| How to Maintain the Speed of a CPU |
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A computer’s central processor is responsible for just about everything the computer does. As the brains of the PC, it’s critical to maintain it both for longevity as well as for performance. To maintain the CPU, you must understand its number one enemy: heat.
Heat will affect both longevity and performance. As the computer becomes hotter, the more your computer will suffer. This is why computers come with fans – to keep everything cool and running optimally. However, fans go out. They also don’t work so well if the vents are blocked.
With this in mind, one of the most important steps that you can take is also the simplest: make sure the vents are not blocked. If this means moving the computer tower out of a cabinet and into a section where air flows better, so be it. Tower computers usually have their vents on the bottom of the tower. They’re also commonly stored on the floor where carpet can interfere with airflow. Use wooden blocks or a book to lift the tower up off of the carpet and increase airflow.
Use a can of compressed air to clean out the vents and the fan area periodically. It doesn’t take long before these areas become clogged with dust and cobwebs. If you’re comfortable opening the computer, use the compressed air on the inside of the computer, too. You can also add ventilation by drilling holes into computer case; however precautions are a must! You don’t want to drill into any hardware or get electrocuted, do you? If you are going to do this, remove the case completely and drill into the case when unattached.
If you are technically advanced and comfortable adjusting the BIOS, go ahead and enter the BIOS setup, following the procedure listed in your computer manual to access this screen. It’s not unusual for BIOS to change the CPU and bus speeds to safer settings after a computer crash. These safer settings are also slower. If your computer has suffered a Blue Screen of Death or similar error, your BIOS may need adjusted to recover CPU speed.
Another CPU speed issue occurs when your hard disk gets nearly full. By cleaning up the hard disk, you’ll have more storage space – and a faster CPU. Use the Disk Cleanup utility to remove unnecessary files. Gain more space by uninstalling applications that you no longer use. Recover even more space by removing large files such as photos and videos. Either delete those you don’t care to keep or archive your large files on DVDs, CDs, or removable USB flash drives.
To access the Disk Cleanup utility, right-click the Windows Start button, choose Explore and then find the disk you need to clean up. Right-click this disk and choose Properties. From there, hit “Disk Cleanup” and follow the instructions for removing unneeded files from your hard drive. The More Options tab in the Disk Properties dialog box offers further options for gaining more disk space.
Clean up your disk and keep the CPU cool and enjoy your computer’s performance for years to come.
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