You're trying to save a few bucks on your computer build, but instead of skimping on
your GPU, your RAM, or your storage, what if you just didn't bother buying a case?
Think about it, it doesn't really do anything for you in terms of performance, so is it
really that bad just to leave your parts out in the open, or just stick them into a cardboard
box instead of shelling out for a fancy case with tempered glass and RGB?
Well, it could be that bad. Cases do a lot for you other than just enclose your parts and look nice, and some of those
things may not be super obvious. Let's first talk about physical protection, and while you probably don't need me to explain
that cases block your components from liquids and pets and hammers, they also keep your components
from being damaged by static. It's pretty easy to short out an exposed motherboard just by touching it if a static
discharge occurs, especially if you live in a dry environment.
But if you happen to zap just the outside of your case, the excess electricity should
just harmlessly find a ground instead of frying your expensive parts.
And a case is cheaper than hiring a dedicated security guard to slap the hands at anybody
who wants to poke it. A good case will also keep dust away from components, which is important as dust buildup
can cause overheating by insulating your components and impeding airflow.
Running your computer without a case can cause significantly more dust buildup, and it isn't
just because you don't have a big side panel blocking it out.
If you're not using a case, you probably have your motherboard lying flat, meaning
it'll naturally collect more dust, and that dust could potentially settle into your PCI
Express slots. But possibly even worse, any components that have a fan on them, such as a graphics card
or CPU coolers or PSU, will collect a lot more dust when exposed than they would if
they were nestled inside a case. Although case fans can obviously get choked up with dust as well, it's better to have
these act as a line of defense against dust instead of having the dust directly attacking
your power supply. And even better, if you have your case fans configured properly, they'll create a positive
pressure in your case that'll keep even more dust out, meaning you could go a long time
without needing to clean inside your computer.
So you get it by now, cases keep the bad stuff out, but let's say you never touch the inside
of your PC while it's on, and you vacuum so compulsively that your house has less dust
than an Intel fab. Is it still worth using a case?
Well it might seem like just putting your motherboard on a flat surface and plugging
things into it is pretty safe, many PCs have heavy components that could easily damage
the whole system if they're jostled just a little bit.
The most obvious one is the graphics card, as higher end models are often beefy enough
to completely rip out a PCI Express slot if it topples over.
And if you just leave the card unsupported without screwing it into something like a
test bench, you're probably going to at least see it wobble precariously.
All the one coolers and power supplies can also tip over the whole works if not properly
secured, so at the very least, don't put your setup near the edge of a table.
But beyond safety, cases offer other benefits. They reduce noise, especially if you opt for a model that features acoustic dampening instead
of a side panel window, they also make your system a heck of a lot more portable and give
you extra connections on the front panel. But is there ever a good reason not to use a case?
Well, as long as you have a proper test bench or other open air setup that correctly secures
heavy components, going caseless can be a good idea if you do a lot of parts testing,
or if you need to connect lots more storage than your case will support, or if you have
a specialized use case like running a bunch of mining GPUs.
But for most of us, just pony up and get a cheap case.
The messy hackers den look is only cool until you've lost a week's worth of coding because
of a mishap involving late night pizza delivery and an exposed CPU socket.
Dangerously cheesy. So thanks for watching guys, if you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, and hit
us up in the comments section with your suggestions for topics we should cover in the future.