this post was submitted on 03 Apr 2024
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[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I wonder if anyone has studied the rate of cosmic ray-induced bit flips in a PC with a side window case vs. an all metal one.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's an interesting question, but realistically inconsequential.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Do you mean that you think bit flips are inconsequential, or that the rate of bit flips is inconsequential?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The rate for your home PC is inconsequential, and the difference between a thin sheet of metal and lexan would have an inconsequential impact.

But flips are not inherently inconsequential. Coincidentally, a lot of my current work involves making sure we are not adversely affected by cosmic bit flips in safety-critical hardware.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The rate for your home PC is inconsequential,

Please don't make assumptions about my data integrity needs.

But thanks for clarifying what you meant.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago

If you have real data integrity needs, you shouldn't be relying on off-the-shelf home PC parts. There's real hardware and software for such applications.

Your basement is safe enough from cosmic rays for your personal needs.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

Where's your ECC?