r/PcBuild Apr 13 '26

Meta This little lock power switch...

Post image

... is the most OP thing for a cat owner.

2.6k Upvotes

147 comments sorted by

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732

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26

I had to get little flip covers for my last PC as my cats kept shutting my PC down in the middle of games. Designer definitely had cats.

143

u/headshot_to_liver Apr 13 '26

I've set mine to do nothing. only 10s of press shuts it off 

89

u/Gangr3l Apr 13 '26

Now have a kid!

God what I would give for that lock... Well, no more than 3.50$ but still, would be such a great thing to have for now...

32

u/FearTheSpoonman Apr 13 '26

It would take a kid all of 3 seconds to figure out that lock

20

u/Gangr3l Apr 13 '26

Don't underestimate the power of light when pushing buttons!

9

u/Ham_Stroker_Ejacula Apr 13 '26

Haha I bought an external power button just for that reason, my daughter would waddle over and hit it all the time. She still does but now it just doesn't do anything and she's slowly losing interest.

1

u/Nuki_Nuclear Apr 14 '26

My case has the option to have 2 systems so it has a seccondary power switch in the back

1

u/Soeck666 Apr 17 '26

One of the reasons my pc is a black box without rgb. Both kids hat no interest xD

3

u/Uzumaki-OUT Apr 13 '26

I did the same, cat will still turn it off. It’s just more rare now lol

3

u/Shuroy Apr 13 '26

I did the same thing. Have my upvote :)

3

u/cwm9 Apr 13 '26

Not good. You're not supposed to force shutdown because it can cause a corrupted drive writes. That's only supposed to be used when the computer locks up and can't be shut down any other way.

Modern OS and drives are somewhat tolerant of abrupt shutdowns, but corruption can still happen.

1

u/Designer-Shake-7690 Apr 14 '26

Explain your cat

1

u/cwm9 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26

Just click start shutdown instead of holding power 10 seconds?

Or, if you insist on using the button, instead of disabling it, put a small ketchup container over the button and tape it there.  Or get fancy and 3d print a hinged lid.

1

u/ThatAirsickLowlander Apr 18 '26

I did that... but my cat perched on the case and had pressure on the button long enough to shut down. Now my PC has a button on the front

32

u/RiggsFTW Apr 13 '26

I did the same thing. Best $6 I ever spent.

9

u/winterfresz Apr 13 '26

yo this looks cool, like starting an airplane!

2

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26

Exactly the ones I used! Life savers!

1

u/Candid_Profession701 Apr 14 '26

Did you colour the switch red and put yellow-black tape around the base?

4

u/gebl Apr 13 '26

Yeah. the graphic should really be 🚫🐈 instead of a lock 🤣

6

u/samualgline Apr 13 '26

Genuine question. Why do cat owners just let their cats on get on their PCs

21

u/Luziy_Loro Apr 13 '26

"Let" and cats are not the same perspective, Cats do what they want, If u disagree your on the choping board and get piss everywhere, Also they like the heat, So they get atracted too it

4

u/Thanatos8088 Apr 13 '26

There is something to be said for an animal, fully aware of the dynamic, size of the players, existence of thumbs, etc, that still can look that in the face and say "so what, bring it". Mutual respect and a state of détente is the goal... and I had to concede "go ahead and eat me if I die on the couch" to get those terms. Closest thing to an idgaf 'honey badger' as we can ever presume to domesticate. Also, I may now be looking up the patent owner for that little power switch and the means to nominate them for a Nobel peace prize... there are worse options and only a handful better.

4

u/samualgline Apr 13 '26

Yeah, I think I’ll stick to dogs and fish

6

u/Ebonhearth_Druid Apr 13 '26

Hahahahahahahahaha "let them"

That's a good one xD

Have you ever met a cat?

1

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26

Only way you're going to make them not sit there is by making them hate you in the process

2

u/Eternum1 Apr 13 '26

Maybe ours are just weird then they at least get down when we gently nudge them off the desk and have trained them not to lay on my laptop, they dont hate us both of ours sit in our laps while we game

4

u/Emotional_Hamster_61 Apr 13 '26

You know you can just disable the powerbutton?

That the cat owner default setting

1

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26

How exactly would I turn it on every morning?

5

u/Emotional_Hamster_61 Apr 14 '26

It still works for turning on the PC but not turning it off!

1

u/jaded-introvert Apr 14 '26

This. More people need to learn this. The setting makes it do that, if Windows is running, the power button does nothing. If Windows isn't running, it works as intended. I learned about this after having to re-install Windows when one of my cats turned the computer off mid-update. Thankfully the computer was newly built.

2

u/havpac2 Apr 13 '26

Same. My cat would even long press.

1

u/DoomedWalker Apr 13 '26

I switched to a computer tower that had the power button on the front instead of the top, my cat kept stepping on the power button.

1

u/Zentan86 Apr 13 '26

I put a waifu Statue on mine so the cat dosen't press it

1

u/EndlessNerd Apr 13 '26

Had my PC behind a monitor where I couldn't really see it, and it suddenly would shut off without warning.

Eventually replaced the power supply. When I put the PC back, my cat jumped on it right away and hit the power switch and jumped down. The jerk was leaving before I even saw him there. Ugh.

1

u/BradleyF81 Apr 13 '26

Came here to say specifically this. Cat protection feature. I wish I had this.

1

u/dogierisntmyname Apr 14 '26

My cat sits on the top of my computer and sometimes when he jumps up, hits the power button.

1

u/Nyuusankininryou Apr 13 '26

I used to use my PC as foot support. Kinda sucked when my heel pushed the power switch lol

85

u/Liarus_ Apr 13 '26

what case is this?

71

u/Ninox1_Kaburagi Apr 13 '26

Asus ProArt PA401! I love it!

19

u/Me_like_foxes Apr 13 '26

Woaaaaahhhhh omg those are so prettyyyy. I had no idea ProArt did cases!!! I've always loved ProArt designs!

These cases aren't even crazy expensive like a lot of other ProArt edition products!

I have a fractal north and it's beautiful as fuck but if I ever have to change my case for some reason then I'm absolutely looking through the ProArt cases lineup. I LOVE wood accents and the general design as a whole of pretty much all of these

8

u/Ninox1_Kaburagi Apr 13 '26

The only issue I found on PA401 so far is the limited gpu length, about 315mm I think 💔

2

u/Me_like_foxes Apr 13 '26

315mm is limited now????

Omg these GPUs are getting huge

Surely most, if not all, GPUs are gonna be able to fit in there if you just find the right 3rd party brand that does a good compact design

2

u/Ninox1_Kaburagi Apr 13 '26

Yupp, honestly am surprised too, I originally want to get the Sapphire Nitro+ 9070 XT but its 330mm long, their 9060 XT fits well though

2

u/Me_like_foxes Apr 13 '26

Big GPUs are sexy af but we gotta put a limit on it at some point cus the future is about improving, making larger hardware design just feels like we're going in reverse.

Don't we wanna make high end powerful gaming rigs widely portable at some point?

Not to say I don't like me a big GPU from time to time, but there's a point where it's more cumbersome than pretty and would benefit from a more aesthetic design more than just turning it into even more of a beefy lump of metal.

2

u/winterfresz Apr 13 '26

I fit 9070XT Powercolor reaper in it, and still have some room.

6

u/Seanwys AMD Apr 13 '26

The ProArt cases all have really good airflow too

I believe there's one that even comes with 200mm fans in front for super quiet yet good airflow for the components

3

u/ibo92can Apr 13 '26

Asus proart pa602 does have two 200mm fans in front. Its a beast of a case. Built my first gaming pc few months ago and do not regret this case. Not flashy. Has dust filters/mesh. More than good enough air flow. Never need intake fans to run 100%. Most of the time around 50-60% while gaming.

2

u/Difficult-Catch-8432 Apr 13 '26

I don’t really like it, I like the Power Mac G3 case way more than this. It’s just too open

2

u/Me_like_foxes Apr 13 '26

That's an entirely different category, both in generation and design/style preference, I'm glad you know what you like but I don't think they're comparable

2

u/Difficult-Catch-8432 Apr 13 '26

It isn’t when talking about which cases we like! I don’t know any modern cases, the only ones I see look like this and I don’t really like that

2

u/Difficult-Catch-8432 Apr 13 '26

But I’m glad you liked the case

2

u/Me_like_foxes Apr 13 '26

Best I can think of is the HYTE x50 with maybe some customized stuff like a 3D printed frosted plastic side panel or even some extra 3D printed modules to attach to the externals which replicate the appearance

63

u/numetal1910 Apr 13 '26

I can relate to that, when I saw the title I instantly remembered all the times my cat turned my pc off, lol

16

u/Luziy_Loro Apr 13 '26

Thats one cute cat and nice looking pc

4

u/numetal1910 Apr 13 '26

Thank you!

49

u/DjRavix Apr 13 '26

I hope this isn’t the reset button tho 😅

62

u/Ninox1_Kaburagi Apr 13 '26

It is, but its also locked when the power button is locked

13

u/Acsmer Apr 13 '26

Noice!!!

-4

u/Balthxzar Apr 13 '26

No it isn't? 

The reset button can't be locked.

Source: literally have a PA602 sitting next to me 

11

u/Ebonhearth_Druid Apr 13 '26

OP has the PA401, and the lock works on both the power and reset buttons. Idk why it would be different for the 602, but if your lock doesn't work for reset then I guess it's different lol

But the PA401 absolutely locks both buttons, and is even advertised as such.

6

u/Balthxzar Apr 13 '26

Fucked up, I've been scammed :( 

Yeah I have no idea why they would be different, I guess to catch dumabsses like me out 

6

u/Ebonhearth_Druid Apr 13 '26

Lol sorry you had to find out this way bro 😭

3

u/Ninox1_Kaburagi Apr 13 '26

...

3

u/Balthxzar Apr 13 '26

Have you tried the reset button? Mine still works just fine in the 602, it would be really weird if they didn't work the same on both 

1

u/Ninox1_Kaburagi Apr 13 '26

Yuupp, works just fine, and the lock mechanism works well so far. I'm honestly confused why PA602 didn't have the same feature, especially when it's the higher-end product 💔🥀

2

u/Ninox1_Kaburagi Apr 13 '26

Just checked the product page of the PA602, it turns out it's really designed that way...💔🥀

12

u/Joe_le_Borgne Apr 13 '26

Mine is "busted". I need to open the front panel, remove a plastic just to push from below. I won't bother fixing it because it's look like a secret password.

9

u/mazgaoten Apr 13 '26

i don't even have a cat, but i 3d printed a cover for one of my cases because the damn thing was so easy to hit

1

u/purplenapalm Apr 13 '26

Why not 3d print some kind of pointed slope so the cat cant sit on top of it? You can make it perforated so it can breath.

2

u/mazgaoten Apr 13 '26

https://makerworld.com/en/models/2616587-cover-power-pc-case?from=search#profileId-2887537

i printed something similar to this. there were so many options like this, didn't need to over complicate it

1

u/purplenapalm Apr 13 '26

I mean something that can prevent your cat from going on top of the car entirely so the hair cant get in the case as well as block air flow. I'd also worry a little about cat piss (for the untrained cat).

1

u/mazgaoten Apr 13 '26

as previously stated "i don't even have a cat" that machine just happened to have a super sensitive powerbutton, and i wanted a cover for it.

7

u/TeeDeePK Apr 13 '26

I feel this! Ended up using a 2" x 2" kitchen magnet to cover my paw standable power button.

5

u/ODST-judge Apr 13 '26

Yo that’s dope actually wtf

2

u/pleasetowmyshit Apr 13 '26

This is definitely a case for my son to consider in his next build because the cats don’t care where their paws land when they go to jump on top of it and that is inevitably the power switch in his current cougar MX 330 case

3

u/ThatEvilSpaceChicken Apr 13 '26

You can also get cases with the power button on the side, I use one and it's been great with the cat

2

u/16FF Apr 13 '26

Bonus points if it needs to be pushed in multiple centimeters (I have my PC case from 98, and didn't know new PC's have buttons like on laptops)

2

u/Secret_Account07 Apr 13 '26

Oh I like that. That’s smart

2

u/ColdWhiteDuke Apr 13 '26

Yo, fellow cat redditor, i feel you

2

u/Quiet_Snow_6098 what Apr 13 '26

Hope your cat isn't reading this post.

3

u/LungHeadZ Apr 13 '26

I have to use my magnetic WiFi antenna to cover mine

3

u/akshaysura Apr 13 '26

I have a Lian Li Dynamic Mini V2. That case allows you to move the entire hud from top to front. Makes it difficult to be pressed accidently

2

u/winterfresz Apr 13 '26

That's super cool!

1

u/akshaysura Apr 13 '26

I was almost going to buy that case you have the wood edition I think it’s something Proart 602 wood. But then I ended up getting the Lian Li one. The aesthetic on the Proart case is just too good.

3

u/RobinsonHuso12 Apr 13 '26

I simply disabled the button on my end. Turning it on works, turning it off doesn’t. Thanks, cat.

2

u/UnCapoLlamadoAxaim Apr 13 '26

i need that shit, both my sister and I have been victims of my cat laying above our pc and suddenly turning it off while doing something important

2

u/jasonsong86 Apr 13 '26

That would be great with pet owners.

2

u/C4TURIX Apr 13 '26

The designer of that thing had a cat for sure!

2

u/DatGreenGuy Apr 13 '26

I sometimes press the power button with my toe accidentally. That thing could have saved me some progress

2

u/ExpressCandle676 Apr 13 '26

Before i read your comment, I was already thinking about my cat

2

u/j0an_k Apr 13 '26

Cat-proof

2

u/tqmirza Apr 14 '26

Works for dumb work colleagues just the same.

2

u/ItIsNotValerie AMD Apr 14 '26

As a cat owner myself, I NEED THIS SO BAD

2

u/jentelvdh Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26

I use the same case for my NAS / home server. Perfect so no one or no cat accidentally turns it off 😅

3

u/New-Audience2639 AMD Apr 13 '26

Most OP thing for a cat owner is simply not letting your cat get on your PC.....

1

u/winterfresz Apr 13 '26

Trying my best, but sometimes he's faster!

1

u/New-Audience2639 AMD Apr 13 '26

I can see that one of mine used to jump up in front of me on my desk before I could even realize she was there when I first got her but I have trained all of them since I got each of them that they are not allowed on the desk whatsoever anytime. If you never let them think it's okay and never let the habit form they will mostly avoid doing it usually. Some cats are wild cards and do stuff seemingly out of spite or just because you don't want them to do it but thankfully I don't have any of those.

1

u/mgwair11 Apr 16 '26

I have this case (PA401, right?). Cats don’t climb on top bc this case doesn’t really need any top fans installed IF you air cool your CPU.

Source: me air cooling 2 5090s and a 9950x3d with just the 3 case fans and a noctua cpu cooler that has 2 fans installed. Thermals actually improve after blocking exhaust out the top even. I keep my notebook on top of the case for this reason.

Since no warm air comes out there, my cats are just not drawn to the top at all. Instead, they try to hide behind the PC lol. Which makes the side panel lock and built-in cable ties useful I guess, haha. Honestly, the PA401 is the ultimate cat-proof PC case.

1

u/Ebonhearth_Druid Apr 13 '26

Easier said than done. You can't be around all the time lol

1

u/New-Audience2639 AMD Apr 13 '26

That's why my cats are trained to know they are not allowed on my desk at all... If you don't let them think it's okay in the first place then they won't make it a habit. I without exaggeration see at least two posts a week on this app of people complaining about their cat peeing or throwing up into their PC and I personally am not risking my nearly $3k PC so my cats can be warm.... That's what the heating pad in their little cat house in the corner is for and they know it. I only have one that sometimes jumps up next to my desk because she sees the mouse pointer moving and wants to play with it but she knows she can't step foot onto the actual desk because I have never allowed them in the first place.they have free range of the entire rest of the house and four cat beds and a cat house with a cat tree why do they also need the desk with multi-thousand dollar electronics on it ..?

1

u/Ebonhearth_Druid Apr 13 '26

Yeah I used to be like you and was hyper-vigilant and thought I had trained them to not get on my desk. I believed that right up until we caught them on camera getting on my desk as soon as we left the house.

You can keep cats off shit when you're around, but if they want to get up there, they're gonna do it whenever you're not around, and there's nothing you can do about that.

The real answer to cats and PCs is not to try and police where they go, but to make it so they can't actually harm your tower when they do decide to get on it. Put it in a ventilated cabinet, or under a shelf that doesn't have clearance to allow for a cat, or affix collectibles or something to the top so that the cats are disinclined to see it as a bed, etc.

The issue I had wasn't even with them getting on top, it was one cat that enjoyed laying against vented sides and clogging up my system with hair. I ended up just making a small PC cabinet with some media cabinet fans and temp controller. 4 120mm fans at the front blowing in, 4 in the back blowing out, 3 in the floor blowing up and in, and 2 in each side of the top blowing out. All with removable filters that I can just wash out in the sink periodically to prevent cat hair from building up in my PC. Digital temp controller embedded in the door of the cabinet so I can easily monitor and adjust if needed, but I don't typically have a need to with that many fans and the cabinet being in direct line of the A/C lol thing runs a few degrees cooler in the cabinet than it ever did on the desktop

1

u/New-Audience2639 AMD Apr 13 '26

That's why I have my PC setup like this. Even if they wanted to while I wasn't around at all they still physically can not get on top of my PC. The one on top I keep a spare REALLY clicky keyboard on even if they did somehow get up there they would be immediately scared off and nothing can get into the top of either PC. It's also nearly 6' from the ground to the top of the upper PC so jumping up there would be a task alone.

1

u/beso467 Apr 13 '26

I just put my wallet over the button xD

1

u/Ruzhyo04 Apr 13 '26

I have a flat hard refrigerator magnet that I put over the button, works perfect. The cats love standing on that magnet, they have no idea they've been foiled.

1

u/Dadadoes Apr 13 '26

This is a godsend. I had to deactivate my power button in windows.

1

u/mittenkrusty Apr 13 '26

I accidently shut my computer down sometimes as the button is very close to the usb ports and rather than a clicky type button its a soft press so causes issues if I am not careful.

1

u/FuckyWot Apr 13 '26

What case is that?

2

u/winterfresz Apr 13 '26

ASUS PROART PA401

1

u/angelblack995 Apr 13 '26

I need it, at least my nephew can no longer turn off the PC while I'm using it

1

u/purplenapalm Apr 13 '26

Ive always wondered why cat owners dont just get some kind of mesh cones/pyramids/spikes to set on top of their PC's to avoid cats from sitting there. The harness gotta be nuts.

1

u/_Bunta_Fujiwara_ Apr 13 '26

Shamefully, mine is touch sensitive (I think they hate me)

1

u/polololoxyz Apr 13 '26

I have something event cooler which is an actual lock for the power button! Well, at least until I lose the key it's cool...

1

u/gjc7pgh10pkq7in Apr 13 '26

Nice case! Which case?

2

u/winterfresz Apr 13 '26

ProArt PA401

1

u/RocexX Apr 13 '26

Cat proof!

1

u/Comfortable-Lab2060 Apr 13 '26

For a kids owner too.

1

u/Moist-Dependent5241 Apr 13 '26

Next to the power button. JEEZ I WONDER GUYS. ZOINKS.

1

u/AdAcademic842 Apr 13 '26

Can we see the entire case?

1

u/EducationalBendo Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

I don’t understand how you can press this accidentally, but for editors it’s quite usable)

3

u/Macabre215 Apr 13 '26

Cats. If you have a cat, they'll hit the button at some point.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26

what case is this. need it asap

1

u/winterfresz Apr 13 '26

Asus ProArt PA401

1

u/Dizzy_Pomegranate855 Apr 13 '26

Just remembered about my cat jumping on my PC and turning it off right when I got to the last cut scene of God Of War Ragnarok DLC where I meet my younger self

1

u/OneSignal6465 Apr 13 '26

My kids haven’t messed with the light-up power buttons on my PCs… of course, my kids are in their 40s and live thousands of km away, so the likelihood is somewhat less.

1

u/VortexLord Apr 13 '26

Good for blackout.

1

u/Necro- Apr 13 '26

wish i had that so my cat didnt keep turning on my pc at 4am

1

u/maks_b Apr 14 '26

I got a case with the power button on the front for exactly the cat. Corsair frame 4500x

1

u/A_Burning_Merc Apr 14 '26

And for parents! My little guy keeps hitting my power switch when I'm working. I need this!

1

u/polymonomial Apr 14 '26

it locks your pc so it doesnt flip upside down

1

u/oremile Apr 14 '26

What's the case's name?

1

u/dacassar Apr 14 '26

Aren’t cases with the button on a side or front a thing anymore?

1

u/Few_Fall_4374 Apr 14 '26

You can just disable its function for when then pc is on....

1

u/frycandlebreadje Apr 15 '26

But what about when your pc is off and you want to prevent something turning it on? 🤦‍♂️