running e6420 without a case

Drinkyoghurt · May 2, 2007

hey guys, my system will arrive tomorrow, but my case wont arrive till friday, till then i want to run my e6420 caseless, but how can i do this best without frying all the components? i know how to start it without case(screwdriver ftw!) and i know how to connect everything and stuff(duh) but i dont know how to place it, just on the mobo box on the antistatic bag?

JackNSally · May 2, 2007

Just leave it on the box without the bag (don't want it melting now) or on a wooden/non-conductive surface.

||Console|| · May 2, 2007

You could put some stand offs on so it has some air flow =)

jordon · May 2, 2007

pour some diet pepsi on it too.. its good for oc`ing

dylskee · May 2, 2007

I agree with Jack, but I would put a couple fans blowing across the motherboard and memory to keep things running cool. What kind of case are you puting this in, or is it the NZXT Zero in your sig?

MadMan007 · May 2, 2007

JackNSally said:
Just leave it on the box without the bag (don't want it melting now) or on a wooden/non-conductive surface.

That sounds dangerous to me, non-conductive is good but it doesn't mean there won't be static buildup. Best way imo is run it on top of the anti-static bag it comes in. It should not get nearly hot enough to melt the bag but if it were to there would be other very serious problems as well. I've done it this way numerous times and never had anything go wrong.

eaglescouter · May 2, 2007

Asus says running the mobo while sitting on the antistatic bag can cause motherboard problems/failure. They prefer plain cardboard.

pscout · May 2, 2007

I stand mine on top of the box on 2 pieces of 1x2 wood (make sure no nails or staple to cause a short. Put a fan to blow over/under on one open end.

I put the antistatic bag over the box, and the wood stringers on top.

When you need to press memory in either remove the boards so it is flat on the box or support the mobo with you hand so you don't flex it too much.

Atomic Dawg · May 2, 2007

You don't want to run your motherboard on any anti-static surface. Anti-static material is conductive. Although the bags have a high resistance, it's still not good. Also, setting your motherboard on top of an anti-static bag doesn't protect it from static. An anti-static bag forms a Faraday cage and only protects things inside the bag when the bag is completely closed.

Personally, I like the plastic stand off idea on a non-conductive surface.

MadMan007 · May 2, 2007

Oh I see. I guess it's good I never nuked anything

I've never used one of the all-silver bags though but usually the ones which are clear with the anti-static stuff spread out :shrug:

I suppose the ideal would be a slide-out mobo tray from an old case but that would imply having a case to start with.

Drinkyoghurt · May 3, 2007

dylskee said:
I agree with Jack, but I would put a couple fans blowing across the motherboard and memory to keep things running cool. What kind of case are you puting this in, or is it the NZXT Zero in your sig?

yeah i'd be putting it in the zero, the zero will arrive friday(tomorrow) but till then i want to run it caseless, so just on the cardboard box on my wooden desk? sounds good, i have 2 enermax warp fans that can cool the mobo by blowing air towards it(speed adjustable ftw)

Stratcat · May 3, 2007

^^^

I don't use cases. Haven't for years. And my rigs run 24/7/365, usually running Distributed Computing. I run just as described in ur post directly above... except I place some wooden pencils with the metal erasure holder broken off, between the box and the mobo to allow airflow underneath the mobo. I also put my HDDs in an HDD bay I removed from an old Antec case, and have a 120mm fan blowing directly across them, for HDD cooling too. I'll also place a another 120mm fan laying right on the mobo on the NB and water block, to cool the NB.

Might be called "rigged" by some peeps, but I call it easy as he** to work on, and no heat probs.

Be careful, tho, I started running like this for the same reason you did, and then just gave up on cases when I saw how hassle free running like this was!

Easy as he** to hook up ur water too, if you go H2O.

Here's a pic of a previous rig set this way:

http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img18277uv.jpg

~ Strat ~

Drinkyoghurt · May 3, 2007

my desk aint that big but i think i can fit it on there

, or on another desk

i am just waiting for the mail guy to deliver my package now, been up and awake since 9am, i feel like a little boy again who is very excited, like going on a school trip orso

so atleast i wont use the anti static bag, and i guess i cannot touch the board when in operation?

Drinkyoghurt · May 3, 2007

ok i got all my parts and set them up, is this good or should i change something?

i've put the mobo on the box with the foam underneath it

pscout · May 3, 2007

I am the same as stratcat ... leave the foam out and put some wooden or plastic spacers under the 2 outside edges. The foam will act as an insulator for heat making the board and components hotter.

I have a folding farm here with 15 of my 16 rigs running caseless.... much easier to cool and to work on.

HDD's need cooling airflow so lay them on spacers too.

Other than avoiding shorts/ static, the main risk of caseless is that something gets spilled on them, and making sure they are kept away from other physical damage like little kids, or cats.

Drinkyoghurt · May 3, 2007

dont have any spacers atm, but the rig is up and running fine

also another question, my floor is made out of wood, can i put my stuff on the floor then or is it too risky? otherwise they will remain on the cardboard box

pscout · May 3, 2007

how risky it is depends how much traffic you have through your room.

no difference from an electrical perspective.

You can make some spacers ... just cut and fold up some cardboard.

Drinkyoghurt · May 3, 2007

took the foam away, did some overclocking, man this thing reaches 3.3ghz with ease(no voltage upping yet)

my memory is running 1065mhz
ill post a screenshot later

youngbuck · May 3, 2007

Drinkyoghurt said:
and i guess i cannot touch the board when in operation?

I've touched almost every computer part possible while in operation without a problem. I've purposely tried to see if I could cause a problem and never had one. I'm talking about some serious hardware fondling.

Atomic Dawg · May 3, 2007

youngbuck said:
I've touched almost every computer part possible while in operation without a problem. I've purposely tried to see if I could cause a problem and never had one. I'm talking about some serious hardware fondling.

Really? Have you tried touching the positive and negative legs of a mosfet while the system is on? In all seriousness, DO NOT TRY THAT!

I'm hoping what you meant is that you've touched the parts of components that don't carry electricity. Which brings up two important safety tips:

Don't wear jewelry when working on electronics. Jewelry can come in contact with parts carrying electricity. You don't want to arc weld a ring to your finger.
Try to work with one hand and don't ground the other one. If one hand comes in contact with power and the other hand ground, the current will pass through your heart and can kill you. That would be bad.

running e6420 without a case

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