11 Ways To Keep Your Computer from Losing Its Cool

The temperature outside may be heating up, but that doesn’t mean your computer temperature should be, too! Overheating can cause damage to your computer’s processor, battery, and other internal components. Here are 11 tips to help your computer stay chill.

1. Give It Space

Removing obstacles to airflow will help keep your computer’s temperature in check. Computers cool themselves by circulating the surrounding air, so make sure that there is sufficient airflow around your computer and that all vents and fans are unobstructed.

2. Keep It Clean

Your computer’s fans are there for temperature control, but the fans can’t work properly if they are clogged with dirt and debris. To clean your fans, turn off your computer and spray the fan blades with canned air to get rid of any dust and dirt buildup.

3. Close the Case

It may seem counterintuitive, but keeping your computer’s case open, while allowing for more airflow, can ultimately heat up your computer. Why? An open case enables more dirt to clog the fans, preventing them from cooling the computer effectively.

4. Download SpeedFan

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what is causing your computer to overheat. Thankfully, the free software, SpeedFan, identifies exactly where the excessive heat is accumulating and automatically controls fan speed accordingly.

5. Install Water Cooling

Even more effective than fans, water cooling involves pumping water through tubes that run throughout your computer’s case. Although it sounds complicated, water-cooling kits make it simple to install.

6. Check Its Storage

If your computer has a hard disk drive (HDD) for storage, consider changing to a solid-state drive (SSD). An SSD stores information in microchips and essentially has fewer moving parts than an HDD, therefore generating less heat.

7. Use a Power-Saving Mode

If your computer has a power-saving or energy-efficient mode, use it. Besides being environmentally friendly, using less power also reduces heat.

8. Stop Overclocking

Overclocking essentially means running your computer in overdrive. Although it may boost performance, overclocking also increases the temperature of your computer, damaging it in the long run.

9. Upgrade the CPU Fan      

The CPU generally produces the most heat of all the internal computer parts. In most cases, the CPU fan installed in your computer is not of particularly good quality. Replace the preinstalled CPU fan with a more effective, higher quality one.

10. Install Additional Fans

In addition to the CPU, nearly every other computer component generates heat. Check to see which components are creating excess heat, such as the memory drive or graphics drive, and cool them with component-specific fans.

11. Install a Phase-Change Unit

Although a drastic and expensive solution, phase-change units essentially act as refrigerators for CPUs, keeping them cool or even frozen!

Internal heat is just one of many factors that can negatively affect your computer’s ability to function. In addition to protecting your computer from high temperatures, download PSafe Total Windows to protect it from internal threats and to keep it running at optimal speed.