subject: Computer Maintenance - Improve Computer Performance And Reliability With A Cooler Computer [print this page] Many people these days are beginning to think of their computers as disposable. When their computer crashes, many times because of heat, they are on the fence about whether to fix it or trash it and buy a new computer. But understanding what makes a computer break before its time, will arm you with the knowledge to add years to the life of your computer. So wouldn't it make more sense to plan for the retirement of your trusty old computer rather than being forced to buy a new one because of an unexpected failure?
Simple Things You Can Do To Keep Your Computer Cooler
The greatest threat to computers (and electronics in general) is heat. Heat not only lowers the performance of your system, but it can cause electronic components to fail prematurely resulting in hardware failure. With that said, the first thing to check is the ventilation around your computer. Most standard computer desks have an enclosed compartment or cabinet for you to cook your computer in. If you must place your computer in an enclosed space, cut a hole in the back of the cabinet behind the exhaust ports of the computer. You should also ensure that your computer is at least 4 inches from the rear of the cabinet.
If you still have an older CRT monitor, make sure that you don't get tempted to use the top for a shelf which might block ventilation slots in the top of the monitor case. A heat issue with a CRT monitor can cause color shifting, flicker, and even total failure over time. Even an LCD Monitor has ventilation slots that shouldn't be blocked either. The next thing you can do almost always gets neglected, and this is to clean the dust from the interior surfaces of your computer. I recommend you clean the interior of your desktop computer twice a year. As for your monitor, and especially if it is a CRT model, I absolutely don't recommend that you attempt to open it up. CRTs have high-voltage circuits inside and should only be serviced by a qualified technician.
