why do computers heat up faster during cold or winter period Thread poster: Brandis (X)
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Brandis (X)
Local time: 02:51
English to German
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HI! I have been observing this phenomenon for a few years. I hear more heated stories or crashes during the winter then in the summer, where one would assume and accept external heated up environment during the summer could be one reason, but the crashing frequency is higher durng the winter. Does any body know to explain Best Brandis
| | | | | The only logical explanation I have | Sep 24, 2006 |
This goes also for A/C and other appliances/tools/etc.
When it's colder, the cooling components need to cool more than usual - but they do have a limit (there is a difference between having just one fan in your PC and having four fans). Most of the time, when a machine works harder, it heats up more. All components have an ideal temperature range and when you get below that temperature range, the capacity at which your machine functions also changes. For example, regular AA batterie... See more This goes also for A/C and other appliances/tools/etc.
When it's colder, the cooling components need to cool more than usual - but they do have a limit (there is a difference between having just one fan in your PC and having four fans). Most of the time, when a machine works harder, it heats up more. All components have an ideal temperature range and when you get below that temperature range, the capacity at which your machine functions also changes. For example, regular AA batteries discharge faster in an iPod when you go outside in winter than when you stay inside.
Also, if because of heating, your house is warmer during the winter, maybe the temp sensor in your computer senses more heat than in summer and tries to adjust the cooling mechanism - which requires more resources, hence the little problems you are experiencing.
Finally, something you may want to try is put your computer in a place in your house where it's cooler for a couple of days and try to monitor its activity. Can you hear the fan working as much? Is there anything that works better while the computer is in a cooler place? Do you notice any difference? Or, if the computer is not in a living room or in a bedroom, that is, it's in a room where heating is not necessary, try turning off the heating for a few days and see if it makes a difference.
Overheating and crashes can be caused by two completely separate things - try to look at both as separate problems. They may not at all be linked.
I have problems with my laptop battery and I found out that there are so many factors influencing its lifespan that there's no way really to know what is wrong and therefore how I can correct the problem. So, don't get frustrated if you don't find out what the problem is. Just try your best without expecting much. I sm not trying to minimze your problem, but I still think we can live with occasional crashes and such, as long as they don't put our stuff at risk. Computers do crash from time to time even if you take real good care of them - that's just life.
Here is the classic A/C example: when it's really hot outside, your A/C, if constantly set at the same temperature, works harder and this makes it consume more power. This summer, because of very hot days, there was a power shortage in Ontario (there just wasn't enough power for all the A/Cs running). There were not more A/Cs running than usual, but they were all running at full capacity, as opposed to normal summer days. My A/C, when it's over 30 degrees outside, gives off a lot of heat, even if it manages to cool the house - because the engine is running at full capacity.
[Edited at 2006-09-24 17:31]
[Edited at 2006-09-24 17:34] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Hynek Palatin 
Czech Republic
Local time: 02:51
Member (2003)
English to Czech
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| why do computers heat up faster during cold or winter period | Sep 24, 2006 |
PC placed near a radiator?
| | | | Brandis (X)
Local time: 02:51
English to German
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TOPIC STARTER | No in the middle of a large hall | Sep 24, 2006 |
Hynek Palatin wrote:
PC placed near a radiator? I have multiple computers all separated from each other, but the AMD 64 bit propcessor type gets heated up. Best Brandis
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| Frequency of use in winter? | Sep 24, 2006 |
People use their computer more in the winter then in the summer? Hence the more frequent problems?
Personally, we cool the house in summer and heat it up in winter and it's still several degrees hotter in the house in summer than in winter, so that can't be an explanation.
| | | | Deep-one
Local time: 03:51
English to Russian
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| Unbalanced phases? | Sep 25, 2006 |
It may be due to higher load in winter.
You must use 3-phase power @50 or 60 Hz. Phase loads vary, and slight variation of phase values (around 5%) may result in voltage/current surges (up to 20-30%). I remember studying this phenomenon at university. We did then some experiments and used to multiply complex figures to calculate values.
| | | | mrr2ro
United States
Local time: 19:51
English to Spanish
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| Dirty Power or Point fo reference | Sep 26, 2006 |
Brandis wrote:
HI! I have been observing this phenomenon for a few years. I hear more heated stories or crashes during the winter then in the summer, where one would assume and accept external heated up environment during the summer could be one reason, but the crashing frequency is higher durng the winter. Does any body know to explain Best Brandis
I was going to suggest --- point of reference –
In the summer 77 degrees feel comfortable and 73 degrees feel like freezing, but in the winter – 75 degrees in a house feels HOT, where 70 degrees is just comfortable.
So I was going to suggest, it is just because of your point of reverence has changed – Things in the winter feel warmer to the touch than in the summer.
But when you mentioned that the computer CRASHES – then it voids the whole how hot/cool things feel to the touch theory and leaves it open to the quality of energy in the winter is different than in the summer – but then all the work of putting up with the dirty electricity will have to done by the power supply and voltage regulators --- not a reason to make your computer crash -- Unless your power supply is in the fritz and it is passing dirty power to the motherboard. – Then, in that case the crashes are justifiable by the dirty electricity and NOT properly regulated voltage passed on to the mother board.
| | | | Brandis (X)
Local time: 02:51
English to German
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TOPIC STARTER | I was infact suspecting this | Sep 26, 2006 |
mrr2ro wrote: Brandis wrote:
HI! I have been observing this phenomenon for a few years. I hear more heated stories or crashes during the winter then in the summer, where one would assume and accept external heated up environment during the summer could be one reason, but the crashing frequency is higher durng the winter. Does any body know to explain Best Brandis I was going to suggest --- point of reference – In the summer 77 degrees feel comfortable and 73 degrees feel like freezing, but in the winter – 75 degrees in a house feels HOT, where 70 degrees is just comfortable. So I was going to suggest, it is just because of your point of reverence has changed – Things in the winter feel warmer to the touch than in the summer. But when you mentioned that the computer CRASHES – then it voids the whole how hot/cool things feel to the touch theory and leaves it open to the quality of energy in the winter is different than in the summer – but then all the work of putting up with the dirty electricity will have to done by the power supply and voltage regulators --- not a reason to make your computer crash -- Unless your power supply is in the fritz and it is passing dirty power to the motherboard. – Then, in that case the crashes are justifiable by the dirty electricity and NOT properly regulated voltage passed on to the mother board.
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