New Jersey has had some decent weather over the past few weeks and we are seeing more computers than usual overheating. It is a common issue for many home users but is easily preventable. That’s why the team here at Dave’s Computers have put together this quick guide to keeping your PC cool during warmer weather.
Computers generate heat as a byproduct of converting electricity into action. Every time your processor does a piece of work or your graphics card renders a screen, it generates heat. Hard drives, sound cards and your motherboard also generate heat but to a lesser degree. The two components you need to keep an eye on are the processor and hard drive.
Keep it clean
As air moves around a room it collects dust and debris from the air. Even the cleanest home has dust in the air and it collects in computers. Keeping your computer clean and free of dust is the best way to help keep it cool. That doesn’t mean just running a cloth over the outside of the case though. You need to remove the case and dust the inside too.
Make sure the computer is switched off, remove the case and use a cloth, can of compressed air or electronics vacuum to remove all dust from the inside. Don’t put the case back on just yet.
Check all fans are working
While you have the computer case off, you should make sure all your fans are working. A typical computer will have one or two intake fans at the front, one or two exhaust fans at the rear or top, a fan on the processor and one on the graphics card. You may see others too but these are the usual ones.
Turn on your computer and watch the fans. They should all start spinning and blowing air through the case. If they are all working, great. If one isn’t working, take a look at the connection to see if it has come loose. Don’t touch it while your computer is on though. Secure it once you turn the computer off.
Check airflow
If all your fans are working, your final check is to make sure air can flow freely from the fans at the front to the exhaust fans at the rear. If you have anything blocking airflow then your computer may overheat. Flowing through hard drive racks is fine but there should be no barriers such as cables, brackets or anything you have added in the way of that air.
In an ideal computer, cables would be tidied away behind the motherboard, hard drives would be in their caddies and there would be nothing stopping air flowing across the motherboard and out the rear of the computer.
If your computer still overheats or runs excessively hot, the computer repair guys at Dave’s Computers in New Jersey can help. Bring your computer to our store and we will see how we can keep it cool!
