tip of the day
With all of my computer problems of late, I eventually decided to check on the temperature at which my cpu was running. Thanks to Motherboard Monitor, I found out that my CPU was running at a toasty 75°C! Which is, in fact, five degrees higher than the default ‘alarm’ temperature for that software! Whoa!
I pulled out my case and checked my CPU cooler. The fan was spinning — but the heatsink was completely clogged with dust! (and, according to the spider carcasses I found in my case, spiderwebs — how embarrassing!) I blew it out, blew out a few other key areas around the fans, and restarted.
Thanks to about 1/4 can of compressed air, my CPU is running about 26°C cooler, at a much more respectable 49°C, and even occassionally dipping down a little lower. Sweet! Hopefully that was the source of all of my troubles — but only time will tell.