Why use a case?

af_thefragile

I was wondering all the case does is function as a box to hold all the components inside in place.

But has anyone tried building a PC without a case? Like all components out in the open?? You would need to figure out a way to still secure the electrics and stuff but like you could build it however way you like and what better ventilation could it get than being out in the open!!

Its just a thought...

Solitaire

No forced convection via fans blowing cool air in and warm air out can reduce cooling performance. There is also dust, dirt, and accidental moisture/impact damage to beware of.

tman

Then on top of that there'd be the increased noise levels.

It's perfectly feasible I suppose, but for the sake of €30 for a cheap case vs all of the cons Solitaire listed, I wouldn't really see it as a worthwhile exercise

Lord Nikon

i guess you could install them in a small fridge, but then how would you vent the hot air while venting the cold air too.

thenightrider

neuromancer wrote: »

i guess you could install them in a small fridge, but then how would you vent the hot air while venting the cold air too.

All i have to say is moisture.

nozzferrahhtoo

Cant find it now, but I used to have a link to a blog, with pictures, of a guy living in a very cold country who put most of his builds on the outside wall of his house. He did not use a case as such, but some materials just to protect against moisture, but he did not require any heat sinking equipment.

Probably not practical, and probably died after a few months, but it was amusing none the less.

PogMoThoin

thenightrider wrote: »

All i have to say is moisture.

Eh? In the fridge is the dryest place in the house, I keep the salt there to stop it getting damp.

Overclockers have been known to assemble pc's without cases. It makes it easier to swap out components and use other extreme methods of cooling like liquid nitrogen etc. Overclockers don't usually use their assembled pc's for long though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRejtM3ifjU

Antec did try an external case but it never took off, fugly
http://store.antec.com/Product/enclosure-skeleton_series/TheSkeleton.aspx

game4it70

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Eh? In the fridge is the dryest place in the house, I keep the salt there to stop it getting damp.

Not if you introduce heat into a fridge,condensation on your components will kill them soon after.
Also the "fridge" thing has been talked about for ages and even if you can avoid condensation the fridge compressor will burn out as its not designed to cool anything producing heat.

whore

done it before when my motherboard was shorting on the case, just to make sure it worked. i don't see the point in not getting a case seeing as i'm sure you could salvage an ATX case from dumps all over ireland if the 20 euro wasn't cheap enough, i'm sure there's plenty in peoples attics too.

ED E

Tea_Bag

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

i saw that pic posted here somewhere already (?) but didnt Marco-Polo or someone mention something about there being a big lag produced between the GPU extender cable and the PCIe lane?

otherwise i'd love to do it myself.

VenomIreland

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Why on earth is there a CCFL connected?

IrishMetalhead

looks cool yea but it's only asking for trouble considering theres absoulutly nothing protecting it from dust plus you'd want to make sure the room is fairly cool before you'd even want to attempt it.

Cuddlesworth

IrishMetalhead wrote: »

looks cool yea but it's only asking for trouble considering theres absoulutly nothing protecting it from dust plus you'd want to make sure the room is fairly cool before you'd even want to attempt it.

Both wrong. You would get far more dust in a case and the cooling would be better outside of a case then in it.

ED E

The airflow there could be brilliant, but I wonder what the story with noise would be. You wouldnt need high RPMs but there is nothing to dull the sound.

af_thefragile

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Both wrong. You would get far more dust in a case and the cooling would be better outside of a case then in it.

I think this is true. Everytime you open a computer case, there's a lot more dust in it than there is outside. I think its to do with the fans sucking in air full of dust and stuff into the case and the dust has no where else to do.

If the components are in the open, its a lot more easier to keep it clean as a blast of air should blow the dust away. Still would want a cool room though. Although you'ld be free to use as large CPU and GPU coolers as one would wish.

I would actually like to build something that looks like this:


Could also use it like a coffee table!!

Solitaire

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Both wrong. You would get far more dust in a case and the cooling would be better outside of a case then in it.

That's assuming you don't use filters and you never clean the case. Believe me, in a medium- or high-dust environment, the reduction in cooling efficiency due to dust build-up on testbeds is staggering :eek:

Cuddlesworth

Solitaire wrote: »

That's assuming you don't use filters and you never clean the case. Believe me, in a medium- or high-dust environment, the reduction in cooling efficiency due to dust build-up on testbeds is staggering :eek:

Do I really need to quantify my statement with a "in general"?

Monotype

There's definitely more dust on surfaces around my PC than inside, aside from on the intake fans, CPU fan and the case itself. Motherboard and case inside is generally quite clean. I think that it would be worse without a case... unless you screw it to the underneath of a table.

Lu Tze

Could always get one of these- a bit of a compromise

Cuddlesworth

Monotype wrote: »

There's definitely more dust on surfaces around my PC than inside, aside from on the intake fans, CPU fan and the case itself. Motherboard and case inside is generally quite clean. I think that it would be worse without a case... unless you screw it to the underneath of a table.

I think that says more about your cleaning then dust intake on a pc.

Vicxas

Friend of mine built his on a plank of wood because he couldnt afford a case

Monotype

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I think that says more about your cleaning then dust intake on a pc.

Absolutely, surfaces need to be cleaned off at least once a week to be respectable. If you had an open case, you'd need to be cleaning your components just as often.

Vicxas wrote: »

Friend of mine built his on a plank of wood because he couldnt afford a case

Or was it an excuse just see see how it would work/to be thrifty?

Vicxas

Possibly, but i wouldnt wanna find out...