Summer heat will turn any gaming room into a sauna — and that's why I'm investing in a new portable AC early
Time to break the heat cycle
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Summer is steadily approaching in the UK, and that means days of blazing heat and intense humidity are upon us. As a frequent gamer and a major introvert (yes, I should touch grass, I know), it's incredibly difficult to enjoy gaming sessions without reliable cooling.
There's only so much you can get away with when using a high-quality fan, and I've realized this when using the likes of a Dreo Smart Tower Fan or even a ceiling fan — especially during those days of extreme heat upwards of 30 degrees Celsius.
It's as simple as this: without any adequate ways to remove humidity from your room, a fan will simply blow hot air around, without much relief, since there's no cool breeze. UK homes were also fitted to retain heat for those long and cold winter periods, which only makes matters worse.
While gaming consoles aren't a major issue in generating heat, gaming PCs, on the other hand, may as well be electric heaters, as they use so much more power than the likes of a PS5 or Xbox Series X, especially with beefier hardware components.
As PC is my primary platform, gaming is almost unbearable during those moments of peak summer temperatures. Fortunately, though, there are several solutions to reducing system temperatures, notably undervolting your CPU, which can go a long way toward keeping your PC at safe temperatures.
However, it doesn't do enough to reduce room temperatures, and that's exactly where portable air conditioners (AC) come into play.
Portable ACs are a must if you're a PC gamer
A great addition to any gaming room setup is a portable AC, keeping both your gaming system and room at reasonable temperatures. It's not perfect, as not all windows are compatible with the window kits that come with certain portable ACs, but they are still the best possible solution outside of an expensive and tedious task of a professionally wall-mounted AC.
Thankfully, Amazon's Big Spring Sale has multiple discounted options. Notably, the Belaco 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner is available for £271.99 (was £499.99). With a significant 46% discount, it's an absolute steal, considering its 4-in-1 nature, alongside a dual window kit to adhere to different window types.
The Belaco 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner is a fantastic option for anyone with a small or medium-sized room, equipped with a 9,000 BTU cooling capability, along with a dual window kit, and most importantly, it's energy efficient with a Class A rating.
The Pro Breeze 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner is a great option for a bedroom or gaming room, thanks to its 7000 BTU cooling capability and sleek and slim design, helping it fit in smaller spaces while keeping your environment as cool as possible on hot summer days.
The Pro Breeze 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner is available for £249.99 (was £269.99), providing a 7000 BTU room cooling capability, which fits my small office-like bedroom perfectly.
Both options are great for anyone with a small to medium-sized room, but the Pro Breeze AC appears to have a much smaller and slimmer design compared to Belaco's 4-in-1 option — and that makes sense, since it has a smaller BTU capacity.
Once warmer days arrive, the demand for portable ACs will likely skyrocket, leading to higher prices or lower availability. That's exactly why now is the best time to make a move for one, before it's too late.
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Isaiah is a Staff Writer for the Computing channel at TechRadar. He's spent over two years writing about all things tech, specifically games on PC, consoles, and handhelds. He started off at GameRant in 2022 after graduating from Birmingham City University in the same year, before writing at PC Guide which included work on deals articles, reviews, and news on PC products such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors, and more. He spends most of his time finding out about the exciting new features of upcoming GPUs, and is passionate about new game releases on PC, hoping that the ports aren't a complete mess.
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