If Google and Oracle’s expensively air-conditioned servers couldn’t cope with July’s heatwave (see Issue 637, page 7), what chance did your humble computer have? You probably noticed your machine getting hotter than ever – and its fans noisier than ever – as UK thermometers hit 40 degrees for the first time. But what constitutes a dangerous temperature for your computer? In other words, how hot is too hot? And what can you do to cool it down? We’ll explain here.
Check your processor’s maximum temperature
Your computer’s heat is determined by a number of factors, including the temperature of individual components, the surrounding air temperature, and the level of ventilation it has. It makes more sense therefore to establish what counts as a normal temperature for different parts of your PC,
