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Having a specific room for gaming is becoming more and more common as the hobby gains ever-increasing levels of acceptance. If you have your own space for gaming, you may have noticed that they can get uncomfortably warm after a long session.
If you’re looking for help or just curious, here are some simple solutions (and some not-so-simple ones) on how to keep gaming room cool while you are in the room.
For some, it may even be unclear as to why the room is getting hotter than elsewhere, so we’ll go over that too.
My PC Gets Hot When Gaming, Why?
Even compared to the rest of a house or office, a gaming room with a powerful PC or console can sometimes feel like a sauna. Instead of relaxing, you might end up uncomfortable in your own space without even realizing the source. The graphics cards and CPU of a PC or console create heat when in use and without space for that heat to leave, the room will inevitably warm up.
Another source of heat is yourself. The ideal gaming session is pure fun but any gamer knows that there can also be moments of pure distress. When we get frustrated, angry or excited, our body temperature rises in response. It’s possible that part of the warmth in your gaming room is generated simply from getting heated (literally) at your games.
How To Keep Room Cool While Gaming
Some of our options are obvious. While it can be tempting to keep the windows closed and the curtains drawn, any room without ventilation will suffer when electronics are whirring away within, not to mention your own body heat.
If it is the actual gaming that is causing some of the heat, just remember to step away every once in a while, drink some water and get some fresh air. Cooling down your own skin and drinking a cold drink can usually help you beat the heat more than dropping the temperature of the room.
A gaming room fan, positioned with enough room behind it to “breathe” properly, will help with airflow around a room and help keep it cool. If using a gaming room fan or air conditioning, it is advised to keep the doors and windows of the room closed. Keeping the circulation of cool air in the room is better if the air outside is hot.
The High Tech Option
For the more industrious (and industrial), there is the option of cooling the device creating the heat itself. If you’re running a high-end computer, you’ve likely already had to think about how to keep the PC cool. If you’re finding that your precautions (or lack thereof) aren’t enough, there are two prime options for sapping that heat.
Liquid cooling and air cooling are your two choices. Air cooling is another name for using a fan, which your computer likely already has, but in most computer towers there’s room for a little more. Some PC cases are built specifically with this ventilation in mind. However, with this method, there is likely to be either a little or a lot of background noise.
If you want the cooling and not the noise, the second option is for you. Liquid cooling is expensive and the installation can be tedious at best, and downright rocket science at worst. This is not traditionally an option for beginners but advances continue to make headway and All In One coolers are now on the market, ready to fit into your computer more easily than the piping and reservoirs you may have seen before.
If you have some time in your hands, here is how to build your own water cooling system for your PC.
The Low Tech Option
Clean your computer! One of the most common causes of overheating in a computer is not the temperature of the room around it, but the heat of the air within. If there’s dust clogging up all the ventilation for your PC tower, the heat generated by use will stay trapped inside and essentially cook your components. PCs switch themselves off at a certain heat, but best not to let it get that far.
The easiest way to do this is with an air duster. Either a piece of hardware you have bought or simply a can with a nozzle, an air duster can quickly blast away dust and dirt covering the inside of your computer, without damaging the delicate components housed within.
If your chair is part of the issue, a leather or leather-like material can become warm and clingy, placing a soft and natural fabric like cotton or linen can reduce the sweaty feeling.
Geographical Concerns
Certain locales are simply hotter than others. It should come as no surprise that keeping your gaming room cooler in a colder area is easy, but what solutions are there for warmer climates?
Reflective film coverings for windows are a cheap and effective way of keeping the heat out of your space. With curtains, the fabric will absorb the energy and warm up your room regardless but with reflective film, the heat is pushed away.
With a table set up and entertainment ready, it can be tempting to eat your meals in the gaming room. If your room is getting too hot though, eating your food elsewhere – especially if that food is hot – can have a noticeable effect on the temperature in the room.
Things To Avoid
While opening the windows is a good choice when the room inside is hotter than outside, this advice only works in those situations. When the outside air is hotter, keeping the windows closed and finding a fan or air conditioner is the better choice.
Finally, the best way to cool down a gaming room, or any room, is to turn off the lights and games and leave it alone for a while. While we would never truly suggest interrupting the gaming, this option is the final and most drastic available.
Good luck in keeping your hot rooms cold, hopefully, one or possibly all of these suggestions came in handy.