Is it bad to leave the case side off?

[ZickZJ]

I have a question I could not find the answer through searching the forums.
How bad is it to leave one of the sides off the case all the time?
I have a Chieftec case and I normally leave the side panel off, but someone mentioned to me the other day that is not a very good idea.
I've been running it like that for a long time now with no problems (don't ask why, cause I don't know).

What's everyones opinion on this?

Thanks


EDIT: Replied with an update and another question.

 

[JulesMaximus]

It's not going to hurt anything as long as you don't spill anything in there or let small children put their hands inside.

No, it isn't bad to leave it off.

 

[3chordcharlie]

If you have defined airflow through the case, leaving the side off ruins that.

If you're like most of us and not OCing, and your temps are good, it doesn't matter much.

 

[DaveSimmons]

It actually can mess up proper airflow, which should (generally) be cool air from the front and hot air out the back. It often isn't "bad" though (except for the danger of a fan-maimed kitty) since the open case might let the hot air escape from both the back and side.

Short answer: maybe.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Might as well set all your fans as intakes if your going to leave your case open since exhausts are just going to pull air from the exposed sides. Mine runs hotter by about 4 degrees (GPU and CPU) with the side panel off.

 

[SickBeast]

The good:

-if you have poor case cooling, leaving the case open will cause your temps to drop

The bad:

-it will allow tons of dust to enter your computer

-you will hear more noise emminating from your machine

 

[Dman877]

Case also serves as an esd shield. It's a long shot but your computer could be damaged by some stray electrons messing up a signal somewhere...

 

[ZickZJ]

Ok, thanks for everyones info on that. Now I have another question relating to that same issue.

Ok, I have one fan blowing out the back. I am not overclocking very much (2500+ @ 2Ghz) on a NF7-S at about 178FSB.

Its been like this for probably almost a year.
Basically what I'm getting at is tring to figure out a problem that just happened.
Yesterday morning I turned on my monitor and all I see is the (connection is working ok message), no big deal my PC is just in standby like normal. I try to move the mouse around and nothing happens, press keys, same thing and then I notice my num lock button isn't turning the light on or off. Like my PC is locked up. Now I've had this happen once before and a simple reboot took care of it. But not this time. It reboots but I still get no display and my keyboard doesn't respond.

Rig: Abit NF7-S, AMD 2500+, Corsair mem, ATI 9800Pro w/ Artic cooler

The 9800 is not overclocked and the fan does run on the Vid card.

I swapped out video cards and everything works fine. Is there anyway to tell if this is a heat related problem. I have a hard time believing my card overheated itself by sitting overnight and not while playing games for hrs at a time.

Anyway to test or tell if a card overheated?

 

[SickBeast]

The first thing you should try is clearing your CMOS. Turn off the power, flip the switch on your power supply so no power goes to your motherboard, then remove the battery. After that, change the position of the CMOS jumper for a second, change it back, then put the battery back in and power up.

 

[gsellis]

Another risk is pets. In certain positions, it can look like a litter box (I remember a techtale about that a long time ago.) There are lots of things that can look like a squeaky toy to some dogs too. Ferrets are a general menace even with it closed

 

[ZickZJ]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
The first thing you should try is clearing your CMOS. Turn off the power, flip the switch on your power supply so no power goes to your motherboard, then remove the battery. After that, change the position of the CMOS jumper for a second, change it back, then put the battery back in and power up.

Tried that already. thx though.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: gsellis
Another risk is pets.

Indeed. With the tornado fans that many AT members use, I'm sure dogs would mistake their computer for teh vacuum cleaner. IME dogs *HATE* vacuum cleaners and try to kill them on a regular basis.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: ZickZJ
Anyway to test or tell if a card overheated?

You could possibly see damage to your VPU by taking of the heatsink and inspecting it for brown spots, but that would void your warranty so you might not want to do that.

You might want to try another floppy power cable for the 9800 if you haven't done so already.

If another videocard solved the problem, then it's more than likely the 9800 which is the problem. Tinker for a bit, but it sounds like you'll need to RMA it.

 

[ZickZJ]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: ZickZJ
Anyway to test or tell if a card overheated?

You could possibly see damage to your VPU by taking of the heatsink and inspecting it for brown spots, but that would void your warranty so you might not want to do that.

You might want to try another floppy power cable for the 9800 if you haven't done so already.

If another videocard solved the problem, then it's more than likely the 9800 which is the problem. Tinker for a bit, but it sounds like you'll need to RMA it.

I'd love to RMA it but I bought it used from somebody here last year. Forgive my stupidness but what exactly is VPU?

As for the power cable, I was pretty sure I tried anotherone after I unplugged and plugged it back in but maybe I didn't. Anyways it does get some power cause the Artic fan on it runs.

 

[gsellis]

ZickZ3, if the card did fry, it might have that old burnt, ozone odor. Did you sniff it? Note - this test also works to see if the cat has used the case as a litterbox

 

[ZickZJ]

Originally posted by: gsellis
ZickZ3, if the card did fry, it might have that old burnt, ozone odor. Did you sniff it? Note - this test also works to see if the cat has used the case as a litterbox

I didn't try sniffing it yet, maybe when I get home tonight.
Thank god I don't have any pets :shocked:

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: ZickZJ
I'd love to RMA it but I bought it used from somebody here last year. Forgive my stupidness but what exactly is VPU?

As for the power cable, I was pretty sure I tried anotherone after I unplugged and plugged it back in but maybe I didn't. Anyways it does get some power cause the Artic fan on it runs.

VPU=visual processing unit
GPU=graphics processing unit

I'm not really sure what the differences between the two are, but suffice to say that a VPU/GPU is the "CPU" on your graphics card. It is the core which sits beneath the heatsink on the card. Why do you suspect that it overheated though? If the fan still spins and you never took off the heatsink, I don't think heat was likely the issue here.

If you were overclocking the card and your computer suddenly died while you were gaming, I would suspect heat as the problem, but from what you've described your computer simply stopped working one day when you tried to turn it on.

You should inspect the gold connectors on the card (where it plugs into the AGP slot) for damage. It might also be a good idea to gently clean them with some rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth (the higher % the better). Don't try this on the motherboard, just the graphics card.

In all honesty it doesn't sound good and your graphics card is more than likely destroyed.

 

[ZickZJ]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

VPU=visual processing unit
GPU=graphics processing unit

I'm not really sure what the differences between the two are, but suffice to say that a VPU/GPU is the "CPU" on your graphics card. It is the core which sits beneath the heatsink on the card. Why do you suspect that it overheated though? If the fan still spins and you never took off the heatsink, I don't think heat was likely the issue here.

If you were overclocking the card and your computer suddenly died while you were gaming, I would suspect heat as the problem, but from what you've described your computer simply stopped working one day when you tried to turn it on.

You should inspect the gold connectors on the card (where it plugs into the AGP slot) for damage. It might also be a good idea to gently clean them with some rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth (the higher % the better). Don't try this on the motherboard, just the graphics card.

In all honesty it doesn't sound good and your graphics card is more than likely destroyed.

I am really just guessing on the overheating part due to someone mentioning to me that leaving the case side off ruins the airflow through the PC. I really don't know what could have caused it to just stop suddenly.
I will also pull the fan off and check the core plus the terminals as well.

Thanks for all the help

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: ZickZJ

Originally posted by: gsellis
ZickZ3, if the card did fry, it might have that old burnt, ozone odor. Did you sniff it? Note - this test also works to see if the cat has used the case as a litterbox

I didn't try sniffing it yet, maybe when I get home tonight.
Thank god I don't have any pets :shocked:

have 2 tokays running loose thru mine

what exactly is VPU?

think he meant GPU=graphical processing unit ..guess..vpu is video processing unit

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: ScrapSilicon
have 2 tokays running loose thru mine

The mother of all geckoes! Hey, but your machine is bug free!

 

[Zepper]

I used to use an old Enlight case with the U-shaped cover - for most of the time I used it I couldn't even FIND the cover... But besides dust, pets and rug rats, you also expose your system to more humidity from the ambient air - thus more corrosion may occur - that Enlight chassis is pretty crusty looking. The extra heating from the closed case causes any condensed moisture to re-evaporate more readily and go out the exhaust. Of course, if you live in the desert humidity might be a moot point.
.bh.