I now have to use my old computer again due to my mom completely screwing her's over and getting a crapload of viruses on it due to downloading something. The big problem with this for me though is my old comp is pretty crappy as well and likes to overheat and shut itself off constantly which can become annoying. Does anyone know some way I can stop this comp from overheating or improve the performance on it? I currently already run it with the side panel off to get more air but even then it still overheats with hardly any programs at all running. I'd get a fan to use on it but my mom's bf would complain about the electricity bill as if it were gonna kill him.
Buy a computer fan for it. There's some running for just $13 on Tiger Direct: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=99&srkey=fans
A can of compressed air (~5 USD, available at WalMart, Target, almost all computer stores) will clean out any dust that may be clogging individual fans : focus on the central CPU fan, those chassis fans nearest to it, the fans inside the power supply, and (if present) any chipset or graphics card fans. I'd recommend doing this outside or in a well-ventilated area. If the issue persists, use a program to check which component is getting hot. SpeedFan can give CPU and chipset temps, while GPU-z can get graphics card information. If the graphics card or chipset is going above 70 degrees Celsius, the easiest solution is usually to get a separate Molex-powered fan, such as some of those on the page djt820 linked to, and strap or velcro it in place. If the CPU is getting too hot, a molex-powered fan may help, but I'd recommend purchasing a fresh heatsink and a tube of thermal paste and replacing the existing set-up.
the fans are probably clogged with dust, something which running it without the side panel will make worse. In fact, in doing so, you're probably ruining the air circulation inside the machine making it overheat faster. If it always overheated like this, buy it a bigger fan, if it hasn't always been like this, then chances are at least one of the fans is full of dust.
A note on power consumption. If you're just talking about a small case fan then they can use around 2-4 watts depending on the fan. That's .048 to .096 kilowatt hours per day or 17.52 to 35.04 kilowatt hours per year. The The average cost per kilowatt hour in the US is 11.18 cents. That means if you run your computer running 24 hours per day for a full year you are only spending about $1.96 to $3.92 to power a fan. That's cheaper than the cost of the fan. Throw him a fiver and tell him to shut up about the power consumption of a fan. I'm not sure what the prices of power are like in California but my guess is they are above average. How much I don't know but I wouldn't imagine it would be more than a couple bucks per year. Before you go out and buy a fan though, like others have said, make sure your computer is free of dust. Get a can of compressed air and blow out any dust in your fans and heatsinks.
