0 degree C!

[Dumbguy]

Now that I have your attention, yes, it does pertain to 0 degrees. I am building a garage pc out of spare parts. Do you think the cold (-10 through 30-ish) will affect the machine? Will I be able to use it in the uninsulated garage? I've heard things about firing up CRTs when they're cold, but never heard how cold cold is.

If it helps, it's an uninsulated Minnesota garage.

 

[amd_03]

I think that the cold won't hurt the actual computer, actually it might help. I believe that the colder it is the better it will run. I don't know about below zero, though. Problem with that kind of cold is the moving parts, like the HD. Another problem is the moisture and wetness. The system can't be in a wet area or the electronics start to corrode. Not a good thing. I think that you are right about the CRT in cold though. You might want to get some extensions for the video and mouse/keyboard to go inside somehow. Someone will have to comment on the HD and below zero ambients, because I just don't know. What is this conputer going to be for? By the way, I am over in western Wisconsin.

 

[mesarectifier]

A CRT is a tube...and tubes need to heat up, therefore cold is baaad.

I don't see why your idea wouldn't work - I run my system (with a 50% OC!) in a room that's still warm enough for shorts + t-shirt and it idles at 30 degrees very quietly and with the fans on full can get as low as 19 degrees for the CPU, so a -10 degree environment should, in theory, do good things for the system.

 

[chuckshissle]

Yes winter time is coming and here in Chicago it can be very cold. I'm going to try that out but instead I'll just place my pc by the window and chill it. Hope to get lower temps and high oc.

 

[Mousemonkey]

As far as I'm aware you should be ok so long as it's dry as amd_03 suggests the main concern would be condensation build up but with good ventilation that shouldn’t be an issue, HDD's usually have an operating temperature range of between 5 – 50 degrees c so you might have to watch the cold starts but once the comp’s up and running it should be ok, you on the other hand should make sure you’ve got your thermals on :lol:

 

[wolfman140]

Aye, wtf are you doing with a PC out in the garage that's freezing? Is it work related? If it is, what are you going to do? Wear mittens while you work on it? Mittens don't help too much with typing I don't imagine.

 

[avarice]

May I suggest you simply run a heatpipe from you home PC outside to a snowbank?

As others have mentioned, you need to have a 'normal' ambient temperature and humidity. Otherwise some of the less heat sensitive items can have issues, and some of the moisture sensitive items (i.e. the MB) will also have issues.

Cheers.

 

[Dumbguy]

Aye, wtf are you doing with a PC out in the garage that's freezing? Is it work related? If it is, what are you going to do? Wear mittens while you work on it? Mittens don't help too much with typing I don't imagine.

Well, you know...The garage is a safe haven. I've got the radio, fridge, couch, carpet and tools out there. I figure that it would make it easy to look something up if I were wrenching on a car or play a game in solitude.

So, you think the CRT is out huh?

 

[Dumbguy]

We do get some pretty dry (nosebleed) winters. But, spring and summer are pretty humid.

 

[avarice]

I just recalled that ZALMAN makes a dust free case which might work well in limiting the impact of humidity as well - since air does not flow through the case. It cools by a series of heatpipes.

The model is TNN-500A. This would not do anything for cold CRTs or lubricant in moving parts - but it might be part of an eventual solution.

Just a thought.

 

[trixst4r]

Aye, wtf are you doing with a PC out in the garage that's freezing? Is it work related? If it is, what are you going to do? Wear mittens while you work on it? Mittens don't help too much with typing I don't imagine.

Well, you know...The garage is a safe haven. I've got the radio, fridge, couch, carpet and tools out there. I figure that it would make it easy to look something up if I were wrenching on a car or play a game in solitude.

So, you think the CRT is out huh?

So pretty much your garage is your hideout when your parents/wife/husband/partner kicks you out of the house? 8)

 

[Dumbguy]

Yeah, my wife says I spend too much time inside on the computer. She's right.

 

[ivoryjohn]

I think leaving it on 24/7 would be ok, but I wouldn't want to expose the hard drive to the condensation from powering it off and on in those extreme temperatures.

 

[tool_462]

I live in Minnesota also, and sometimes during winter, I open my dorm windows all the way (when my roommate is gone, hes a little girl when it comes to cold) and see ambient temps under 0C on my PC I am using a Samsung 20" FlatScreen CRT monitor and haven't had an issue with it. I am excited to do it this year since I have a D805 and I would like to see if I can push 4.25 ghz for some screenies and benches. I think a CRT monitor is fine around 0C, you have to remember that is only 32F which isn't too cold. Our TV is by the window and is always about 30-40F and has never had an issue.

Though we did pick up a free 42" monster Toshiba TV that we had to warm up with a hairdryer to turn on But it was great for four player Halo2 matches. So there is some truth to cool temps not working for some cathode tube driven display devices.

Where about in Mini-soh-tah are you?

 

[Raeven_Zero]

get one of those small heating plates made for coffee cups....run the cord through one of the expansion slots.....plug it in for a little bit before you turn your pc on......posistion it under your hard drive.....not too much heat, but enough to start it......think of it as a diesel heater for your truck....just enough to keep it from gelling.

 

[MarcusL]

Your PC was probably be build with commercial grade components rated from 0C to 85C. If you have no-name parts inside, they might not even have that temprature range. They might not like the cold as much as the cpu would...

1) component values are not constant with temperature
2) oscillators and clock generators can be flaky when outside spec temperatures
3) electrolytic capacitors have liquid inside that could freeze and rupture metal can or fail to function since the electrolyte is no longer fluid

If you left the system running, it might stay warm enough to prevent itself from freezing. Turn down/off some fans or tape up some vent holes and monitor the temps at idle and load. Cold is not always the computer's friend.

 

[tool_462]

That is true, those are all dangers of running a PC when it is cold. 0C hasn't harmed my PC or others I have seen run at 0c, but -10 to -30 like the OP said, could cause that stuff to happen.

32 degrees Fahrenheit is not very cold, we are talking Minnesota here :twisted: Embarrass, MN has seen air temps of -60F! Wind chills of -100F. That is cold, that would damage a PC

 

[Dumbguy]

I live in Minnesota also, and sometimes during winter, I open my dorm windows all the way (when my roommate is gone, hes a little girl when it comes to cold) and see ambient temps under 0C on my PC I am using a Samsung 20" FlatScreen CRT monitor and haven't had an issue with it. I am excited to do it this year since I have a D805 and I would like to see if I can push 4.25 ghz for some screenies and benches. I think a CRT monitor is fine around 0C, you have to remember that is only 32F which isn't too cold. Our TV is by the window and is always about 30-40F and has never had an issue.


Where about in Mini-soh-tah are you?

So there's hope! I guess the monitor would by my big concern, but nothing a heat gun wouldn't solve.

I'm out of Brooklyn Center, home of the "We have no local pc shops!" I have to drive down to Dinkytown for anything decent.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

I used to live in northern minnie soda,and we has a building that was low heated during the night and mostly fireplace by day.In the morning it was below freezing on coooold days,as this was awhile back I had an old 486 which was new at the time,and tho the hd sceamed a lil never had a prob (tho I did fire up the fireplace first!!)And yea powder snow in good ol minnie soda,not alot of humidity there in the winter.Good luck,and if it roaches your system uff da

 

[tool_462]

Lol, minnie-soda and uff da in a post on THG. Just kidding, but it is only funny to those of us that live here.

To Dumbguy: I am not from St. Paul but I go to Hamline University here and would like to know what local PC shops there are in dinky town? Only place I have known other than Best Buy and the like, is DC ComputerMods and Gaming in Burnsville, and clearly that is not within biking/bus/running distance as I don't have my car here at school.

 

[amd_03]

Theres a place on University Ave called General Nano Systems that has some good stuff. Built my first PC from their stuff. Website is www.nanosys1.com.

 

[tool_462]

danke, will check it out

 

[shawnpaul3]

Yeah, my wife says I spend too much time inside on the computer. She's right.

LOL...same here. I think I'll take up your idea and move my pc to the garage. Here in Denver, the winters are perfect...dry and not too cold.

Leaving your pc running 24/7 would be ideal. Turn off the feature that turns your monitor off after a certain amount of time. That way you won't have to worry about turning on your mon in the cold. I think you would be golden in that environment.

 

[Dumbguy]

Theres a place on University Ave called General Nano Systems that has some good stuff. Built my first PC from their stuff. Website is www.nanosys1.com.

Yeah, tool, I PM'd you more info too. But locally, Nano is the best.

 

[Dumbguy]

I thought about that too. Just set a screen saver so I don't get any burn in?