Case suggestions for High Ambient Temperature
Case suggestions for High Ambient Temperature
I am working on building a new server in my apartment that will have a reasonably beefy GPU and CPU so I can get PCIE pass-through working and get a gaming VM set up.
Trouble is, my apartment is in the attic in the south. With the AC on I had one or two really bad days last year that it got up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit inside with high humidity.
Any cooling suggestions for something like that? Is 90 degrees Fahrenheit still cool enough to reduce the temperature of my components? I would really like to avoid buying a phase change cooler, but that is the only thing I can think of if the ambient is too high.
90F should be fine. A lowish CPU temp is like 40C (104F) and that's typically the hottest component. CPUs are often made to go up to around 90C under load.
Thanks, I am thinking I need to build it with good air cooling and pay attention to the airflow and then see if I actually am having throttling problems in the summer. I am at work during the hottest parts of the day anyway so I won't be gaming for the most part until it is already cooling down. My other workloads are not GPU intensive.
I'd be more concerned about your computer making the room even hotter personally. To put it in AC terms, 500W of component power draw is 1700 BTU. May want to err on the side of more power efficient components.
But yeah, should run fine as long as you have good air cooling even if it's not ideal. Data centers are often run hot these days.
A phase change cooler would probably generate a lot of condensation in a hot & humid environment.
Maybe see if you can pipe the heat from the pc directly outside?
Good point on the condensation. I wonder how piping the outgoing air could work, but that is a good idea
Have you considered a water cooling setup?
Keep in mind that whatever cooling solution you use it's going to make that room even hotter.
Your best bet is getting a stronger air conditioner (that's kept far away from the computer) to cool that room. To deal with the computer heat you'll likely want to consider a unit with double or more BTU intended for the size of the room you're cooling and set to a lower temperature than what you desire during heavy use of the computer.
Even in offices with HVAC systems, the server room typically has its own air conditioner.
Thanks, it is an apartment so I can't upgrade the hvac. Does water cooling do anything other than get the CPU to ambient more efficient than air cooling? I just was afraid of leaks is the only reason I didn't want to look at that. Since I have never done it before.
Maybe what I need to do is build it and then see how it throttles on hot days in the summer and then address it then.
Thanks, it is an apartment so I can't upgrade the hvac.
Right, so what I'm suggesting is that you install an airconditioning unit in your window. If you're not allowed one that hangs out the window, using one of the ones that have two hoses to the window. (The popular one hose variation is terribly inefficient)
If you tell me there are no windows, I believe that is an unlawful dwelling and look into resolving that. Like having the landlord forced by the courts to install a good window.
Does water cooling do anything other than get the CPU to ambient more efficient than air cooling?
I'm not well versed in the nuances of this scientifically. However my understanding is that the reservoir behaves as a thermal battery, and could help in conditions where you don't saturate it with heat. basically it takes longer for the computer hardware to get hot.