Random Monday : Fixing Computer Heat Issues with SpeedFan
Been encountering some intermittent lockups with my home computer for the past few months. Scanned for viruses and malware with zero infection results until I realized that the source of the problems might be from the hardware instead when the casing became unusually hot to the touch.
While I’m an absolute idiot when it comes to hardware stuff, I do know that the CPU is one of the main source of heat (the other being the graphics card) so I googled a bit for CPU cooling stuff and found Alfredo Milani’s SpeedFan.
© Alfredo Milani
I like SpeedFan because it’s easy to use with minimal configuration needed while providing detailed information for those who know their stuff. Look at the main screen for SpeedFan above, it’s not that intimidating isn’t it?
© Alfredo Milani
There’s also a nifty feature to read the S.M.A.R.T statistics from your hard disks although it’s all mumbo-jumbo to me. I think as long as you don’t see any red or yellow circles alongside your statistics it should be OK.
© Alfredo Milani
Clicking the Configure button allows you to define what is shown on the main screen - temperatures, fan speeds and voltages. The Options tab is where you want to be if you’re looking for a place to change the temperature from Celsius to Farenheit and vice versa if you so desire.
© Alfredo Milani
SpeedFan also installs itself in the system tray for convenient monitoring of your CPU temperature (or any other temperature sensors that you choose e.g your harddisk temperature). Hovering over the system tray icon shows all the temperatures that you select to display in SpeedFan though.
© Alfredo Milani
My CPU temperature was displayed in SpeedFan in the range of 80 - 85 degrees Celsius for the last few days. My solution - wipe the black soot-like substance away from CPU heatsink with a cotton bud and vacuum it out (BTW, the suction power of the bloody Fellowes mini-vac I bought from Challenger is real crap - be warned!) The temperature actually dropped 15 degrees to around 65 degrees after this cleaning procedure!
However, I seriously don’t recommend this solution for people with spanking new PCs since I heard of issues concerning static electricity affecting the motherboard, etc and an air blower might be a much safer alternative than using a cotton bud and vacuum cleaner. It’s your own computer though and I take no responsibilty for what happens if you follow what I wrote above 
Download SpeedFan.
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Mac users might want to give this a shot.
So you’re a full-time Mac user now?
You could say that. Sold my old laptop. I use XP at work though.
Hmm, never did take a serious look at the Mac before. As a gamer, I think the Mac doesn’t really suit me unless I use a emulator to play Windows games which seems quite silly…
What compelled you to switch? The design?
I was skeptical at first, but when I saw a friend of mine using the Mac, I was so impressed with the speed. Programs seem to open almost instantly. Furthermore, after I got the Mac myself and started using it for some time, I found the OS to be really intuitive. Yeah, it’s not perfect, but I think it’s better than Windows.
I game too, but for me, the PC gaming scene, apart from MMOs and RTS (mouse > controller), is dead. Yeah, Blizzard continues to release good stuff, but Blizzard’s stuff are available on the Mac too. So for my gaming needs, it’s the console. Games are expensive, but at least you don’t need to worry about upgrades and minimum/recommended specifications.
Yep, I agree on the PC gaming scene. Commercial games are too high-budget these days and this causes publishers to stick to the safe ones.
Until I (ever) get a console, I think I’m still stuck to my PC.
Yeah, and don’t forget about piracy.
Yeah, piracy is worse nowadays with broadband connections getting more common everyday. Crazy copy protections aren’t making the life of PC gamers any easier too.
Just wanted play Dawn of War : Soulstorm a couple of weeks back after a hard day’s work for only 30 mins and end up wrangling with stupid SecuROM for 2 bloody hours