Damage your PC?

Twist86

Active Member
Hey I recently got bored of WoW/PW/RFO so decided to take on a new challenge of the games. I have a core 2 duo and a X2 4400+ gaming rig and so I plan to start trying to 4 man aka solo play through places through those games...should be a challenge for me and thus keep me interested.

My question is I am limited on space and I have 2x 19inch CRT monitors on my desk but my question is when I turn the older CRT on it actually makes my other monitor flicker for a sec. Not sure if its a power up thing or a magnetic thing BUT one of my towers will sit within 2-3 inches from it. Do they give any kind of surge that could damage my rig?

Seems silly but I never asked nor have I found the answer on google if there is anything of that nature that could effect it.

Thanks.
 
It actually takes a pretty strong magnetic field to effect your hard drive, or other components.

Just the fact that stuff is in a case keeps it pretty safe for two good reasons:

1. The case will keep magnetic sources away from the components
-magnetic fields drop quickly with distance.

2. The case acts like a shield for changing magnetic fields
-Any conducting material (like metal cases) experience Eddy currents in changing magnetic fields (your monitor creates strongly changing magnetic fields when you turn it on, which is why your other monitor is temporarily effected). These eddy currents, by Lenz's law, create an opposing magnetic field. Which means the net field is minimal or zero inside the case. That also how they make shielded cables.
-This effect doesn't work for constant fields, so the case won't shield against non-moving magnets, luckily your CRTs create changing fields. Even if the fields created by the CRT would be strong enough, the shielding effect will happen.


In short, giv'r! :cool:
 
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It's normal for CRT's to do that to one another. It happens when the guy across from my mother comes into work and turns his CRT on. Her CRT flickers for a second.
 
Ah all right thank you was just worried since id hate to dmg my rig...though I have a plexi glass siding...that I leave off most the time would that cause any other issues? Its about a 4 inchs from the case.
 
im really sorry im not sure i fully understood what you where asking

Well what I mean is I will have 2 monitors on my desk side by side...about 4 inches from the 2nd monitor 1 of rigs with the siding OFF will be next to it since I am limited on space. My 2nd rig will be on the bottom lair of my desk with a small box fan I installed on the side of the table (help keep the gpu cool during the summer)
My only thought was because I had the siding of the PC off to help air flow that I could some how damage the components.

Hope that makes a bit more sense to you I imagine I worded it badly on the original post.
 
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