Desktop computer in unheated observatory

I was just wondering if anyone here keeps a desktop computer in an unheated observatory and uses it in sub-freezing temperatures and if this is a wise thing to do. (this is probably why we use laptops because we can take them inside, but a desktop is so much cheaper!)

Thanks,

Jason.

Jason,
I have used two computers in my unheated observatory for several years in temps as cold as -15F.

The first computer was a desktop P1 233MMX. The only problem I had was the cheap cooling fan in the back of the chassis would howl when below zero. I just unplugged the fan to eliminate the problem.
The IDE hard drive, an old Maxtor, seemed to tolerate the cold though it would rev up slower.

My current system is a picmg based 6U server chassis with an 850mhz PIII. This system has two scsi drives,one of which is mounted in a hot swap tray for moving data to the house. I'm currently trying to finish the network for this winter.

The old desktop system tolerated the cold quite well but the 6u chassis system really seems to function flawlessly in the extreme cold. The one commonality with these two systems was that the hard drives, which were premium units when new, had lot's of hours on them from previous use. I would not expect a brand new out of the box unit to perform as well.

I use a trackball instead of a mouse in the observatory, it takes less table space and is glove friendly for me.

Keyboards do get fragile in the cold if they are dropped. The cheap ones seem to shed key caps.

Your question, "if this is a wise thing to do?" If you'reusing an old desktop or server machine, so what, they are dirt cheap. I think you will find that the laptops have a tendency to be more expensive and are more fragile plus the laptop by design was to be energy efficient, i.e. little drive motors that are effiecient but not very powerful. These would probably not like near zero much less below zero temps.

So to answer your question is, yes.