When the temperature exceeds 30°C, many PC users notice their desktop or laptop fans suddenly go "berserk"—emitting high-pitched noise like a small vacuum cleaner, accompanied by obvious overheating. This is actually a protective mechanism triggered by hardware overheating: for every 10°C increase in CPU temperature, fan speed may rise by 30%-50%, and noise increases cubically with speed. To keep your PC "cool" in the heat, just follow these three systematic optimizations.
Dust accumulation inside the chassis is a hidden 散热 killer (cooling killer). Under a microscope, fan blades of computers used for over six months often are covered with a greasy dust layer mixed with hair and fibers. This disrupts the fan's dynamic balance, increasing noise by over 40% and reducing cooling efficiency by 25%.
Power Off & Discharge: Unplug all cables, then press the power button for 5 seconds to release residual charge and avoid electrostatic damage to components.
Layered Disassembly:
Use a 0.3mm soft bristle brush to clean the dust filter at the chassis air inlet (laptops require focused cleaning of bottom grilles).
Remove the CPU cooler (note to preserve original 扣具 fasteners), and use a compressed air canister (pressure ≤0.5MPa) to blow the fan impeller from the side.
Graphics card fans can have their blades removed for separate cleaning—record the wiring direction.
Key Areas: Use a toothpick with alcohol cotton to wipe dust on motherboard power supply module heatsinks and near SSD controller chips.
Refer to the user manual before removing the bottom cover, and watch for hidden screws (commonly under footpads). Some ultra-thin laptops use turbine fans—use a bent paperclip to hook out fluffy debris blocking the air outlet.
When cleaning isn't enough, it's time to tackle the physical structure of the cooling system. Take CPU cooling as an example: stock coolers often prioritize silence over extreme performance, making them prone to "inadequacy" in summer high temperatures.
Most computers come with cost-oriented thermal paste from the factory, which starts to crack after about six months. Tests show high-quality thermal paste (e.g., Shin-Etsu 7921) can reduce CPU temperature by 8-12°C.
Scrape off old thermal paste with a plastic card—avoid metal tools to prevent scratching the core.
Apply using the "cross method" or "pea method," controlling thickness within 0.1mm.
Laptop CPUs often use flip-chip (FCLGA) packaging—pay special attention to uniform pressure when applying.
Device Type | Upgrade Plan | Effect Reference |
Desktop | Replace with 6-heatpipe tower cooler (e.g., Thermalright FC140) | Full-load temperature drop of 15-20°C |
Add chassis fans (front intake, rear exhaust for airflow) | GPU temperature reduction of ~10°C | |
Laptop | Modify to vapor chamber cooling (professional operation required) | Core temperature drop of 8-12°C |
Purchase dual-fan cooling pad (speed ≥2500rpm) | Bottom temperature reduction of 5-8°C |
Intake and exhaust should form a straight pathway to avoid airflow short-circuiting. For chassis front fans, recommend pressure-type models (e.g., NF-A12x25); rear fans should be airflow-type.
Modern motherboards and laptops support PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) speed control, but default settings tend to be conservative. Customizing fan curves via software can reduce noise by over 30% while ensuring cooling.
Enter the Advanced menu and find CPU Fan Profile.
Change the default Standard mode to Custom.
Set temperature thresholds: e.g., 30% speed below 40°C, 60% at 60°C, full speed above 80°C.
Enable fan hysteresis to avoid frequent speed adjustments due to temperature fluctuations.
Desktop Recommendations: SpeedFan (supports independent multi-fan adjustment), HWInfo (real-time sensor data monitoring).
Laptop Recommendations: ThrottleStop (unlocks temperature limits), Notebook FanControl (custom curves).
Gaming Laptop Optimization: When enabling Cooler Boost mode, use MSI Afterburner to set GPU fan speed linearly with GPU temperature.
Placement: Keep the chassis at least 15cm from walls; avoid using laptops on soft surfaces like mattresses or sofas.
Temperature Control: When indoor temperature exceeds 28°C, place a small fan beside the PC for auxiliary cooling.
Dust Prevention: Vacuum around the chassis monthly; install washable dust filters at air inlets.
After a complete optimization, the noise level of a typical gaming PC can drop from 55dB to around 42dB (equivalent to normal conversation volume), with core components controlled below 70°C. It is recommended to establish a quarterly maintenance routine: thorough cleaning in spring, check thermal paste condition before summer, and 适当 reduce (appropriately lower) fan speed settings in autumn and winter. If hardware over 3 years old still overheats after optimization, consider replacing the cooling module or upgrading the hardware platform.
