How to maintain a PC's health

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ChanceTheNinja

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Nov 28, 2013
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Alright, I've picked out the parts. Now I have my fair share of PC knowledge, but not enough to maintain a PC's health. Could someone give some ways to keep a PC's freshness? Thanks.
 
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ssddx
make sure to feed it apple products, give it a good workout and take it for a checkup once in awhile.

joking and all humor aside:

software side:
-do use a highly rated antivirus and do frequent scans (recommend kaspersky internet security)
-do use a highly rated firewall (included in KIS above)
-do use a malware scanner (malwarebytes is free and great)
-use only legally purchased software or legally free software (no pirated software)
-dont install crap software you dont know (malware). be careful when installing from places like cnet or other file sharing sites.
-defrag your hard drive if it ever looks bad. do not defrag ssds! its not required to do this all the time only if your drives start looking bad. often this is only if you...
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eldapeeze

eldapeeze

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Dec 23, 2012
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Every few months use a aerosol can (of air) and spray all the dust out of the your PC. Dust can clog the vents, fans and wear out components.
 
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ssddx

ssddx

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May 27, 2009
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make sure to feed it apple products, give it a good workout and take it for a checkup once in awhile.

joking and all humor aside:

software side:
-do use a highly rated antivirus and do frequent scans (recommend kaspersky internet security)
-do use a highly rated firewall (included in KIS above)
-do use a malware scanner (malwarebytes is free and great)
-use only legally purchased software or legally free software (no pirated software)
-dont install crap software you dont know (malware). be careful when installing from places like cnet or other file sharing sites.
-defrag your hard drive if it ever looks bad. do not defrag ssds! its not required to do this all the time only if your drives start looking bad. often this is only if you fill them completely up, delete stuff and then fill them up again. its not required every few months in most cases.
-do make sure to look at your system temps when you first build a pc. if they are high then fix the issue. if they are fine then you can ignore.
-do shut down your pc normally
-its not a bad idea to keep up to date with windows updates, driver updates and the like as well but its not 100% required.

hardware side:
-do use a can of air to clean the inside of your computer regularly to remove dust. its best to do it often so dust doesnt build up or its a pain to get it all off. how often depends on how dusty your house is. in ours i need to do it every other week or it gets bad. some people can go months. if you have a side window in your case you can tell easy!
-do use filters on your fans if your case doesnt have them or clean your case filters if it does.
-do use good cable management inside your case for ideal airflow
-do make sure to blow out your video card heatsink and cpu cooler heatsink (dust gets between the fins)
-do make sure to never unplug any internal devices when the pc is on.
-do make sure to use a power surge protector. i also suggest battery backup (often they have a surge protector built in). for gaming systems 780w/1300va minimum size will give you only about 3-10 minutes to shut down your pc during a power outtage.
-its suggested to use an aftermarket cpu cooler (like the hyper 212 evo) for cooler temps but this isnt a requirement.
 
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westom

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Those software recommendations have credibility. But hardware recomendations are popular and erroneous urban myths.

For example, dust is only a problem when a computer is moving too much air. A heatsink half clogged in dust is still more than sufficient cooling. Heavy dust collection is infrequent when airflow is more than enough airflow - ie one 80 mm fan. Too many worry about cooling without learning whether it is even a problem.

Normal temperature for any properly designed computer is even a room at 100 degrees F. Heat is not a reason for hardware failure. Heat is a diagnostic tool that can identify defective hardware that still works fine in a 70 degree room. If a 100 degreee room causes a computer to crash, find and replace that hardware that is defective.

Most failures are manufacturing defects. A defective part may fail prematurely even a year later. We all saw classic examples of the most common reason for computer failure. Those counterfeit electrolytic capacitors caused computer failures years later - because those parts were defective when manufactured.

Heat is one tool to find defective parts before a warranty expires.

Surge protectors adjacent to computers do not even claim to protect from typically destrutive surges. Your concern is an anomaly that can occur maybe once every seven years. That rare transient that can overwhelm protection already inside every computer can only be averted where utility wires enter the building. Using a superior solution that also costs less money - about $1 per protected appliance.

Described are why failures happen, how to find a defect before it causes failures, how to avert another and rare anomaly that can cause computer (and all other appliance) failure, why moving too much air can cause more problems, and other popular urban myths about hardware.

 
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ssddx

ssddx

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i beg to differ.

dust clogging heatsinks or filters can make a huge difference in temps. i have seen the results firsthand. please note that i'm not talking about surface dust (which doesnt affect much) but a rather significant accumulation of dust bunnies. cleaning out your pc often just makes it easier to manage. this is what i'm talking about http://www.technibble.com/computer-killers-pet-hair-dust-and-cigarette-smoke/

in extreme cases heat can cause hardware failure. it has been known to destroy cpus and hard drives let alone other components. normally though its not a killer of hardware but a killer of performance since parts will throttle down to prevent overheating which means reduced performance. i'm not sure about you but 100 degrees is a rather hot room. while definitely within computer operating ranges i wouldnt go doing any crazy overclocking since as ambient temperatures climb higher your heatsinks are less and less effective (not as much of a temperature difference between ambient and the heatsinks).

yes, many failures are defects however its also possible to destroy perfectly good hardware as well. granted this is normally in extreme cases only but it is possible.

as far as how protected you are with a surge protector that depends on its maximum rating. i will agree that most cheap solutions are not all that great. keep in mind though that surges do not only come from sources such as lightning but might come over the power lines as well. also be aware that some areas have power fluctuations and a UPS can help even out this. also it is possible to damage pc hardware if it suddenly suffers power loss during heavy load. a ups (battery backup) will avoid this. for things like lightning strikes i agree that breakers on your fuse panel are better.

what you call urban myths has a strong base in fact.

while the most extreme cases (hardware failing) due to such things is not common it is possible. however, that doesnt mean that such things have no effect at all the rest of the time.
 
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eldapeeze

eldapeeze

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Dec 23, 2012
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Thank you. I've never heard anyone ever say dust ISNT an issue before like that other posted stated. Thanks for the response!!!!
 
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