Welcome to Just Ask Matt! - The IT industry’s answer to the help column, only slightly more medicated. Today, Tim writes:

Matt, how come some computers have heatsinks with fans attached and others don’t? My computer is older and I am guessing this has something to do with why there is no fan. What is going on here?

Well, Tim, the faster the computer’s CPU is, the more heat it puts out. Pentium 1s, for instance, are often just set up with a heatsink and nothing else. Faster processors, on the other hand - like the P4 - are running at much faster speeds and need a better cooling option. The heatsink allows the heat to disperse away from the CPU evenly so that it does not overheat. Having a fan only helps to disperse the heat more quickly and evenly. Hope this helps.

Do you have an IT-related question? Perhaps you are just burnt out on writing on the walls with crayons? Whatever the comments may be, drop me a line and you, too, can “Just Ask Matt!”