Optimize your PC cooling properly - Our tips

Keeping a cool head with all this technology: Optimizing PC cooling

Whether it's a hot summer or a pleasantly heated room in the winter, your PC doesn't like the heat. To keep your technology running smoothly, you need to optimize your PC cooling. But how?

If your PC overheats, there are two reasons. One is the ambient temperature. Computers, and especially servers, prefer cool rooms. The second is the PC itself. When it's working hard, it's like an engine or an athlete—it overheats. Too much heat, however, will eventually lead to death, just like with engines and sports. Therefore, the CPU hardware needs to be cooled .

PC cooling in explanation: Graphics card and processor are hot parts

Of course, we mean that quite literally. Heat generation in a PC comes from the processor and graphics card . Powerful hardware not only consumes a lot of power but also generates a lot of waste heat. So, when crypto fans boast about heating their homes while mining Bitcoin, they're no joke.

To speed up PCs, manufacturers are installing more and more transistors. Transistors are components that control the electrical voltage. They are located in the chips. However, when controlling the electrical voltage, some of the energy is always lost as heat. This is due to the resistance of the wires. The current flows through the copper wires at almost the speed of light. Anyone who played with copper wires, batteries, and light bulbs as a child will know this: The copper wire heats up pretty quickly. This also happens in the chip. But the heat can't escape; instead, it collects on the tiny surface where millions of wires are tightly packed together.

Normal temperatures are below 50 degrees Celsius

How much heat a PC can tolerate varies slightly from component to component. Some components can handle temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius, others can't. The processor needs cooling above 50 degrees Celsius. If the processor gets too hot, it lowers its clock speed and reduces its operating voltage. This protects the component from overheating . This process is known as thermal throttling. Graphics cards also contain chips that shouldn't exceed temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius.

The motherboard is more sensitive; temperatures shouldn't exceed 40 degrees Celsius . If it gets warmer, the voltage converter suffers. And at temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius, there's even a risk of data loss because the hard drive's magnetization is affected. This makes it clear: PC cooling is just cooling the hard drive. But how do you even tell if your computer is running on fever?

Load analysis tool, read temperature

To determine the temperatures of various hardware components, download and install the appropriate program onto your PC. These programs are called HW Monitor or HWiNFO32. Once installed, the software allows you to read the temperatures of the various PC components. In addition to the current temperature, the maximum and minimum temperatures of the components are always displayed. If your PC's cooling is problematic, these high values ​​will be noticeable.

It's not enough to know the temperature. Ideally, you also need to know the manufacturer's recommended temperatures for each part. This varies, but there are a few general guidelines:

• newer CPU: up to 60 degrees Celsius
• newer graphics card or GPU: up to 80 degrees Celsius
• Hard drive: never above 50 degrees Celsius

Optimize PC cooling and reduce temperatures

Now we know how hot a computer can get and how hot the device actually gets. What's missing is the optimal PC cooling system for the hard drive. Computers usually have fans designed to cool the components via airflow. The heat is thus drawn away from the motherboard, graphics card, and processor and out to the outside. This is what's known as a PC air cooler. Models usually have a diameter of 80 millimeters, 120 millimeters, or 140 millimeters. Bigger is better, because a larger fan allows more air to pass through at once, i.e., per revolution.

Note: If the fan becomes loud, this is the first sign of overheating!

Simple PC cooling: Location

Anything close to the PC naturally reflects the heat it emits. Therefore, the computer will sweat more quickly in a tight, poorly ventilated corner than in the middle of the room. Direct sunlight is also bad , and the computer should definitely not be placed directly next to a heater. A high position, however, is very good. The floor is often covered in dust, which can easily be blown into the PC case by the fan. Higher up in the room, the air is less dusty.

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More fans equal more cooling

Not every computer comes with a case fan installed from the factory. If the fan is missing, the device is cooled solely by the power supply—and that's simply not enough. Case fans can be installed later.

More fans can also mean increasing the fan speed. This can be done via the BIOS/UEFI or with special software. If the fan rotates faster, more air is drawn in and thus blown through the case. However, this also always increases the noise level and the amount of dust that can enter the case.

Clean up your PC

It sounds simple, but it works wonders: If the case is packed with cables and all the components are hanging sideways, air circulation is difficult. Neatly bundling the cables and providing plenty of space allows for better ventilation. Bulky ribbon cables can be replaced with round cables. Everything that isn't needed should be removed from the case. And of course, dust has no place in the case either. The dirt should be blown off the cooling fins and circuit board components with a compressed air spray.

PC air cooler or water cooler?

PC air coolers and water coolers differ in terms of efficiency. Water cooling uses a liquid coolant that removes heat from the PC more quickly and, above all, quietly. Because colored coolants look quite impressive, this also makes a great visual impact. This efficient cooling system is particularly well-suited for gaming PCs. A copper CPU water cooler or GPU water cooler serves as the heat sink. The coolant is pumped through the heat sink by a pump. The expansion tank contains increasing amounts of coolant. The individual components are connected via hoses, and sensors monitor the cooling process.

Water coolers are available as kits or as individual components. This type of cooling is particularly well-suited for high-performance PCs because water, as a coolant, can absorb more waste heat than air.