Temperature Inside, Temperature Outside

It’s a crazy hot weather season here in Malaysia. It seems to be hotter than ever.

In this article, we’ll have a look at what you can do with your computers to make life a bit more comfortable.

Your Personal Radiator

Almost every component that has electricity flowing through it will generate heat. Some components generate more heat than other.

If you look at the photo below, I’ve highlighted the parts that I think generate the most heat.

I didn’t highlight the motherboard so that I could give those components some isolation in the diagram but basically even the motherboard generates heat. Let’s not forget that power adapters and monitors are heat generating components too.

I think having the computer that can double as a radiator is a damn cool idea but we’re in Malaysia where the temperature outside is as good as a sauna room. 🙁

Heat Reduction

The higher the heat, the more effort it takes to cool things down. For example, air-conditioning settings need to be a notch higher to attain the same coolness in ambient temperature due to the additional heat generated.

While it is common knowledge that cooler ambient air around the computer would help in cooling the system, it also works the other way around.

Heat generated from any computer will surely affect the room temperature too, especially when not in an air-conditioned situation. And the more heat generators around, the faster the air gets warmer. It’s like being in the kitchen, having 4 oven certainly heats the surrounding faster than just 1 oven.

Adding more fans on the chassis doesn’t help in reducing heat. It improves airflow in the casing and allows the component to cool better but the amount of heat generated is remains the same.

Method #1 – Power Efficient, Non-Power Hungry Components or Systems

Get components that use low power, for example graphic cards like the HD4670 or processors like Intel Atom N270. Perhaps even consider devices such as Atom based Netbooks or Desktop units, like for example the ASUS Eee product series.

It’s all great for the average user but for enthusiasts like myself, it’s almost always that we have some power hungry and uber heat generating component. And for the most part, some of us actually have our components running at maximum capacity 24/7 for distributed computing projects like folding@home.

Method #2 – Utilize the Energy Efficient Features

Make sure the power-saving features are enabled on your system, like Intel’s EIST / C1E or AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet. These features run the processor at a lower speed and lower voltage to reduce power consumption and with that, also reduces heat generation.

You could also manage your operating system to turn off the monitor or even send the entire system into hibernation when not in use.

Method #3 – Controlled Usage

Turn your system off when not in use. For me, my computers are required to be on practically 24/7 so I usually would off the monitor. It also gives the monitor rest as there’s lesser wear and tear from the display and heat generated.

A Cooler Environment, Save $$$

Not only you get a cooler environment, you get to save $$$ too as you learn when to turn off your devices when not in use.

Let’s put it to practice, I know it’s not Earth Day or anything but seriously – who needs a stupid day to remind us to treat the Earth better? 🙂

Remember, what’s INSIDE your computer COULD be the factor that matters for the comfort of you and the people around you.