If you are a gamer then overheating PC might be the biggest problem for you. So, have you ever thought about how to keep your PC cool while gaming? Several factors might cause your gaming Computer to overheat.
Generally speaking, a computer’s Processor is the primary source of heat. When your Computer is doing a lot of work or running a lot of programs at once, it can get hot and perhaps crash.
This article will teach you how to keep your Computer cool when gaming without resorting to traditional cooling solutions like fans and thermal paste, which are designed to prolong the life of the CPU and protect the rest of your system’s components.
A desktop computer’s two biggest enemies are dirt and warmth. Heat is invisible, unlike dust, so it might be not easy to detect. The best way to prevent heat-related problems (besides keeping your computer clean) is to follow some basic cooling guidelines.
If you start with the fundamentals and modify them for your situation and computer, you should be alright.
When turned on, nearly every component in your computer will emit heat. It’s possible to cook on some components, such as the central processing unit (CPU) and the graphics processing unit (GPU).
Much of this heat is dissipated by the use of many fans in a well-configured desktop or laptop computer. If the heat isn’t being dissipated quickly enough, your computer might be in danger of overheating. Keeping your computer cool should, of course, be a high concern.
How To Measure Your PC Temperature?
Keeping an eye on the temperatures recorded by the CPU and GPU is the simplest method to tell if your computer is overheating. Everything else should be alright as long as these two components are kept within their safe temperature limits.
When under load, the CPU temperature should be kept below 80 degrees Celsius, and ideally considerably lower. While the optimal temperature for a certain CPU is often greater than 80 degrees, this temperature is still useful as a general guideline.
Core Temp is a small and effective alternative to the many other CPU temperature monitoring tools available. Each CPU core’s temperature is also reported and displayed in the system tray for easy monitoring.
When it comes to temperature, graphics cards are more forgiving than processors, but they still shouldn’t exceed 85 degrees Celsius. The temperature of your graphics card may be monitored by using the native software overlays provided by AMD and Nvidia. MSI’s Afterburner is another choice that should be compatible with all systems.
Best Ways To Keep Your PC Cool While Gaming
Allow Air To Flow
One of the simplest ways to help keep your computer cool is to make sure it has enough the area to breathe by clearing out any clutter that could be in its way.
Ensure sure nothing is touching the computer on any side, but especially the rear. The rear of the computer casing is the primary vent for exhausting heated air. Two to three inches of clearance is recommended on all sides, and the back should be free of any obstructions.
Make sure the door to your desk isn’t always closed if your computer is housed within. The casing allows cool air to enter from the front and, on occasion, the sides. If the door is kept shut all day, the temperature within the desk will rise steadily as the computer is left on.
Keep Your PC Case Close While Gaming
The initial temperature drop from running your computer with the casing open is negligible compared to the long-term damage done by exposing the fans to dust and other particles.
Keep Your PC Clean
Your computer’s fans are there for a good reason: to keep the internal temperature down. What causes a fan to slow down and ultimately stop altogether? Pollutants such as dust, cat hair, etc. Everything eventually makes its way inside your computer, and many particles become lodged in the various fans.
Cleaning the internal fans is one of the most efficient methods of cooling a computer. A CPU cooler fan, a PSU fan, and maybe additional front and/or rear case fans are all standard components.
Just power down the PC, remove the case’s side panels and blow some compressed air into each fan to clean them. If your computer is particularly grimy, you should clean it outside because the dust and filth will only wind up back inside your machine.
Move Your Computer
Is it too hot or too unclean where you are to use your computer comfortably? The PC must be relocated sometimes. It’s possible that relocating the computer to a cooler and cleaner part of the same room may suffice, although doing so may be necessary.
But, if relocating your PC is not feasible, read on for some further suggestions.
If you aren’t careful, moving your computer might crack the screen or break the inside components. Remember to turn off the power, avoid carrying too much, and set items down gently. The computer’s chassis, which houses the machine’s essential components like the hard drive, motherboard, CPU, etc., will be your priority.
Upgrade The CPU
In most computers, the central processing unit (CPU) is the most expensive and delicate component. It also has the highest risk of being too hot.
Unless you’ve recently changed it, the CPU fan in your computer is likely a low-end one that barely moves enough air to keep your processor operating at full speed even if you have it turned up.
You can get massive CPU fans for sale from a variety of manufacturers; these fans are far more effective at maintaining a cool CPU than the stock fan that comes with your computer.
Install A Case Fan ( or Two )
Simply described, a case fan is a tiny fan that may be installed inside on the front or rear of a desktop computer case.
As you remember from the first few instructions above, the best method to keep those pricey parts from overheating is to keep air flowing through the computer.
The best approach to keep a computer cool is to install two case fans, one to draw cold air into the PC and another to exhaust hot air from the PC.
Never fear opening up your PC; installing case fans is even less of a challenge than installing CPU fans.
A cooling pad is a good alternative to adding a case fan to a portable device like a laptop or tablet.
Stop Overclocking
Overclocking isn’t something you need to worry about if you don’t know what it is, which suggests that you’re probably not doing it.
The remainder of you probably already know that overclocking will severely restrict your computer’s performance. The temperature at which your CPU and other overclocked components run is directly related to the alterations you make.
Please return your PC’s hardware to its original factory settings if you’ve overclocked it without also taking measures to keep it cool.
Replace The Power Supply
Your computer’s power supply includes a sizable fan. If you put your palm on the back of your computer, you’ll feel a breeze.
In the absence of a case fan, your computer’s power supply is responsible for venting the system’s heated air. If this fan stops operating, your computer may overheat very rapidly.
Regrettably, the fan in the power supply is not serviceable. When the power source for this fan fails, the whole unit must be replaced.
Install Components Specific Fans
While the central processing unit (CPU) generates more heat than the rest of your computer’s components, almost everything generates some amount of thermal energy. It’s not uncommon for the CPU to be outperformed by the system’s memory or graphics card, especially if both are extremely fast.
Memory, graphics cards, and other components that generate excessive heat can be cooled with dedicated fans. That is to say, if your RAM is becoming too warm, you should go out and get a memory fan. Increase the size of the graphics card fan if the card gets too hot while playing.
Inevitably, as technology advances, so does the temperature of its many components. Fan makers recognize this and have built customized fan solutions for practically everything within your computer.
Install A Water Cooling Kit
Extreme heat is an issue that can overwhelm even the most powerful fans in high-end computers. A water cooling kit is useful in these situations. Water is an excellent heat conductor and may significantly lower a central processing unit’s temperature.
“Is there water inside of a computer? I wouldn’t recommend doing it.” The transfer system has a sealed interior, so there’s no need to worry about water (or other liquid) leaking out. When your computer’s central processing unit (CPU) becomes too hot. A pump will cycle cool liquid down to it to absorb the heat. And then it will pump the heated liquid out of your computer to disperse.
Even if you have never upgraded a computer before, you will have no trouble installing a liquid cooling system.
Install A Phase Change Unit
The most extreme method of cooling is the use of phase change units. Like a fridge for your computer, a phase change unit keeps your electronics cool. Several of the same techniques used to chill or freeze a central processing unit are also employed.
Prices for phase change devices like the one seen here start at around $1000 US. A similar PC cooling device for a large business may cost you over $10,000.
Intake & Outtake
There are two case fans as the foundation for Computer cooling. You’re welcome to have more than that, but the bare minimum is two. If your desktop or computer case only has one fan, you may want to consider purchasing an additional fan. To get cooler air into the case, you need an intake. The other one is an exhaust fan designed to pull stale air from within the casing. (Learn to identify the direction of airflow from your computer fan.) Temperatures will rise dramatically if only one fan is used for one of these purposes.
The placement of these fans is determined by the case, however, the exhaust fan is often found in the rear of the case, next to the central processing unit. It could also go on top of the CPU if that’s more convenient for you. The CPU generates a lot of heat that must be dissipated, thus moving it to the top of the chassis makes it logical. The graphics card, another significant heat producer, is located right below the CPU.
The best placement for the intake fan is towards the front of the case, away from the hotter components (and air). But, your case’s design will determine where the fans may be installed.
Consider pulse width modulation (PWM) fans as a possible replacement if your current assortment of fans is ineffective. Software or the motherboard BIOS may be used to adjust the fan speeds of these fans if the motherboard has a suitable PWM connector. Because of this, the fans may be turned up to full speed when it becomes too hot and turned down to a trickle when it cools down a bit. PWM fans are often found on graphics cards, however, they may provide the same benefits to your computer’s cooling system.
Inexpensive PC case fans may be purchased for as little as $5 on Amazon. The Antec P12 case fans are a staff favorite because of their low noise levels. And you can purchase not one, not two, but five of them for less than $25. Conversely, for $70, you can get five Antec fans with RGB lighting and PWM control, perfect for sprucing up your system.
Pressure
You may employ case fans to create a positive pressure environment, a negative pressure environment, or a neutral pressure environment. When the intake fans bring in more cold air than the exhaust fans push out, a positive pressure condition is created inside the case. The opposite is negative.
Typically, a Computer with little thought given to the orientation of its fans would have a positive pressure environment. This is due to the numerous unutilized vents and other openings in a Computer chassis that allow air to flow in.
Careful consideration of fan location. And spin direction is required to achieve a negative pressure setup, in which more air is pushed out than drawn in. If you have more than two fans, you should aim them all outwards to draw hot air away from your hardware.
What sort of pressure you want should be chosen carefully to meet your specific requirements. Those who live in drier climates, where dust is more likely to settle, often find that a positive-pressure setup is better for their computers.
Most individuals do better when they’re breathing in rather than out. Most people, though, do best with a steady balance of positive and negative pressure. Pushing particularly hot air out of the case and keeping the air flowing are both made easier when a sufficient amount of outside air is circulating through the case.
The trick is to place filters close to the intake fans to limit the amount of dust that is drawn in with the air. For many uses, custom filters may be made with little effort if none exist out of the box.
Upgrading Component Cooling
Cooling devices for the graphics processing unit and central processing unit are as important as fans and ventilation in any cooling system. Fans are built into graphics cards. While it is possible to update a GPU to use liquid cooling, doing so is a complex process with high stakes if something goes wrong. People typically ignore the GPU cooler and focus on bettering the CPU cooler.
Stock coolers are included with many CPUs. And those on a tighter budget may choose for the lowest one that still meets their cooling needs. But, skimping on the CPU fan is a bad idea because upgrading to a better CPU cooler can reduce the system-wide temperature.
A more efficient cooler can soak up more heat and channel it to the exhaust fans. Better CPU cooling, while generally beneficial, might be problematic for cases with limited space. Also, a big cooler may prohibit you from installing your RAM correctly if the modules are orientated in the wrong direction.
The all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler is a powerful alternative to traditional CPU coolers. The need to worry about clearance is eliminated by using an AIO. And most cases can accommodate the additional fans that are necessary. A dual-fan AIO is a great option for CPU cooling, and can frequently be found for the same price as a high-end air cooler nowadays.
Other Considerations
There are further factors to think about if stronger case fans, and negative versus positive pressure. And better component cooling doesn’t solve the problem. To begin with, it’s possible that the case you’re using isn’t the best fit for your computer.
Think about upgrading to a new case with enhanced ventilation and more room for cooling fans. You may have to forego a see-through side in exchange for better ventilation and fan placement.
Think about the room temperature as well. If you have the option, it is best to relocate the computer to a basement or other cool location. In the absence of any of these, the time-honored trick of directing a floor fan against an intake filter can have unexpectedly positive results.
Keeping your computer cool isn’t always easy, but if you’re not doing any excessive overclocking, these measures should be sufficient.
Final Verdict
Keeping your gaming PC cool is essential to prevent overheating and ensure the longevity of your computer. It is recommended to regularly monitor your CPU and GPU temperature and follow some basic cooling guidelines.
One of the best ways to keep your computer cool is by allowing proper airflow by clearing out any clutter, keeping the PC case closed while gaming, keeping the PC clean, moving the PC to a cooler and cleaner location, and upgrading the CPU with a better fan. Remember, overheating can damage your computer’s components and lead to system crashes, so it’s essential to prioritize cooling solutions while gaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the optimal temperature for a CPU while gaming?
The optimal temperature for a CPU while gaming is below 80 degrees Celsius. While some CPUs can handle higher temperatures, it’s best to keep them below 80 degrees to prevent overheating.
Can I keep my gaming PC cool without fans?
While fans are an essential cooling solution for a gaming PC, there are other ways to keep your computer cool. You can allow proper airflow by clearing out any clutter, keeping the PC case closed while gaming, keeping the PC clean, moving the PC to a cooler and cleaner location, and upgrading the CPU with a better fan.
Can overheating damage my gaming PC?
Yes, overheating can damage your gaming PC’s components and lead to system crashes. Overheating can cause permanent damage to your CPU and GPU, which are the most expensive and delicate components of your computer. It’s essential to prioritize cooling solutions while gaming to prevent overheating and ensure the longevity of your gaming PC.
