I am curious if it is ok to leave my Compaq 6450NX Presario on all day
long, in my house. I have heard "no", it can get hot, I have heard
"yes", turning it on and off is actually bad for it.
I do have a broadband connection with the latest free ZoneAlarm
firewall.
Is a aftermarket slot fan recommended?
I am NOT running video games or similar applications
Thanks
If the system runs hot just sitting there, unused, it needs some
additional cooling. Powering off/on is even worse for the wear when
there's a more significant temp difference between off and on.
Add the cooling it needs, enough that it can run continuously, 24/7 at
full load. THEN decide if your usage is better served by leaving it
on or not... in general I'd recommend leaving it on if it'll be used
again within 5 hours or so.
Slot fans don't move near as much air as an unobstructed (wire grill
or no grill opposed to a less open stamped metal cutout) case fan, but
are certainly better than nothing. If yours is the case I'm thinking
of, metallic grey with large slots in the bezel, you might have a
traditional rear fan mount or be able to mount a fan on the front
bottom. A quick-and-dirty fix (and likely the most significant
airflow increase) might be seen by taking a sabre saw and cutting out
a hole in the left side-panel to accept a 92-120mm intake fan, some of
which move quite a bit of air at very low noise levels.
Dave