a pc question

[tony404]

how warm does a room have to be to give a computer a problem? Its about 81 upstairs where Im working dont want to turn on ac for the whole floor for one room. I signed a lease for a office but Ive been lazy to move. lol

[MikeSouth]

it has to be WAY warmer than that


even 90 shouldnt be a problem or 100

the temp inside your case probably exceeds that in places anyway specially near the cpu

so dont sweat it..ar ar ar

[Hell Puppy]

I'm sure if you have a manual it'll likely say something like keep it between 55-80 or so for a desktop, little wider range for a notebook.

BUT...just make sure you're circulating the air around the cpu and graphics card and you'll be fine for as much heat as you're likely to tolerate unless you take it to a sauna with you.

For a desktop, make sure it is positioned where it has room to breath, keep the dust bunnies out, etc. For a notebook, consider sitting it on a chiller, they're cheap.

You'll see blue screen of deaths coming out of nowhere if it gets hot long before it does any real damage.

[RawAlex]

PCs can run pretty hot before they get too upset. The room temp only is an issue because it lowers the ability of the computer to cool itself. Depending on your system / motherboard, you may find a utility from the manufacture that would allow you to see the CPU temps and such, which can give you an idea what is going on. My quad core I am working on runs about 40C to 55C depending on work load. The one I installed for the HT system has a much larger zalman fan on the CPU, and runs at about 30C.

If you start seeing consistant temps over 60C, you are likely to start seeing blue screens or having random resets. That would be a good time to worry. Otherwise, you may just want to turn on a fan and circulate the air around the PC, remember that even 81F air is still much cooler than the PC itself.

[SteveHardeman]

Turn your a/c on you cheapass.

:-)

[tony404]

thanks guys except steve.lol I know pcs run hot , I build them but what made me worry was.I read online that its dangerous to leave your computer running in a office building where they shut for ac off at night. That a room temp over 80 degrees can be fatal for the system.

[StrokeKing]

in time like this, i just make sure that cpu is open so it have enough air so it wont over heat.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by StrokeKing

in time like this, i just make sure that cpu is open so it have enough air so it wont over heat.

"open?"

What do you mean by that?
That could be disastrous if the case to the PC is ducted for cooling the processor, and/or power supply.
The case and fan(s) are designed to operate efficiently in a wide range of normal human environments, and 80 won't kill it. But linear power supplies, and even switching power supplies generate heat as a by product of regulation. Unless properly synced, damage can result. There are many monitoring programs that will read the information off your PC's internal sensors. Before the PCs were dumbed down for soccer mom's, most of this software was included and available at the click of a mouse.

There are lots of apps out there for this.
My PC lets me know with an alert the proccessor varies by more than .2v, which is indicitive of a temperature problem. They also monitor temperature. But as long as the Internal systems can deal with it, it's usually not a problem.

More importantly, keep the Vents (Front and Back-not just where the fan(s) is blowing.)

Once a year, vacuum the accumulation of dust out of the PC, but make DAMN sure you re-assemble it, so the internal ducting can work correctly.