is my case supposed to be warm to the touch?

[spanky]

i never thought about this before, but i just realized my case is warm to the touch. not all over... but just like the area where the cpu is and the psu. just wondering...

 

[agentK]

i think thats the heat coming from the power supply. mine gets warm to the touch too after an hour or so of using it and i have a 120mm blowhole on top. dont worry about it.

 

[SilverBack]

Most ambient case temperatures hover in the mid 80's to low 90's F.
So yes it's quite plausible for your case to be warm to the touch.

 

[dunkster]

Your case exterior should feel 'cool' by touch.

If it feels warm, your case has poor ventilation. Room air must flow THROUGH the case efficiently to exhaust hot air generated by cpu and other components. Even 'blow holes' are ineffective if the hot air is not exhausted by the case.

Another gauge for case ventilation efficiency is the temperature reported for 'system'/board temperature. That temp should be no more than a few degrees above ambient room air temperature.

Hope this helps!

 

[wfbberzerker]

mine is warm near the cpu and psu, and thats where four of the five fans in my case are (including cpu and chipset).
i think its mostly just the psu.
as long as your cpu temps are normal, i wouldnt be worried.