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Open Case=Cooling Solution?

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Justin

Registered
Joined
May 25, 2001
Yeah I know it sounds kindof dumb...but is it THAT bad an idea? I know dust but Im considering it. On a side note Im athinking about getting a golden orb for my 550mhz k6 and was wondering if it would fit on it nicely. I know it doesnt need that much cooling efficiency but hey...the cooler the better.
 
Justin (May 27, 2001 04:56 a.m.):
Yeah I know it sounds kindof dumb...but is it THAT bad an idea? I know dust but Im considering it. On a side note Im athinking about getting a golden orb for my 550mhz k6 and was wondering if it would fit on it nicely. I know it doesnt need that much cooling efficiency but hey...the cooler the better.

Hello Justin! Welcome to the forum!

First of all the cooling have mixed results. Mine runs cooler in the winter with the case on, but cooler in the summer with the case off. Depends on a lot of variations, and best I could suggest is you try both and monitor temps carefully.
 
Yes putting youre case open can make your hardware stay cooler, but there is one thing you forget: radiation

You're case protects you for most of it, but with your case open, you're sitting next to a small microwave...
If you don't mind go ahead, but I think it is VERY unhealthy
 
Hey Justin - welcome to the forum!

I have my case open on one side, to keep things a bit cooler. As for the Golden Orb - it isn't that much better than the stock cooler. It is highly overrated. It's cheap though, but if you want serious cooling, look into alpha or perhaps global win. Remember to apply a paper-thin layer of thermal grease in between the cpu and the heatsink.

Good luck!
 
In a standard case with little in the way of case cooling then leaving the case open can help a great deal. But if you have a very good fan setup in won't make much differance and can even be worse, in my case I only have 3 intake 3 exhaust which are pretty balanced and opening the case doesn't make any differance at all.
 
Instead of having your case open you can install a homemade duct made out of cardboard that goes from your HSF to your sidecase [this draws cool air straight to your proccesor] I used a speaker cover screen on the outside of the case to cover the hole and it looks like a proffesional mod and I have good results from this if i take my sidecover off my temps will actualy increase this mod looks allot better then having your cover off and is quite functional.
 
The Stickie (May 27, 2001 07:30 a.m.):
Yes putting youre case open can make your hardware stay cooler, but there is one thing you forget: radiation

You're case protects you for most of it, but with your case open, you're sitting next to a small microwave...
If you don't mind go ahead, but I think it is VERY unhealthy


your computer is not emmiting hardly anything, the loss of the farraday cage is not a big deal. I would bet that my computer is not emitting any alpha or beta particles nor any gamma rays. And as for electromagnetic crap, i sit under it all day at school and in the sun, which are both much worse. Your monitor hardly puts out any rad. too. No big deal here!
 
The Stickie (May 27, 2001 07:30 a.m.):
Yes putting youre case open can make your hardware stay cooler, but there is one thing you forget: radiation

You're case protects you for most of it, but with your case open, you're sitting next to a small microwave...
If you don't mind go ahead, but I think it is VERY unhealthy

btw.......it's probably less radiation as you get from standing next to your microwave waiting for your coffee to heat, but at least you get the idea that you need protection. =)

Oh.....and NEVER have an X Ray done..........that's probably the equal to 60 years of being near a computer w/o the cover.
 
Shadow ÒÓ (May 28, 2001 06:18 a.m.):
The Stickie (May 27, 2001 07:30 a.m.):
Yes putting youre case open can make your hardware stay cooler, but there is one thing you forget: radiation

You're case protects you for most of it, but with your case open, you're sitting next to a small microwave...
If you don't mind go ahead, but I think it is VERY unhealthy

btw.......it's probably less radiation as you get from standing next to your microwave waiting for your coffee to heat, but at least you get the idea that you need protection. =)

Oh.....and NEVER have an X Ray done..........that's probably the equal to 60 years of being near a computer w/o the cover.

Sorry guys, but the only thing I ever heard is something like "keep your cover on; you're next to a microwave"

Don't have any evidence , just believed what I was told...
 
Never have an X-Ray? WHAT?! I get an x-ray about once every 2-3 years at the dentist. Now you tell me. Some other things to make you paranoid:

1. Cellular Telephones - Blasting hi-frequency waves right through your head.

2. Microwaves - Convienent, but deadly.

3. Metal Detectors - You walk through these almost every time you go to the airport.

4. High-voltage power lines
 
Your dentists Xray machine isnt killing you, ruf_ctr2. The yearly maximum radiation reccomendation (in milliRads - a rad is 100 ergs of radiated energy absorbed per gram of tissue) is around 1000*your age millirads, or your age in rads.
Your dentists x-ray machine puts out around 2 to 3 rads per xray if it is even reasonably modern, and they all are nowadays what with the regulatory agencies and all. Those levels have been determined to be "safe" by OSHA, and the number of rads your computer puts out, even with the case off, are in the range of 4 millirads per year.
btw, even with the case off, you are exposed to a lot more rads / year just by going out into the sunlight (see mom, I told you staying in the basement on the computer was healthy for me). Going out at night is only slightly better - that gamma radiation from space is a killer, especially when it isnt slightly tempered by cloud cover, and the suns radiation emission levels are ridiculously small when compared to space radiation.
 
If you are worried about radiation, get a Tri-Field meter. For cooling on the cheap, a large box fan and an open case are hard to beat. My case is cooler in the Winter and the Summer closed. The temps go up if I take a side pannel off but I spent a lot of time planning the airflow and have a bay bus that allows me to tune the airflow. The case temp never goes over 1C above ambient.
 
I tested this quite a bit. I ran the case open and closed. Then cut a 92mm blow hole in the side right between the PCI slots and the Processor. I then mounted a Sunon 92mm fan sucking air out of the case. I had a 80mm sucking air in. The temps actualy dropped by 2-3 degrees C and I had less dust to boot.

I'd also change the HSF you have. Golden Orbs are known for being cool looking but not providing effective cooling.
 
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