My Dad seems to think that leaving the side of a computer case off will somehow make the computer overheat or damage it. He says that all sides have to be on it, and no bays can be open in the front or it disrupts the air flow in the computer and will damage it. My question is, If I leave the side of my computer case off, and have a cdrom bay that has nothing in it and the front plate is not on it, will this cause my computer to overheat or damage it in anyway? He also wants me to say that i have gone through 3 power supplies, and he thinks this is the reason why. Please help us clear this up.

i think he's pulling himself, leaving a side off wont "overheat" it...things overheat because of theres no air getting in to flow the hot air out...with the side off dont you think theres more than enough air getting in?

I haven't had asid eonmy computers for over ten years. It won't over heat. If anythign it will allow extra cool air inside. You will have more trouble with dust spiders etc than overheating.

It's probable not the reason why you've gone through 3 power supplies but your Dad does have a valid argument. If you have case fans, the idea is that with the cover on, the air will actually circulate... Intake at the front and exhaust at the back. With the cover off, the only air movement is in the immediate area around the fans. The case fans are ineffective if the cover is off.

It's the same basic principle used by building/car air conditioning systems. If you turn on a air conditioner but leave all the windows open it does little good and the room isn't cooled as efficiently. (Like leaving the side panels off of a PC case.) But close all the windows and the room is cooled fairly quickly.


On the flip side, you will hear of people who solved their overheating problems by removing a side panel on their PC. That's the same principle as a enclosed room with inadequate ventilation on a very hot day. If the amount of heat generated exceeds the capacity of the cooling system, what do you usually do?.... you open a window (or open a PC side panel) to vent the extra heat.

Leaving the side panel off your PC will NOT cause it to overheat. Simple as that.

There are many reasons for leaving it on though. For example, while more 'cooler' air is able to enter your system, so is a lot more dust so you'll have to clean inside more often (dust insulates so if left your temperatures will rise)

Most cases also subdue the noise (to varying degrees) with all sides on so you'll probably notice an increase in noise levels.

If you have children or pets and the PC is on the floor / low down then you'll have to make sure they are kept away - children and pets will explore the interior of anything if access is easy.

Just a couple of things to consider.