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Stop (and prevent) overheating to fix your slow computer | How To Fix Slow Computers
How To Fix Slow Computers

Stop (and prevent) overheating to fix your slow computer

Identify the culprit

In my own experience there has always been a single component that has been overheating individually and by generating a significant amount of heat, negatively affects the rest of the components within the computer. To understand what components are generating the most heat download the diagnostic tool known as Everest (download link below).

If the overheating isn’t from a single source (or you just can’t tell) then that is still fine, the solutions below will still work, it’s just better to identify a single component causing the trouble if you can. You can download Lavalys’ Everest at http://majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

Once again, you don’t need to download Everest if you believe that will just lead to more confusion. Even if you go overboard with solving your overheating problem only good will come of it (within reason obviously, dumping ice into your computer is obviously a bit too far overboard). Computers that remain cool wear out at a slower pace allowing you to get a few more years out of your machine.

Solutions to stop overheating

A major cause of overheating within computers is the build up of dust within the case. Over time dust will find its way into your computer, covering your components and getting stuck in the many fans. The solution is fairly simple. You need to remove the dust within your computer - the exact method of doing this can be a bit trickier. I’d recommend taking your computer into a computer store and pay the small fee for them to clean it because messing with this kind of stuff can be dangerous. For you DIY people out there, I recommend you check out this article: http://www.ehow.com/how_3664_clean-computers-insides.html - also take note of the comments on article which provide further insight.

Put your computer in a different location to allow for a better flow of air. Having it tucked away in a cupboard or shoved in a corner is not likely to keep it cool, but if you can have it raised and in the same room as a window it could definitely drop the temperature by a few degrees.

Solutions to prevent overheating in the future

If your CPU specifically is overheating then you should consider purchasing a heatsink which is a device you place on the CPU itself. Heatsinks are basically designed to draw the heat from an external entity (in this case, the CPU) and store it itself. Heatsinks are designed to store the heat and are therefore much more capable of doing so safely as opposed to a CPU.

Most computers will allow for more fans to be installed within the case. More fans isn’t always better but a lack of fans can contribute to overheating. When it comes to fans there are varying sizes, but in general bigger fans will be quieter than smaller fans because they require less rotations to generate the same amount of airflow. However, bigger fans won’t always fit into your computer case so you may have to settle for a smaller one.

To improve the airflow and reduce the temperature of your computer components get a better and larger computer case. Improving the airflow in a computer is something companies spend a lot of time on and some cases handle it better than others. From my research I’ve found the Antec P180 to be an optimal case in terms of size and how it maximizes the airflow created by the fans within the case. Of course, new cases are coming out all the time so you may want to consult people in online forums for their opinions.

Not every computer component is equal in terms of its temperature output. Some models will simply be not as good at keeping itself cool with its onboard fan or for whatever other reason just generate more heat than it should. Replacing components that output a lower amount of heat will most likely be unnecessary but keep in mind in the future if you want to upgrade for other reasons that you should choose components that output a suitable amount of heat.

Each electronic component within your computer is another source of heat. Therefore to lower the overall temperature simply remove unnecessary components. Unnecessary components? Isn’t everything in a computer necessary? Well, not particularly. Simple sacrifices you could make include:

  • Going from 2 smaller hard drives to a single larger hard drive
  • Opting for a single video card instead of using two
  • Not using a sound card and just relying on your motherboard for sound

Don’t remove components if it lowers the functionality of your system but if you have an extra video card in there not doing much then it’s probably a good idea to take it out.