Topic: winter temps: how cold is too cold? (Read 2297 times)
I've got two BE Cubes that would stop hashing if it got too cold in the garage (in the teens F). We've had a pretty cold (for Texas) winter this year so I've had to reboot them a lot.
We are averaging between -10C to 0C over the course of several days. The rig is INSIDE, but NEAR a window.
I've recently rigged up a duct fan to pull in some of the cold air, but by the time it's near the PC I'd guess its never cooler than 0C to 5C, with an average room temp (near the window) of about 10C to 15C. Overall the GPU temp's have dropped about 5C and the fans run much lower now (which was the primary goal).
Bottom line:
In winter the GPU's are MUCH happier close to a window opened just a bit. It was almost a 10C difference from on the floor away from the window to on desk next to window.
Thanks for all the input.
- VR
I've recently rigged up a duct fan to pull in some of the cold air, but by the time it's near the PC I'd guess its never cooler than 0C to 5C, with an average room temp (near the window) of about 10C to 15C. Overall the GPU temp's have dropped about 5C and the fans run much lower now (which was the primary goal).
Bottom line:
In winter the GPU's are MUCH happier close to a window opened just a bit. It was almost a 10C difference from on the floor away from the window to on desk next to window.
Thanks for all the input.
- VR
I get 20-30C difference. But I have the window all the way open with a box fan blowing out, thus causing the freezing cold air to rush in through the rest of the window opening. This is with outside temps around 20-40f. When it's below freezing my cards can run in the 40s, but I end up turning off the window fan and just leaving it open so they rise back up a bit.
We are averaging between -10C to 0C over the course of several days. The rig is INSIDE, but NEAR a window.
I've recently rigged up a duct fan to pull in some of the cold air, but by the time it's near the PC I'd guess its never cooler than 0C to 5C, with an average room temp (near the window) of about 10C to 15C. Overall the GPU temp's have dropped about 5C and the fans run much lower now (which was the primary goal).
Bottom line:
In winter the GPU's are MUCH happier close to a window opened just a bit. It was almost a 10C difference from on the floor away from the window to on desk next to window.
Thanks for all the input.
- VR
The question of condensation has been brought up earlier in the thread, it can occur at any temperature. Most SMD capacitors fail to operate correctly below -30c.
I've recently rigged up a duct fan to pull in some of the cold air, but by the time it's near the PC I'd guess its never cooler than 0C to 5C, with an average room temp (near the window) of about 10C to 15C. Overall the GPU temp's have dropped about 5C and the fans run much lower now (which was the primary goal).
Bottom line:
In winter the GPU's are MUCH happier close to a window opened just a bit. It was almost a 10C difference from on the floor away from the window to on desk next to window.
Thanks for all the input.
- VR
Below -50 C you may start to worrie. Don't until then.
But theres another question connected to temperature effects - how wet is it? One cold wall/roof may cause a lot of water condensed. Shortage threat is much more real than pure cold issues.
But theres another question connected to temperature effects - how wet is it? One cold wall/roof may cause a lot of water condensed. Shortage threat is much more real than pure cold issues.
The question of condensation has been brought up earlier in the thread, it can occur at any temperature. Most SMD capacitors fail to operate correctly below -30c.
Below -50 C you may start to worrie. Don't until then.
But theres another question connected to temperature effects - how wet is it? One cold wall/roof may cause a lot of water condensed. Shortage threat is much more real than pure cold issues.
But theres another question connected to temperature effects - how wet is it? One cold wall/roof may cause a lot of water condensed. Shortage threat is much more real than pure cold issues.
The question of condensation has been brought up earlier in the thread, it can occur at any temperature. Most SMD capacitors fail to operate correctly below -30c.
Below -50 C you may start to worrie. Don't until then.
But theres another question connected to temperature effects - how wet is it? One cold wall/roof may cause a lot of water condensed. Shortage threat is much more real than pure cold issues.
But theres another question connected to temperature effects - how wet is it? One cold wall/roof may cause a lot of water condensed. Shortage threat is much more real than pure cold issues.
Liquid nitrogen is for computer chips protected by a metal shell. Not mobos & capacitors
Nothing is ever too cold for computers, look up liquid nitrogen cooling, etc.
I had a gpu rig running in the garage, it was running well even when it dropped below -20C, until it hung and I didn't notice for a few hours. Then it became very unstable and would only run for 20 minutes before hanging. I moved it indoors and it's been running fine ever since.
I'm guessing either the caps or the heatpipes froze. I should have lowered the fan speed, I had them at 75% because it had been in the garage ever since the summer when it was hitting 35C. If you have a multiple 5970 rig, and the gpus are reporting temps like 14C, then something is probably wrong
My first gen Avalon took its place in the garage, and it's been running fine for a few weeks. The fans are barely moving...
I'm guessing either the caps or the heatpipes froze. I should have lowered the fan speed, I had them at 75% because it had been in the garage ever since the summer when it was hitting 35C. If you have a multiple 5970 rig, and the gpus are reporting temps like 14C, then something is probably wrong
My first gen Avalon took its place in the garage, and it's been running fine for a few weeks. The fans are barely moving...
Which is fine until air temp increases quicker than the cold parts of the miner. I've seen server cases rusting when the aircon went wrong and was cycling the temp, leading to condensation on the server cases, despite the servers being on and outputting 40C air from the exhaust.
I'll keep this in mind. It's been -15F to about 10F for the last few days. It might "skyrocket" up to 30F today.
Quote
You will have problems with humidity in your PC
I live in Colorado where humidity's usually not an issue, but I'll keep an eye on it too.
As far as moisture/snow/rain,
I plan on setting up some small industrial venting hardware which would handle it.
Thanks for all the input everyone!
- VR
my bfl 60gh units are so happy on -20 Celsius.
there is no "to cold" temperature as long as miners are protected from snow or rain.
there is no "to cold" temperature as long as miners are protected from snow or rain.
My PSU's get cranky around -30 Celsius.
Which is fine until air temp increases quicker than the cold parts of the miner. I've seen server cases rusting when the aircon went wrong and was cycling the temp, leading to condensation on the server cases, despite the servers being on and outputting 40C air from the exhaust.
and condensation on components....
you know what is happening then...
you know what is happening then...
condensation?
?LOL
yea right...
nice one...
FYI condensation is catching on object that are colder that air temperature!
and with the miners you have exact opposite thing!
they are running hot and air temperature around them is cold.
do your physics home work next time.
It's funny how many people get that wrong
yeah
unbelievable.
and condensation on components....
you know what is happening then...
you know what is happening then...
condensation?
?LOL
yea right...
nice one...
FYI condensation is catching on object that are colder that air temperature!
and with the miners you have exact opposite thing!
they are running hot and air temperature around them is cold.
do your physics home work next time.
It's funny how many people get that wrong
and condensation on components....
you know what is happening then...
you know what is happening then...
condensation and humidity?
?LOL
yea right...
nice one...
FYI condensation is catching on object that are colder that air temperature!
and with the miners you have exact opposite thing!
they are running hot and air temperature around them is cold.
do your physics home work next time.
Built my rig inside a old Freezer, no problem at all 
and condensation on components....
you know what is happening then...
you know what is happening then...
HI
You will have problems with humidity in your PC
You will have problems with humidity in your PC
-10F is perfectly alright. Just don't let too much moisture come into the setup.
Heatpipes can stop working in excessively cold temperatures. I'd say -15C is the lowest temperature you should feed into your computer, or the working fluid in heatpipes can freeze, preventing heat form transfering and your GPU cores, or what have you, willoverheat out of control.
If there are no heatpipes though and it's just a solid chunk of metal, then run it as cold as you can get.
If there are no heatpipes though and it's just a solid chunk of metal, then run it as cold as you can get.
For some reason my KnC boxes don't like it real cold. They're fine once they're running, but they won't start up in the cold. In particular the BBB never boots, and its blue heartbeat LED never starts beating.
I keep a heatgun on hand for those situations, which I aim at the BBB for half a minute before I start it up. It's always done the trick so far.
I keep a heatgun on hand for those situations, which I aim at the BBB for half a minute before I start it up. It's always done the trick so far.
quick background
So for north america is winter time. Where I live its been cold (30 degrees F, 0 degrees C) for a few months. I have my rig about 12 inches from a window that I open just enough to let cold air in. It really lowers my gpu temps a lot and allows me to get high hash rates with no HW errors and fans spin at a low speed.
Ive since setup a simple contraption which funnels the air into my case quite efficiently (hopefully a picture attached soon).
My question:
Can the outdoor air get too cold that its harmful to my rig? Its currently about 0 degrees F and may hit -10 degrees F over the next few nights.
So for north america is winter time. Where I live its been cold (30 degrees F, 0 degrees C) for a few months. I have my rig about 12 inches from a window that I open just enough to let cold air in. It really lowers my gpu temps a lot and allows me to get high hash rates with no HW errors and fans spin at a low speed.
Ive since setup a simple contraption which funnels the air into my case quite efficiently (hopefully a picture attached soon).
My question:
Can the outdoor air get too cold that its harmful to my rig? Its currently about 0 degrees F and may hit -10 degrees F over the next few nights.
no harm unless there is a rain.
Quote
here is no "to cold" temperature
Actually you can get too cold and the electrons stop moving!
It won't happen without liquid nitrogen though.
at -144c http://youtu.be/QmSBaizEqkk?t=5m11sThe main problem is cold/hot cycles can crack lead free solder so best to try and maintain a constant temp and not let it fluctuate on BGA devices (GPU/ASIC) or they may one day stop working and need to be re-flowed.
I've had my rigs near a window that has been in the -0's F for months. They've have been great. I'm not sure below freezing is good for the fans though. I think just above freezing say 40F is probably ideal ambient air temperature for mining equipment rooms. Provided everything is properly spaced apart and air can flow around the entire room in between cards, all hardware, etc. And that air is exchanged with the outside for new air.
For my mining rig (various hardware including GPUs)
I just keep my room cold in... It sits around 25-40 degrees F, I prefer not to leave my machine by any windows without protection against condensation.
I would also add an extra mesh if you are just using a normal window screen. I use a compressor often as I live in a populated desert and the there is dirt flying everywhere some days. otherwise my macchines are fine at 60-75 degree Celsius temps easily during the winter.
I just keep my room cold in... It sits around 25-40 degrees F, I prefer not to leave my machine by any windows without protection against condensation.
I would also add an extra mesh if you are just using a normal window screen. I use a compressor often as I live in a populated desert and the there is dirt flying everywhere some days. otherwise my macchines are fine at 60-75 degree Celsius temps easily during the winter.
I've found that if i let my antminer get to 10 Celsius(on board reading) while mining, it has a tendency to constantly reboot. If I use a IR thermometer it usually reads -20 C. I think the super low temperature could be doing funny things with the electrolyte in the capacitors. So now I have it in a container that has a small vent, inside the box while mining it's usually around 10 C and the miner itself reads 35-40 while the IR shows 0-10C on the caps themselves. Could also be the PSU since it's in the same box...But anyways that's been my experience with mining in the frigid north.
my bfl 60gh units are so happy on -20 Celsius.
there is no "to cold" temperature as long as miners are protected from snow or rain.
there is no "to cold" temperature as long as miners are protected from snow or rain.
quick background
So for north america is winter time. Where I live its been cold (30 degrees F, 0 degrees C) for a few months. I have my rig about 12 inches from a window that I open just enough to let cold air in. It really lowers my gpu temps a lot and allows me to get high hash rates with no HW errors and fans spin at a low speed.
Ive since setup a simple contraption which funnels the air into my case quite efficiently (hopefully a picture attached soon).
My question:
Can the outdoor air get too cold that its harmful to my rig? Its currently about 0 degrees F and may hit -10 degrees F over the next few nights.
So for north america is winter time. Where I live its been cold (30 degrees F, 0 degrees C) for a few months. I have my rig about 12 inches from a window that I open just enough to let cold air in. It really lowers my gpu temps a lot and allows me to get high hash rates with no HW errors and fans spin at a low speed.
Ive since setup a simple contraption which funnels the air into my case quite efficiently (hopefully a picture attached soon).
My question:
Can the outdoor air get too cold that its harmful to my rig? Its currently about 0 degrees F and may hit -10 degrees F over the next few nights.
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