Give Your PC A Spring Clean For Instant Results

Does your PC freeze or shutdown after it's been on for a while, or whilst you are performing lots of tasks? If so, there's a good chance the machine is getting a bit hot under the collar . More specifically, your CPU (Central Processing Unit) is getting too hot and finding it hard to function properly.

The reason for this problem is surprisingly good old fashioned, low tech: dust. The dust is drawn into your PC's case because the machine sucks in air to cool down important components. The hottest of these components is normally the CPU, which - like we do after exercise - produces heat as a by-product of its work. The same simple law that says work makes heat is also true of all your machine's major parts. As they work away they get a little toasty – and sometimes this can be dangerous.

PC Upgrade Q&A

When the time comes to upgrade your PC, you might have trouble deciding the best place to spend your time and money. Do you get more RAM or a new hard drive? Do you get an up-to-date graphics card or replace the motherboard? As you may have noticed, it's quite hard to compare the advantages of different component upgrades, and ultimately your decision rests on what you want your PC to do after you've spent the money on it.

For that reason, we've compiled this FAQ-style list of wants, needs, intentions and constraints to give you the best advice about upgrading. To use it, just go down the list, find the entry that corresponds to your feelings, and you'll be able to discover which upgrade is right for you.

Speed up your PC...For free

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO RESTORING YOUR PCs POWER

However fast your computer is, there comes a time when you can't help wanting it to perform a little better. Maybe you need to squeeze a few extra frames out of a game. Maybe you just want it to run like it did on the day you bought it. 

Whatever your reasoning, I've compiled a list of all the ways you can speed up your computer (some easy, some not so easy, some drastic, some simple) without having to spend any money. If you've ever sat at your PC and thought 'What's taking so long!?' or 'Can't this thing go any faster!?' this is where you'll find your answers...