Monday, June 24, 2002		Article

Use chassis fan to cool down your PC
Vipul Verma

TIME is money. With changing times, some additions need to be made to this old saying. Now time and information is money. For the management of information we have the best resources in the form of computer. Since information also means money, so it is important to manage the computer well to get the best performance.

For the proper running of the computer, the first and the foremost thing is the place where it is kept. Make sure that the computer is not placed under direct sunlight or humid conditions. Avoid using coolers in summers, especially in the present weather conditions when the humidity is relatively higher.

Another important factor, which should be borne in mind by the computer users, is that proper cooling of the system is essential. It is often said that an AC is good for a computer. It is primarily because of two reasons. Firstly, AC eliminates the humidity and thus helps the computer in delivering better performance. Secondly, AC brings down the room temperature that in turn cools down the air in the room and around the computer components. Moreover, in the cool conditions, the CPU does not heat up. This maintains the performance.

The normal temperature of the CPU should ideally be less than 50 oC and anything above 55 needs to be taken care of. In case the temperature exceeds 60 oC , you should switch off the computer as the heat may cause damage to your processor. In an air-conditioned room, the average room temperature is around 23-28 oC. Thus the CPU temperature on an average ranges between 40 to 45 oC, which not only cools down the CPU but also delivers good performance.

However, these are the ideal conditions and practically, it may not be feasible for all computer users to have an air-conditioned work area for the computer. Also, it is not a stringent requirement as there are alternatives available, which can take care of the problems.

The best solution is to use the chassis fan in a computer. Today almost all computer cabinet and the motherboards have the option of chassis fan. The cabinet has a particular space, whereas the motherboard provides the electric supply to these fans. Ideally you should put two cabinet or chassis fans in a PC. One fan in the front panel from inside and the other at the back panel from inside. The front panel fan should be set in such a way that it blows the air inwards, that is, it should throw the air inside the cabinet while the fan in the back panel should be set in such a way that it throws out air out of the cabinet. Now, since the fan in the front will suck air from outside and the back panel fan will flush the air out so this makes a stream of air blowing inside the PC.

Since the normal room temperature is in the range of 30- 35 oC so the air throw actually cools down the CPU.

The chassis fan is normally a standard feature in some branded computers. However in case of the assembled PC, the assembler completely ignores its importance.

Another important factor important for the better performance is the UPS. You may wonder, what UPS has to do with the performance of the PC. The life of your computer and other gadgets is quite largely affected by the UPS you use. Just like the other components, you should thoroughly check the quality of the UPS before actually purchasing it. Always remember that the UPS should generate Sine wave and not square wave.

Beware of the marketing gimmick of quasi sine wave UPS. It is as good as a square wave UPS. Sine wave format is required for all gadgets and the electricity is supplied in this form only. Therefore you must always insist on the Sine wave UPS. If you buy a square wave UPS, then it may affect the life of the computer and other peripherals like printer, modem etc. A square wave UPS is just like an inverter with the only difference of the switching time that is much lower in case of the UPS. Since inverters are not recommended for computer, in the same way square wave UPS should also not be used.