> I have heard many opinions on this next question... what's a safe operating
> temp? Assuming the CPU temp sensors are even a little bit accurate - running
> full load 24/7, the temps tend to hang around the low to mid 50C area. The
> newer CPUs I have run cooler due to more efficient designs. The new Quad
> Intel I have never gets above 48C - but it also has the biggest cooler on it
> of them all.. I consider anything above 57C to be a problem to address ASAP,
> and 60C means shut down. However my Macs run considerably hotter...
> (Motorola CPUs) as as such I don't keep the macs at anything more than 50%
> load.
I know the server room at the college I went to was climate controlled
at a steady 50F. This was a room that housed something in the
neighborhood of 20 switches and routers and probably 30 servers. One
day when it was about 80 degrees outside the server room's AC system
was out of commission and even with the rest of the building being at
about 67 degrees and both the inside and outside doors to the server
room open with large fans blowing it maintained a steady 110 degrees
or so. I also know from living in dorms for 6 1/2 years that one
computer running at full load is as effective as a small space heater.
Seven computers running in the insulated part of your garage would
overheat the room, but you would have the same situation of having to
open a window to cool it, the uninsulated portion would probably be
warmed to somewhere above freezing, but would be too warm in the
summer. If you could find a small heat pump for the insulated room you
could keep it climate controlled to 50 degrees and probably be good to
go assuming that you have adequate airflow in each computer case and
if they're all together you may want some extra fans to clear the air
out from behind the computers.
If you want to be able to pipe the air into your house you could set
up a system with fans in the front of the case blowing in fresh air
and a dryer hose attached to where the fans in the back of the case
blow out the hot air. You could then attach all the hoses at a central
point probably some box with a fan blowing the air into an output hose
to blow the air where ever you want. You could run the hose into the
house in the winter to warm it and in the summer time disconnect the
hose to the house and attach a hose that attaches to an exhaust fan to
blow the air outside. A window or vent would be enough in the winter
to cool the room and in the summer you could use a small air
conditioner.
Of course if you want to keep it simple just use the window and an AC
unit for a manual climate control, much like you've been doing
already.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Feb 01 2009 - 02:33:56 EST