Can a CPU be "TOO" cold?

[dvd_maniac]

I have my HTPC server in my basement. Dry and cool place. I bought a Zalman Copper heat sink, very big, very quiet and VERY cool.
P4 2.8 478 socket. IGB DDR400, 8 hard drives, full atx case.
I have never had any problems with the PC for over one year. until recently when it started getting cold up here in the northeast USA. a couple of hangs. Stopped when started up wood stove. No new patches, no new software/Hardware exdcept for the Zalman.

used to idle at 39C and full load at around 58C. Since using Zalman idled at 30C and full at 39C. But when we got the little cold spell it dropped to 19C idle and 30C full load.

Could this be causing the Hang-Ups?

[bobmaster]

But when we got the little cold spell it dropped to 19C idle and 30C full load.

Could this be causing the Hang-Ups?

I doubt it very much. Have you checked dust levels. My graphics card was recently clogged up with dust. This kept causing the comp to crash, took me a wile to figure out it was dust. But been working perfectly since it was cleaned.

[twist3d]

well if you have ever heard of overclocking and using liquid nitrogen (about -190 degrees celsius)
see link: http://www.soneraplaza.fi/GetImages/GetImages_GetImage_jpg/0,2600,30961,00.jpg
you'll understand that the cool temperature doesn't affect your computer :D

[Sirber]

Sweet picture :D

[CWR03]

I wonder if it could be too dry, maybe causing enough static to disrupt the electronics. That shouldn't happen if the outlet into which is plugged is properly grounded. twist3d is right, it can't be too cold, at least as far as ambient temperatures are concerned.

[dani82]

am going to have to disagree with everyone, cause i had the same problem with my 2200+, when i startup my pc, the cpu would be at about 19 degree, my pc would freeze at least 3 times before it's reaches up to 30 degree, so i'd had to overclock it to get rid of the problem

i wonder if this is a syptom of long-term overclocking, cause i'd never had this problem before, i'd also didn't uses that cpu for over a year (maybe it's just getting old; obviously, since it's a 2200+)

[CWR03]

am going to have to disagree with everyone
I'll have to say that you'd be disagreeing with a massive amount of data. One of the sweetest PC cooling systems I've seen yet is basically a small refrigeration unit which pumps Freon through a block mounted in place of a heat sink and fan, keeping the CPU around -10 C. Yours may indeed simply be failing, as you have considered.

[dvd_maniac]

Definitely not dusty in there as I air spray it like every other month and it usually doesn't even need it. I have filters on all my fans which I clean regularly. I didn't think too cold would be it either but it just seemed that way since it's the only change that happened whenn freezing occurred.
I will start monitoring my ATI AIW 9800 pro as I know they have fan problems. Maybe that fan is ittermitently failing?

[Joe Fenton]

The colder the better is the rule for electric circuits, BUT!!! you sometimes get what are called "cold solder joints" on circuit boards. What this means is that the solder didn't flow correctly and is starting to pull away from a connection creating a break in the circuit. As the circuit board heats up, the metal expands and pushes the solder back in contact with the connector, making the circuit work. That sounds like what you have here. It isn't the CPU, it's the motherboard that's the trouble.