Compiling: Any effect on hardware?

MannyNix · 07-09-2006, 01:36 AM

Does compiling large programs (oo,kde,x11) or using "source" based os (FreeBSD, Gentoo) have any effect on hardware?
Will my hd have a shorter life? my mobo? i guess fans and power supply would...
Sorry to ask this question here, i got nobody to ask, and as you see i'm also running those 2 above mentioned os, but i'd rather have an answer by fellow Slackers than by anybody else...
I'll try to keep a small and clean thread here, so Thank you in advance!

Voltar · 07-09-2006, 01:54 AM

Well compiling can use up system resources just like video editing and the like, but the amount of "damage" per say that will be cause by it is miniscule, if any.

Edit: Thought I'd also say it depends on the cooling of your box. If you have a processor and hard drives that run hot under load (any load for that matter) and they're not kept cool, their life will be shortened.

jens · 07-09-2006, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mannyslack

Does compiling large programs (oo,kde,x11) or using "source" based os (FreeBSD, Gentoo) have any effect on hardware?
Will my hd have a shorter life? my mobo? i guess fans and power supply would...
Sorry to ask this question here, i got nobody to ask, and as you see i'm also running those 2 above mentioned os, but i'd rather have an answer by fellow Slackers than by anybody else...
I'll try to keep a small and clean thread here, so Thank you in advance!

Well, Slackware actually comes as binary and not a source distribution (Even though you obviously can use it as a source distro, just like with every other one).

Technically it can. The more work something does, the smaller its lifetime becomes.
On a new new CPU with enough power(and cooling) it shoudn't matter though. You're much more likely to break something yourself(physically) before anything else.

Tinkster · 07-09-2006, 02:32 AM

And never forget aging as such; capacitors, for instance, have a tendency of
going bad after a couple of years (we only had a mobo die on us not long ago,
it was 5.5 years old, there were three capacitors on it that had "bulged up").

Cheers,
Tink