Maintenance
Computer hardware maintenance is a tricky subject. One thing is for sure: doing regular
maintenance on your hardware will prolong the life of your computer. I feel that most people who own computers
think of it as a Pandora’s box. They
just don’t want to open it in case something goes wrong. Unless you have a pre-built PC with all
those fancy warranties, you should just go on ahead and open the sucker to at
least take a look once in a while.
Later we will discuss two software-based maintenance
options. Right now, let us focus on
what you can do from the outside to keep your ship running smooth.
Heat
Electronic components generate heat, and lots of it. Average CPU temperatures can reach 70 °C or 160
°F while
motherboard temperatures usually hover below that level. Every CPU and motherboard comes with large
graphic warnings stating that you should NEVER power on your computer without
the heatsink attached to the CPU. While
the heatsink (the large metal finned device situated directly on top of the
CPU) is the minimal requirement, all modern processors also need a cooling fan
on top of that to help dissipate heat.
Maintaining a cooler operating temperature throughout your
computer’s life will keep it working for a lot longer. Try to position the computer near a window
or fan to help circulate air in and out of the box. Purchase extra fans for the case to help push air around. All of these moves will help you keep
temperatures in the 30 °C
or 85 °F
range instead of twice that.
Dust
Dust is a symptom of life and cannot be avoided. Unless you live in a clean room with positive
pressure, something tells me that your computer will slowly collect dust on all
of its components. Most of the dust
collects on the fans and various heatsinks in your computer. These will slowly degrade the performance of
both cooling solutions. Dust on the
heatsinks will reduce their thermal dissipation capacity. Dust on the cooling fan will eventually
grind it to a halt.
You can avoid this by purchasing a can of compressed
air. These little suckers shoot out
high-speed streams of air that will help bust up the layers of dust that have
accumulated over your entire computer.
There isn’t much else you can do to maintain your computer
from the outside. Continue reading for
more information about what you can do from your operating system to help keep
things in tiptop shape.
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