Cooling, today's number one problem of high performance Rigs. There are many ways to try and fix this problem. But Techbattle members have tried almost all of them its been our experience that the examples here are the best ways to attack overheating

First lets examine the easiest and most overlooked problem

Dust or airborne anything, usually starts to accumulate across the cooling fins of your CPU, In time it becomes a thermal blanket that keeps your CPU from cooling properly. Normally you will notice it by computer lockups or in worse case scenarios system reboot or even crashes! Its a major pain! But there is a quick and easy fix. At any local computer parts store, office supply or even Radio Shack you can buy cans of compressed CO2. CO2 is not harmful, it's actually good for the environment its what plants breath in! You will notice the can will become cold after a few minutes of use. Its a natural reaction if it becomes to cold to hold. Just set it down for a few minutes and come back to it latter. Remove the CPU side panel of your computer and spray the whole can. This works wonders on blowing the dust off your CPU's heat sink. Make sure you take your computer outside because you will create a large dust cloud, Spray the CO2 everywhere since your in your computer already might as well. If after this your computer still locks up try these other more serious steps below. Everything talked about here can be done easy enough with just a Phillips screw driver, except for the last and most drastic fix. Be very careful when attempting this fix. And like always these fixes are suggestions only.

We can not be held responsible for anything that could or can go wrong.

1. Inadequate Power, Today's system needs more power then ever before. Running a Rig with low power can make the computer run hotter then normal, and very unstable. If your running a dual video setup with large, fast drives, DDR2 memory & DVD burner a minimum of 550 Watts of clean power is needed. We recommend a company right out of San Diego, MAD DOG they sell the best bang for your buck powers supply's on the market today! The MD-600SCPS has all the power you will need

2. Poor Air circulation is maybe the leading killer of internal parts such as Hard Drive and Disk burners. Your primary Hard Disk runs hotter then all other drives in your rig and is your most important information user. We suggestion a product from Antec that works as a heat sink for your Hard Disk and a fresh Air tunnel for the hottest part of your computer the upper bays! The HD Cooler also has a built in temp gauge so you can see how cool your Rig is running!

3. Proper CPU Cooling, Hands down the best way to go for the money is with a product from Thermaltake, called Big Typhoon! Using Heatpipe Technology this baby really cools your over heating CPU. Click on the picture to see Ryan installing the Big Typhoon!