Hello all, will running system with side cover removed harm system. I have read that system being enclosed in case is necessary for proper cooling due to engineering of air flow across mobo.

No, it shouldn't hurt a thing. I've seen many people do this because their case airflow is not up to par.

A good indication of poor case air flow is if the temps go down when you take the side off. If they go up, then you have good airflow.

Any particular reason you're thinking of running sideless?

I have also heard that it can interfere with cooling, but only in some cases. I have an HP that has a weird tunnel for a fan to blow on the CPU. I am pretty sure that it would cause problems if I ran with the cover open for a long time because of this. On the other hand, I have run computers I am working on with the case off for long periods of time with no apparent problems. If there is anything unusual about you case, use caution. You may want to think about monitoring the temperature to make sure it isn't getting too high.

Good luck,
Budfred

Thanks all, I am checking some old HDD to see if any are good and I use this system to check them. Leaving the side cover off makes it faster to hook up. Just curious about cooling and I have not noticed any problems so far running in this manner.

It also depends on what processor you're running.

On OEM systems, this can be a problem...for example, Gateway used a passive heatsink with no case fans on some of their P2 systems, relying on the PSU fan to provide cooling. This only works if the case is closed so that it pulls air in from the negative pressure provided by the PSU fan and keeps the air flowing...

Take the side off the case and the passive heatsink isn't going to keep the chip cool enough. As long as you have a hs/fan on your cpu, you should be ok, although the northbridge chip on some motherboards can get pretty hot. They sell aftermarket chipset coolers for this reason...

Ive been running an open case for over a year ;)
As long as there are no passive or ducted requirements (as posted above) the biggest hazards are dust, pets, and ESD {ElectroStatic Discharge IE> if your impulsive and reach inside without being properly grounded.) ;)