What Are The Dangers Of Computer Overheating

[Bloux]

I did a masterful job of using bed foam to insulate/sound proof the inside of my computer cabinet, sure looks pretty, (you know the kind of desk with a comp. cabinet with the door that swings open)

I did my first session with an accoustic guitar player/singer. I recorded 3 tracks at once (never had a problem with increase buffer size error) I've always had the juice to run at 128. that was one problem.

also my computer started beeping like an English police siren! (the country and it is a country) never heard that before as well. I rebooted and it went away.

no spontaneus reboot yet, but I am expecting one any time. I leave the door open until right before I press record, it really has helped to quiet things down. I'm not sure what to do next? take out the foam? the comp cant be moved either.

any suggestions? and what are other symptyms of overheating, ANYTHING SERIOUS?

thanks as always [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[vonbleak101]

If it mildly overheats it will shut down and need to cool off, no perminamt damage. If serious overheat it could fry your CPU and/or Motherboard. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Bastiaan]

It is a bad idea to try to stop all the noise by packing your computer. Your computer uses the moving air for cooling. If you prevent the air from flowing around (by making an airtight box...) your pc will overheat. I suggest you find a way for your computer to be able to get the airflow going. Maybe by connecting large tubes to the fon and back (front takes the air in, back expells it). Or maybe just some slits on the front and back...

[vonbleak101]

You should also check out www.quietpc.com as they specialise in making your PC run as quiet as possible. I bought their Flower Cooler for my AMD XP2200+ and was amazed at how well it worked. I can now record in the same room as my computer/setup, which i perfer, and i dont have to worry about any noise from my PC getting onto the recordings. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Steve Moore]

Insulating your PC like this even for short durations could be dangerous. The internal temperatures of your hard drives get very HOT. At room temperature environment, a normal IDE hard drive can reach temperatures nearing their limits right away. In a warm room you have problems right from the start. They depend on air flow to keep from overheating. W/out it, they can overheat in a matter of minutes. A thermal shutdown could take your data with it.

QuietPC.com is one alternative. There are others. Consider relocating your box and using extension cables for keyboard/mouse/screen. Or enclose your box in an air pocket (enclosure w/ a dead airspace) but with a couple of good quiet fans to keep the air moving.