I’d like to get a second computer for the house. BUT, the only room I can put it in is unheated, or nearly so.With winter nigh upon us, temps dip to about 45 degrees in that room. Is that too cold for proper functioning? Will the squirrels freeze? I can put a small space heater in there, if it’ll help. If I do, must the heater be on all the time, or just when I wish to use that computer. All thoughts and suggestions are needed, and welcome. thanks to all.
45 degrees is not too cold for any computer equipment that I am aware of. Computers do a lot better in the cold than they do in the heat. Some of the coporate server rooms that I have been in have been kept very chilly.
The computer should still work at 45F, however, if it gets that cold, how well is it going to be protected from rapid temperature CHANGES and moisture, say when day turns to night. That sort of thing can cause condensation and dew and those things will kill a computer fairly quickly.
In fact, I’m pretty certain that a regular PC will work ok well below freezing. I’d imagine as the temperature got lower and lower, things with moving parts would start to fail due to different parts contracting to different sizes. The electronic components should run to 0F fine, really.
That’s true but the temperature change shouldn’t be that rapid if it is a real room right?
I set up a computer in a refrigerated warehouse kept at 38F three years ago. I recently heard that it is doing fine.
My own, made up recommendation would be to leave the computer on all the time so you know it isn’t extremely cold inside the case where it counts. It would probably help keep the temperature more constant too.
You big baby. 
My computer is in the cold room in the house, and I prefer it there…at least it’s a little isolated. I just dress warmly!
Get a Prescott core Pentium 4 machine, and run Seti or Folding on it; the heat it will throw off will keep that room fairly warm. 
The monitor could have a problem when it has to start that cold. The bonus is that the room can be up to 20F warmer because of the computer running if the door is closed.