Tips to keep your PC in tip-top condition

Taking a little bit of care with your PC can help it run smoothly and possibly add years to the life of your system.

The greatest enemy to your computer is heat. It causes the internal components and chips to wear out. Heat also lowers the performance of your system.

The first thing to check is the ventilation around your system. If your system is in an enclosed space, cut a hole in the back of the cabinet behind your cooling fan. This will allow it to draw cool air into the system. Your system should have at least 4in of space to the rear, with no clutter, loose paper, etc., to block the flow of air into the computer.

Make sure the top and rear of your monitor are also kept clean and clear of debris. Do not put paper, books, boxes, etc. on top of your monitor. You will notice ventilation slots in the top of the monitor case. This allows the excess heat to escape. If that heat is not released, you can cause excess wear to your monitor’s internal electronics. This can create colour shifting, screen flicker, and failure.

The second thing you can do, is to clean the dust from the inside surfaces of your system. Do this at least twice a year and your monitor once every 2 years.

Think of dust as a blanket, which keeps the chips of your components nice and hot. The more dust, the hotter they get. How much dust is too much? How about .005 millimeters, or enough to barely see! That small an amount can raise the internal temperature of your components by 5%.

The easiest way to clean the inside of your system is to use a vacuum cleaner hose. After you get all the dust you can that way, use a can of compressed air. Then blow the area around the system as well, to get rid of the flying dust. Then wait 5 minutes for the dust to settle and do it again, briefly.

Make sure that you clean the blades of the cooling fans. Clean the power supply fan, the CPU’s cooling fan and the case fan (if you have one) as well.

That can of air will come in handy cleaning the keyboard as well. Vacuum first, and then blow the remainder out. Be careful to never spill any liquids into your keyboard, and with regular cleaning, you will add years to the life of your keyboard as well. If your children use your computer, consider buying a keyboard cover. You can take it off for yourself, but it keep it on when the children are about!

Allow your computer room to breathe, and keep it clean inside, and it will be around for many years to come.