# Computer "innards" temps



## debodun (Sep 23, 2016)

Do these temps look acceptable? What about the motherboard being warmer than the CPU?


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## Don M. (Sep 23, 2016)

Looks pretty normal....most PC's will run between 100 and 130 degrees F.  Just make sure your cooling fans are running, and its a good idea to shut the system down, open the covers, and vacuum the dirt out.  I do mine about 3 times a year.


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## debodun (Sep 24, 2016)

Don M. said:


> its a good idea to shut the system down, open the covers, and vacuum the dirt out.  I do mine about 3 times a year.



Yikes! I've had my computer going on 6 years and never had the cover off. I don't know how to do it.


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## Don M. (Sep 24, 2016)

debodun said:


> Yikes! I've had my computer going on 6 years and never had the cover off. I don't know how to do it.



In 6 years, a lot of household dust and dirt can build up inside...especially on the cooling fan blades.  Most PC's have 2 or 3 small screws holding the side covers on, remove them, then slide the covers back a little, and pull the backside of the cover out.  Some of the "commercial" brands...HP, etc., can be a bit difficult to fit back on tightly, so look carefully as you remove a cover, and note how it fits.  If you are unsure of doing this, you might call a local computer store, and check on how much they would charge to clean it out.  A few dollars spent that way can extend the life of the PC for several more years.


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## grannyjo (Sep 24, 2016)

I just bit the bullet on my five year old computer.  I decided to give the innards a clean - never been done before.

I looked up a lot of info on the internet and decided to go with the leaf blower clean.

Took the computer out onto the verandah,  took off the sides, made sure I had all the visible fans stabilised so that they couldn't spin and stood back a bit a let loose with the leaf blower.

You should have seen the dust and junk that came out!

Gave the case a bit of a wipe over,  put it all together and brought it back inside.

Waited for a little while,  then started it up.

It started up beautifully and is now so quiet that I have to lean in to make sure that the fans are actually working.

It was struggling at very high temperatures,  it's now running about 10C cooler.

Not a remedy that everyone would recommend,  but I thought it was worth a try for me,  and it seems to have worked quite well.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Sep 24, 2016)

I am going to try cleaning mine also. I didn't know anything about the temperature being a problem. When we go to bed I put a piece of cardboard under the desk because every little light bothers me. After reading this I noticed when I took the cardboard away for the day it was pretty warm under there. I guess I'll have to figure something else out.


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## SeaBreeze (Sep 24, 2016)

We've opened and vacuumed our computer in the past, then cleaned with canned air....but it's been a long time.  Where do you look up the temps?


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## Don M. (Sep 24, 2016)

SeaBreeze said:


> We've opened and vacuumed our computer in the past, then cleaned with canned air....but it's been a long time.  Where do you look up the temps?



Canned air is a real necessity when cleaning the dust/dirt out of a PC.  Just knock it loose with the canned air, then vacuum up the dirt.  It may be necessary to clean the fan blades with a small brush, but canned air gets 98% of the stuff that attaches to the motherboard, etc.  

I have run a free program called SpeedFan for several years, and I check it every few days.  If I notice any increase in the temperatures, I know its Cleaning Time.

http://download.cnet.com/SpeedFan/3000-2094_4-10067444.html


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## debodun (Sep 25, 2016)

SeaBreeze said:


> Where do you look up the temps?



I have a program called Speccy that can analyze the computer system. Just make sure you get it from a reputable download source.


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