It cant be helped: dust builds up in desktops and laptops. There is no getting around it, no matter how clean your area is. All those dust particles you see every now and then in the air get in through your vents and build up into a nasty web of dust.
All of which is why your fan runsfast and loud.
Here are some crucial, easy steps you can take [right now!] to silence your laptops fans, maximize your speed/performance, and ensure your laptop lasts for a few more years.
1. Check yo temp
Before we do anything involving taking apart your rig/system, even before going to town with a can of compressed air, It is essential that you download a program that monitors your heat levels.
Why?
Theres no way of knowing if your heat temperatures [unless your laptops bios mention it] have increased if you dont know what those temperatures are in the first place.
A handy app that does just that is called RealTemp. It keeps track of your processors tempsno muss, no fuss. It monitors these temps in real time and lets you see these numbers in your tray. Record them and keep them close.
It is also important to know the systems hardware and performance. On a PC,press CTRL+ALT+DEL, then click task manager and move to performance tab to see the resources [processor, ram, storage] your laptop is using. Are they touching the top bar, 100% usage? If so, your laptop needs some treatment and hardware/software upgrades.
Before moving ahead with upgrades [RAM, storage, etc], it is important to know your systems hardware specifications.
- Processor [CPU]?
- Memory [RAM]? DDDR 2/3/4? RAMs frequency?
- Storage [HDD, SDD] is installed?
You can use a wonderful free app called CPU-Z, which will tell you all about your laptops hardware. A small yet precise app.
2. Defrag!
When was the last time you defragged your laptop? If you have Windows 8 and 8.1, its done for you automatically. If you dont know what defragging does, its sort of a digital cleanse through of your entire system. Clearing away the cobwebs, so to speak.
A lot of times the files you delete, switch around to new folders, and change the names of leave little traces of original versions behind. These bits and bobs of left-behind traces add up over time.
Understand it like this. You have a 250 GB storage and its filled up to 200 GB. These used spaces are not lined properly in rows and columns but are scattered throughout the hard disk, which takes a longer time to access the file. When defragged, these used spaces get in-line [in rows & columns] so the system can now quickly access it as they are placed at the proper place for the system to access. I have been defragging since Windows 98, XP & 7. Luckily, with Windows 10, I didnt need to as its fast as the cheetah. Thats how fast it is.
Defragging your system once a month or so [if it isnt set to automatic] removes these little traces and gives your systems HDD/RAM a swift kick in the pants with a brand new refresh.
3. Take apart the rig
Now that weve determined temp levels & defragged the system, its time to crack open your rig. Depending on your brand, manufacturer, version its best to look online for directions on opening up your precious.
Overall, though, most people will be doing the same thing: screwing the back/bottom and removing the protective cover.
Once were inside, its time to take a can of compressed air and go to town. Its best to burst a spray or two of air, rather than one long continuous stream of air, as its safer on your mechanical instruments [which can actually be ruined under long streams of air, which eventually liquidize and melt your components].
Now, this next part is important: Go to YouTube with your laptops make and model, and researchhow to open ***laptop-model-no***.
I cannot stress the importance of this because everyones models are important. I have an Acer Aspire 5745G laptop. The components and placement of hardware are drastically different from someone who has an Acer V7.
Everyones rigs are different. However, the dust bunnies and collections of gunk, dust, and what-not will generally be the same. No matter your setup, eliminate that pestering dust with a quick spray of your canned air. If you need to use a brush, do it but carefully.
4. Clean inside-out
Did you know that, according to a 2002 report, some toilets are cleaner than keyboards? I also heard one time that telephones were dirtier than toilets. Gross.
How much bacteria, grime, and dirt lurks on your fingertips each and every day? Just imagine all those dirty dust-mites and dead skin-cells smeared over your keyboard and mouse. How many microscopic bugs are we crushing on a daily basis as they scurry across our keyboard? A truly important question is this: how often do we put our fingers near our mouth? So. Keeping a clean keyboard is important for your health, right?
Once the laptop base [top & bottom] is out, it is now wise to depart each part [tip: take pictures and/or videos, so you dont forget which part was where] and clean it properly with a brush and coffee filter. Make your baby as new as when it was shipped.
This also has psychological benefits: having a cleaner station helps me feel more professional and in control of my choices. Is there a downside to feeling more professional? I dont think so.
5. Apply thermal paste to CPU
For those who dont know, thermal paste is ESSENTIAL towards maintaining and cooling the CPU. Platinum thermal pastes like Artic Silver 5 can keep your CPU processor a nice 0-20 degrees cooler.
Yes, 0-20 degrees does make a differenceespecially when youre gaming, rendering graphics, using software like Photoshop and AutoCAD. Without thermal paste, your CPU will overheat. Its as simple as that.
And, when it gets overheated, the fan will become louder, performance will get slow and the computer will start to lag & hang.
I mentioned AS5 earlier for a good reason. Depending on who you ask, its the most efficient paste there is, and I agree. Amazon agrees with me [and we all know that Amazon doesnt lie]. At least, 5K reviews & 5 star ratings dont.
If you want to see a step-by-step guide to applying thermal paste, check out this helpful video.
Heres the before and after thermal paste snapshot [test is done via Prime95 small FFTs & RealTemp] for my 6-year-old Acer Aspire 5745G laptop having intel i5-430m processor.
Before [thermal paste change & cleaning]
After [thermal paste change & cleaning]
- See the difference? Thats a noticeable 10 degrees decrease [lower isbetter] and distance to TJMax has increased [higher is better] a lot.
- Hear the difference? Earlier it sounded like an old-truck-engine but now its smooth like the jaguar. Thankfully, I can now hear sound from my laptops audio. It feels as the fan noise has reduced to almost half, just like the old days.
6. Add a SSD disk
Its a fact that SSDs have been obliterating HDDs for the past few years.
SSDs are better than HDDs. Thats fact. Most of the laptop can handle SSD installation unless it is more than a decade old. The only requirement, I believe, is the connectors on the motherboard should match with connectors of SSD.
To see for yourself just which SSD has consistently outranked them, the Samsung 850 EVO [thats the one I replaced HDD with on my Acer 5745G laptop] has been #1 for a number of years. Twelve thousandreviews cant be wrong.
I never thought that SSD would make such a huge difference in speed and fan noise. I cannot think of using HDD now, not even for servers and hosting. I have never been happier with this little change. And, I am also hoping for a tech-future where we can shift between laptop/computer like we do with smartphones, with all data in the cloud.
7. Upgrade OS
It may sound untrue to many but after upgrading from Windows 7 to a completely fresh installation of Windows 10 has done wonders for my Acer Aspire 5745G. The start, hibernate, shutdown, opening/closing of files/documents have become insanely fast now.
This could be because I upgraded Aspire 5745Gs RAM from 4GB to 8GB, replaced HDD with SDD, changed thermal paste of processor and graphic card, cleaned laptop inside-out. But, undoubtedly having a fresh installation of Windows 10 rather than an upgrade from Win 7 or 8 willincrease the laptop speed [thats based on experience on using these Win95, Win98, WinME, WinXP, WinVista, Win7, Win8 and finally Win10 over last 15 years]. These changes drastically improved my laptop performance, speed and fan noise. I was about todrop the idea of buying a new [expensive] laptop.
I can pledge that upgrading to Windows 10 was a very wise decision. Its faster than all Windows OS [8, 7, Vista, XP, 98] that I have used todate.
Tip: Consider a desktop
I say this for one reason only: desktops let you use up to eight fans to keep your entire system cool, running smoothly, and with as fewhiccups as possible when it comes to heat dissipation and dust build up.
And its easy to clean, open and upgrade/change hardware.
[Not to mention that, on the whole, desktops are much more powerful than laptops.]
Generally, the common [and most effective] fan set up is:
- Two intake fans in the front
- An exhaust fan on top
- An exhaust fan in back
Quite simply: fans push heat through your system.
On the level, you can use whatever fan setup in your PC that you want. Just keep this in mind: heat rises.
Thats why an outtake/exhaust fan [which pushes hot air OUT of your system] on the top of your desktop is a smart choice for keeping your babys insides fresh and cool.
If you want maximum temperatures from fans, using minimum energy [and sounds]check out Linus tech tips on YouTube for all your fan needs [like which fans to get, how many fans do you need, what the best fans are, and more!]
Sure, the videos are dated, but guess what? The fans [and info] arent.
Yes, I like desktop fans. However, for people with laptops, you cant go wrong with laptop coolers!
Laptop coolers are just that: they sit on your lap and cool your baby down.
Finally, after you have done all of the above, run Prime95 [only with small FFTs] & RealTemp again. Compare the new temperature levels against the pre-clean levels. See the difference?
Because everybodys system is different, I highly suggest you browse the internet for helpful videos that will guide you step by step of the way. If you arent careful, the steps you take in cleaning your laptop may affect your performance for the worse. That is why I highly recommend watching videos, so you can see how other people do it and follow them step-by-step, even pausing and going back if needed.
Featured photo credit: Luis Llerena via stocksnap.io
There comes a time when we may be searching online and dont want the browser to remember our footsteps. The reasons dont always have to be what we obviously think of as the main reason; for example, sometimes, you may not want Safari to remember your passwords or prompt you to enter your password when surfing the web.
Whatever the reason, we may think that we are totally in the clear with Private Browsing on Safari and the other browsers on a Mac. However, a quick Terminal command can bring up every website youve visited. How do you do this? Also, how do you clear your tracks for good? We will provide both answers and more today.
What Does Private Browsing Do?
When activated, Private Browsing on Safari prevents your browsing history from being kept in the history tab of the application. Along with this, it doesnt autofill information that you have saved in the browser. In this mode, you essentially become incognito and any references of previous use is essentially hidden when you are in private mode.
For example: if you are on Facebook or filling out a form and some information or your login is already filled in in the spaces provided, this is called autofill. Its activated by simply clicking Safari next to the Apple symbol in the menubar and selecting Private Browsing, then clicking OK to the prompt.
The reasons behind private mode differ for each individual. While we wont go into all of those reasons, one thing that is important to remember is that private browsing doesnt forget the websites you visit. As we will see later on, Macs keep a second copy of the websites you visit in either mode. If you are in frantic mode looking for a solution to this, look no further.
The Terminal Archive
While Safari does a good job of keeping your search history out of prying eyes in the history tab, there is a less-than-obvious way to view a full list of visited websites on Mac. This is done in Terminal; the command-line emulator that allows you to make changes to your Mac.
Terminal is located in the Utilities folder on your Mac.Once activated, simply add the command:
dscacheutil -cachedump -entries Host
Once you hit enter, a list of the visited sites appear. Showing only the domains, the sites appear in a format of:
Key: h_name :[website domain]ipv4 :1
However, theres no need to fearthere is a way you can clear this information from Terminal with a command thats just as simple.
Clearing Your Tracks
Just as simply as you were able to enter the command to view the websites, you can clear the cache that Terminal showed you with the comamnd:
dscacheutil -flushcache
As the command denotes, this literally flushes the domains from Terminal. This does not prevent the record from continuing to be recorded for future sites, however, so if thats an issue for you, repeat this process regularly.
Other Browsers and Private Browsing
Other browsers have this form of privacy mode for their service. They promise many of the same things as Safari, but they do not have the same Terminal issue due to how this command only presents websites visited on Safari [the browser Macs come shipped with].
If you useFirefox, youll notice that its private mode is also known as Private Browsing.Chromecalls private mode Incognito, whileInternet Explorerrefers to it as InPrivate Browsing.Operais the newest to the scene, denoting it as Private Tab. Safari is the oldest well-known browser with this feature.
As you can see, despite Private Browsing not being 100% private, Terminal allows for your browser to be. In what ways has Terminal helped your life or allowed you to become more productive? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured photo credit: Benjamin Dada via unsplash.com