I can’t remember what drove me to research this. I think part of it was that I noticed that many of my computers were running very quietly. So quietly in fact that it made me wonder if they were even equipped with CPU and case fans. While it seems that most people want quiet computers running in their house, to me a quiet computer equals a HOT computer. And heat and computers really don’t mix.

So if you’re running linux, specifically Debian or Ubuntu, there is a way to easily take control over how fast or slow your CPU and case funs run. The program is called lm-sensors. It’s a program that regulates the speed of your fans based on the temperature readings from the sensors on your motherboard. It’s really quite neat, and very simple to configure. I must warn you though, this program doesn’t work with all computers –specifically with some Dell towers I have worked on. (more…)