Left PC overnight in Car in Cold Weather

[tyhagemeier]

I left my pc in my car below freezing temperatures. Once I brought it back into my house there was condensation build up on the motherboard, graphics card, etc. Will my pc run fine after drying, and how long should I wait to turn it on?

 

[volkgren]

It should be okay as long as you don't turn it on before it dries completely. I would wait several hours if not a whole 24hrs. You could get a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.

 

[tyhagemeier]

It should be okay as long as you don't turn it on before it dries completely. I would wait several hours if not a whole 24hrs. You could get a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.

Okay thank you very much.

 

[Barty1884]

Should be fine once dry. The condensation/liquid isn't going to do any severe damage by itself (potential that it might degrade/rust some aspects earlier than anticipated, but not immediately), but adding electricity to the equation will.

You need to be 100% confident all condensation/liquid is gone before even attempting to boot.

Personally, I'd stop shy of a hairdryer - but a fan simply blowing air at it will speed up the process.
Disassembly will help you identify specifically what needs addressed - and make drying it easier.

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Pull the side off and let a box fan blow into it a few hours. It should be ok.

 

[Karadjgne]

+1 disassemble. Wherever there is space for air to accumulate, you'll have moisture. That includes every single header underneath the pins, inside ram slots etc. Tear it down fully. I'd still use the hairdryer, it's more focused than a fan and will be able to get into all the cracks. If the psu was fan-up, get that too.