Computers are really cool when they work properly, which could be for some years, if looked after with care and that they have the most suitable cooling /airflow system. As long as those things are ticked off the list and you have regular maintenance set up then you should be able to make a purchase with a better piece of mind.
Heat is a killer!
Fans
You might have noticed your computer getting really hot at times, especially if you live in a humid area with limited home cooling equipment. Even having a few floors standing fans can help, although, you’d only really want one fan pointed at the front of the tower, that’s where the intake fans are, if you pump air towards exhaust fans, you’re very likely to actually increase the heat within your computer. Creating the opposite effect of what’s called a ‘push and pull’ air flow system.
Whichever route you choose to go down, make sure that whatever you buy follows the same cooling flow guidelines that IT Authorities would give you. For example, if you replace your current fans with some that have a higher RPM and better cooling capability then it’s really important that the fans are facing the correct way when you fit them. It can be easy to do, especially if you buy different brands – you can’t always rely upon the stickers.
The same goes for, if you are wanting to swap out your old fans for something more modern, perhaps with LED’s that add a different feel to your living or working space. Do be sure though to consult with an expert before you buy anything, the LEDs won’t need to be mentioned unless, you really don’t want them. What’s important is to know the products overall maximum cooling capabilities and, the higher the RPM doesn’t always mean that you will get better cooling.
Water Cooling
This complex area of computer cooling has come on leaps and bounds over the last 5 years or so whereas before, you would likely by all the parts separately, or in a packaged hit and set upon the project of building your very own custom water-cooling loop that could cool your CPU and your GPU, if you have one, and the block to go with it.
For most people, though, although the GPU is normally a more expensive piece of kit, the CPU is less likely to ‘like’ consistently hot temperatures, you may wonder when you go looking why there is such a big market for CPU’s as opposed to GPU’s, hopefully that answers that one.
Loads of companies are now producing pre-made AIO units so all you have to do is to remove the old heat sink from your motherboard, get some alcohol type solution and clean the old thermal paste from your CPU, apply a new blob, around the size of pea normally does it.
Then, carefully screw the pump/heatsink onto the CPU mounting bracket, turning each of the 4 bolts an even amount each time so that the block is seated as even as possible. You may need to refer to some YouTube videos, but, once you’ve gotten the basics you’ll be well away!
