PC safety question

[Trevor.trev]

I apologize if this isn't the right place to ask this. 

So my setup is currently in my garage, it is not air-conditioned and barely insulated.it has done well to combat the nearly 40c Temps, but my concern is the winter time. Everyone talks about how to keep your pc cool I'm just worried it's going to be too cool. Lows where I live frequently hit -5c. I'm not so worried about the low Temps as I am about condensation. My pc is air cooled so water freezing is not a concern. Would it be more optimal to leave the pc running during the winter, or should I outright remove it.

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

3 minutes ago, Trevor.trev said:

I apologize if this isn't the right place to ask this. 

So my setup is currently in my garage, it is not air-conditioned and barely insulated.it has done well to combat the nearly 40c Temps, but my concern is the winter time. Everyone talks about how to keep your pc cool I'm just worried it's going to be too cool. Lows where I live frequently hit -5c. I'm not so worried about the low Temps as I am about condensation. My pc is air cooled so water freezing is not a concern. Would it be more optimal to leave the pc running during the winter, or should I outright remove it.

 

For ultimate safety, remove it, but just leaving it running "might" be good enough.  Trouble is by the time you find out, damage is already done.

[Quackers101]

Very much depends on your setup, what kind PC and CASE do you use?

Also the power demand for your system, as if it gets very moist the more "exposed" electrical components are not going to like wet conditions, and more electricity you might push through, the more damage you might do and potentially fry the system or components?

 

As for coldness, not sure about all parts of the system and what they are rated for.

[YoungBlade]

Condensation shouldn't happen as long as the PC isn't colder than ambient. However, since it's in a non-insulated environment, you could have a situation where it gets cold at night, the PC is cold, and then as the temperature rises during the day, the PC is now colder than the air around it, and condensation happens. And, frankly, that's even a concern when it's hot out if the humidity is high enough.

 

As for the components themselves and low temps, hard drives are about the only PC part you really don't want running sub-zero. They have moving parts and are made of various materials that have different levels of thermal expansion, which can cause issues.

 

Your idea of running the PC might work. Funnily, this would be a situation where poor airflow could help. If you had the PC running and the case was a hot box, it would never realistically be below ambient.

[Quackers101]

*PC case watertight and all radiator on the outside*

[Trevor.trev]

17 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Trevor.trev
Accidentally reposted

[Trevor.trev]

I'm worried my case (MSI mag forge 100r) may provide too much air for the winter. The highest I've seen my cpu get under load was 77c while ambient temp was 38c. My cpu is Low power though. Ryzen 5 3500, 65w tdp