Will ambiental humidity affect a desktop computer in the tropics?

Question

this particular desktop is in Panama City Central America.

Answer 1

Almost never,

If you use a liquid cooling system then you have to worry about condensation, but no standard machine does that.

In a computer you are generating heat; in a high humidity atmosphere the extra heat allows the air to hold even more water. If you cool the room a lot say 65 degrees F then you won't have a problem as warm air holds more water than colder air, and the air in the computer will always be warmer than the outside air, even in a desert environment. Most computers want to operate at a temperature of 60-70 degrees, which on the CPU means an additional 10-20 degrees of heat. So humidity isn't a problem. At worst you will get condensation on the OUTSIDE of the case. If you get condensation normally in the air conditioned room then you might have to worry. That's because you AC is way too high. This is pretty rare though, and if you don't leave you AC on Arctic then you should be okay.

Actually the design of a computer insures that the extra heat produced by the machine will DECREASE dramatically any chance of deadly condensation forming inside the machine. So even in a huge humid situation; like at sea near the equator you will be safe.

If you are running your machine in the Artic then when you turn it off the extra heat produced by the machine will allow more water vapor to be stored inside the machine, but the outside air will have such a low humidity that it won't be a problem either.