This is designed to prevent a short loop of a specific kind, the one that draws back hot air not the other way around. If no top fans or AIO is installed then there is no reason not to cover the top of the case but then why buy a case like this in the first place?
It's to prevent the other way around too. Even if it's intake and the short loop is pulling air that isn't heated yet, it is still wasting airflow and extra noise, and dust buildup on a filter, for the amount of effective airflow through the system.
If you don’t want dust then you probably need a “clean room” like in a fab. In real world dust will find it’s way in one way or another and it’s not just gravity but static that will help keep it down.
Not so much, no. I have a couple systems I leave going 24/7, always have even if different systems, still filtered, and never have to clean dust out of them, just take off the front filter panel and clean that off every year or so. I could probably go longer, and have in the past, but it is easier to remember to do things yearly.
Keep in mind, not having to clean dust out only means that the dust does not build up to a problematic level, that they look clean from a distance, not that they're clean enough to eat off of. There is a very light coating of very fine dust after a year. If I bought more expensive pleated filter media with a low micron rating, there would be even less, but then the filters would also be a lot more difficult to clean and I might opt to replace them instead, which raises cost with no tangible benefit, and that type of filter only looks good if entirely hidden behind the front bezel with certain case designs.
Solid bracket covers would just make things a lot worse as the entire back is considered an exhaust and the bracket covers are located in the bottom. You’ll just trap more dust inside.
If done right, there is minimal dust to begin with, so whether there were a small % difference in dust trapped inside, is outweighed by the effectiveness of airflow, that you don't have to move as much air through a system if you aren't wasting the flow through suboptimal pathways, which in itself, results in more dust in a system if you hadn't been effectively filtering it to the point where it wouldn't have mattered.
I did the same a few years ago only to switch to perforated brackets which do make a difference. If you have a relatively clean environment and a straight forward air flow there shouldn’t be any major dust accumulation.
Perforated brackets are only of benefit if you have a card adjacent to the bracket that isn't getting enough cooling otherwise. It comes back to making the most effective use of the airflow you have, before having to restore to extra noise to move more air, with a % of that airflow wasted.
A design that all case manufacturers like. Passive holes are either for exhaust or to compensate pressure. This is hardly senseless everything is there for a reason.
The reason is that they assume the builder has almost no idea what they are doing, and that every bit of metal they remove, reduces the material costs of the case.
The idea of "compensate pressure" is fiction. You don't want to do that, specifically you want a positively pressurized case, to have all incoming air flow through a filter panel.
Appreciate that you are trying to claim you can't keep a system from getting too dusty, and that it is only because you are trying to argue away, what works to keep a system from getting too dusty. It is ironic.
Sometimes letting air pass thru is the best way to cool things even if some of it passes straight out of the case. If you start planning air flow paths that aren’t straight you will be creating issues. A wrong air current created inside the case can have negative effect. It is not by chance that most modern cases feature fans running the entire front panel.
Yes, which is exactly what should happen, front fans making positive pressurization through a filter panel. If you have positive pressurization then if you don't properly block all the passive holes, then at least they aren't sucking dust in, and only negatively impact useful airflow a little bit.
The wrong air current is creating short loops, where the fans are less effective because they are not pulling air across the majority of the system, instead just short loops. As mentioned previously, there is no benefit to the shorter flow path unless you have a specific component in that flow like a video card. Previously, years ago, southbridge chipsets were also an issue, but they were easily cooled enough with a heatsink and a lower front panel intake fan, as long as the HDDs and PATA cables weren't blocking airflow to the SB.
The idea is a solid air current running from front to back. Things get complicated when people start adding fans in other places but in the end it’s all a matter of good calculations not bad designs.
Yes, and all the passive perforations countermine that, reduce the effectiveness and amount of flow front to back, but to be frank, seldom is it the bottom of the back that needs any airflow. The PSU may be there in newer cases, but then it has its own fan.
It is one of the major reasons that the top is considered an exhaust point.
It is true that it makes more sense to make the top an exhaust point than intake in most standard ATX setups, but also makes more sense to not use the top at all, if the system isn't struggling for airflow. The majority of cases for many years, had no top fans and cooled just fine. It was more of a marketing angle of more is better, that so many have top fan mounts today, unless the owner is wanting to shoehorn a lot power hungry components into the smallest space possible, high power density, and then we are back to extra noise, and if not set up for more intake than exhaust (positive pressurization), dust ingress.
Define misconfigured. A system is what you make it. Most of the times you can make things better.
Misconfigured in this context: Doing something to make a line item feature for the marketing dept. that is actually detrimental to the majority of customers.
I have done at least my share of adding fan mounts where old cases didn't have them and realized the point of diminishing return, where more, is not better, if not targeting a specific component that has a heat issue rather than just turning a case into noisy and dusty swiss cheese.
Being versatile is a feature. There are so many configurations one can go for that for some it makes sense, for others it does not. You see no reason for so many fans where others see possibilities. In the end is what suits you best.
Being versatile is a concept for a case manufacturer trying to appeal to as many prospective customers as possible, not so much to the end buyer who has to reconfigure the case for best results. Remember, there have been cases without the top fan mounts for a very long time and they work fine, and are quieter, all else equal.
true
I agree but still it comes down to what anyone is looking for. Right now I am in search for a case for my new pc. I always find things I don’t like in cases. In the end I will end up with something and configure it the best way that suits me. The more the options the better. Dust is a concern but I tend to clean my pc twice a year anyways and I won't change that. Static electricity builds up during operation and unseen places like the inside of the PSU can hold a lot of it if left neglecteed.
I can make just about any case work well, and I even mean cases that started their life, only having the fan in the PSU as the sole fan in the whole system, but never have I needed to add top panel fans. I could see doing it for a water cooling radiator, just as the last resort as far as no other place to put the radiator, but otherwise, I have no desire to increase noise and ruin a well filtered case setup with excessive exhaust leading to negative case pressurization and noise escape.
Static electricity should not build up, with a dust controlled system and with what should be an earth grounded chassis through the PSU/mount/3-wire cord to it. You can still get ESD damage through some external events, like shuffling across carpet then grabbing a wired mouse, and blow out a USB port.
However, suit yourself. As long as you are happy with your temps and cleaning interval, that's what matters most.