If you aren’t doing anything intensive at the moment, your CPU usage should be
low in Task Manager—less than 20 percent or so. If your computer is sitting idle
and your CPU is busting out 100 percent of its power, look through that list to
see what program is eating up those cycles. Maybe you have something running
in the background you forgot about, or maybe you’ve been infected by malware
that’s using your PC’s resources without your knowledge.
If the fan noise kicks in only when you’re purposely doing something intensive,
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and it’s time to look closer at the hardware itself.
GIVE YOUR PC ROOM TO BREATHE
Okay, your computer doesn’t actually “breathe” like a human—Blade Runner
hasn’t become reality yet. But if there isn’t room for air to circulate around your
PC, it’ll get hotter than necessary, causing it to run your fans at full blast to cool
it down. If you’re using a laptop, don’t set it on top of a pillow or other plush
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computer. (Lap desks are a much better alternative.) If you’re using a desktop,
for the love of all that is holy, don’t cover it with a blanket (I once saw someone
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going to overheat your PC, pushing your fans to spin harder and harder to
achieve desirable temperatures.