I recently bought an OLED TV, but my gaming PC is in another room. The PC weighs around 16 kg, has awkward dimensions, and is difficult to grip safely. Carrying it down the stairs and back two or three times a week makes me anxious because it is an expensive build with fragile components and a large glass-heavy case. The weight itself is not the main problem—I can lift it—but I would like a safer, less stressful way to play on the TV without constantly relocating the computer. What solutions have worked for others?
6 Answers
The best fix is to eliminate the repeated move entirely. Since the problem is the stress of handling an expensive, awkward case—not your ability to lift 16 kg—a cable or streaming setup is much more suitable than advice to simply exercise more.
Run a long HDMI 2.1 cable from the PC to the TV, plus a USB extension or USB-over-Ethernet adapter for your controller receiver and other peripherals. A fiber-optic HDMI cable is a good choice for longer distances and can preserve 4K, high refresh rate, HDR, and low latency. You can route it along the baseboards in cable channeling so it stays out of the way.
The easiest long-term solution is game streaming. Install Sunshine or Apollo on the gaming PC and Moonlight on the TV, a streaming box, or another small device. A wired Ethernet connection between the PC and the TV will give you the best latency and reliability, but good Wi-Fi can work as a starting point. Your controller can connect to the client device rather than the PC.
This is probably what I’ll do. I set up Moonlight with Sunshine, and it seems much safer than carrying the whole computer down the stairs.
If the rooms are on the same floor, a small computer stand or sturdy rolling cart with locking casters would make moving the PC much less awkward. Secure the case so it cannot slide off, avoid bumping over thresholds, and use a hand truck with padding if stairs are unavoidable. Wheels are not a good substitute for carrying it carefully up and down stairs, though.
For a permanent setup, consider leaving the PC beside the OLED TV and using a separate monitor in the office, or build a smaller living-room PC or mini PC that streams from the main system. A compact case with a proper handle can also help, but downsizing may not reduce the weight as much as expected because the graphics card, power supply, cooling, and other components can still be heavy.
Steam Link is another option if your TV supports it or you have a compatible streaming device. It may not perform as well as Moonlight and Sunshine for everyone, but it is easy to try and works well enough for many couch-gaming setups.
A long HDMI cable is usually simpler than streaming if the cable can be routed cleanly. Just make sure it supports the resolution, refresh rate, and HDMI features you actually use.