

    #2
    Thieves tend to look for easy targets so the presence of cage that is padlocked down should be enough to deter most as there will be easier targets to be had. Putting the case in a cage will stop the possibility of stealing the components and if it is chained and padlocked to the furniture it would be such a PITA to access that it should put most thieves off I would have thought.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by administrator View Post
      Thieves tend to look for easy targets so the presence of cage that is padlocked down should be enough to deter most as there will be easier targets to be had. Putting the case in a cage will stop the possibility of stealing the components and if it is chained and padlocked to the furniture it would be such a PITA to access that it should put most thieves off I would have thought.
      WAS.

      You can never make it 100% secure, what you can do it make it more trouble than it is worth to try and steal it. Obvious protection like a cage, locking cables etc will go a long way to deterring an opportunist thief, they dont generally go equiped with bolt cutters, hacksaws and the like.

      This plus making sure he keeps his room door locked and encourages anyone else he may be sharing with to lock theirs and any communal doors will be an effective deterrant.

      Not boasting about how cool his rig is to anyone who will listen woudl be a good idea as well.
      "Being nice costs nothing and sometimes gets you extra bacon" - Pondlife.

      Comment


        #4
        padlock it to furniture and spend money on contents insurance that specifically lists the desktop and components.

        Having a gaming desktop as a student is hardly like rocking up to uni in a porsche, it's fairly common place which is why students are higher targets for petty thieves.
        The proud owner of 125 Xeno Geek Points

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          #5
          Also, this apparently works well. May not be entirely practical though.
          "Being nice costs nothing and sometimes gets you extra bacon" - Pondlife.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by DaveB View Post
            Also, this apparently works well. May not be entirely practical though.
            Tres comique! - especially the hapless thief abandoning the unbearably heavy PC in a ditch after struggling with it some way from the house.

            Thanks for the prompt replies I think a heavy cage, strong chain and discretion are the way to go.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by xux42 View Post
              Thanks for the prompt replies I think a heavy cage, strong chain and discretion are the way to go.
              Definitely discretion, and among fellow students too. Give them too much of a challenge and someone might do it simply as a prank.
              Behold the warranty -- the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh away.

              Comment


                #8
                Mod the case, something like this
                Brexit is having a wee in the middle of the room at a house party because nobody is talking to you, and then complaining about the smell.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Brainwave!

                  I'm going to run the cables/chains through 10kg bar bell wights and stuff a few in the cage too if they fit.
                  That way if a thief manages to detach the assembly from the furniture they will have to leg it with 10kg weights flopping about.
                  Did consider chaining the cage to a 100kg industrial sleeper weight but they are a bit pricey! CAST IRON 'SLEEPER' WEIGHTS - From £370 excl. VAT

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