Heat can slow down your gaming PC and eventually cause it to automatically shut down, which can lead to data loss and damage to your components. This is why it is very important to track down your CPU and GPU’s temperatures. Most gaming PCs can handle up to 55°C max when using heavy applications. However, if the temperature goes beyond 60°C, you should be concerned and think of ways to prevent your gaming PC from overheating.
Below are some ways that can help you improve the temperature of your gaming PC unit. Some of these tips include ways to fix the cooling system of your unit, and others point out components that are causing heat.
Here are eight ways to prevent your gaming PC from overheating:
1 – Check your PC fan.
The most common reason why a gaming PC is overheating happens to be ventilation. To check if your gaming PC fan is working properly. To check your PC fan, you should be able to hear its sound upon opening your CPU unit. If you can’t hear a sound, or it may sound less powerful than it should, then there is a chance that your PC fan is not working properly.
To further confirm if the fan is working, you can open up your PC by removing one part of its case, enough to see the fan inside the unit. Restart your CPU, and check if the fan is going to work or not. If you do not see any movement, then immediately take your unit to a repair shop for them to check the problem.
2 – Avoid blocking your case vents.
Never place your PC unit on soft or uneven surfaces, as it may block the airflow from your chassis vents. This will result in your PC warming up quickly, which can eventually lead to overheating. To avoid this, make sure that you always place your PC on a hard surface like a wooden table. This is to make sure that the ventilation area of the unit doesn’t get blocked.
3 – Clean up your PC.
If you haven’t cleaned your PC, that can be one of the reasons why it is overheating. To clean your PC unit, you can follow these steps:
- Completely turn off your PC, and wait for it to cool down.
- Once it has cooled down, unplug the unit.
- Open the unit’s case, and check the dust. To clean it up, use a can of compressed air and blow those dust away. Make sure to clean the main components with air, especially the CPU fan.
- For hard to reach places that can’t be cleaned by the can of compressed air, you can use cotton buds. Just be careful when pushing off or getting those dust. You don’t need it to be sparkly clean. Get rid of the dust that causes any blockage.
4 – Apply a thermal paste to your CPU.
There is a thermal paste that you can use to prevent the unit from overheating. The thermal paste is a highly conductive material that you can apply between the CPU, GPU, and heatsinks. Most thermal pastes in the market are made from silicone and zinc oxide. In contrast, expensive thermal pastes contain silver or ceramic.
This thermal paste ensures that the heat is properly moved out from the CPU/GPU components. Take note that you need to change the paste every now and then. Because the material gets old, it will affect the effectiveness of the cooling system.
5 – Speed up your PC fan speed.
Another option to prevent your PC unit from overheating is to speed up the fan speed. You can use programs to control your PC’s fan speed manually or by using presets. Some programs like the SpeedFan even allow users to automatically manage the fan speed according to the current temperature of the unit.
However, these programs don’t work on all PC units. And if ever your PC doesn’t allow these programs to control your fan speed, you can use an external fan controller instead. Connect the controller to your PC so you can manually control the fan speed without any software needed.
6 – Don’t overclock your CPU.
If you don’t need to speed up your unit, don’t overclock the CPU/GPU. If you have overclocked your PC, it leads to generating more heat as the CPU and GPU components will process harder to give you the speed you need. So if it won’t affect your workload, you should clock back to the original speed of your CPU/GPU. It is better to save the components than speed it up to get that temporary speed boost. If you want to speed up your unit, then upgrade the CPU or GPU instead.
7 – Don’t overuse your gaming PC.
If you put too much pressure on your gaming PC or running programs beyond your specification, that can cause overheating. Don’t continuously use your gaming PC to play heavy games that are not compatible with your current specifications. If the game lags or slows down, that indicates that your specifications can’t handle the game.
Remember to only install and run games that are compatible with your PC. Double-check the recommended specifications on each game you are planning to play before buying it.
8 – Place your unit in a cool environment.
Another way to prevent your gaming PC from overheating is to place it in a cool and well-ventilated area. Putting it in a room with no ventilation can significantly add to the risk of overheating. This is why it is usually recommended to place a gaming PC unit in a room with air-conditioning. It helps maintain the temperature of your unit.
If that is not possible, then we recommend upgrading your fan with a more powerful speed. There are CPU fans that are designed for heavy use and gaming.
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