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What computer for hot environments?

D

d33pblue

Senior member
I work in shipping/receiving here at work and we currently use an older Dell 5100 series (Pentium D) to run the UPS shipping software. The computer is tucked away in a desk cabinet out in the shop - where it gets VERY hot. The shop is very dirty/dusty, so the door to the compute cabinet must stay shut. This reduces ventilation and increases the already-high temperatures inside the computer case.

At any rate, the old Pentium D machine has been trucking along in this environment just fine for the past 3-4 years. Recently it's been showing signs of failure and we will probably have to replace it sooner rather than later.


Any recommendations for a low-workload computer for hot environments? About the only thing it does is connect to the local server here at work and run the UPS software. It doesn't need a ton of power and as far as price goes, cheaper is better.

Thanks 🙂
 
Do you have any idea of the average core temp of your current machine? Ambient of the case it will go into? That way some useful, informed advice can be given.
 
If you wouldn't insist on a prebuilt computer and if the cabinet is not used to store other things, I would recommend simply buying components without any case. Which would solve the heat problem completely.
 
Every modern dual core has such good power management that its not an issue at idle. If your ambient is 50C, then the stock cooler on a llano A4 will keep the chip at right around 50C, if not less. The llano A4 system I built ran at 30C with prime95 AND furmark load. It never even got warm to the touch. This is just 7C above ambient, under full load!
 
It may sound strange, but what about putting the CPU w/case inside a small, used, bar-type fridge? It should then stay at about 38-45 F. The small fridge might fit inside the cabinet.
 
For pre-built, Logicsupply has some high-temp industrial machines.

e-itx.com is another retailer that specializes in these kinds of systems.

Either way, anything more powerful than an Atom is going to cost north of $700. Something like the LGX AG150 with an SSD from Logicsupply would be pretty nice (around $500; http://www.logicsupply.com/products/ag150) and should have enough horsepower, but driver support for anything other than W7 x86 is spotty at the moment.

If a single-core Atom is enough for your application, though, fanless Atom industrial systems with XP support are plentiful and cheap.
 
Check Newegg's selection of "Barebone Systems" which use mobile CPU's, require very little power, and thus produce very little heat.
One example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856158017
As mentioned previously: could place the PC inside of some kind of mini wine cooler, that would keep the PC cool, but still above freezing temperature. You'd want to avoid condensation forming on the circuitry.
 
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Thanks for the links guys. Although the fanless industrial systems look awesome, thats probably a bit out of the budget. Something more along the lines of the Newegg prebuilt systems would probably be more in line.
 
Kristijonas said:
If you wouldn't insist on a prebuilt computer and if the cabinet is not used to store other things, I would recommend simply buying components without any case. Which would solve the heat problem completely.
Click to expand...

Except the OP has stated that there's is a lot of dust and other particles flying around, hence the reason the system is closed off from proper ventilation. Not having it housed inside a proper case might give it a bit more air to utilize (since the case is effectively a closed box) but it wouldn't really solve the problem if the cabinet is air-tight or close to it as it would slowly build up the heat inside anyways. Not to mention that if the dust or other particles make too much contact with the system, you could create shorts or even kill some of the hardware.

sm625 said:
Every modern dual core has such good power management that its not an issue at idle. If your ambient is 50C, then the stock cooler on a llano A4 will keep the chip at right around 50C, if not less. The llano A4 system I built ran at 30C with prime95 AND furmark load. It never even got warm to the touch. This is just 7C above ambient, under full load!
Click to expand...

Pretty sure its virtually impossible for you to get a system below ambient temps without some crazy cooling set-up (or a Peltier cooler, I believe there's a few on the market still, I used to have one).

corkyg said:
It may sound strange, but what about putting the CPU w/case inside a small, used, bar-type fridge? It should then stay at about 38-45 F. The small fridge might fit inside the cabinet.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't condensation be an issue then? Or do bar-type fridges operate substantially differently than normal consumer refrigerators?
 
krnmastersgt said:
Wouldn't condensation be an issue then? Or do bar-type fridges operate substantially differently than normal consumer refrigerators?
Click to expand...

That would depend a lot on the RH. Here in Arizona, that would be negligible There is almost no condensation in our fridges. 🙂

But, if one were in FL or the Gulf Coast, that might be a problem.
 
Do you know the minimum amount of computing power needed? If a single core Atom will suffice, there are many AOpen DE2700s on ebay. These are fanless systems built for 24/7 operation and rated for up to 40C ambient - likely higher if you use solid state storage. Barebones systems go for less than 250 and all you would need is a SSD/HDD and an OS license.

Mfg link:http://usa.aopen.com/products_detail.aspx?Auno=2927

I have a DE945 with a core duo and SSD, and it's been running 24/7 for over 3 years as my home server/HTPC. The barebones successor is the DE965, but you will need a drive, CPU, and RAM. Total cost should still be under 400 if you search carefully.
 
with a proper data cabinet, you can get cooling units for them that will keep the inside very cool. Though for a PC unit, a bit harder to say as you want what ever is low powered mainly with some performance to do the job (not hard as everything is faster than the best P4 nowdays).
 
Since it seems like this is for a business, I agree that you're going to want to buy some sort of OEM system with a warranty. Dell Outlet has an Optiplex 390 with a Pentium G620 for $410 right now. Since it's an Optiplex, it comes with a 3-year warranty even though its a refurb.

I recommend something like an Atom, Brazos, or Sandy Bridge over an older, cheaper Core 2 system because the newer CPUs produce very little heat when idling. That means that they won't raise then temperature in the enclosure as much.
 
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