Last week we talked about how to keep your laptop cool. This week we’ll take a look at the “elephant in the room”; cooling that monstrous desktop computer.
Being quite a bit larger than your laptop, moving parts, such as fans and hard drives, have a lot more room in the tower of your desktop PC. This larger size also means that it could (depending on circumstances) take a bit longer for you to notice the effects of unseen heat damage. Unfortunately, these types of computer hiccups usually happen at the most inopportune moments. With tax season coming upon us, now is definitely not the time for the old family PC to suddenly go kaput.
Here are some simple tips to keep your desktop computer nice and cool, just like your laptop.
1. Keep it clean
The desktop computer does have more space between parts than it’s laptop counterpart, but in the end it is still electrical components in an enclosed space; dust, dirt, and animal hair, still collect inside the case, potentially fouling up the works. Keeping this gunk blown out with compressed air, and off those many fans, can do a lot toward keeping your computer running smoothly and cool.
It’s a good idea to note here that you never, never, NEVER want to use a vacuum to clean out your computer. The nozzles of vacuum hoses are known to generate static electricity which can absolutely destroy sensitive electric components inside your computer.
2. Don’t over crowd
Try to keep the area around your PC clear of bric-a-brac and clutter to keep air circulation flowing freely. When things are standing, lying, or sitting on the tower you are more quickly to raise the internal temperatures, as well as a nice little dust bunny farm. The side front and back of your computer has vents to allow that wind tunnel wind effect.
It’s also worth it to note that putting your tower inside on and enclosed area, such as a hutch or tight shelf isn’t a good idea either, as that will also severely constrict air-flow.
3. Upgrade
As we said in part one, if you have an old mechanical hard drive, replacing it with a shiny new SDD will help pull those core temperatures down. Plus, on your desktop, you’ll probably want all that extra storage! There is also the option of changing the case or CPU fans, or even adding some more. Healthy fans and awesome air-flow, equal healthy computer hardware.
Of course, as always No Ware Computer Repair in Grand Junction has your back. We’re here should you have any questions at all about keeping your computer clean, upgrading old equipment, or any other computer related questions that you can think of. We’re always more than happy to help.