[dasKrokodil]

Speaking of cold weather and warming up computers... I've had my fair share of long bicycle commutes during cold winters and I always wondered whether booting up the laptop right after arriving has any effect on the long-term reliability? Like, are there any components which suffer from being activated when they're really cold?

[Tade0]

The battery might need warmup, but it would have to be significantly below freezing outside to affect it.

Electrolytic capacitors can freeze up but again, you'd need a Yakutia-like environment for it to actually pose a concern.

Lastly I've heard of circuit boards warping from going from really cold to really hot, but those were power components.

[ivanjermakov]

At the first half of your comment I thought you would suggest using laptop as a back heater during cold weather rides!

[Filligree]

It increases the chance of solder cracks, which is one major cause of failure. Thermal cycles in general will do that, however, and home computers are designed to survive a lot of them.

So overall it’s not something I’d worry about.

[nottorp]

I always leave the laptop untouched for at least 10 minutes when coming in from the cold. Don't know if it helps but it makes me feel better.

[lebuin]

I try to leave my laptop untouched for as much as I possibly can. Definitely makes me feel better too.