The hot weather of the summer months can put strain on your gaming PC. This is made especially worse if you do not have AC cranking in cool air.
A hot room can make overheating a common occurrence, especially when you are playing intense games that are pushing your PC and already generating a lot of heat.
When a gaming PC overheats, it automatically shuts down the system to prevent any component from being damaged. This can be very frustrating, especially when you’re in the middle of an online game. Chances are your CyberPowerPC has cooling that can prevent overheating, even during the hot months, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take the necessary measures to prevent overheating and keep your pc more cool overall. Here are tips to keep your gaming PC cool this summer:
- Place Your PC in a Spot with Good Airflow.
- Avoid Direct Sunlight or Hot Areas
- Keep your gaming PC in a room with air conditioning.
- Prevent Dust Build Up.
- Increase your Fan Speed.
- Keep Your Fans Clean
- Upgrade Your Fans or Install More
- Use A Case With Better Airflow
1 – Place Your PC in a Spot with Good Airflow
It is key that you find a good spot to put your gaming PC. A solid surface like the top of your desk or its own solid PC stand are ideal. You should avoid putting your PC right up against the wall. Leave about at least three to five inches of space behind the PC to allow the hot air to escape through the back vents. The same goes for space above the PC, you don’t want hot air hanging out around your PC.
2 – Avoid Direct Sunlight or Hot Areas
Placing your gaming PC anywhere near direct sunlight is a quick way to heat things up. It may look glorious in the sunlight, but for performance it is only hurting you. If your only available space is near the window, consider curtains that at least prevent direct sunlight from blasting your PC.
3 – Keep Your Gaming PC in a Room with Air Conditioning.
The ideal room temperature for your gaming PC to run continuously without overheating is around 68°F to 78°F. However, during summer, room temperature can rise up to 80°F or higher depending on your states weather. If you’re in a cooler area, then good for you. If not, the warm climate can definitely affect the overall temperature of your gaming PC.
The best way to solve this is to place your gaming PC in a room with air conditioning. You don’t need to keep the AC open at all times. Just turn it on if you plan to use your gaming PC to play video games for hours or when running high-demand apps.
4 – Prevent Dust Build Up
A common mistake most PC users taking the panels off the PC, thinking that it will keep the system cooler. Technically it will run cooler, but this is a just a temporary solution that will begin to backfire on you. Dirt and dust will quickly go into your system with the case open. The build-up can clog the fans and increase system temperature, which can cause your system to overheat down the road.
Make sure to keep the case securely closed. Dust can still enter the system, but less will enter overall and more will be captured by your dust filters and screens.
5 – Increase Your Fan Speeds
Playing for hours on your gaming PC can generate more heat, especially if your fans are running at default speed. As a result, your system will have difficulty running. You can quickly fix this by adjusting or increasing the fan speed to help keep your system cool.
Go to your system control panel and check if there is an option that will allow you to adjust the fan speed. If not, there are either built-in programs on your PC or external apps to adjust the fan speed. For example, an application from Corsair would be used if you have fans from Corsair. Not all fan manufacturers have software, but it does not hurt to check.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t leave your fans running at higher speed at all times since this can cause the fans to burn out. You can just adjust the fan speed when gaming or running stressful tasks.
6 – Keep Your PC Clean
Dust build-up on your fans slows them down and impedes airflow, lowering the PCs capability to cool itself. Keep you fans, and PC, in tip top shape by cleaning them regularly. All you need is a can of compressed air to spray the fans and remove any dust build-up.
When cleaning the fans of your gaming PC, make sure to completely turn off the PC first and open up the case. Remember to ground yourself before handling anything inside of your PC to avoid damaging anything with a static discharge. Lastly, hold fans in place when blasting them with compressed air, when they spin fast while they are off this can damage the motors that power the fans.
7 – Upgrade Your Fans or Install More
Upgrading your PC fans is great way to improve the cooling of your PC. Look for larger and high-performing fans in the market than those already installed on your computer. Using high-performing fans can help deliver a more effective cooling system for your unit.
Another tip is to install more case fans to help cool your whole case. Aside from the individual fans around your CPU, you can install bigger case fans to help with the airflow. If you have empty slots in your case, try adding some fans to see if that improves your temperature.
Fans can either blow air out of the case (exhaust) or suck air in (intake), determined by which direction the fan is facing when installed. Decide which configuration is better before installing your fan.
8 – Use A Case with Better Airflow
Poor cable management can impede airflow through the system. The best solution besides tightening up your cable management, is to invest in a larger case where your hardware is more spread out and there is more space between wires for air to flow.