UPDATED: I did some BF1 tests with the top on and off.
Geforce 1070 with I7-8700 tuned as above. Game was at 1920 x 1200 with VSYNC OFF and frame limiter set to 200. Ultra Detail levels. Play testing was done on 64 Player Conquest servers.
Removing the top of the case yielded a few results.
GPU Temp: I saw a 2-3C reduction in GPU temperature. However, the GPU MHZ did not deviate nor did the fan speed.
CPU Temp: I saw a 3-5 C reduction in CPU temps. This did not change the Turbo of the CPU, which stayed at 4.3 GHZ the entire time.
HDD Temp: I saw a 2C reduction in the temp of the mechanical HD in the quick mount slot. It's a Seagate 5400 RPM model.
Overall: while the temp differences with the top off are measurable, repeatable, and tangible, they did not correlate with a change in performance on heavy gaming load. As such, I'll be keep the top of the case on.
Tonight or tomorrow, I will rig up an external exhaust fan to test to see if there is a tangible difference. I will mount it to top of the case from the outside, but keep it sealed so as to only draw air from the inside.
