- Open up your case and take a look at what you have. How many fans does your computer case have? Some cases have multiple fans on the side, the back and on the top. Some components such as graphics cards have their own individual fans as well. If a fan on a component goes out, the card can fail. Familiarize yourself with your fans, so that you can make sure each one is in working order.
- One very easy solution is to make sure that no dust collects in the fan blades. Simply turn off your computer and unplug the power cord and look at your fans. If there is dust collected in the fans, use a can of spray air to remove it. Use the little straw that is included to get into hard to reach areas. Don't forget to spray out the fan in your power supply as well.
- Because your case fans are usually not in a place that you can see them, you may need another way to manage them--this is where software management can help. SpeedFan is a program that will allow you to monitor not only the speed of your fans, but also the temperature of your motherboard and CPU. Speed fan assigns a graphic to each fan in your case, depending on if it is running cool, hot or overheating. In addition, SpeedFan will place a graphic in the task bar, running in the background and alert you if your case temperatures get too hot. Best of all SpeedFan is free. SpeedFan will not shut your computer down if things are hot; however, that is something you can set for yourself.
- Most motherboard bios programs (programs on all motherboards that start up before your operating system) have the option to have your computer shut down if it reaches a certain temperature. The automatic computer shutdown is a good idea to implement because if you are having a problem with overheating, the computer will turn off before any damage is done. Consult your motherboard manual to see if you have this option.
Assess the Situation
Dust-Free
Software Management
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