Taking Care of Your Desktop Computer in Summer

Classes are over, the kids go on vacation and the worry begins about how to keep them busy for three months. The computer has come to alleviate some of this parental distress - children love playing video games with their friends, being a way of keeping in touch during holidays, watching films and series and even browsing social media and YouTube.

As your PC is in much greater demand during the holidays, there are some precautions you should take to extend its useful life. Overuse and the heat of the summer months together are a weapon capable of permanently damaging your desktop computer! Discover some tips to improve your PC's performance:

Install the desktop in a cool, ventilated area 

All computers, not just stationary ones, need ventilation to prevent overheating. Place your PC in a ventilated area of ​​the house, with airflow, to prevent heat from building up! Also avoid areas with direct sun exposure to avoid increasing the temperature of the machine.

Clean the dust 

Did you buy your PC years ago and never open it to clean it? We advise you to do it as soon as possible or ask a technician to do it for you. Computers, like any other appliance and area in the house, accumulate dust and dirt inside them, which can infiltrate their parts and affect their performance. Normally, the fans are the components that accumulate the most dirt, rotating more and more slowly, thus affecting the PC's cooling. To clean safely, turn off your computer before starting and do not use water or damp utensils!

Add a fan 

The importance of computer ventilation cannot be overemphasized. Although yours probably already comes equipped with fans inside, which expel hot air, they are probably of poor quality and not enough. The ideal is to purchase an external fan to avoid reaching very high temperatures and thus prolong the useful life of your machine!

Here are some suggestions: https://digiplanet.pt/collections/outros

Change the thermal paste 

Thermal paste is a viscous liquid with good heat transfer properties. This substance is applied to the surface of the processor, ensuring that it and the base of the heatsink make good contact, sealing all pores and imperfections in the component area.

Typically, processors already come with thermal paste applied at the factory. However, after a few months of use, it needs to be changed because it becomes hard and dry and no longer does its job as it should. The paste is quite cheap (between 3 and 6 euros) so there's no reason not to replace yours! 

If you need help preparing your computer for the holidays, don't hesitate to call us.

Our technicians will be happy to help you :)

 7/07/2021

Maria do Mar Sousa