Final answer:
To actively improve airflow and dissipate heat in a computer system, an engineer would use fans. Fans facilitate forced convection, which is the movement of cooler air over heated components to reduce temperatures.
Step-by-step explanation:
An engineer looking to provide active cooling to a new computer system to improve airflow and dissipate heat around the components would most commonly use fans. Fans are an essential part of forced convection cooling, which involves moving air to dissipate heat. They work by driving cooler ambient air over various parts of the computer, such as the CPU, GPU, and other heat-generating components, to carry away excess thermal energy. While heat sinks, thermal paste, and thermal pads also play roles in managing heat, they are not primarily responsible for airflow enhancement.