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I am just shopping for a pc case and wonder if there are any that is based on convection for cooling? I am concern about electrical bills and environmental issues.

If there a DIY plan somewhere where I can put my woodworking skills to good use too?

nehpyh

Comments

Big_D Mon, 04/25/2005 - 07:26

I am concern about electrical bills and environmental issues.

A couple of small fans to ventilate your enclosure properly will use almost no electricity. Your monitor and PC are what's using the power not the fans.

Thermal cycling is what kills PC components. The cooler they run, the longer thay last, period. Convection just doesn't provide enough airflow to cool components properly. Cooler components are also more stable. If you would rather deal with instability and replacing your PC every year due to failure rather than spend an extra $.50 a month on electricity go right ahead, it wouldn't be my choice.

Big_D Wed, 04/27/2005 - 06:53

REALLY? Is this true? Can I leave my G5 on for months?

Yes you can but the debate over this has been ongoing for many many years.

On one hand if the computer is left on IC's will last longer because thermal cycling (heating and cooling) and transients are not an issue.

On the other hand hard drives and fans running constantly wears out the mechanical parts sooner. If a CPU fan fails you can kiss the processor goodbye.

Another issue is OS stability. XP, 2K, OSX and Linux are fine if left running for long periods. 95, 98, ME become more and more unstable the longer they are left running and must be shutdown after use.

There is a ton of data out there to support both sides. It's a tossup really and a personal choice. I err on the side of mechanical failure and shutdown when not using it. The choice is yours.