The 10 tips to keep our PC as cold as possible

The 10 tips to keep our PC as cold as possible.

Summer is coming to an end and many PCs are thanking it, since we have experienced very high temperatures in some parts of the country. But this has helped us prepare for next year, as it could be even worse. Therefore, today we are going to see 10 simple tips to try to keep our PC as cold as possible at any time of the year.

Small details count when it comes to achieving the best possible temperature on our PC

In this article we are going to try to explain simple concepts, easy actions to carry out and above all try to avoid any cost for us, since advising according to what things is the simplest and should only be done if we have previously followed the previous advice.

For this reason, we will find simpler advice, others in part very logical and one or more that we surely did not know. Clever? so let’s go there.

1- Placement of the tower

It seems obvious, but many may not know it, but the placement in a room of the tower / chassis is essential when it comes to gaining temperature in our PC.

First of all, we must avoid “closing” our box in places that do not have at least four times the interior capacity in cubic liters of said tower. As this is somewhat complicated to calculate, simply take into account that the tower has at least three of its six free faces with sufficient space so that it can have a sufficient flow of exterior and interior air.

The room or enclosure should be at least four times the size of the tower to ensure that indoor and outdoor air replacement is always adequate.

Of course we should not have the tower confined in a place that does not have air circulation, since then we will only delay the inevitable.

2- Positioning of the tower

The warm air tends to rise because the cold air is denser, which causes it to move the former towards the top. Therefore, placing the tower closer to the ground can have a very positive effect on the temperatures of our PC.

Likewise, we do not recommend leaving the tower on the ground, since what we will gain from the colder air over time will be lost by absorbing more particles of dust, hair, or any other substance or matter that it finds in its path.

The ideal would be to place it between 25 and 30 cm from the ground, respecting of course step nº1.

3- Keep the air inlets/outlets of the tower free

Well, it is obvious to many, but it is not the first nor will it be the last that we see that the tower has elements that obstruct the passage of air, either inlet or outlet.

A desktop free of any element is ideal for a PC, a place where air can circulate freely both inside the chassis and outside.

It is advisable to make sure that these inputs and outputs do not have extremely restrictive dust filters and, above all, that they are clean. A cleanliness check once a month would suffice.

4- Keep the tower closed with its corresponding sides

Another mistake as obvious as it is common: leaving one or two sides/windows open in the hottest season.

Big mistake that can be very expensive. The box must be properly closed and, if possible, with a correct internal air flow, which will depend on the tower model we have.

Keeping the sides open allows for better temperature, but exposes all components to their number one enemy: dust.

If we have temperature problems and by opening the sides we improve a lot, what we have is a clear internal flow problem in the chassis.

A properly ventilated box does not need open sides, there is hardly any real improvement, therefore, the closed sides and in general the box, with all its accessories, etc.

5- Be extremely clean in the place where the box is located

It is another obvious, but perhaps some do not take it so much into account. Cleanliness and order on a desk minimizes dust and generally helps any component to have its optimum temperature.

When we talk about being extremely clean, we mean in every way, since everything generates dust, both us and our pets, as well as the air itself when opening a window.

Taking care of the details in this step will save us part of the work of the next point.

6- Regularly clean our PC inside and out.

Today we have everything to clean our PCs, from special brushes for electronic components that are antistatic and that remove dust from the most inhospitable places, to small “pears” for suction or expulsion of air, through isopropyl alcohol wipes to the 70% etc

A cleaning every six months (as long as we keep proper cleaning in place) may be enough to keep everything under control and always have the best temperatures.

7- Keep the heatsinks clean and the thermal paste up to date

Already entering more work with what would be our PC, the obvious invades us again and we will only recommend keeping the heatsinks of our PC clean and in good condition.

Another recommendation is to keep the thermal paste up to date. This will depend on each model of thermal paste and the thermal cycles it has suffered.

And it is that many pastes end up cracking over time, as a result of their hardening, which creates thermal break bridges that make the component in question to be cooled by it lose performance.

Normally, a current thermal paste can last between 1 and 2 years without much problem, as long as the use and hours of the PC on are typical of normal use.

More hours of use speeds up the process by generating more thermal cycles, so we may need to change it a few months before.

8- Avoid overclocking or constant work overloads

There is not much more to add. Performing overclocking, in whatever component, will increase its temperature and this will go to the tower and therefore to the rest of the components.

Avoiding loading the PC close to 100% use in any of the components will also reduce the internal temperature of the rest, but if there is no other choice, we could do it at times when the ambient temperature is lower, thus improving the useful life of each component .

The only solution to be able to overclock or charge 24/7 without making the temperatures worse comes in the following tip.

9- As a last resort, improve cooling or change components

It is the simplest and most effective section, but also one of the most expensive logically. Improving cooling based on a larger tower, better flow, better heatsinks or cooling systems will have a direct impact on better temperatures.

Changing certain components for others that are more efficient and with better cooling systems will also help, but this is the penultimate step before completing all of the above.

10- Switch to high-end cooling systems

Such as custom liquid cooling or simply an air conditioner instead of the PC.

Logically, this is the least recommended option due to its high cost, but at this point it would only be advisable to opt for systems that have a direct impact in two ways: either absorb a greater amount of heat from the components or cool the ambient air to lower that of the interior. of the chassis.

There is no more mystery here if we have to get to this point, especially if we are looking for a PC for 24/7 without too many complications.