SPCR

Basically, the subject is useless unless the following assumption is true: that an open case is cooler than a closed case. I haven't tested this in any great detail, but if I'm wrong, please let me know because that would kibash this whole thread.

Assuming the above is correct, is there anything wrong with having an open-computer? Everything is in the ATX frame, just without the cover (which in my situation means no sides - the back, top and front are still covered, although poorly).

I guess the only bad thing I can think of is the electromagnetic noise. Is this something to be concerned about? Am I going to get a big tumor if I keep my case open like this?

If you properly vent your case with case fans it should make little difference temp wise whether the case is open or not.

Running with the case open is not a problem but you will be able to hear the fans slightly more and of course you will get more dust build up with the (unlikely) possibility of burning out some part.

As for worrying about getting a tumour - no need to worry. Even if there was something proved that something transmitted from a PC caused tumours, the case isnt going to insulate it.

But no your assumption is wrong in a properly vented case.

So is it possible then that a well ventilated case could perhaps even out perform an open case (temp wise), due to the fact that the air is moving over the components, and not stagnant ?

Open case is better but noise leaks from fans and all other sources of noises more than if it was closed. I had my case wide open and it did make a difference in tempertures, about 5C to case temps.

Open case is only ideal if you have a completely passive solution inside your case plus some kind of box enclosure for your hard disk so no noise leaks from there either. This means little or no noise escapes, otherwise it is better to have it closed.

Currently I have my case open and because I have my hard drive enclosed in an anti-noise box, it makes no noise. The CPU fan is near silent because it's a Panaflo. My only real complaint is the Power Supply. I've got a Q-tech, and the fan is kinda loud and the odd time is makes a high pitched whine. Also, it always makes a swooshing sound whenever I surf the internet and scroll up or down. Isn't that weird? Who would think that a power supply's noise emission would be affected by scrolling a page up or down? Quiet PC.ca though has awesome service so they said they'd ship me a replacement, in case it was my particular unit. If not then I'm going to try the Nexus.

So if I can get the power supply noise under control, there is really no point in me having a closed case, from a noise perspective. The only reason I would get a case is if it cools things down, since I am overclocking right now. Even with the overclocking though, my chip is still really cool, so temperature isn't a huge concern right now. But I do want to do all I can to find as cool of a setup as possible, in case I need it in a future overclock.

marc999 wrote:Also, it always makes a swooshing sound whenever I surf the internet and scroll up or down. Isn't that weird?

So that's what it is - my Q-Tech 300W! I thought it was the HD until I noticed no activity. It is a very strange sound, nice to see it's not just my PC.

I think you might find that it is your graphics card causing the whine - i used to have this problem too... There was an in depth thread about this a while back, not having any luck finding it tho...

I think you might find that it is your graphics card causing the whine

Since I'm going for quietness, my graphics cards is rather pathetic. It's an ATI Xpert 2000 Pro. I guess it's possible it's the card, but I would tend to think that a more high end card would do such a thing since my low end card doesn't consume a lot of power or do a whole lot graphics wise. Conversly, I guess the same logic could be used to say it actually would make the sound. Since the card is so crappy, it really has to work hard to do even simple tasks, such as scroll up and down an Internet page. For the record, it has no fan (right from the factory - it's a "built by ATI card").

Anyway, thanks for the thought. I will have to test this now to see exactly which of the two is making the noise. I bought my Power Supply from quietpc.ca, and they said they would send me a new one. So if the new one also does this swooshing sound, then I can probably be more certain it is the graphics card. Although, since the Nexus is so highly praised, I may be tempted to get one of those just to be absolutely sure.

Either way, I'lll keep you guys posted. Thanks for the idea!!

The PC I had the lowest temps on ever was one that the power supply fan went out on. It was a K6-2 400 and only had the CPU and PSU fans. Well, until I could replace it I took the cover off, and placed a 19" box fan on the open side. Turned it on. It ran REALLY cool, but noisy. However, I am not sure it was any noisier than my Athlon XP 1700+ is.

My plans for the near future are to build my wife's computer, and make it semi-quiet from the ground up without sacrificing performance and a limited budget. Hence ideas like the bands I mentioned in another thread.

It depends on your air flow model of case.
My CPU runs 1.5c cooler when closed than opened. (I've made sure my case has proper flow of air from bottom & top to back by testing verious little things)
When opened, I do lose the uniform flow obviously and that hampers my efficiency quite a bit I guess.