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by: Sam J Wilkinson
Word Count: 714
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 Time: 12:00 AM
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Computer Fans & Case Cooling



Keeping your computer case cool is a very important exercise. Case fans play a major role in circulating air & removing hot air from the computer case. The over sized “supercomputers” of yesterday were kept in special climate controlled rooms because computer chips and other mechanical components had to be kept cool. While today's personal computers are much more robust & don't require such elaborate attention. They do however need to be kept at safe temperatures & that is where case fans & CPU fans come into play. Computers nowadays have built-in cooling fans that keep the computer from overheating during normal use. If your computer's cooling fan malfunctions, the computer will overheat and cause irreparable damage. Keeping the computer fan working properly & your computer in great shape is easy, just follow easy steps listed below.



Computer Cooling Hints & Tips



• Do not block any air vents on your computer's case.



• Most fans are on the back of the computer case. Make sure your computer case is situated slightly back from any obstacles that may block to air flow or obstruct to case fans. Keep any hanging objects away from the rear of the computer case, eg. Curtains.



• Raising the computer case up from the floor can help the case & fans in circulating the air.



• Over time your computer case fan will gather a lot of dust. You can simply & easily remove this dust by wiping it away with a cloth or paint brush. You can do this without having to open the computer case although it is recommended that the computer fans be cleaned from inside the computer case so that access can be easily obtained. Keeping your computer cooling fan clean will increase the fan's effectiveness thus keeping your computer cooler. Remember the faster the case fan spins the better it will cool.



• Try to keep your computer in a well circulated area, although not vital this will help in aiding your computer's ability to keep cool.



• Open your case from time to time (once a year is OK) & clean out any dust or debris. You can use a computer vacuum or can of compressed air. Pay special attention to the computer case fans & other fans like the CPU fan. You can use a Paint brush or similar soft bristled brush, however make sure you are very careful not to damage any of the equipment, it is recommended that you have anti static strap & ground yourself before attempting anything inside the computer case.



• Heat is what you are trying to avoid so keep the computer out of the sun & keep computer case away from direct heat



Installing & upgrading Computer Case Fans



In most cases, if not all cases you should replace the case fan if it fails. Repairing a failed computer fan is seldom economically viable & not recommended. If you suspect that you have a problem with your case fan, have a computer technician check it out, you can contact a member of the friendly support team at citylinkpcs.com.au if you suspect your computer case fan is faulty or not working properly. If you find the case fan is not functioning, replace it immediately. It is generally an inexpensive repair. If you are mechanically minded, replacing the cooling fan for your computer case is a fairly easy exercise, however if you have never opened a computer case before you may want to have someone more technical install your new case fan.



Case Fan Conclusion



Keeping you computer case cooler will extend the life of your computer. Fan failure is unfortunately a fairly common occurrence. Some modern computer's are designed to have an alarm sound when a computer fan fails, however this is not always the case & you should know the sounds your computer makes so you can identify a case fan failure.

About the Author

Sam J Wilkinson is a technical adviser & webmaster who enjoys helping others by writing useful & informative articles. Sam invites you to read other tech related articles that he has written which can be found here at http://www.citylinkpcs.com.au. Articles include computer help tutorials, computer buyers guides along with other PC, Hardware & software reference material.

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