So, Those of you who follow IMC will no doubt be aware of this due to my vehement swear, bitching, complaining, and otherwise unpleasantness because of the issues.

I'm having computer issues. One of the fans in my desktop has apparently burnt out and is causing some nasty over heating issues. As is the computer could use replacing anyway, but I'm going to try and make it last as long as possible. So. Assuming I manage to actually keep this running, goody for me. If not, well, let's just say updates on my part will be slow.

Removing the side panel and placing a desk fan blowing in can work temporarily.

It'd be cheaper and easier to replace the fan instead of the entire computer, however.

Yes, and cleaning dust from the PC can often perform miracles. Though if the fan has in fact died, they're cheap replacements depending on which one it is. Case fans can be had for as little as $8. A decent CPU fan will run $50.

Then again, if the PC has been in need of an upgrade for awhile, now is as good a time as any

Banner said:

Removing the side panel and placing a desk fan blowing in can work temporarily.

It'd be cheaper and easier to replace the fan instead of the entire computer, however.

No, it can't.

A closed air case is designed with three things in mind. Air flow, Dust Prevention, and EM Blocking. By removing the side of the case, you're opening up a hole in the case, which screws up the internal air flow, allows dust to get in at an accelerated rate, and you now have a huge section where EM shit can get in. Fans of any kind generate an EM field with their spinning, especially if the blades of the fan are metal. All three of these issues are Bad for Business when it comes to PCs. Disrupted air flow causes things to overheat faster, because the air is not flowing where it was supposed to, Dust gets in quicker, builds up quicker, and causes heat to build up on parts quicker. And well, any form of EM is bad for any electronics. And if you demand references for this, you won't get them till after May when I move and have found my A+ Ceritifications text book, and my text book from Intro to PC Construction and Management textbook.

As for the PC, it does indeed need an upgrade, which will be coming about Mid May after I get moved, which will be a whole new computer, new case, new AMD Phenom II or maybe Athlon II quad core CPU, and a couple of other nice goodies, really depends on what kind of sales TigerDirect has after we get moved come May 1st. I'll find a way to keep this one running, or I'll just switch back to using the laptop as my main computer and this one as the browser PC that does nothing but have Firefox open at any given time. Although it's going to be rather difficult to switch back to the 1024x765 resolution of the laptop after having the 1680x1050 of the PC for so long. =/ But C'est la vie, and Que sera sera and what not.

I'd be curious to see the reference text that discusses EM field interference being caused by removing a side panel from the case. I can assure you that the plastic compound my entire case is made of does nothing to prevent EM field interference, whether all of the panels are attached or not.

Dust and airflow, that's another matter. Although in my area it would be hard to tell if the dust came from running with the panel off or not since there's just so damn much of it here. The main problem with temperature isn't that you're disrupting the flow, it's that with the panels off you get wild fluctuations which isn't good for the electronics and can lead to chips working loose from all the expansion/contraction. It's one of the arguments our A+ instructor put forward for leaving a PC on all the time. As long as the panels are in place, the ambient temp inside the case stays at a more or less constant level.

I had it backwards. The panels keep the EM generated by the computer from interfering with shit around it, like CRT monitors, and FM Radios, etc. Either way, still bad for business.

Have the issue more or less worked out now. Need a new coat of thermal paste between the CPU and the heatsink, but the problem is actually looking more like some kind of corruption in a stick of RAM. I'm still replacing this piece of shit come mid may though. But at least I know how to get it to work until then, and it's relatively inexpensive to fix.

Samson said:

Although in my area it would be hard to tell if the dust came from running with the panel off or not since there's just so damn much of it here.

Heck yes. When I lived in CA recently for ~5 years I had all kinds of issue with dust and computers; using compressed air would send clouds of dust flying out. Yuck. Even leaving a shelf untouched for a few days would cause a visible layer of dust. In NYC now, I have far fewer problems with dust, but now I have two cats and I contend with cat hair rather than dust.

@Kayle: Yeah, that sounds more like what we were told. Keep the computer from messing up nearby stuff, etc. I still don't see how my plastic-y case helps in that regard. Plastic is a lousy EM shield. It's not entirely plastic, but it certainly doesn't feel like metal.

@David: Yep. It takes very little time for everything to get covered in that layer of dust. Very annoying. Probably worse here in the inland valley since there's nothing keeping the desert dust out when the Santa Anas kick up.

Guh. It wasn't even a corrupted stick of RAM. The Idiot manufacturers must have missed the day in class that explained how to install sticks of RAM. Turns out the Motherboard requires that when two sticks of RAM are installed, and only two, that they be located in slots DIMM1 and DIMM3. These idiots had them in DIMM1 and DIMM2. There's a word for this setup and the opposite, but for the life of me both words escape me. But it's no wonder the previous owner had so many issues with the damn thing and just wanted to get rid of it. The thing isn't even assembled properly. But for as cheap as I got it, Meh. It'll do till I get my new AMD Phenom II Quad Core setup mid may. :D Although, by Mid-may the new Intel Core i7 Six Core should be released.. Maybe I'll get one of those...

Dual-Channel memory would be all I could think of to describe that. It can be a pain sometimes if the manufacturer does the slot setup weird. The 1/3 and 2/4 configuration seems to be the more common approach even though it's not necessarily obvious.

It doesn't help that some boards lay them out in the order 1 2 3 4 and others in the order 1 3 2 4
The friendlier boards color-code the slots so that you don't have to guess (much).