Gaming PC maintenance?

[CodeRedR51]

Just curious, what do you guys with gaming PC's use to keep them in tip-top shape? I think mine may be slowing down a tad and it's probably a few small steps away from getting back to the way it was, but not sure where to start.

 

[Techy]

I clean out dust every month or so. Checking dust filters usually, if you got a case that has those. You can use compressed air. I also get a microfiber cloth and clean the outside of the case with isopropyl alcohol.

Replace the thermal paste every few years. I did that when I had a FX chip for a few years and dropped 5-7 degrees C. You could try replacing your GPU's paste too but it's trickier.

 

[CodeRedR51]

What about software wise? Disk Defragment, etc?

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Best thing you can do is use SSD for OS.

 

[Harry6784]

I used to do a clean install of the OS once a year which helped a lot with boot times. But since I got my SSD I haven't needed to. Other than that just keep your case dust free and your drivers up to date. Not much more you can do.

 

[GT_Alex74]

I generally clean dust and filters every time I clean the room. I'll probably unscrew all the fans away after a year to clean them off nicely with a toothbrush, maybe pulling out other components as well to be able to really clean each corner of the case.

Also, let it sit in a pretty open area. That might sound obvious but I've seen plenty of people putting their tower in an enclosed compartment on their desk.

If your system is on a SSD, then you don't need (and should not) defragment, as it is unnecessary and will do lots of operations on it, thus reducing its lifespan. Classic plates HDD, it is still recommended to defragment.

Then I run Ccleaner once a week, as well as your protective softwares (anti virus, anti malware...)

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I try not to reinstall Windows unless necessary, so generally I make sure the Windows drive has a decent amount of free space and look over the programs that open on start-up. I try to keep those programs to a reasonable minimum.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Also, let it sit in a pretty open area. That might sound obvious but I've seen plenty of people putting their tower in an enclosed compartment on their desk.

It's currently sitting on top of the driving rig table I made for a steering wheels setup with nothing around it.

Then I run Ccleaner once a week, as well as your protective softwares (anti virus, anti malware...)

I only have Spy-Bot at the moment that I try and run a couple times a month.

I try not to reinstall Windows unless necessary, so generally I make sure the Windows drive has a decent amount of free space and look over the programs that open on start-up. I try to keep those programs to a reasonable minimum.

I will look these over tonight.

 

[Tornado]

Check to make sure you don't have multiple conflicting installations, like several copies of the same Java version or multiple versions of the same Visual C++ year.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Just curious, what do you guys with gaming PC's use to keep them in tip-top shape? I think mine may be slowing down a tad and it's probably a few small steps away from getting back to the way it was, but not sure where to start.

Have you checked to see if your hard drives are nearing capacity? Check which programs boot automatically at start up and eliminate those that are unnecessary? Have you defragged your hard drives (not SSD) lately? All your software and drivers up to date?

 

[CodeRedR51]

Check to make sure you don't have multiple conflicting installations, like several copies of the same Java version or multiple versions of the same Visual C++ year.

I did get some weird C++ error the other day. Still looking into that one.

 

[Tornado]

Give your programs list a once over. You want to have only one version of each distribution (meaning for the 2014 version you only want one x86 and one x64), because some programs (especially games) will automatically install a bundled version when you install the program even if you have the newest distribution installed. When I cleaned house on my computer of the very thing, I didn't experience any speedups (SSD for me), but I did eliminate some program crashes I had been having.

 

[sesselpupser]

What I do is:
- Consciously uninstall things I no longer want or use.
- Run CCleaner regularly to keep the registry and various caches clear.
- Use a disk analyser to find any wasted space and clear it if possible (for instance, F1 2011 and Dirt 3 were saving ~3GB replay files without my knowledge).
- Run Microsoft Security Essentials regularly.
- Turn it off regularly - some people leave their PCs on 24/7, I used to, but don't any more.
- Dust it once a year, or if it looks like it needs dusting - that can include removing the CPU or graphics card cooler to get right in there and using a conductive antistatic brush to remove that annoying layer of really fine dust. Also, wash any filters that can be washed.
- Replace drives when they reach a certain age or just seem like they're becoming problematic.

I also disabled some unnecessary settings in the UEFI (I can't remember what) to help improve the boot speed, I have no hard drives at all (but I do have three SSDs bought over the course of a year which add up to 1TB which is plenty if you remember to uninstall things you don't play and stream all your media from Netflix, Spotify and so on) and... I think that's all.

Edit: Oh yeah, it's a good idea to keep about 10% of an SSD empty to prevent write amplification. That's called overprovisioning, you (i.e. anyone with an SSD who doesn't know about write amplification) might like to read up on that.

 

[suv139]

Keep the dust out. Don't keep junk on your PC that you don't use anymore.

 

[Tyger]

Definitely recommend opening the case and using canned air to blow any dust out, I was getting BSOD on a regular basis a while back and seems it was only due to dust bunnies accumulating inside the graphics card. Also worth carefully removing dust from fan blades and heat sinks with a soft (eg. artist's) brush then blowing the residue out with air.

As for software, CCleaner is indeed awesome, make sure to utilise its registry cleaner too but backup first, as it suggests. Aside from that, not sure what people suggest for firewall and antivirus but I've managed really well with the free versions of AVG and Zonealarm for years. Make sure you disable the additional features you might not need all the time though, I don't tend to have the live web scanner and whatnot running usually, just be savvy.

Other than that, I strongly recommend Malwarebytes and Spybot Search & Destroy, keep them updated and run a scan for any malware or adware at least weekly. Also check your program list for anything that has snuck on, eg. Java and Skype updates love to try to get you to install a bunch of other stuff if you don't check/uncheck the right boxes.

 

[GT_Alex74]

Malwarebytes is a must. As for the antivirus, I'm using Qihoo 360 Total Security, even the free version is lighter on your computer while still being much more efficient than pretty much anything else that won't break the bank. Plus it has really nice features, such as telling you when something wants to put itself in startup items and allowing you to refuse that, but it's really not intrusive, and will only prompt stuff when necessary. Very happy with it.

 

[Grayfox]

I reinstall windows every new and then.
I clean out the dust from the radiators when I can(I have not done this in over a year)
I will clean the GPU heatink and reapply thermal paste.
Change coolant(not done this in over a year)
Blow out dust(not done this in over a year)

I am planning on getting a new case, radiators, water cooling loop made so this is why I have not cleaned the water loop in ages.

As for anti malware and anti virus.

Not run those things in well over a year.
The trick is not to click on anything stupid and have an adblocker to block the flash ads that sneak crap in.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Is CCleaner really necessary for maintenance? I've read some conflicting opinions. Some people swear by it and run it regularly. Others say it will just mess up your registry and doesn't really speed up anything. I tried it once in the past and didn't really notice any difference, so I'd rather not mess around with registry if everything is working well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Thanks for the tips guys, forgot about this thread. I know all about keeping a computer free of dust, etc especially out here in the desert. I was mainly interested in the software side. I do use adblock and run SpyBot every once in a while, but wasn't sure what else.

 

[Kitten]

I use AdBlock, Malwarebytes, Avira.

 

[sesselpupser]

Is CCleaner really necessary for maintenance? I've read some conflicting opinions. Some people swear by it and run it regularly. Others say it will just mess up your registry and doesn't really speed up anything. I tried it once in the past and didn't really notice any difference, so I'd rather not mess around with registry if everything is working well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

It's handy for keeping your SSD relatively clean, I've also used it to fix a couple of suspected registry-related problems. Generally I've found that the main reason people like to reinstall their entire OS every few years is because their registry gets totally ruined. I'm still using the same system I first installed in 2010 on a Mac Pro, it's been through two complete system upgrades and has been hosted on two different drives with zero issues and I attribute that to being careful to uninstall drivers I no longer need and keeping the registry clean.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

It's handy for keeping your SSD relatively clean, I've also used it to fix a couple of suspected registry-related problems. Generally I've found that the main reason people like to reinstall their entire OS every few years is because their registry gets totally ruined. I'm still using the same system I first installed in 2010 on a Mac Pro, it's been through two complete system upgrades and has been hosted on two different drives with zero issues and I attribute that to being careful to uninstall drivers I no longer need and keeping the registry clean.

I can't imagine what people do to "ruin" their registry though. I have been using the same laptop since 2008, regularly installing/uninstalling a couple of programs (maybe 5 or so per year) and generally everything runs fine. So without any clear benefit, I'd rather not do anything to my registry. If you are having problems, sure, I'll take the risk. But as it is, I'd rather not let an automated program risk bricking my OS

The only regular maintenance I do is weekly Disk Cleanup, Defrag, update AV, wipe the exterior and vacuum the vents. Done.

 

[sesselpupser]

I can't imagine what people do to "ruin" their registry though. I have been using the same laptop since 2008, been installing/uninstalling a couple of programs (maybe 5 or so per year) and generally everything runs fine. So without any clear benefit, I'd rather not do anything to my registry.

It totally depends on how you use your PC. Power failures and improper uninstalls are good examples of things that can wreck your registry. I can think of a few instances where I've done something, forgotten about it, done it again slightly differently and it hasn't worked which has been cured by cleaning the registry, so the damage is not always noticeable and might come back to cause problems days, weeks or months down the line - that's why I personally run CCleaner semi-regularly to help prevent that.

Then again I work in the maintenance department of a large museum, a large part of the job is preventative maintenance. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" isn't a phrase we tend to use! Our philosophy is that things will break a lot less frequently if we keep them fixed. A lot of our PCs are completely locked down but we still keep an eye on registry errors because stuff can go wrong at any time and for any reason.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

It totally depends on how you use your PC. Power failures and improper uninstalls are good examples of things that can wreck your registry. I can think of a few instances where I've done something, forgotten about it, done it again slightly differently and it hasn't worked which has been cured by cleaning the registry, so the damage is not always noticeable and might come back to cause problems days, weeks or months down the line - that's why I personally run CCleaner semi-regularly to help prevent that.

Then again I work in the maintenance department of a large museum, a large part of the job is preventative maintenance. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" isn't a phrase we tend to use! Our philosophy is that things will break a lot less frequently if we keep them fixed. A lot of our PCs are completely locked down but we still keep an eye on registry errors because stuff can go wrong at any time and for any reason.

Well lucky me I guess. I use a laptop so power failures never occur, and I'm always very careful with every install/uninstall to not leave any stray files. Seems to work so far and I never had any permanent problems. If you work for a large department handling multiple computers then I can understand preventative maintenance, but for me personally I'm still not convinced of registry cleaner's utility and it can do more harm than good.

 

[GT_Alex74]

@R1600Turbo @TheKitten I've ran into issues with AdBlock and switched to uBlock Origin, which turns out to be quite better.

 

[Grayfox]

Is CCleaner really necessary for maintenance? I've read some conflicting opinions. Some people swear by it and run it regularly. Others say it will just mess up your registry and doesn't really speed up anything. I tried it once in the past and didn't really notice any difference, so I'd rather not mess around with registry if everything is working well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

CCleaner gets rid of temp files, cookies, old system restore points, windows error reporting, ect.
Now you can do this yourself.
But each requires you to do a set of steps where as CCleaner does it all at the press of a button

The reg cleaner function just gets rid of old obsolete entries which consist of uninstalled programs and deleted files, ect.
Each time you can clean out the registry it asks do you want a backup.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

CCleaner gets rid of temp files, cookies, old system restore points, windows error reporting, ect.
Now you can do this yourself.
But each requires you to do a set of steps where as CCleaner does it all at the press of a button

The reg cleaner function just gets rid of old obsolete entries which consist of uninstalled programs and deleted files, ect.
Each time you can clean out the registry it asks do you want a backup.

I already do Disk Cleanup once a week, so it essentially does the same purpose (it's a one click process as well).

Registry cleaner is what I'm nervous about. It is supposed to only remove old unused programs but how does the algorithm know what is old and not needed vs old and still may be needed in the future? So if I'm not having any problems, I'd rather just let the old registry entries sit there as it's not causing any harm. From my past history I don't have much luck with these kinds of things

 

[GT_Alex74]

What I can say is that after years of weekly use, Ccleaner has yet to give me troubles.

 

[Grayfox]

I already do Disk Cleanup once a week, so it essentially does the same purpose (it's a one click process as well).

Registry cleaner is what I'm nervous about. It is supposed to only remove old unused programs but how does the algorithm know what is old and not needed vs old and still may be needed in the future? So if I'm not having any problems, I'd rather just let the old registry entries sit there as it's not causing any harm. From my past history I don't have much luck with these kinds of things

Unlike the windows disk clean up which takes ages to "scan" CCleaner doesnt.
Windows Disk clean up does not work for other non windows programs where as CCleaner does
It also has functions to keep some files safe and not get deleted(Smart Cookie)
You can select what you want.
Like Firefox Cahce, and browising history, and leave everything else alone
It also has a secure file deletion which also has a 0 fill to 37 pass function so you can give away your old HDD knowing no one can get data off it

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Unlike the windows disk clean up which takes ages to "scan" CCleaner doesnt.
Windows Disk clean up does not work for other non windows programs where as CCleaner does
It also has functions to keep some files safe and not get deleted(Smart Cookie)
You can select what you want.
Like Firefox Cahce, and browising history, and leave everything else alone
It also has a secure file deletion which also has a 0 fill to 37 pass function so you can give away your old HDD knowing no one can get data off it

Well I keep my computer fairly clean anyway so I don't really accumulate junk over time. I don't really have any errors or feel it's slowing down either. At the end of the day those registries sitting there isn't really causing any problems and cleaning them probably won't do much either. So I'll stick with what I'm doing now.

It's good info though and I'll consider it if I ever feel adventurous or need to give my HDD away