Your computer has many parts, almost all of which generate heat when your computer is turned on. Some components, like the CPU and graphics card, get so hot that you can cook them.
Some fans take much of this heat out of the computer case in a properly configured desktop or laptop. If your computer is not getting rid of hot air fast enough, the temperature can be so hot that you risk severe damage to your computer. Keeping your computer cool should be a top priority.
Here are eleven computer cooling solutions that anyone can do. Many of the stores are free or inexpensive, so there’s no reason to overheat and damage your PC.
1. Allow airflow
The easiest thing you can do to help keep your computer cool is to give it some breathing room by removing any airflow obstructions.
Make sure nothing sits on the right side of the computer, especially the rear. Most of the hot air is flowing out from the back end of the computer case. There should be at least 2 to 3 inches of opening on the sides, and the back should be completely open and unobstructed.
If your computer is hidden inside your desk, make sure the door is always closed. Cold air comes in from the front and sometimes from the sides of the case. If the door is closed all day, the hot air tends to recycle inside the desk, getting hotter and hotter while the computer is running.
2. Start your computer with the case closed
Another urban legend about desktop cooling is running your computer with the case open will keep it more relaxed. It seems plausible that if the case is free, more airflow will help keep the machine cooler.
The missing puzzle pieces here are dirt. When the case is left open, dust and debris clog the fan cools faster than when the case closes. This causes fans to slow down and fail more quickly than usual. A clogged fan does a terrible job cooling your expensive computer components.
Running your computer with the case open may indeed provide a small initial benefit. Still, the increased fan exposure to debris has a much more significant impact on temperature over the long run.
3. Clean your computer
The fans inside your computer are there to keep it cool. Do you know what slows down a fan and then finally makes it stop? Dirt – in the form of dust, fur, etc. It all finds a way into your computer, and for the most part, it gets stuck in a few fans.
One of the most effective ways to cool your computer is to clean the fans inside. There’s a fan above the CPU, one on the power supply, and usually one more on the case’s front or back.
Just turn off your computer, open the box, and use canned air to remove dirt from each fan. If your computer is filthy, take it out for cleaning, or all the earth will settle elsewhere in the room, eventually ending up inside your computer!
4. Move your computer
The area where you are running your computer is just too hot or too dirty? Sometimes your only option is to move the computer. A more relaxed and cleaner area of the same room might be delicate, but you may have to consider moving the computer somewhere else altogether.
If moving your computer isn’t an option, keep reading for more advice.
Important: Moving your computer can damage sensitive internal parts if you are not careful. Be sure to unplug everything, not carry too much at once, and sit down very carefully. Your main concern will be where your computer contains all the essential parts like the hard drive, motherboard, CPU, etc.
5. Upgrade CPU fan
Your CPU is probably the most sensitive and most expensive part of your computer. It also has a lot of potential for overheating.
Unless you have replaced the CPU fan, the computer in your computer could be the bottom fan that cools your processor enough to keep it working correctly, and assuming it’s running at full speed.
Many companies sell large CPU fans that help keep CPU temperatures lower than a fan installed in the factory.
6. Install One Fan Case (Or Two)
A case fan is just a small fan attached to either the front or back of a desktop case from the inside.
Situation fans helping to move air through the computer, if you recall from the first few tips above, are the best way to make sure these expensive parts aren’t overheating.
Installing two case fans, one to move cold air into the PC and the other to push hot air away from the PC, is a great way to keep a computer cool.
Case fans are even easier to install than CPU fans, so don’t be afraid to include your computer in this project.
Adding a case fan is not an option with a laptop or tablet, but the cooling pad is a great idea to help.
7. Stop overclocking
If you are not sure what overclocking is, you probably don’t do it, so you don’t have to worry about it.
As for the rest of you: you’ll realize that overclocking pushes your computer’s capabilities to its limits. You may not learn that these changes directly affect the temperature at which your CPU and other overclocking components are operating.
If you are overclocking your computer’s hardware but haven’t taken other precautions to keep it cool, I suggest you reconfigure your hardware to its factory default settings.
8. Replace the power supply
The power supply in your computer has a massive fan built into it. The airflow you feel while holding the back of your computer is from this fan.
If you don’t have a case fan, the power supply fan is the only way to create hot air inside your computer. Your computer can heat up quickly if the fan is not running.
Unfortunately, the power supply fan cannot be replaced. If this fan is no longer working, you need to replace all the power supply.
9. Upgrade the graphics card fan to a bigger
Indeed, the CPU is probably the largest heat producer in your computer, but nearly every other component generates heat. Superfast memory and high-end graphics can often give the CPU running for its money.
If you find that your memory, graphics card, or another unit generates a lot of heat, you can cool them down with a specific fan part. In other words, if your memory is running hot, purchase and install the memory controller. If your graphics card gets too hot while playing, upgrade to an enormous graphics card fan.
With the hardware faster than ever, the parts are hotter. Fan manufacturers know this and have created dedicated fan solutions for almost everything inside your computer.
10. Install a Water cooler
In very high-end computers, heat buildup can become an issue that even the fastest and most efficient fans cannot cool down the computer. In these cases, installing a water cooler can help. Water transfers heat well and can drastically lower a CPU’s temperature.
“Water on the computer? That doesn’t sound safe! ” Don’t worry, water, or other liquid, is completely sealed inside the transfer system. A pump circulates a cool liquid down the CPU, where it can absorb heat, and then pumps the hot liquid out of your computer, where the heat can dissipate.
Care? The water cooler is easy to install, even if you’ve never upgraded your computer before.
11. Install a phase change unit
The phase change units are the most effective cooling technology.
A phase change unit can be considered a refrigerator for your CPU. It uses many of the same technologies to cool or even freeze a CPU.
The phase change units look like the one shown here, with prices ranging from $ 1,000 to $ 2,000.
Enterprise-grade similar cooling products can cost 10,000 USD or more!
