The Top Things To Consider To Help Avoid PC Issues

We all know how disruptive it can be when your computer stops working properly. It can interrupt your work, or stop you in your tracks when online shopping. Device failures are always going to be a part of life, however, you can do things to help prolong the life of your PC. In this blog, we will outline why components fail and what you can do to help each component to make them last as long as possible.

Why do components break

Anything can break, it could be from wear and tear or if not used correctly, in addition, modern electronics do have a natural lifespan. Components with moving parts are particularly susceptible to mechanical failure. Another important factor that can shorten the lifespan of your components is heat. Anything with an electrical current will generate, however, keeping this heating under control can help extend the life of the component.

Best practice to extend the life of each component

The best practice for each component will differ, below is listed the common components of a PC and the things you can do to make them last as long as possible. One thing you can do to help keep all your components working for as long as possible is to frequently clean your PC of dust to ensure your computer has surfactant airflow to keep the components cool.

CPU

One of the most important and expensive parts of any PC is the CPU or Central Processing Unit. Your CPU doesn’t have any moving parts and as so there is nothing mechanical to break. Heat this the biggest danger to your CPU, it is important your cooler has enough airflow to dissipate the heat safely. If you have installed the cooler yourself you should make sure you apply the thermal compound correctly as this can also affect how effective your cooler will be.

Ram

Your RAM or Random Access Memory is responsible for storing your most essential and frequently used data. Ram is one of the most reliable parts of your PC, unlikely to experience high temperatures unless you have very large capacity DIMMS, and with no moving parts. The most common way RAM break is due to improper installation or storage.

GPU

Another part that is commonly one of the most expensive parts in a PC is the GPU or Graphics Processing Unit. Your GPU is responsible for rendering images and animation and is commonly the primary source of display output. Similar to a CPU, your GPU should be kept cool and again this is best done by ensuring the cooler has enough airflow.

Hard Drive

When it comes to storage capacity, Hard Drives are unbeatable. Made up of several spinning disks these are magnetically encoded with your data. As hard drives have moving parts the biggest risk is mechanical failure. Another important thing to bear in mind is that hard drives can be damaged if moved when spinning. Wish the disks spinning at thousands of revolutions per second a sudden jolt or impact can cause the total loss of your data.

SSD

In comparison to hard drives, an SSD or Solid State Drive will have a lower capacity for the money, however, this lower capacity will come with fast speeds. As the name implies an SSD has no moving parts with all the data being written to silicon packets. This means that an SSD cannot experience the same kind of mechanical failure a hard drive can. It is important to remember that an SSD does have a limit to how many read and writes it can perform before the packets will begin to fail.

MotherBoard

The backbone of your computer is your motherboard, this not only connects all your other components together but can also offer additional features such as Wifi, Bluetooth and your IO panel or input/ output panel. Motherboards are particularly reliable and like RAM the most common reason for issues is misuse or improper storage.

PSU

Supplying power to your PC is your PSU or Power Supply Unit, this component takes the electricity from your plug and transforms it into a stable power supply at the voltages your PC need. Although modern PSUs are very reliable it worth spending more on a PSU if you can as when a PSU fails it has the potential to damage any components it is plugged into.

Display

Potentially the most commonly broken component is the display. Imparticular laptops and smartphones are some of the most abused pieces of technology we have. Thankful many modern displays are fair cheap to replace.

For more outstanding tips for maintaining your laptop, check out our blog to find out our 6 top tips for maintaining your laptop now!

Don’t forget about viruses

The final component that can fail on your PC is the software. Commonly forgotten about however as your software is the part of the PC you interact with most if something goes wrong it will very quickly be noticed. To help prevent viruses you should install anti-virus software on your PC and ensure you never visit a website or use a USB device if you are not 100% confident they are safe to use. You should also change your password often to avoid being hacked.

If you’re struggling with a computer issue, it’s time to call PC Dial a Fix. As the top choice for all your personal and business IT needs in Bristol, we can help fix any problem that arises from your devices or networks – no matter how small or big. From virus removal to data backup services, our team is ready at a moment’s notice to be there when you need us most. So next time something goes wrong on your system don’t worry about what could have been done differently, just contact PC Dial a Fix so we can get started right away!