This guide will show you how to safely give your computer a well needed spring clean to free the airways and cool down. We also have a guide on how to wipe your hard drive clean if you are interested in cleaning your PC virtually.

Step One – Opening The Case

There is really nothing to worry about, as long as your PC is UNPLUGGED, then you and your PC will be safe.

Most cases will have either a screw, a catch or a thumbscrew.  The case in the picture requires undoing a simple thumbscrew to open the side panel of the case, this has already been removed.  Once opened, place the side panel of the case in a safe place.

Step Two – Cleaning The PC

Inside, you should see the CPU fan and heatsink right in front of you.

The fan/heatsink in this picture is not bad at all, if your fan looks like this you should generally be fine. Sometimes it can get EXTREMELY dusty in there, so the fan has a hard time rotating.

I recommend using the COOL AIR setting on a hairdryer to blow away all  the dust, then a vacuum cleaner to collect it. There are pressurised air cans that you can buy, but for can of air, they are pricey.

Step Three – Closing The Case

Basically, the side panel goes back on the way you took it off. Some cases may require you to horizontally slide the side panel on, then screw it.

Now just turn your PC back on and listen to how much quieter it is, as your fan doesn’t have to push through all that dust and wear itself out. More importantly, temperatures will drop, causing your CPU to run at a much faster rate!

GHz

GHz is the speed that your Processor (the brains of your PC) runs at. Having a slower Processor will limit your overall PC speeds massively. Nearly all new PC’s nowadays come with at least 2GHz, this is more than enough for basic tasks such as word processing, browsing the web and even casual gaming.

RAM

Random Access Memory is often referred to as ‘memory’. This is NOT a measure of how many files you can put on your PC. As your Processor can only handle 1 process at a time, your RAM is there to queue the processes up. Therefore, the more RAM you have, the less your Processor has to scramble around looking for processes to carry out.

RAM is measured in GB’s To run most programs smoothly, you will need at least 1.5GB’s of RAM. You Will be looking at 3GB’s and up for a decent gaming PC.

Hard Drive

Your Hard Drive is the amount of space you have on your PC to store any type of file, from a movie to a word document. Hard Drives are becoming cheaper and cheaper, you can pick up a 30GB hard drive for £10 nowadays. That will fit 1000 albums and practically infinite amounts of word documents. Most PC’’s sold today should have at least 100GB as a market standard. We reccomend either the 500GB Western Digital WD5000AAKS or something very similar.

Graphics Card

To quickly render high-detail images such as this, your PC will need a decent graphics card. Graphics cards are usualy used by gamers to make high-end games run smoothly. They help your Processor convert binary code into viewable and realistic images. Generally, if you are looking for a decent graphics card, go with either ATI, or NVIDIA as reliable brands.

Operating System

The Operating System is what you see when you are using a PC. Think of the Processor as the engine of a car, and the Operating System as the interior. I would strongly reccomend avoiding Windows Vista and looking for a PC that runs Windows 7. This Operating System is quick, easy to use and much more reliable than its ancestors.