Build PC Without A Case?

dcf-joe · Jan 28, 2010

I was wondering, would it be intelligent to build my next pc without a case, and just put everything on a desk nearby my monitor, mouse and keyoard? Obviously, the airflow would be unmatched, but the entire idea seems detrimental to the hardware.

phanbuey · Jan 28, 2010

well... consider your environment... really if you have house parties, kids, pets, like to eat/drink at the computer, take your rig to lanparites/friends' houses... and any other activity that might disturb your hardware - then an open system is probably not a good idea unless its temporary. Which is why we invented cases in the first place.

If these things are not factors then then go for it.

dcf-joe · Jan 28, 2010

I am living in an apartment by myself, so I am really the only person by it. The entire "setup" will not be that close to the monitor and such, because I kind of get wild while gaming. Other than that, I think that I will go ahead and do it for the cooling benefits.

MT Alex · Jan 28, 2010

Check this out: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=1622641&postcount=4437

Chicken Patty uses these setups quite a bit. I think it is the best route for what you're describing.

TheLaughingMan · Jan 28, 2010

That is a testing rack and would be considered a case since you have to buy it. Those can get kinda expensive too.

Mussels · Jan 28, 2010

you dont get any airflow boosts at all.

Air flow is exactly that. air FLOWing, moving. making it open air doesnt give you any flow, it gives you passive cooling with all your parts at ambient temperatures.

You wont get any temp boosts, unless you had a terrible case with no intake/exhaust fans. It could even get worse than a decent case.

surfingerman · Jan 28, 2010

just tie strings around all your hardware and hang it from the ceiling fan.. it will be a wind chime PC

Jetster · Jan 28, 2010

Mussels said:
you dont get any airflow boosts at all.

Air flow is exactly that. air FLOWing, moving. making it open air doesnt give you any flow, it gives you passive cooling with all your parts at ambient temperatures.

You wont get any temp boosts, unless you had a terrible case with no intake/exhaust fans. It could even get worse than a decent case.

Unless you have a 19" fan running on it. Personally I like having a case just to protect the parts from the elements. And I live alone too. Shit happens

t77snapshot · Jan 28, 2010

dcf-joe said:
I kind of get wild while gaming.

extreme gaming! :laugh:

sorry I couldn't resist....

HammerON · Jan 28, 2010

Mussels said:
you dont get any airflow boosts at all.

Air flow is exactly that. air FLOWing, moving. making it open air doesnt give you any flow, it gives you passive cooling with all your parts at ambient temperatures.

You wont get any temp boosts, unless you had a terrible case with no intake/exhaust fans. It could even get worse than a decent case.

I agree with that as I have a Tech Station and it has never cooled the cpu, nb, gpu as a case with good airflow would. This while keeping the window open in Alaska during this cold winter!

douglatins · Jan 28, 2010

t77snapshot said:
extreme gaming!
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b10/T77snapshot/crazygamer.jpg
sorry I couldn't resist....

Omg if you get that extreme while surfing a empty web page, would not want to be your neighbor while you play something intense.

Also just components laying around instead of a say tech bench is very unsafe, since i can almost see a video card bending over and braking the PCI interface off

johnnyfiive · Jan 28, 2010

If you buy or build a tech station, get one that can accomodate fans that cool the NB, SB, and MOSFET/VRM areas. I spent $50 building mine and it had no issue keeping everything cool.

http://techpowerup.com/gallery/2231.html

TotalChaos · Jan 28, 2010

looking good dude

assaulter_99 · Jan 28, 2010

johnnyfiive said:
If you buy or build a tech station, get one that can accomodate fans that cooler the NB, SB, and MOSFET/VRM areas. I spent $50 building mine and it had no issue keeping everything cool.

That looks cool in my books! :toast:

MK4512 · Jan 28, 2010

Others beat me to it, but +1 to buying a workbench/techstation if you really want to have your hardware out it the open.

But I only recommend it if you are godly at cable management. If not, it will become a big problem...

johnnyfiive · Jan 28, 2010

Nothing that a few zipties can't fix. I cable managed mine and used the curly SATA cable method to keep cables close to the tech station.

Easo · Jan 28, 2010

I have this running for nearly month in a dormitory. DONT DO THIS!

johnnyfiive · Jan 28, 2010

Also, don't forget about the gutting an old case method either. Thats how I "built" a tech station for my second rig, an i5 750 beast.

amd/atifiend · Jan 28, 2010

if i were building something like that, I would probably go with an external dvd burner and perhaps an esata hd enclosure.

Jetster · Jan 28, 2010

That gives me an idea....may be Velcro some parts to the wall. Kinda part art part PC?

SnoopKatt · Jan 29, 2010

If you're careful enough, go for it. I guess you don't have much to lose by trying it out since you can always just buy a case later.

But if you're bringing a girl there and if she sees that, she's gonna be "WTF is that"

TIGR · Jan 29, 2010

I have two computers running with no case. Considering they hold a combined total of 12 OC'd GPUs and two OC'd quad-core CPUs running Folding@home, this is the best way to cool them. Cooler, cheaper, and I've had no problems. Easy to set up a box fan to further improve the cooling.

Some people worry about dust and such ... let's be honest, dust always gets into a system anyway, regardless of whatever filters may be in place. You're going to have to clean it off eventually anyway.

Everything is easier to access this way.

One concern can be noise, depending on the configuration. Having the parts in a case typically requires more fans, but some cases also dampen noise considerably.

System Name	Built By Me
Processor	Intel Core i9 9900K @ 5.1 GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra
Cooling	Custom Water Cooling - CPU Only
Memory	32GB (2 x 16) GSkill Ripjaws V DDR4
Video Card(s)	RTX 4080 - ASUS ROG Strix 16GB OC - P Mode
Storage	1TB Samsung 970 Evo NVMe
Display(s)	Alienware AW2723DF @ 280 Hz @ 1440P
Case	Fractal Design Define S2
Audio Device(s)	Corsair Virtuoso Pro
Power Supply	850W Seasonic Platinum
Mouse	Razer Viper V2 Pro @ 2k Hz
Keyboard	Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless - ROG NX Snow Switches
Software	Windows 11 Pro

Processor	13700KF Undervolted @ 5.6/ 5.5, 4.8Ghz Ring 200W PL1
Motherboard	MSI 690-I PRO
Cooling	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 w/ Arctic P12 Fans
Memory	48 GB DDR5 7600 MHZ CL36
Video Card(s)	RTX 4090 FE
Storage	2x 2TB WDC SN850, 1TB Samsung 960 prr
Display(s)	Alienware 32" 4k 240hz OLED
Case	SLIGER S620
Audio Device(s)	Yes
Power Supply	Corsair SF750
Mouse	Xlite V2
Keyboard	RoyalAxe
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	They're pretty good, nothing crazy.

System Name	Built By Me
Processor	Intel Core i9 9900K @ 5.1 GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra
Cooling	Custom Water Cooling - CPU Only
Memory	32GB (2 x 16) GSkill Ripjaws V DDR4
Video Card(s)	RTX 4080 - ASUS ROG Strix 16GB OC - P Mode
Storage	1TB Samsung 970 Evo NVMe
Display(s)	Alienware AW2723DF @ 280 Hz @ 1440P
Case	Fractal Design Define S2
Audio Device(s)	Corsair Virtuoso Pro
Power Supply	850W Seasonic Platinum
Mouse	Razer Viper V2 Pro @ 2k Hz
Keyboard	Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless - ROG NX Snow Switches
Software	Windows 11 Pro

System Name	ODIN
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2
Cooling	Dark Rock 4
Memory	G Skill RipjawsV F4 3600 Mhz C16
Video Card(s)	MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
Storage	Crucial 2 TB M.2 SSD :: WD Blue M.2 1TB SSD :: 1 TB WD Black VelociRaptor
Display(s)	Dell S2716DG 27" 144 Hz G-SYNC
Case	Fractal Meshify C
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Audio
Power Supply	Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Mouse	Corsair M65
Keyboard	Corsair K70 RGB Lux
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores	I don't benchmark.

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

Build PC Without A Case?

dcf-joe

phanbuey

dcf-joe

MT Alex

TheLaughingMan

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

surfingerman

New Member

Jetster

t77snapshot

HammerON

The Watchful Moderator

douglatins

johnnyfiive

TotalChaos

assaulter_99

MK4512

New Member

johnnyfiive

Easo

johnnyfiive

amd/atifiend

Jetster

SnoopKatt

TIGR

System Name	"The Triple Trader"
Processor	I7 920 D0@3.8 1.175v
Motherboard	Asus P6t Deluxe V2
Cooling	Prolimatech Megalahems 2x 1800 rpm 27 Dba
Memory	3x 2GB Mushkin enhanced Balckline 1600mhz 7-8-7-24
Video Card(s)	Saphire 5870(6) 2GB
Storage	2x 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Display(s)	3x 24" dell u2410 1920 x 1200 (eyefinity)
Case	Thermaltake Element G
Audio Device(s)	HT Omega Claro plus
Power Supply	Corsair 850w
Software	Win7 64 bit
Benchmark Scores	max stable 4.2 Ghz stable at 1.35v at 78C max semi-stable 4.494 Ghz at 1.4v (i don't want to put

System Name	Juliette // HTPC
Processor	Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard	ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory	Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s)	ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s)	ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case	Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s)	Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply	Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse	Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard	Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software	Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro

System Name	New Build - Oct. 2021
Processor	Intel i7 10700k
Motherboard	Asus TUF Gaming H570-PRO
Cooling	Corsair H100i
Memory	Corsair Vengence 16gb 3600 mhz
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte RTX 3060ti 8gb
Storage	1Tb Samsung 970 EVO NvMe m.2
Display(s)	27" LG Ultragear 144hz
Case	Fractal Design- Meshify 2
Audio Device(s)	Onborad dts
Power Supply	Corsair RX 650 W
Mouse	Roccat Kiro
Keyboard	Razer Tarantula
Software	Windows 10 Home x64

System Name	Threadripper
Processor	3960X
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix TRX40-XE
Cooling	XSPC Raystorm Neo (sTR4) Water Block
Memory	G. Skill Trident Z Neo 64 GB 3600
Video Card(s)	PNY RTX 4090
Storage	Samsung 960 Pro 512 GB + WD Black SN850 1TB
Display(s)	Dell 32" Curved Gaming Monitor (S3220DGF)
Case	Corsair 5000D Airflow
Audio Device(s)	On-board
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G5
Mouse	Roccat Kone Pure
Keyboard	Corsair K70
Software	Win 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	Always changing~

System Name	Sovereign // HTPC
Processor	i7 3770k 4.2 // i7 3770k 4.2
Motherboard	Maximus V Gene // Sabertooth Z77
Cooling	Noctua D14 // Intel HSF
Memory	16GB Samsung // 16GB VengeanceLP
Video Card(s)	Deciding // 660 DC2
Storage	OS (X25-M), Data (Seagate 1TB) // Samsung 840 120GB & bunch of drives
Display(s)	Samsung T240HD // LG TV
Case	TJ08e // Grandia GD08
Audio Device(s)	DT880 Pro 250 ohm // TV speakers
Power Supply	Seasonic Plat 1000 // Seasonic Gold 760
Software	Windows 8 Pro x64 // Windows 7 Pro x64

System Name	Main Rig
Processor	AMD FX-6100
Motherboard	Asus SABERTOOTH 990FX
Cooling	Fans:1x120mm, 2x140mm
Memory	16GB Hyper-X DDR III 1866 9-11-9-27-1T
Video Card(s)	Sapphire 6950 2GB x 2
Storage	Kingston V200+ 128GB SSD + OCZ Petrol 64GB SSD + WDB 500GB + WDB 640GB + WDB 750GB
Display(s)	Asus PA238QR IPS @ 1920x1080
Case	Lancool
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Realtek HD Audio
Power Supply	Corsair HX850
Software	Windows 8 Pro X64

System Name	Old Skool
Processor	E6750 @ 3.6 ghz
Motherboard	GA P35 DS3L
Cooling	Xigmatek Dark Knight S1283v
Memory	4gb Kingston DDR2 @ 900mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX 9800GT 512MB
Storage	SAMSUNG 320gb
Display(s)	VIEWSONIC vx2260wm
Case	HAF 922
Audio Device(s)	Realtek (on board) + Logitech x540
Power Supply	CM 550w
Software	W7 Ultimate 64

System Name	MK4512's Computer
Processor	Phenom II X3 720 @3.4GHz
Motherboard	ASRock AOD790GX
Cooling	Artic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
Memory	4 GB GSkill DDR2 800 RAM @4-4-4-12
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Radeon 4890
Storage	500GB Seagate
Display(s)	22" Philips 1920x1080
Case	Antec 300 (w/ New LED Fans!)
Power Supply	600w OCZ XStream Modular PSU
Software	Windows 7

System Name	Personal \\ Work - HP EliteBook 840 G6
Processor	7700X \\ i7-8565U
Motherboard	Asrock X670E PG Lightning
Cooling	Noctua DH-15
Memory	G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB Black 32GB 6000MHz CL36 \\ 16GB DDR4-2400
Video Card(s)	ASUS RoG Strix 1070 Ti \\ Intel UHD Graphics 620
Storage	2x KC3000 2TB, Samsung 970 EVO 512GB \\ OEM 256GB NVMe SSD
Display(s)	BenQ XL2411Z \\ FullHD + 2x HP Z24i external screens via docking station
Case	Fractal Design Define Arc Midi R2 with window
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC1150 with Logitech Z533
Power Supply	Corsair AX860i
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Corsair K55 RGB PRO
Software	Windows 11 \\ Windows 10

Processor	AMD 965 BE
Motherboard	MSI gd70
Cooling	Koolance Exos 2.5 w/ cpu 350 block
Memory	8gb corsair Dominator ddr3 1600
Video Card(s)	2 sapphire 6870's liquid cooled
Storage	8 150 gb wd raptors in raid 0
Display(s)	Acer 24in lcd
Case	Thermaltake Armor lcs
Power Supply	Thermaltake Tough Power 1200w
Software	Win7 64 Ultimate

System Name	TaichiTig
Processor	i7 6800K
Motherboard	ASRock X99 Taichi
Memory	32GB DDR4 3200
Video Card(s)	RTX 4070
Storage	SSD + Misc. HDDs in DrivePool
Display(s)	BenQ PD3200U, Samsung C32HG70
Case	Antec Twelve Hundred
Audio Device(s)	Behringer UMC404HD, LSR308, Shure SRH840, AKG K612, Etymotic HF5
Power Supply	Corsair 750TX
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Deck Legend Ice Tactile
Software	Win10

System Name	5
Processor	Intel i7 2600k @ 3.675 GHz
Motherboard	ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 1155
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 212+ w/ 2 Scythe Fans
Memory	Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24 (2x4GB)
Video Card(s)	Intel HD 3000
Storage	(3) 1TB Samsung 7200RPM HDD's, (2) Maxtor 500 GB DiamondMax
Display(s)	SAMSUNG 2343BWX 23" 2048x1152 w/ Dell E207WFP 20" 1680x1050
Case	Cooler Master HAF 912
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair TX750W
Software	7 Ultimate x64/Lion