Around eight percent of computer problems are caused by insufficient cooling. The fact is that more computers suffer heat-related problems than users realize. Your computer's stability and speed can both be affected when heat builds up inside the case, which, in return, can cause crashes at odd times and reduce performance significantly. Even if your computer seems to be running fine, it will probably fail prematurely if it's running hot.

Basics to System Cooling:

A. Try to pick the coolest place in the building if possible, a room on the lowest floor possible (heat rises), located on the side of the building that gets the morning sun. Then choose an inside wall if possible and out of the sun and away from heater outlets or radiators.

B. Situate the computer in a location where air can circulate around all the sides and top of the case - don't block your case's intake vents (typically in the front), and exhaust vents (typically in the rear).   

C. If good ventilation is not a option, consider air conditioning.  If you have central air conditioning cooling the whole house, set the thermostat on the air conditioner lower when you're actually using the computer. You might want to consider a separate air conditioner for the computer room. Turn the thermostat back to normal when the computer is off.

D. Check your room lighting, its best to have cool fluorescent bulbs, which are not only more energy efficient and last longer than standard bulbs, but generate a lot less heat as well.

E. Turn the computer off when it is not in use. Use the screen saver but remember in this mode the computer is still consuming almost full power and making heat, use the monitor power down and the PC power down functions. Allowing the screen to go blank after 15 or 20 minutes saves electricity. Check your other Power settings in your operating system or in the BIOS (Binary Input Output System). Letting your system go into Sleep or Suspend mode can add significantly to its life and save energy.

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