Open case or closed case?

[murphy55d]

Which is generally the way to go? I just got my new system below, and was wondering. My old P2 350 case I always kept open for easy access inside, but with this new one, with front case fans, and quite a large heatsink/fan(Volcano 5), it's rather noisy and bothers the rest of my family. So should I put the case panel on, and appeal to everyone?

Which is better for cooling? I am not really sure if it is closed to get best airflow with the fans, or open to let the room temp air in.

Whatcha recommend?

 

[F117NightHawk]

I'm no expert, but I read somewhere that it's best to have it closed because leaving it open screws up your airflow. Again, I'm no expert.

 

[Mitzi]

If you need to keep the case open so your machine runs at an acceptable temp there is something wrong with your cooling setup/air flow.

What temps are you getting with your case closed? If they are high I would suggest sticking a few case fans in there and tidying up the cables a little to ensure they are not restricting airflow.

 

[LartDog]

I actually run with my open sometimes. If I run with it open I get around 38*C and if it runs closed it gets about 40-41*C. I know I need better air flow myself just because I only have two fans (one intake and exhaust).

As long as you have good airflow in the case (ex -=- the post before mine) then it shouldn't matter. Of course in my case I don't have good airflow right now, but I'm working on it!

 

[TheWart]

im no expert either, but yes your airflow should not differ THAT much from the ambient temps if you leave your case open. my temps go down a couple of degrees since i have air conditioning on, but if you leave your case open there is a greater danger of problems with dust and other stuff jacking your hardware.

 

[XXWoodmanXX]

It's all dependant on what your room's ambient temperature is, as well as how effeciant the cooling is in your case.

I have 3x 120mm fans on my computer (2-intake, and 1-exhaust) to cause "positive" case-pressure. All of which, are on their own rheostat.. I also have a 80mm fan for cooling my RAID 0 HDD's. To finish things off, I have an Alpha 8045 HSF w/ 92mm Delta on it, also on it's own rheostat.

My ambient room temp. is 18C

Load temps on the CPU with case-cover OFF = 45C

Load temps on the CPU with case-cover ON = 43.6C

Hope that helps. As you can see, it's all relevant to the amount of case-cooling you have.

Good luck!

 

[murphy55d]

I don't need to keep it open, I just never put the case on after I set it up. I've only had it 4-5 days, and I like to keep the case off for easy access inside. When I re-start, magic health says my CPU temp is 49. I was just curious what the consensus was, whether or not you get better results on or off. I think I am going to put it on or else my mom will throw this out the door with the ridiculously loud case intake fan.

 

[AMDPwred]

<< I'm no expert, but I read somewhere that it's best to have it closed because leaving it open screws up your airflow. Again, I'm no expert. >>



That's what I've always been told.