computers and cold temperatures[OT]

[Gilles Gravier]

Hi!

On 11/11/2011 16:00, Colin Law wrote:
> On 11 November 2011 14:57, compdoc<compdoc at hotrodpc.com>  wrote:
>>> IS it a bad thing to have a computer operating, say, in a garage during
>>> the cold winters?
>> [snip]
>> Dealing with heat in summer is worse than the cold in winter.
> I think that might rather depend on where you are in the world. :)

Actually, it is GOOGLE who did a study on computer failure rates in 
warmer temperatures, and they found that hard disks, in particular, tend 
to faire better around 35-45°C, which is well above the normally 
prescribed datacenter temperature of 20°C. Have a look at : 
http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/labs.google.com/en//papers/disk_failures.pdf, 
in particular section 3.4 (temperature).

My guess is that at colder temperatures, lubricants tend to become less 
fluid, and more viscous, thus requireing more energy to move parts 
(rotate disks, move arms/heads) and that results in higher failure rates.

The rest of the machine, if properly cooled, can operate just as 
reliably at 40°C as it does at 20°C (provided individual component 
temperatures don't reach too high temps).

So operating a properly ventilated machine in warm summer weather is 
probably much safer than in cold winter temperatures.

Gilles