suitable room temperature for using a PC

Horsefumbler

I was just thinking of something. I know a PC is probably run in a cool or even cold room but since thats not very convenient for us humanoids were obviously gonna turn up the heat in the room at this time of year in particular.

My question is this; Is there a sort of cut off room temperature that you should not use a pc in as it might cause it to overheat or something. The room I'm in now is pretty hot and my PC has good cooling fans in it that draw air in the front and then two that shoot it out the back but if the air is hot when it goes in well then it not really cooling anything is it?

Is this something thats really worthing worrying about?

gaui3d0pnbz86o

IIRC most manuals for electronics say to be used between certain temps, the upper limit being 45~50 degrees

snappieT

If the ambient room temperature is less than that of the components, then cooling will occur- even if it is only by 1 degree.

Go into your BIOS (Esc, Del or one of the F buttons on startup)
Most modern computers allow you to view the CPU temperature, and often set an alarm for it.

In my PC for example, if my temp is 65, I get an audible alarm. Once it reaches 70, it tries to hibernate. If it reaches 75, it does a hard shutdown (same effect as ripping the power cable out)

Bass.exe

Why are you heating the room with the computer in it? The computer will heat the room all by itself! It's the worlds most inefficient heater!

Well, presumably you don't heat your room above 22 degrees or so.
The ambient case temp will likely be around 30 - 40 degrees when the computer is running at full belt. Individual components will probably be anywhere between 50 - 80 degrees, depending on how much stress is on them, and how much power they suck up.

I suggest getting Motherboard Monitor - http://mbm.livewiredev.com/
You can set alarms and monitor temperatures from windows.

Oh, and snapscan, i assume the 65 degree alarm is for your CPU temp, as a 65 degree ambient case temp would be extremely worrying.

mp3guy

hmm, best temperature of a room for using a PC, i'd say around room temperature

Mutant_Fruit

One piece of advice: Never use a computer in a furnace. Thats the only problem i can think of

mayordenis

as long as your room isnt actually on fire you should be fine

elexes

Horsefumbler wrote:

I was just thinking of something. I know a PC is probably run in a cool or even cold room but since thats not very convenient for us humanoids were obviously gonna turn up the heat in the room at this time of year in particular.

My question is this; Is there a sort of cut off room temperature that you should not use a pc in as it might cause it to overheat or something. The room I'm in now is pretty hot and my PC has good cooling fans in it that draw air in the front and then two that shoot it out the back but if the air is hot when it goes in well then it not really cooling anything is it?

Is this something thats really worthing worrying about?

i personally think u would turn hte heat off before you damage ur pc from it

Oriel

The optimum room temperature for operating a PC is 20 degrees, though this does tend to be a bit cold to sit in...

Capt'n Midnight

Ideally you would want cool dry air coming in to the computer to aid cooling.
Since damp and very cold air ain't good you can't just connect the computer to an opening in the wall to the outside air. Hot air rises so keeping it low is good. Also good airflow is important so not having it burried under stuff is good.

You could also put polyurathane foam under them to deaden sound and prevent vibration.

snappieT

Bass.exe wrote:

Oh, and snapscan, i assume the 65 degree alarm is for your CPU temp, as a 65 degree ambient case temp would be extremely worrying.

Oh yeah, no worries. Winter is grand, it's only summer I have to worry about. 17 fans gets kinda loud, esp when you're cheap and can't afford anything other than the black unbranded ought-to-be-called-a-noisemaker fans that cost a tenner.

BTW, I do actually heat my room with the PC during the Winter. No radiators necessary. It's quite scary. 10 minutes from coldest day of the year to time to take off a layer of clothing.

Cheers for the concern...

is_that_so

yep 20 is optimum , but more so in a computer lab. Room temp is fine for one machine unless you like 30+ your self. In that case you could be in trouble. Otherwise just turn it on.

Khannie

I work for a chip company, and I deal with heat (power specifically, but power makes heat). A few degrees either way in your ambient probably wont affect you if you're running at stock speeds.

The die temperature rises linearly with ambient, so a 5 degree increase in ambient will result in a 5 degree increase in the junction temperature (internal chip temperature). There is a higher power effect associated with higher temperature, but it's reasonable not to consider it for a few degrees either way.

Basically, you've nothing to worry about unless you're overclocked.

BloodBath

Ideally you would want cool dry air coming in to the computer to aid cooling. Since damp and very cold air ain't good you can't just connect the computer to an opening in the wall to the outside air. Hot air rises so keeping it low is good. Also good airflow is important so not having it burried under stuff is good.

A lot of people have connected a case fan to an outside air source through tubing with air filters without any problems and a reduction in temps. Who's willing to go through the hastle and make a hole in the wall though.


BloodBath