Do computers work best in freezing cold rooms?

[TheShinyMac]

I'd imagine this would help a ton with cooling as the computers suck in cold air etc etc. Does the cold air actually damage the computers with the constant expanding and contracting of the boards, or does it not really matter? I know this isnt practical as the bill for keeping a room that cold would be extremely high, I was just wondering...............

 

[dukebound85]

freezing cold?

i wouldnt

 

[SkyBell]

A cool environment is best for them, but not freezing.

 

[GoCubsGo]

You want a room to have a lower than room temp ambient temp but that is really only super crucial if you're running heavy tasks that otherwise would raise the temp of your cores. Server rooms are kept cooler than normal because there is quite a bit of processing power going on in there, which ultimately raises the temp of the room itself.

I find my office or any room that houses my computers to always be at least 5º warmer than the rest of my house. It's hard to regulate the room.

Freezing cold temps aren't necessary and probably not fully recommended.

 

[alphaod]

Unless you run a server room, I wouldn't. Also you'd have to deal with humidity and make sure the room is as dry as possible—you don't want water condensing all over your computer.

 

[TheShinyMac]

Would server rooms do this?

 

[dukebound85]

Would server rooms do this?

dpeneds on the server room

i mean for like defense contractors and places where they have a crap load of servers and equipment vital for buisness, then yes

for the joe six pack who is using a mini as a server, no

 

[alphaod]

Would server rooms do this?

Yes if you have a room dedicated to just servers.

Do what?

I'm guessing lowering temperatures to freezing

 

[EricNau]

Remember, you computer/system is already equipped with a cooling system (i.e. fan) that regulates the temperature of its internal components, keeping them at a consistent temperature. Placing your computer in a cooler room will lessen the load on the cooling system, but you won't see any increase in performance as your system temperature will be practically the same.

 

[cube]

Typical computers operate down to only 5 °C, not freezing.

And do you have any idea how expensive it is to cool a server room just to an adequate temperature, not THAT cold?

 

[TheShinyMac]

Typical computers operate down to only 5 °C, not freezing.

And do you have any idea how expensive it is to cool a server room just to an adequate temperature, not THAT cold?

I already acknowledged how expensive it would it be, see first post.

 

[jzuena]

Would server rooms do this?

I've been in many server rooms for many different companies and while they are cooler than other rooms, they are no where near actual freezing (0 C/32 F). They are usually in the upper 60s F while the rest of the building is in the lower 70s F, but have lots more air movement which make them feel even colder (especially when the router or server you are working on is right over or under an air duct, which always seems to be the case ). Since servers and routers generally stay on 7/24, there is no issue with thermal expansion/contraction.

If you are looking for a setup at home, a standard air conditioned room in the summer is fine and as long as you don't keep it as hot as your grandparent's house in the winter nothing special is needed then. Here in the northeast of the US it is common to have basements and I keep my servers there. It is a pretty constant 60 - 68 F all year round and no air conditioning is needed. In the summer I keep the door to the room with my mini and a work Dell laptop closed since it is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house and is right across the hall from our thermostat and would make the air conditioner stay on more (the thermostat sensed that the whole house was at that higher temp.)

 

[spillproof]

Unless you run a server room, I wouldn't. Also you'd have to deal with humidity and make sure the room is as dry as possible—you don't want water condensing all over your computer.

What about using a computer in a 72°F classroom room then walking outside (with the computer on) in the 95°F heat with 80% humidity? Will something like your glasses fogging up in the same situation happen inside the computer?

 

[MadGoat]

Actually computers run best at -40 though there are cases out there that will bring it down to -50c and even -70c

But these are meant for idiots who overclock their systems.

Typically I keep mine around 55c

 

[jzuena]

Actually computers run best at -40 though there are cases out there that will bring it down to -50c and even -70c

But these are meant for idiots who overclock their systems.

Typically I keep mine around 55c

If you are going to be in the same room you need to also find a temperature that you run best at!

With liquid cooling I can see getting the CPU temp down to -50 C, but I don't know how the hard drive and optical drive would like running if the entire computer was in an environment at that temp.

 

[m85476585]

Batteries will not work well at very cold temperatures. That's part of the reason why it's hard to start your car when it's cold out (part of it is also the oil being cold, which makes it thicker). At very cold temperatures (colder than -20 degrees), plastics will start to become brittle, which could cause unexpected damage.

 

[mrsir2009]

Cool and dry is best! If you run a server room make sure the room is cool and dry, the servers out in the open and maybe some fans going against the servers.

At my school isn't pretty stupid because the school's 2 servers (a Mac Pro and an XServe) are shut in a hot stuffy cupboard and the room is hot and filled with about 20 more laptops lol... There are well over 100 Mac computers in the school running 6 hours a day (at least) so the servers are going pretty hardcore all day lol...