Ultimate Guide to Gaming PC Maintenance for Long-Term Performance

How to Protect Your System From Dust

An accumulation of dust on your PC’s internal components could disrupt airflow, leading to thermal throttling, i.e. reduced performance due to overheating. If left for too long, this could lead to lasting damage to your system’s hardware, permanently affecting its ability to run more advanced programmes and games. A common sign that your PC is starting to gather dust is if the fan is louder than usual, which could be due to thermal throttling.

Before tackling the dust problem, it’s crucial to make sure your PC is powered down before opening the case and inspecting its components, as interfering with working parts could cause long-term harm. Once your PC is turned off, simply open the case and use a can of compressed air and/or a microfiber cloth to carefully remove the dust from the fans and heatsinks. Additionally, placing your system on a stand rather than on a carpet offers better airflow and reduces the buildup of dust, making it easier to clean.

Replacing Thermal Paste

If your CPU is running hotter than usual but there are no signs of dust, it may be a wise idea to check the thermal paste.

Thermal paste helps fill in air gaps between the CPU and cooler, helping with heat dissipation and helping it to run without problems. The paste is liable to degrade over time, with a life expectancy of around 2-3 years before it begins to crack and dry out, necessitating a fresh application. Using too much paste could result in spilling onto your PC’s other parts or insulating the heat, while using too little will not conduct heat efficiently. Both of these can ultimately cause your system to overheat, so try to apply a pea-sized blob of paste each time for optimal heat flow. After purchasing a PC from us at Alex Davis PCs, we offer a thermal paste replacement service to customers if needed.