Optimize your PC cooling properly - Our tips

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

Hot summer or pleasantly heated room in winter: The PC doesn't like heat. To keep the technology running smoothly, PC cooling should be optimized. But how?

If the PC overheats, there are two reasons. One is the ambient temperature. Computers and especially servers prefer to be in cool rooms. The second point is within the PC itself. If it's working hard, it's like an engine or an athlete – it runs hot. Too much heat, however, like with engines and sports, eventually leads to death. Therefore, the CPU hardware must be cooled.

Graphics card and processor are hot parts. Of course, we mean that literally. The heat generation in a PC comes from the processor and the graphics card. High-performance hardware not only consumes a lot of power but also generates a lot of waste heat. So when crypto fans boast that they casually heat their apartment while Bitcoin mining, it's not a joke.

Normal temperatures are below 50 degrees Celsius

How much heat a PC can tolerate varies slightly for each component. Some parts can easily handle 80 degrees Celsius, others cannot. The processor needs cooling above 50 degrees Celsius. If the processor gets too hot, it reduces its clock speed and operating voltage. This protects the component itself from thermal death. This process is known as thermal throttling. Graphics cards also contain chips that should not exceed temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius.

The motherboard is more sensitive; it should not exceed 40 degrees Celsius. If it gets warmer, the voltage regulator suffers. And 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 means hard drive cooling. But how do you even find out if the computer has a fever?

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

Download analysis tool, read temperature

To determine the temperatures of the various hardware parts, you download and install the appropriate program on your PC. These programs are called HW Monitor or HWiNFO32. Once installed, the software allows you to read the temperatures for the various components of the PC. In addition to the current temperature, the maximum and minimum temperatures of the components are also always displayed. If PC cooling is problematic, the high values will stand out.

It is not enough to know the temperature. Ideally, you also know what temperatures the manufacturer recommends for the individual parts. This varies, but there are some general guidelines:

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

Optimize PC cooling and lower temperatures

Now we know how warm the computer can get and how warm it actually gets. What's missing is optimal PC cooling for the hard drive. Generally, computers have fans that are supposed to cool the components with an airflow. The heat is thus transported away from the motherboard, graphics card, and processor to the outside. This is called a PC air cooler. Most models 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., with one rotation.

Note: If the fan gets loud, that's a first sign of overheating!

Simple PC cooling: Location

Everything that stands close to the PC logically reflects the heat radiated by the device. Therefore, in a cramped, poorly ventilated corner, the computer will start to sweat faster than in the middle of the room. Direct sunlight is also bad, and the computer should definitely not be placed right next to the heater. A high position, on the other hand, is very good. Because the floor is often covered with dust, which likes to be carried into the PC case by the fan. Higher up in the room, the air is less dusty.

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More fans mean more cooling

Not every computer comes with a case fan installed. 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.

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

Clean up PC

Sounds trivial and works wonders: If the case is packed with cables and all parts are hanging haphazardly, air cannot circulate well. Anyone who neatly bundles the cables and ensures plenty of space enables better ventilation. Bulky ribbon cables can be replaced with round cables. Anything that is not needed should disappear from the case. And of course, dust has no business in the case either. The dirt should be blown off cooling fins and circuit board parts with a compressed air spray.

PC Air Cooler or Water Cooler?

The PC air cooler and water cooler differ in terms of efficiency. Water cooling uses a liquid coolant that removes heat from the PC faster and, most importantly, quietly. Because colored coolants look quite impressive, it also makes a great visual statement. Efficient cooling is particularly well suited for gaming PCs. A CPU water cooler or a GPU water cooler made of copper serves as a heat sink. The coolant is pumped through the heat sink by a pump. There is always more coolant in the expansion tank. The individual components are connected by hoses, and sensors monitor the cooling.

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