For best performance, keep you computer cool

Like any piece of electronic equipment, your computer creates heat when it is turned on. If not kept in check, this can cause problems. That's because if a computer isn't removing hot air from the case fast enough, the temperature can raise enough to risk serious damage to the internal components.

Here are some great ways to stay cool – without spending a lot of time or money.

Get moving
Consider where your computer is situated – is it a particularly warm place?  Sometimes, changing the location of your PC can help keep it cooled down. A cooler or less dusty part of the same room might be fine, but you may have to consider moving the computer somewhere else entirely.

Breathing room
This one's about as easy as it gets. Make sure your computer has plenty of room to breathe. Take a look at where it's positioned, and remove any obstacles that might restrict air flow. Move anything sitting right against any part of the computer—especially the back, because most of the system's hot air flows out of the back end of case. Give it two to three inches open space on either side and the back.

Another consideration is your computer desk – does it place your system in an enclosed cabinet or drawer? If you keep it hidden, your system is very susceptible to overheating.

Case closed.
Have you ever heard that that running your computer with the case open will keep it cooler? Not true! While it might seem counterintuitive, keeping the case closed will help keep the computer cooler, because it reduces the amount dust and debris that infiltrates the system in general and the cooling fans in specific. Too much dirt will make your fans slow down or quit working altogether. Keep in mind that good case manufacturers design for effective air handling, but with proper intake and exhaust fan sizes and quantities you can increase the reliability of your PC components.

Clean up.
Speaking of dirt, it can wreak havoc on the first line of defense on cooling: the fans. And you can easily clean them yourself.  If you open your case, you'll find a fan on top the CPU, one inside the power supply, and perhaps one or more on the front or back of the case. Just shut your computer off and use canned air to remove the dirt from each fan.  Avoid using vacuums; the static they produce can do  more damage than heat!

Get moving
Consider where your computer is situated – is it a particularly warm place?  Sometimes, changing the location of your PC can help keep it cooled down. A cooler or less dusty part of the same room might be fine, but you may have to consider moving the computer somewhere else entirely.

Fan base
Your CPU is arguably the most sensitive (and expensive!) component inside your computer. It also has the most potential to overheat.  Consider upgrading your CPU fan. The fans that ship with systems are often lower-end, designed to cool your processor just enough to keep it running—and no more. Many companies sell large fans that help keep the CPU temperature much lower than a factory installed fan.  Keep in mind that your  CPU cooling unit can only cool to the lowest temperature in your case, regardless of how well-designed your CPU fan is.

Fan club
Upgrading your CPU fan is a start, but adding additional fans can help as well.  For instance, you can try a case fan (it attaches to either the front or the back of a computer case, on the inside) to help move air through a computer.  You can even installing two case fans:  one to move cool air into the PC and another to move warm air out of the PC.

While the CPU likely produces the most heat in your system, your other components produce heat, too. Performance-designed graphics cards and memory generate a great deal of heat as well. With that in mind, you can cool them down with component fans.

Here’s an important note: make sure that the intake and exhaust match! In other words, don't install  an 80mm fan in the front of your case and a 120mm fan in the back of your case. This creates negative pressure and dead air with an increased potential to overheat.

Smart overclocking
While overclocking can maximize a computer's performance, it also pushes your computer's capabilities to its limits—and that has an effect on the memory, the CPU, and any other overclocked components.  If you opt to overclock, be sure you take additional steps to keep your hardware cool.  Most of the cooling suggestion mentioned here s will improve reliability when overclocking.

Feel the power.
A PC's power supply has an integrated fan—and if you don't have a case fan, the power supply's fan is the only way thing pushing hot air out of your system. If it's not working properly, your system will heat up quickly.  If this fan is no longer working, you'll need to replace the entire power supply.

Water cooler talk
If you have a high-end gaming computer, even the fastest and most efficient fans can't keep up with the heat production. Many people opt for a water cooling kit to cool the CPU, because water is such an efficient method to transfer heat. In a water cooling kit, a pump cycles (self-contained) cool water down to CPU and subsequently pumps the hot water outside of your system where it can be more efficiently cooled before returning to the CPU for additional cooling duty. Water cooling kits are easy to install, too—and relatively affordable.

Taking steps now to cool your system can save you money and heartache down the road. It's an easy way to protect your PC investment today—and tomorrow.