I would recommend looking at the via mini-itx boards. You can get one that will run fanless, though not fast enough to do CAD stuff, going fanless you have the ability to not use the pc as a dust collector :)
I would recommend looking at the via mini-itx boards. You can get one that will run fanless, though not fast enough to do CAD stuff, going fanless you have the ability to not use the pc as a dust collector :)
computers don't like heat or dust, so, if you can put the main CPU in a enclosed rack that stays cool and reasonalbly dust free you should be fine.
keeping it cool is the most important thing. you can buy some static free compressed air and blow out the dust regularly. i've got a buddy that has had a server and PC in his garage which is the dirtiest place i've ever seen and he never has problems.
I believe there was a discussion last year on the WREC about this very topic and included some links to shots of enclosures and filters people had built. Might be worth a Google. Allen
You can even get fancy and go for a water-cooled setup. You'd have to come up with a way to put the radiator outside of the case to keep from sucking air inside.
todd
I have a P133 class machine that has been in my shop for 3 years playing MP3s. It has done fine through all the dust, dirt, Florida humidity and heat along with a fire and the insuing flood. It was one of the 2 things that emerged unscathed (the other was a home built CMOS spa controller). PCs are a lot tougher than people admit. I also have one in my car and my wifes truck. They both crank up in ungodly heat and run.
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