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06-15-2003, 08:19 PM
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#1 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: California
Posts: 8
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Is it O.K. to leave case side off?
Is it O.K. to simply leave the side panel of the midtower case off, open to the outside air ?
My midtower case stands on the back corner of a really big desk. The back and the open side face walls of the room. The tower is way back in the far corner of the desk, in a completely safe location away from everything. The tower is about 6 inches away from both the back & side wall surfaces, so there's plenty of room for air circulation. The open side facing the wall is totally protected, and you can't even see that the case side panel is off. There's no noise problem. So, is it O.K. to leave the side of the case off for better cooling? Does that hurt anything? Does it help cooling? |
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06-15-2003, 08:40 PM
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#2 |
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Aerospace
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: MN, USA
Posts: 1,177
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Some cases help with keeping radio waves and stuff away....but no its fine to do that. Yup you will see temps drop.
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FastFly |
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06-15-2003, 09:15 PM
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#3 |
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Barefoot on the Moon!
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Northeastern USA
Posts: 13,285
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Help, yes. Hurt? Not really. As long as you keep the soda away from it.
 FYI, I run my system with the side off. 
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There are two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day, and you have to have a dream.
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06-15-2003, 09:30 PM
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#4 |
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Member (10 bit)
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 537
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i run 1 of my systems with the side off help keep it from overheating and crashing..
*thinking to myself* man that pc is a peace ** |
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06-15-2003, 09:40 PM
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#5 |
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Member (13 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Fullerton, CA
Posts: 7,030
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It might hurt cooling since it disrupts the air flow stream from the front of the case to the back.
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06-15-2003, 09:42 PM
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#6 |
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Live for the moment
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,938
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Well, I always keep my case off, since I started having some heat issues...
only problem I have is things get a little dustier a little faster...but the fact that both parent are chain smokers doesnt help at all...
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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter. - Sir Winston Churchill |
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06-16-2003, 12:23 AM
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#7 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Topeka, KS
Posts: 138
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I ran mine with the side off for a while, but when i finally started running it with it on, i noticed a slight decrease in temps! Guess that means my fan setup is good to go!
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06-16-2003, 12:56 AM
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#8 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Seattle
Posts: 75
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Hehe...
This reminds me of my cousins old Gateway computer. After I installed a pci card for them I turned on the computer, and when I installed the side panel, it shut down. It was a week before the computer could run with the side panel on. |
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06-16-2003, 05:07 AM
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#9 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Australia
Posts: 112
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when i bought my new pc i left the side off, just to look at the new components, when i put it back on after a week the temps rose about 5-7 degrees. (celcius)
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06-16-2003, 11:36 AM
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#10 |
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Shiro Usagi
Premium Member
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Posts: 34,002
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Ideally, you should run the computer with the case sides on (protection from the environment, to control EMI, to control noise and to control air flow). If you have to run the computer with the sides off because of heat problems, you really gotta take a good look at your cooling set up.
Do you have enough air movement through the case? Is the heat being removed from the case faster than it is being generated? Is your wiring interfering with the air flows? Do you have any deadspots where heat can build up? Are the air vent holes big enough to allow air to pass through easily? If your case cooling is addressed properly, there should be no reason to run the system with the sides open. And using high speed, high output fans isn't always the solution...correct fan placement and careful routing of the cables and wires is usually enough to get good airflow and good heat removal from the case.  Cricket
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06-23-2003, 10:57 PM
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#11 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 131
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i run mine with the side off but im always afraid of the dust getting in there
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06-27-2003, 12:11 AM
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#12 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 262
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I run wiht the case side on because teh ari that should be curculing aorund my case to cool the case jsut flows outsidew the case. IF you ahve an exhaust fan then i would recommned leaving the case sides both on
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06-27-2003, 08:19 AM
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#13 |
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Fly Eagles Fly
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 981
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I ran mine with my side off with my old processor and it ran cooler that way. I had it like you, against a wall so not much could get in. However, my heatsink collected dust like it was its job.
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06-28-2003, 02:14 AM
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#14 | |
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D'oh!
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 1,359
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Quote:
I keep my case sides on, basically for the reasons Cricket mentioned....
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" You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun. " -Al Capone AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Orleans Core 2.2Ghz , Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe, Corsair XMS2 1GB (2x512) DDR 2 PC6400, 2 Western Digital 80gb 8MB Cache HDD, Xclio GoodPower 500w PSU, PowerColor X800GTO 256 MB GDDR3 256bit Enermax Case |
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07-01-2003, 02:42 AM
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#15 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Illinois
Posts: 161
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Case, who needs a case. I have a system built on a sheet of plywood. Small desk fan blowing across it.
I used case parts to mount the components to the plywood. So to answer you question: No the side isn't nescessary |
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07-01-2003, 03:57 PM
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#16 |
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Member (5 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 18
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i run mine with side panel that is ported wit hundreds of holes
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