# PC & a cold room ?



## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

Hi can a PC be affected if left in a room where temperature as turned cold or no heating at the time ?

Thx


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## dbn (Dec 16, 2003)

Extreme heat as well as extreme cold can damage a computer. Cold initially could prevent a system from booting up, but eventually can harm the hardware. Heat damage is usually more prevalent.


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## mobo (Feb 23, 2003)

You'll have to watch for moisture and corrosion there as well.


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

OK thx


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

Would it help to leave PC on all time, don't normally, but lately noticed when cold there is alittle more noise from PC only for seconds as if warming up ? & internet slow at first


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## mobo (Feb 23, 2003)

It would help joe as the hard drive, cpu and ram will not get as cold due totemperature loss. Also set the settings for the monitor not to shut off like a sleep mode (have the screensaver running the whole time to keep that warm as well..


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

Cheers for that !! .............. you mean put in standby after , screen saver set


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## mobo (Feb 23, 2003)

What I mean is some people including myself have in power management the monitor set to power down after a set time of non-usage. That would be counter productive to you as your monitor would be best suited left on and running at least a screen saver in that cold to keep it healthy.


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

Ok ................how can I check if I have this power management ?


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## mobo (Feb 23, 2003)

Control panler / power management and it shold be in a dropdown menu Joe.


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

OK Mobo...........I'LL just leave everything on with screensaver activated ....................thx


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I guess you have to define _Cold Room_. There is no condensation issue with turning on a piece of electronic equipment in a cold room, since it's the same temperature as the room. Also, when you turn off the equipment, that also shouldn't be an issue, since any condensation forms on the colder surfaces, that's not likely to be the equipment that was generating heat.

If you have a room that's above freezing all the time, I don't see any issues in starting and stopping a PC in that environment, and I seriously doubt any condensation issues will arise.

When I run tests on avionics equipment from -55C to +100C, the only condensation issues arise when bringing a cold piece of equipment up in temperature too quickly, because the equipment is colder than the surrounding air. In the environment we're discussing here, that will never be the case. IMO, this is a non-issue as long as the room temperature stays within the operating temperatures of the equipment in question.


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

Hi there......... thx ...........it tends to be on nights that are very cold below zero ..so guess leave PC running then..... might help


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## raybro (Apr 27, 2003)

Hi Joe... I'm with johnwill on this one. Unless you live in an arctic environment, it's unlikely any problems would result from powering your system on and off. Likewise, condensation would not be an issue in this circumstance. So, as johnwill said, the key criteria is ... HOW cold is your _Cold Room_.

The effective "thermal cycle" your equipment would go through, is probably pretty benign relative to standard environmental testing parameters to which electronic equipment is subjected.


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

Cheers !


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

> _Originally posted by joe2cool:_
> *Hi there......... thx ...........it tends to be on nights that are very cold below zero ..so guess leave PC running then..... might help *


If your actual room goes below 0C (32F) at times, the equipment should be left running. Many consumer grade electronic components are rated from 0C to 70C, and computers and hard disks are typically rated 0C to 40C, and popular hard disks go 5C - 40C (Maxtor) or 5C - 55C (WD). In those ranges, you can turn them on, off, or whatever.  I've found that electronic equipment that is running will frequently work down to amazing temperatures, we've had avionics working down to -85C, but you wouldn't want to turn them off and try to get them running again!


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## mobo (Feb 23, 2003)

Thanks John...and that goes especially for monitors as thier temperatures will rise quickly.


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## joe2cool (Feb 7, 2002)

Thx guys you've been realy helpful & informative appreciated 

Have a fantastic day !!


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