[mythtv-users] Hardware Suggestions

[Brian Wood]

On Wednesday 17 March 2010 04:02:25 pm Ben Kamen wrote:
> Brian mentioned Server Class machines --- which is a good point that I'd
>  like to expand..
> 
> I have some rack mounted machines that have lots of fans but poor to no
>  filtering. So dust accumulates in them like crazy.
> 
> (Actually, I do have an IBM industrial computer chassis that's awesome.)
> 
> In my system, I got a case from Coolermaster that sucks air through the
>  front panel which is made of grill material backed with foam filter. So
>  the whole front of the case is one big filter.
> 
> I have 2 of these cases and I can see the results that I can vacuum the
>  front clean, while the inside stays surprisingly dust free.
> 
> With that, I made sure to get a video card that's fanless. It's one less
>  fan to go bad.
> 
> The only fans in the system are:
> 
> Case fan in front cooling hard disks.
> Case fan in back drawing out air.
> CPU Fan (smart type that adjusts according to temp)
> Power Supply Fan.
> 
> I specifically got a motherboard where the northbridge was NOT fan cooled.
> 
> My girlfriend had on with a NB that was fan cooled. The fan died and
>  shortly after so did the motherboard. What a waste.
> 
> ANYWAY, my point - when looking for computers, try to keep the dust out..
>  that contributes to heat and heat will kill components.

All true.

But I believe that with any computer you should shut it down and clean out any 
accumulated dust every 4 to 6 months or so (depending on the environment it's 
in).

The rackmount servers that have little or no filtering of cooling air were 
probably intended for use in an environment with filtered air and little dust, 
that doesn't describe most garage or basement locations.

Lastly, in addition to keeping out the crap in the air, keep the crap on the 
power lines out as well, by using a good UPS system. They are not just for 
backup when the power fails, the good ones really filter the power line voltage 
and don't feed spikes and other crap to your machine.

The "Surge Protectors" sold to consumers are generally worthless. Most are not 
self-healing, so you have no way to know if the one-shot MOV inside them got 
blown on day one, when lightning hit the power lines 20 miles away from your 
house. Most such "protection" can't "protect" against a gnat's wing-beat. They 
are simply high-profit items for consumer stores to use to make up their losses 
on the bigger ticket items.