Building or finding a gaming PC for a hot, humid, salty environment.

islandgamer

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Aug 5, 2015
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First, thanks to anyone who reads and/or responds to this thread.

I'm interested in either buying pre-made or building a desktop PC that can handle games. It doesn't have to be absolutely state of the art, because I'm on a budget.

The big issue is that the PC would be operating in a hot, humid, salty environment. I live on a tropical beach on the equator. My bedroom is approx 25ft from the water at high tide, and in the windy season my house can be bathed in sea spray pretty much constantly. The air temp is about 80F - 90F, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It tends to be about 80% humidity, and rains a ton. My house is not and cannot be air conditioned. The windows are often open, but there are screens which help keep the sea spray from getting in.

So what could I look for in a PC in terms of components, features of components, cooling, etc. that will help maximize its durability and performance in this sort of environment?
 
Solution
I'll put something together that would be a reasonable PC to get the job done :) Basically a "sweet spot" PC. Okay so we are going to need a lot of fan filters to keep dust out. Humidity + Dust basically = mud. Now I don't know if I need to spell it out for anyone but mud and computers don't go well together 😛.

Have you ever considered an air dehumidifier. Two of these in the computer would be pretty good: https://www.eva-dry.com/dehumidifiers/eva-dry-333-mini-dehumidifier/

I believe they fill up quick so try to avoid moving the computer. Another thing, although I've never seen it done, is spraying neverwet on all of the parts. This is really sketchy though and I don't want to suggest it. Just an idea. Try researching it some more...
There are no electronics stores here... I'd just order everything online. I can ship stuff to friends in the US who can ship to me, so any vendor that can ship to the US works fine for me.
 


I have this board and it kicks butt so far. If you can afford it (we are looking at like a 1200 build cost most likely) you can get the board
 
MasterDell,

Thanks for the help. I'm not sure what a reasonable budget would be... I have a monitor/keyboard/mouse already, so the entire budget would go to the PC. Could I put something together for $500? What about $800? $1000? Again, doesn't need to be state-of-the-art by any means. If I could just play most games (RPGs and strategy) that have come out in the last several years, I'd be ecstatic.
 
I can help with this, too. Looks like you have a flexible budget. You can skip out on the SSD if you like.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $876.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-05 21:44 EDT-0400
 


That's a pretty solid machine actually. My advise would be to go with something like this or this exact build. My only worry is the humidity and corrosion of salt water. Have you seen any evidence of other computer like stuff being corroded yet?
 
I'll put something together that would be a reasonable PC to get the job done :) Basically a "sweet spot" PC. Okay so we are going to need a lot of fan filters to keep dust out. Humidity + Dust basically = mud. Now I don't know if I need to spell it out for anyone but mud and computers don't go well together 😛.

Have you ever considered an air dehumidifier. Two of these in the computer would be pretty good: https://www.eva-dry.com/dehumidifiers/eva-dry-333-mini-dehumidifier/

I believe they fill up quick so try to avoid moving the computer. Another thing, although I've never seen it done, is spraying neverwet on all of the parts. This is really sketchy though and I don't want to suggest it. Just an idea. Try researching it some more.

Now, there is a method of cooler a PC called "Mineral Oil" Now this is a pretty interesting method which is more of a fun thing to do than a practical one. But it would definitely be of use to you due to the environment you're in. But once again, wouldn't recommend it. Mineral oil cooling a computer is pretty difficult. It takes some time and skill. 60% humidity is generally considered to be almost the most a desktop computer can face. That's why I'm a little hesitant 😛 Laptops and phones aren't as susceptible as desktop computers are.

This build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3grJdC

I added an extra fan in case one craps out on you. (Good idea to get it due to your location).

I read on a forum and a guy said he was from Malta where it is apparently 95%-100% humid regularly and he has never had any problems.

Honestly, the only thing I can tell you is that you need to keep the thing pretty well completely dust free. Meaning no carpet. Also, make sure you put on those fan filters. The dehumidifiers would be nice. 1 would do the trick but if you don't get one at all I guess that's fine too. Oh and another thing you should add is this thermal compound: https://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-silver-thermal-paste-as535g

Thermal compound will save your but in case you have to do any repairs.

Here are those fan filters:
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=68729&vpn=FF122&manufacture=Silverstone%20Technology I would buy 3 of these as a precaution. 2 is a must.

Then one of these: http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=85620&vpn=SST-FF143W&manufacture=Silverstone%20Technology

This one above would be for your power supply. You would just put it on top with the PSU fan facing upwards.

I hope all of this helped :) As always, feel free to ask questions :)


 
Solution
First, huge thanks to MasterDell and bsod1 for the detailed replies, and to xxvolwarexx for the additional input.

I do think salt corrosion becomes an issue eventually. I had a laptop here that finally crapped out but it lasted 3 years here, and it was already 2 years old when I brought it here. Once my laptop crapped out I brought an old Dell desktop here that I was using in the same room in my house. It lasted about 6 months here, but it was already old and dusty and beaten up when it got here. I think it got fried by heat and dust... Grand Theft Auto 4 (probably the most graphically intensive game I had) stopped functioning, then Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins... from there it was a short time before it just died. I don't have the expertise to say exactly how it died or what component ultimately failed.

Metal stuff does tend to corrode, rust here. I've had a couple iPods stop functioning because they couldn't charge anymore because they got rusty/corroded around the charger input.

The room in which the computer sits would not contain any carpet, and in general I would not consider it a super dusty environment. Its not as if I'd have it directly getting blasted by salt water spray, but the particles are small and I'm sure some would get in regardless. Cars and bikes tend to die quickly here too because of rust/corrosion.

Right now I'm just exploring options. I really, really would love to be able to play games, but the climate is one big impediment. The island has like 1995-level internet speed too, plus I don't currently have internet at my house, which makes modern games difficult because so much tends to rely on DLCs and big patches and whatnot. Part of me thinks that it might be best just to get an old laptop or something so that I could at least play a few old games (Morrowind, Civilization 3, Alpha Centauri, Diablo 2, Baldur's Gate 2, etc.), but I'd LOVE to be able to play some newer games also.

This is my first time on this forum... I don't know anything about this "selecting the best answer" stuff... obviously MasterDell and bsod1 you guys have both given fantastic detailed replies and I really really appreciate it.
 
The mineral oil computer I mentioned earlier would definitely survive. But that is a pretty big pain to build. I think getting some sort of gaming laptop would be a good idea. Laptops are always better off than desktops in humid environments.

(The best answer is to be selected by you, the poster by the way.) (Just ignore what I said it bold. I said it because volware selected it. The best solution just helps people when they search this stuff in google or on the forum). Oh and come to thing of it, you can buy a ZBox. It's a super small computer which is passively cooled. Meaning it doesn't use fans. I suspect that this would live longer than a desktop/laptop due to the fact that it has no fans. I don't know though, just a though and something I think you should look into :)
 
Looking at the Zbox website, I'm just seeing this mass of tons of different Zboxes but I'm not sure how to differentiate what would be good for my needs... how do I find some that would be decent for gaming?
 
The reason I said desktop initially is because they tend to be cheaper... what would you recommend by way of laptop? Also, would I need to open up the laptop and clean it often? And what about one of those cooling pads for a laptop... would that be something worth getting?
 
Very interesting question and one that concerns me since I may build a computer for my in-laws in the Philippines. They are not quite as close to the beech as the original poster.

Whatever the build, here is what I'd try.

1) One intake fan that is custom built with 2 dehumidifiers removing moisture and blowing their drier air into the intake. Use some sort of cloths dryer tubing or similar to keep the dehumidifier air from mixing with normal sea air. A single intake fan in the computer case will draw this air.

2) Reverse any other fans on the case so they pull air out, not blow it in. Basically helping the intake fan pull across your motherboard and other components.

Something like BasicWu dehumidifier for $49 each should help that computer work a lot longer.