Let’s talk about a “hot topic” many of you are dealing with. (Bad pun intended!)
How do you keep your PC cool and running at its best?
Keeping your CPU and everything inside your case as cool as possible is more than just making sure your PC hardware lasts longer; it’s also about getting the best performance from your system.
This concern is especially true if you’re a PC gamer. Playing any of the latest resource-intensive AAA titles can push Central Processing Units (CPUs) and Graphics Cards to their temperature limits.
When I’m in my flight sim rig, I can feel the heat being exhausted by the case fans. And, while this heat isn’t wasted in the winter, it’s not welcome during those 100-degree summer days.
So, let’s look at ways to keep your PC from overheating.
Key Takeaways: How to Keep Your PC Cool
Keeping your PC cool is essential to protecting the components and helping it perform at its best.
PC Cooling Tips Include:
- Monitoring temperatures: Use software like HWMonitor to track CPU and other component temperatures.
- Improving airflow: Make sure you’re getting proper case airflow, keep dust filters clean, and consider adding extra fans.
- Hardware upgrades: Upgrade CPU coolers (air or liquid), including the CPU fan, or build a custom water-cooling loop for extreme cooling, as liquid-cooling systems can efficiently transfer heat away from components like the CPU and GPU.
- Software optimization: Undervolt your CPU to reduce heat and potentially improve performance.
- Laptop cooling: Use cooling pads, avoid soft surfaces, and keep vents clean.
- Water-cooling kit: Consider a water-cooling kit if you’re building a high-end gaming PC, as many consider it an essential upgrade, since gaming systems generate the most heat under load.
Additional Tips to Keep Your PC Cool:
- Move it: Move your PC to a well-ventilated area to allow warm air to be expelled effectively.
- Close it: Close your PC case for better airflow, making sure cooler air is brought in and warm air is expelled.
- Clean it: Regularly clean dust from your PC to maintain optimal airflow and cooling efficiency.
These tips will help you effectively manage your PC’s temperature and prevent overheating issues.
Know How to Check Your PC Temperatures
The first step to solving any problem is knowing where to look for it. So, how do we find what’s causing the rise in PC temperatures?
Also, how high is too high? Everyone uses their PC in different ways. A general office-use PC generates less heat than a hardcore gaming PC. So, it’s important to know whether you have an overheating issue.
However, if your PC overheats even with the lightest use, it must be fixed immediately!
Using software tools to measure PC temperatures
There are several free software tools available. My favorite is HWMonitor (Shown above).
This free utility will give you real-time data on your CPU temperature and on almost every part of your PC, with temperature and voltage sensors.
It’s like having a thermometer inside your computer, measuring everything in real-time.
Here is the link to the official website for this utility, CPUID. Unfortunately, this site is full of “spammy” ads and pop-ups featuring fake “download” buttons that link to other sites.
Here is the direct link to the “HWMonitor” download page, which can help you avoid some of these issues. The download links are in a section labeled “VERSIONS” on the left side of the page.
Check your computer’s BIOS for CPU temperature
In addition to using a software utility like HWMonitor, you can also check your CPU temperature in your PC’s BIOS.
To open the system BIOS, restart your PC and press the BIOS access key during startup. For most systems, this is the “DEL or F2” key. If these don’t work, check the system or motherboard manual for instructions on accessing the BIOS on your specific motherboard.
Once open, navigate to the hardware monitoring section. This screen shows your CPU temperature, fan speeds, and other real-time PC conditions.
While this might sound a bit technical, it’s easier than you think!
Understanding the maximum temperature for a CPU
Every CPU has a maximum safe temperature. You’ll find this information in the manufacturer’s specifications for your specific CPU.
However, the highest-rated safe temperature limit for most modern CPUs is around 100°C.
If your PC reaches this limit, your CPU will “thermal throttle” to prevent it from going any higher. This protection setting is intended to avoid permanent damage to the processor cores.
A utility like HWMonitor will track this in real time for you. If your CPU regularly hits this high temperature, you have a problem that needs immediate attention!
Think of the maximum temperature limit as the red line of your car’s tachometer. You really don’t want the needle going into the red, where things can break.
Quick Tip:
Most modern PC BIOSs will alert on bootup if your CPU is overheating.
Things You Can Do Without Using Any Tools
Before breaking out the screwdriver, let’s look at what you can do quickly and easily to help reduce your PC’s temperature.
One important item to consider is the setup of your case fans. Mismatched fan sizes, or having fewer intake fans and more exhaust fans, can create an imbalance in airflow, leading to negative air pressure and less effective cooling of components.
Every case is different, but start by equalizing pressure and experiment with fan position. Typically, intake at the bottom and exhaust at the top work best. (Heat Rises!)
Does moving your computer keep it cooler?
Moving your PC to a more ventilated area can help keep it cool. Also, keep it off the carpet, as many types of power supplies draw air from the bottom of the case.
If you have to put it on a carpeted floor, put it on a hard surface like a board, or find a monitor stand that it fits on, and use that to keep the air vents clear.
Also, room temperature can affect performance, so try to keep your PC out of direct sunlight and make sure all the fans have plenty of room to circulate fresh air. Proper placement and ventilation are key to maintaining safe temperatures.
Are you old enough to remember when every PC was a basic beige box you tucked away in the space of your desk, specifically designed for it?
Also, many of these desks with PC storage areas had a door on the front that you could close. Talk about solitary confinement!
To be fair, computers back then didn’t generate as much heat as they do today, so many would be fine tucked away like this; however, the more open the space, the better.
Now, I say this mainly to all you PC users out there who just built or bought a new PC but still have one of these old computer cubby desks.
If you care about your new PC purchase… “DON’T PUT YOUR PC IN THERE,” if you want it to live!
Look at it like this. Where would you sit to feel cool and comfortable if you were your PC?
Friends don’t let friends cook their PCs!
Why cleaning your PC with compressed air will help it run cooler
Next to a cup of coffee, dust is your PC’s worst enemy. While you may not realize it, computers are like magnets for dust. It’s a good idea to regularly clean the fan filters and the inside of your PC to prevent dust buildup.
Don’t just grab a towel or a dust rag and start wiping things down. Doing this can generate static electricity, which can damage PC components.
Consider buying one of those electric air dusters. It’s a good investment as you can use it to clean other peripherals like your keyboard. I even use mine to clean dust from my car vents.
Optionally, a simple can of compressed air can also do a pretty good job. Just remember, be careful while inside your PC!
Ways to improve airflow so a PC will run cooler
If you bought a pre-built PC, we hope they did a good job with the cable management.
Why, you ask?
Having all those cables tucked away helps prevent them from getting in the way and improves airflow inside the case, which is important to avoid overheating.
Plus, properly setting up the fans can make a significant difference. Of course, it all depends on your case design.
However, if there are front fans, these should be configured to draw cool air into the case. The top and rear fans should exhaust hot air from the case.
This fan configuration should create a smooth airflow path through your PC, helping to maintain optimal temperatures.
Although it’s important to consider all the different PC case options, I suggest searching online for advice. You’ll find some excellent YouTube videos on this subject.
Search for “How to optimize your PC case airflow”.
Keep the case closed to improve airflow
Believe it or not, keeping your case closed can improve airflow. A closed case allows airflow from the fans to follow a consistent path, providing even cooling.
An open case disrupts this airflow and can lead to hotspots.
I learned this the hard way by building a PC in an open-air case. I thought, “That looks cool,” so I went for it. Plus, I wanted a case I could mount to the wall.
However, I quickly needed to add more cooling fans to clear out the heat my graphics card (GPU) generated.
I know some out there will disagree and say open cases run cooler. And if they’re running a custom water cooling loop, this may be true.
With the expectation of an AIO cooling the CPU, my open-air PC was cooled by fans. Plus, I ended up adding more to compensate for the lack of airflow.
Everyone’s build is different. Your PC should reflect your style.
Does undervolting my CPU help with temperatures?
It sure does, and it’s recommended for a gaming PC! By undervolting your CPU, you’re reducing the voltage supplied. This change lowers the temperature by reducing power consumption.
Okay, now you’re asking, doesn’t that make my CPU slower?
Not really; it can actually improve performance, since a cooler CPU performs better.
There are a couple of ways to do this. First, you can make these adjustments under the system BIOS.
However, doing this requires careful tweaking, so be sure you’re comfortable with advanced BIOS settings.
Alternatively, some utilities let you adjust voltage settings without entering the BIOS.
Here are two software utilities you can use based on whether you’re Team Intel or Team AMD.
- Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU): This user-friendly utility optimizes Intel CPUs, enabling real-time performance monitoring, tweakable settings, and stress testing. The Intel Extreme Tuning Utility enables easy adjustments to multipliers, voltage, and power limits directly from your desktop, making it accessible to everyone.
- AMD Ryzen Master: This utility monitors and overclocks AMD Ryzen CPUs. Their simple-to-use interface lets you adjust clock speeds, set voltages, and monitor performance in real time. Ryzen Master allows users to configure different profiles, such as one for gaming or another for content creation. Plus, it includes visual performance graphs.
While each of these utilities provides a “friendly” user interface, it’s important to understand how to adjust CPU settings.
As with most things, many online tutorials cover these in detail.
Grabbing a Screwdriver to Make Hardware Upgrades
If the toolless suggestions haven’t lowered your PC temps, it’s time to take it to the next level by upgrading your cooling hardware.
The parts that need the most cooling are the CPU and GPU. So, consider one of these options based on where you expect temperatures to exceed normal levels.
However, before you purchase new hardware to cool down your CPU, you might try just replacing the thermal paste between your existing CPU cooler and the CPU. It costs about ten (10) bucks for a small tube and is the most affordable upgrade you can do to keep your pc cool.
The same holds true for graphics cards (GPUs), which also use thermal paste and pads to keep the GPU core cool. However, replacing the thermal paste on graphics cards will take a bit more effort.
This paste can degrade over time, especially if your CPU runs hotter than normal and occasionally exceeds 100 degrees Celsius.
Also, make sure your power supply fan isn’t blowing hot air into your PC. Depending on the case, the power supply fan is part of the cooling design and should be considered essential to airflow.
Upgrade the stock CPU cooling fan
Some lower-end CPUs might include a “Stock” CPU Cooler, which provides basic cooling for basic PC use.
However, swapping it out for a more effective option will reduce temperatures considerably. And honestly, CPU cooling requirements for most CPUs require more than what you’ll get from a stock cooler.
Sometimes, I wonder why some CPU manufacturers still include a stock CPU cooler. Since they struggle to keep the CPU cool under heavy workloads, they usually end up as unnecessary E-Waste.
Install a third-party air cooler
Third-party air coolers come in various sizes and performance levels. This type of cooler is usually much larger.
Also, they’re generally more effective than stock coolers and typically include one or more fans.
However, be sure the one you choose fits inside your case. Often, I’ve read posts in user forums where builders forgot to account for clearance space for other components, like system RAM, or even for putting the side panel on the case. Oops!
Most users will find this type of cooler easier to install.
Install an AIO CPU water cooler
This option is my “go-to” CPU cooling solution. I use this type of cooling solution in all my high-end PCs.An All-In-One (AIO) cooling system provides superior cooling over most air coolers. They may look complicated to install at first, but they are pretty easy to fit into a larger case.
Plus, most case manuals will indicate where and what size AIO coolers will fit.
If you’re using a smaller case, your selection options will be limited, which is why these are available in three (3) standard sizes.
- 120mm (single fan radiator)
- 240mm (dual fan radiator)
- 360mm (triple fan radiator)
These are great middle-ground PC cooling systems. Just be sure it’s powerful enough to cool your CPU.
Go big with a custom water-cooling loop
While I consider myself a geek among geeks, I’ve never built a PC with a custom water loop. A custom water-cooling loop delivers the best cooling performance and can be configured to cool several components in a PC.
The most common components added to a custom water loop are the graphics card (GPU) and high-speed SSDs.
I’ve even seen some waterblocks designed for RAM, but honestly, this is unnecessary and would be mostly for show.
However, there are some pros and cons to consider.
Pros:
- Superior Cooling Performance: Custom loops can achieve significantly lower temperatures than air cooling or AIO liquid coolers, especially during overclocking.
- Customization: You have complete control over all components, from tubing and fittings to coolant, to make your custom PC build truly original.
- Aesthetics: Custom loops look cool! Create a custom look based on the tubing, fittings, and lighting options you choose.
- Scalability: You can add more than just the CPU to the cooling loop. Any component that supports a “water block,” such as a GPU or High-Speed SSD, can be integrated into the loop.
Cons:
- Complexity and Time: Building a custom loop requires technical knowledge, time, and patience. Doing it wrong can lead to leaks or damage.
- Cost: The cost for all these high-performance components, tubing, fittings, and coolant can add up quickly, making custom loops considerably more expensive than air cooling or AIOs.
- Maintenance: Custom loops require regular maintenance, including coolant changes and cleaning to maintain performance.
- Leak Risk: Since custom loops require many connections (fittings) between devices, there’s always a risk of leaks that could damage your PC components.
If you have several components to cool and the budget and skills to do it, this is the option to use. Otherwise, an AIO is the way to go if you need to cool your CPU.
Do extra fans help cool a PC?
Adding extra cooling fans can improve airflow and prevent hotspots. But more fans aren’t always better. What matters most is where fans are installed and configured to pull air into your case and exhaust it out.
Since there are so many case options, there is no right or wrong answer to these questions.
All I can say is to be mindful of the cooling fan placement and try to balance the number of intake fans with the number of exhaust fans so you maintain a balanced pressure system inside your PC case.
Think of it like this. You have two balloons; one is half-inflated, and the other is fully inflated. You then connect each one to the opposite ends of a straw.
The fully inflated balloon will equalize with the other by pushing its air through the straw into the other until they are both equally inflated. This balance is the equalized air pressure you want for your case’s airflow.
Install specialty cooling components
For anyone looking to take their cooling to the extreme, there are many specialty cooling options for components such as system RAM, SSDs and VRM heatsinks.
They range from a simple heatsink to a water block that you connect directly to them.
While all these offer some benefits, most components are designed to leverage the passive airflow inside your case for cooling.
However, if you’re a PC gamer and use a high-end graphics card (GPU), you might consider installing an expansion card next to your GPU that’s fitted with PC fans. This extra airflow will help move the massive amounts of heat it generates.
Quick Tips to Keep Your Laptop PC Cool
We’re not exclusively Desktop PC users, and many of the suggestions here will not apply to laptop cooling.
But we know you’re out there, so here are a few tips to help keep your laptop running as cool as possible.
How to keep your laptop PC cool
A laptop will often run hotter than a desktop PC because it doesn’t have the same breathing room. Plus, every brand and model is different, yet many of the best practices are the same.
Try to keep your laptop between 50 and 95 °C. Also, regularly cleaning vents will make a big difference, so consider using a laptop cooling pad with built-in fans. They really do help!
My laptop is not my daily driver, but I have an old Sony VAIO that can get a bit toasty on my lap if I use it for too long.
Also, if your workspace allows, use a laptop stand to lift it off your desk for better airflow, or use a cooling pad, as I mentioned earlier.
Avoid using your laptop on soft surfaces like beds or sofas, as they can block vents and cause it to heat up quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ideal physical placement for a desktop PC case?
The system should be placed in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. If the PC must be on a carpeted floor, it should be placed on a hard board or a stand to make sure the power supply unit (PSU) can draw air through its bottom vents.
How does thermal paste maintenance impact cooling over time?
Thermal paste can degrade over time, especially if the CPU frequently operates at high temperatures. Replacing the paste between the processor and the cooler is cited as a cost-effective hardware maintenance step to restore efficient heat transfer.
What are the primary risks associated with custom water-cooling loops?
While they offer high performance, custom loops involve leak risks due to the numerous manual connections (fittings). They also require significantly more technical knowledge to install and demand regular maintenance, such as coolant changes and internal cleaning.
Final Thoughts on How to Keep Your PC Cool
If you’re building a PC, the two components that generate the most heat and need to be kept coolest are the CPU and GPU (if you’re using one).
In almost every case, it’s the CPU that overheats, affecting overall system performance. Which is why it’s important to understand CPU specs, especially TDP (Thermal Design Power)
Try these options in order of difficulty, and you might find a quick fix for your overheating issue. Otherwise, it’s upgrade time.
Suppose you’re not comfortable doing this yourself. Check with your local PC repair shop. My advice is to try to avoid the geek counters at those “Big Box Retailers”. See if you have a “Mom and Pop” type shop nearby.
Why, you ask?
First, they tend to be more skilled. And second, their entire business is built on reputation, so they see you as a valued customer, not just an opportunity to upsell.
Some helpful info here! How often would you recommend cleaning the dust from a PC to maintain optimal cooling?
There’s no official recommendation. However, if you have a very visual build in what many call a “fish tank” case, you’ll want to clean it more often simply because all the components are so visible. But without that, many say to clean out the dust every 3-6 months. However, if you have pets that shed, I would do it at least every 3 months.
Your point about those old desk style space for a tower PC is so true. I used to keep my tower in the wooden cubby and couldn’t figure out why the fans were always screaming. I cut a hole in the back of the desk and added an exhaust and my temps dropped and everything is running much cooler and quieter!
Many, many years ago, I used to provide in-house support, and you would be surprised how many of my customers had their PC tower right in the “Hot Box”! I was able to convince some to move their PC to a cooler spot, but others really didn’t care as long as it was working, even though I told them performance was likely being affected by thermal throttling.