UK The Short Answer
Temperature grades describe the range a component is specified to work across. Processors, memory, storage and power parts each carry their own grade, and a system is only rated as wide as its weakest part. That is why an industrial computer needs industrial-temperature memory and SSDs as well as an industrial processor.
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Commercial 0 to 70 °C. Desktop and office hardware in heated rooms.
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Extended Wider than commercial, but the exact range varies by vendor, often −20 or −25 to 70 °C.
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Industrial −40 to 85 °C. The grade used in rugged and outdoor computers.
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Automotive −40 to 125 °C for AEC-Q100 Grade 1, used for electronics in engine bays.
Why It Matters
A component grade is not the same as a system rating. Inside a fanless enclosure the board runs hotter than the air around it, so a system built from −40 to 85 °C parts is usually rated to around 70 °C ambient. When you specify, check the operating range, the storage range and whether the system can cold-start at the bottom of that range. Our guide to what makes a computer rugged explains the other ratings, and the advantages of fanless computers covers the cooling side.