WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.160 You're trying to save a few bucks on your computer build, but instead of skimping on 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:08.600 your GPU, your RAM, or your storage, what if you just didn't bother buying a case? 00:00:08.600 --> 00:00:12.480 Think about it, it doesn't really do anything for you in terms of performance, so is it 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:17.200 really that bad just to leave your parts out in the open, or just stick them into a cardboard 00:00:17.200 --> 00:00:21.840 box instead of shelling out for a fancy case with tempered glass and RGB? 00:00:21.840 --> 00:00:28.920 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 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:35.840 things may not be super obvious. Let's first talk about physical protection, and while you probably don't need me to explain 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:41.600 that cases block your components from liquids and pets and hammers, they also keep your components 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:48.440 from being damaged by static. It's pretty easy to short out an exposed motherboard just by touching it if a static 00:00:48.440 --> 00:00:52.120 discharge occurs, especially if you live in a dry environment. 00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:56.960 But if you happen to zap just the outside of your case, the excess electricity should 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:00.960 just harmlessly find a ground instead of frying your expensive parts. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:04.320 And a case is cheaper than hiring a dedicated security guard to slap the hands at anybody 00:01:04.320 --> 00:01:10.600 who wants to poke it. A good case will also keep dust away from components, which is important as dust buildup 00:01:10.600 --> 00:01:15.480 can cause overheating by insulating your components and impeding airflow. 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:19.680 Running your computer without a case can cause significantly more dust buildup, and it isn't 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:23.160 just because you don't have a big side panel blocking it out. 00:01:23.160 --> 00:01:26.680 If you're not using a case, you probably have your motherboard lying flat, meaning 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:31.520 it'll naturally collect more dust, and that dust could potentially settle into your PCI 00:01:31.520 --> 00:01:38.440 Express slots. But possibly even worse, any components that have a fan on them, such as a graphics card 00:01:38.440 --> 00:01:43.920 or CPU coolers or PSU, will collect a lot more dust when exposed than they would if 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:50.680 they were nestled inside a case. Although case fans can obviously get choked up with dust as well, it's better to have 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:55.480 these act as a line of defense against dust instead of having the dust directly attacking 00:01:55.480 --> 00:02:01.320 your power supply. And even better, if you have your case fans configured properly, they'll create a positive 00:02:01.320 --> 00:02:05.720 pressure in your case that'll keep even more dust out, meaning you could go a long time 00:02:05.720 --> 00:02:08.800 without needing to clean inside your computer. 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:13.600 So you get it by now, cases keep the bad stuff out, but let's say you never touch the inside 00:02:13.600 --> 00:02:18.600 of your PC while it's on, and you vacuum so compulsively that your house has less dust 00:02:18.600 --> 00:02:22.800 than an Intel fab. Is it still worth using a case? 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:26.240 Well it might seem like just putting your motherboard on a flat surface and plugging 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:31.840 things into it is pretty safe, many PCs have heavy components that could easily damage 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:35.720 the whole system if they're jostled just a little bit. 00:02:35.720 --> 00:02:40.920 The most obvious one is the graphics card, as higher end models are often beefy enough 00:02:40.920 --> 00:02:45.360 to completely rip out a PCI Express slot if it topples over. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.800 And if you just leave the card unsupported without screwing it into something like a 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:53.240 test bench, you're probably going to at least see it wobble precariously. 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:57.200 All the one coolers and power supplies can also tip over the whole works if not properly 00:02:57.200 --> 00:03:01.960 secured, so at the very least, don't put your setup near the edge of a table. 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:08.640 But beyond safety, cases offer other benefits. They reduce noise, especially if you opt for a model that features acoustic dampening instead 00:03:08.640 --> 00:03:13.560 of a side panel window, they also make your system a heck of a lot more portable and give 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:18.800 you extra connections on the front panel. But is there ever a good reason not to use a case? 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:23.320 Well, as long as you have a proper test bench or other open air setup that correctly secures 00:03:23.320 --> 00:03:28.520 heavy components, going caseless can be a good idea if you do a lot of parts testing, 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:32.920 or if you need to connect lots more storage than your case will support, or if you have 00:03:32.920 --> 00:03:36.640 a specialized use case like running a bunch of mining GPUs. 00:03:36.640 --> 00:03:40.160 But for most of us, just pony up and get a cheap case. 00:03:40.160 --> 00:03:44.160 The messy hackers den look is only cool until you've lost a week's worth of coding because 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:49.600 of a mishap involving late night pizza delivery and an exposed CPU socket. 00:03:49.600 --> 00:03:55.160 Dangerously cheesy. So thanks for watching guys, if you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, and hit 00:03:55.160 --> 00:03:59.560 us up in the comments section with your suggestions for topics we should cover in the future.