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Heat Sources
Heat is generated through thermal radiation as a by-product of electromagnetic movement within the circuits of our computers. The heat is caused by the internal resistance that the electricity encounters as it flows throughout the computer, and this resistance creates enough heat that the computer often becomes very, very hot inside the case. Each component of the computer creates heat at a different rate, depending on the specific operations being performed. For example, the CPU generates the most heat, since it does the greatest number of computations and uses a large amount of electricity. Another common source of heat is the graphics processing unit (GPU), which does an enormous amount of processing when performing calculations required to support 3D graphics, such as those used in video gaming. Often, during gaming, the GPU will actually create more heat than the CPU.
Other sources of heat include the hard disk and the optical disc drive, as the spinning of the disks during the read/write cycle can generate heat from both friction and electricity. Another component of the computer that generates an enormous amount of heat is the PSU, as it transforms AC power into DC power. Because it is such a large heat source, the power supply usually has its own dedicated cooling fan.
Another potential source of heat is the room in which the computer is located. If you are working in a room with a high room temperature, such as 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), the computer has to remove additional internal heat from the machine due to the environmental conditions of the room.