About two years back I released a thread about computers and what to look for when you purchase them. It was a huge hit but now I'm thinking.. you also need to know how to care for your pc to get the most out of it. This will only cover mac and Windows, because unfortunately I'm a loss when it comes to linux.
You can find the other thread in the gamers lounge. Since this doesn't pertain to gaming exactly I'm going to leave it here for people that don't browse the lounge.
Mac Upkeep:
Mac PC's are probably the easiest computers to keep up with. If you own a Mac past 2009 with an operating system past snow leopard you do NOT have to defragment your computer. Why? Mac's only work with the FAT32 file system, which divides large files up into chunks. A mac will automatically run a defrag for you. If you do it yourself you may actually hurt the computer more than you help it.
If you're running a little slow make sure you have more than 20 GB of hard drive space available. You need to clear temp files as usual on these machines still, but that's not much of an issue. Personally, I use a subscription to "Cleanmymac" and the program has been nothing but perfect for getting speed back. It will also clear your internet cache and browsing history, so it's pretty much the one stop shop.
As I said, macs are easy. If your mac is still being a bit on the slow side you may need to take a can of compressed air and blow into your heat sink. That's about all you can do until it's time to take it apart and attack the hardware with a toothbrush.
PC Upkeep (Laptop/Desktop):
For this specific category I'm going to be referring to desktops the most. Not all laptops are created equal. While software upkeep may be the same, hardware upkeep will need to you either take your computer to a professional, or you may need some patience. I do not advocate taking apart your laptops.
First things first. Slowdowns can be caused by a couple things. Internet cache, hard drive space, temperature, the works. You need to isolate the problem. At least once a month you need to actually clear your temp files. For this I use a program called "Temp File Cleaner By Oldboy" or just TFC. Works like a charm. If you're still experiencing slowdowns it's time to get to the nitty gritty of the PC.
Temperatures:
On all desktops that I have ever owned, I have a temperature gauge. I know what temperatures are safe for my PC and trust me, I utilize it.
The green temp is my GPU temperature. The yellow is my CPU. Knowing that my GPU is an older model, I have two monitors hooked up and in use, and my CPU is not running any graphically intensive operations, I can deduce my slowdowns are coming from my GPU. This means that I need to actually take my computer apart and clean it out. Fans all need to be dusted, and in my case I take my graphics card apart, but if you're a newbie to this stuff I suggest you just blow some canned air through it.
Here's a handy picture of what/where stuff is usually in a desktop PC.
All those fans, wires, nooks and crannies need to be cleaned out once every 1-3 months. Your Heat Sink will pick up floating dust and clog if you don't keep up with it which can cause your processor to overheat. Of course there are more serious issues that can happen to cause slow downs, but this is the main culprit with any computer.
So for your software end, here's your workflow:
Run A Temp File Cleaning
Run An Offline Defrag (I use O&O Defrag)
Clean up your startup processes (Consult google. This can be rough)
Delete ALL programs you don't use.
After all of that (it takes around 6-15 hours) you need to clean through your hardware and with any luck you'll have your computer running just like it did the day you got it. If you're still experiencing slowdowns it could be a stick of ram going bad, your heat sink clogged, your thermal paste not working, your power supply not getting enough juice, really it could be anything.
This is why I refer to my temperatures. A high YELLOW (Cpu) temperature would tell me something's wrong with my heat sink, or I'm playing a bit too hard on minecraft. It's important to shut down every process you're not using when testing theories because games and programs can definitely get in the way of giving you an accurate reading. I know my temps are good on idle around 40-45. Also donlt expect your temps to drop immediately after changing something. You have to give your computer time to cool down. Not only that, but a computers temperature may change according to climate.
Do you have enough ventilation? Do you have it next to a heater? This will change your idle temps. It's also good to remember that your CPU heat may not be high, but my fans are all controlled by my CPU (My GPU has a dedicated internal fan.) If your temps are higher than normal test your fans to make sure they're working properly.
Even if my readings come back as accurate, I will shut down my pc, disconnect all my fans and restart, trying them one by one until I'm sure they're all working properly. If all your fans work great, you're still having heating issues, and you're not sure what else to do it may be time to replace one of your fans with a higher RPM unit.
So this is a little guide here on a bit of computer maintenance. I use MSI afterburner for GPU temps, Speedfan for CPU temps, TFC for file cleaning, and O&O defrag for defragmentation. This isn't everyone's setup, but on a software/hardware basis this is a good starting point. All of this stuff also doesn't work as a stand-in for antivirus, regular updates to your system, or running malewarebytes every now and then.
You can find the other thread in the gamers lounge. Since this doesn't pertain to gaming exactly I'm going to leave it here for people that don't browse the lounge.
Mac Upkeep:
Mac PC's are probably the easiest computers to keep up with. If you own a Mac past 2009 with an operating system past snow leopard you do NOT have to defragment your computer. Why? Mac's only work with the FAT32 file system, which divides large files up into chunks. A mac will automatically run a defrag for you. If you do it yourself you may actually hurt the computer more than you help it.
If you're running a little slow make sure you have more than 20 GB of hard drive space available. You need to clear temp files as usual on these machines still, but that's not much of an issue. Personally, I use a subscription to "Cleanmymac" and the program has been nothing but perfect for getting speed back. It will also clear your internet cache and browsing history, so it's pretty much the one stop shop.
As I said, macs are easy. If your mac is still being a bit on the slow side you may need to take a can of compressed air and blow into your heat sink. That's about all you can do until it's time to take it apart and attack the hardware with a toothbrush.
PC Upkeep (Laptop/Desktop):
For this specific category I'm going to be referring to desktops the most. Not all laptops are created equal. While software upkeep may be the same, hardware upkeep will need to you either take your computer to a professional, or you may need some patience. I do not advocate taking apart your laptops.
First things first. Slowdowns can be caused by a couple things. Internet cache, hard drive space, temperature, the works. You need to isolate the problem. At least once a month you need to actually clear your temp files. For this I use a program called "Temp File Cleaner By Oldboy" or just TFC. Works like a charm. If you're still experiencing slowdowns it's time to get to the nitty gritty of the PC.
Temperatures:
On all desktops that I have ever owned, I have a temperature gauge. I know what temperatures are safe for my PC and trust me, I utilize it.
The green temp is my GPU temperature. The yellow is my CPU. Knowing that my GPU is an older model, I have two monitors hooked up and in use, and my CPU is not running any graphically intensive operations, I can deduce my slowdowns are coming from my GPU. This means that I need to actually take my computer apart and clean it out. Fans all need to be dusted, and in my case I take my graphics card apart, but if you're a newbie to this stuff I suggest you just blow some canned air through it.
Here's a handy picture of what/where stuff is usually in a desktop PC.
All those fans, wires, nooks and crannies need to be cleaned out once every 1-3 months. Your Heat Sink will pick up floating dust and clog if you don't keep up with it which can cause your processor to overheat. Of course there are more serious issues that can happen to cause slow downs, but this is the main culprit with any computer.
So for your software end, here's your workflow:
Run A Temp File Cleaning
Run An Offline Defrag (I use O&O Defrag)
Clean up your startup processes (Consult google. This can be rough)
Delete ALL programs you don't use.
After all of that (it takes around 6-15 hours) you need to clean through your hardware and with any luck you'll have your computer running just like it did the day you got it. If you're still experiencing slowdowns it could be a stick of ram going bad, your heat sink clogged, your thermal paste not working, your power supply not getting enough juice, really it could be anything.
This is why I refer to my temperatures. A high YELLOW (Cpu) temperature would tell me something's wrong with my heat sink, or I'm playing a bit too hard on minecraft. It's important to shut down every process you're not using when testing theories because games and programs can definitely get in the way of giving you an accurate reading. I know my temps are good on idle around 40-45. Also donlt expect your temps to drop immediately after changing something. You have to give your computer time to cool down. Not only that, but a computers temperature may change according to climate.
Do you have enough ventilation? Do you have it next to a heater? This will change your idle temps. It's also good to remember that your CPU heat may not be high, but my fans are all controlled by my CPU (My GPU has a dedicated internal fan.) If your temps are higher than normal test your fans to make sure they're working properly.
Even if my readings come back as accurate, I will shut down my pc, disconnect all my fans and restart, trying them one by one until I'm sure they're all working properly. If all your fans work great, you're still having heating issues, and you're not sure what else to do it may be time to replace one of your fans with a higher RPM unit.
So this is a little guide here on a bit of computer maintenance. I use MSI afterburner for GPU temps, Speedfan for CPU temps, TFC for file cleaning, and O&O defrag for defragmentation. This isn't everyone's setup, but on a software/hardware basis this is a good starting point. All of this stuff also doesn't work as a stand-in for antivirus, regular updates to your system, or running malewarebytes every now and then.
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