Effects of dust on a computer

[iphitus]

Gday,

I built a new computer about 5 months ago with the assistance of a friend and some of the reviews and posts on this site. The machine is;

Antec SLK3000B
Pentium D, 2.8. cooled by a Scythe Ninja heatsink.
120mm Antec Tri-Cool, mounted on heatsink and on lowest.
Nvidia 6600GT, passively cooled
Two nexus 120mm fans, on the front and the back, attached to zalman fanmates and running at lowest speed.
Seasonic 430W PSU
A Seagate SATA drive and a seagate IDE.

It's inaudible from 1m under most ambient noise conditions when the IDE drive isnt in use, which is a majority of the time - it's set to spin down after a period of no usage.

What I'm concerned of is the build-up of dust inside the case, and what effect it may be having on the computer. I find myself cleaning the dust catcher on the front of the case every month or two. I can already see a thin layer of dust on the fins of my heatsink, and the leading edge of the blades of all my fans show a similar thin layer. What has me most concerned is I can also see the dust on the edge of my PSU's fan when looking through the honeycomb at the back.
Most likely as a result of the intake fan, my wireless card which is directly behind it, has quite a nice covering.

I realise the intake fan is not doing much good, but it was added as I was becoming concerned with the temperatures of my hdd's, especially on hot aussie days, >30C. It's winter now, so I know I can happily remove it.

At what stage, if any should I become concerned about any dust buildup?
What is the most appropriate way to deal with it?

I suppose I'm being slightly paranoid, but nobody likes seeing their new toys gathering a thin layer of dust.

James

[Ackelind]

I would say that dust buildup is impossible to avoid, even if you have air filters, unfiltered air can enter through small holes and cracks.

I usually "dust" my computer every other month or so by using compressed air on a can together with a vaccum cleaner. I hold the vac a few inches from where I am about to clean and then shoot a short burst of air from the can of compressed air. This usually throws the dust up in a cloud that is succed into the vac. Really neat.

[Bluefront]

Keeping the dust out is difficult after your computer is built....the best way is to prepare for it while you are in the construction stage. The very easiest way, is to design a positive pressure case, with the main case fan blowing in, sucking through a real air filter. You don't have to put up with dust.

Here's a negative pressure case, all little cracks sealed with silicone rubber, tape, etc. The filter is a cabin filter from a Nissan Xterra.

[jaganath]

I suppose I'm being slightly paranoid, but nobody likes seeing their new toys gathering a thin layer of dust.

James

Dust acts like an insulator on heatsinks, so it is actually a very serious issue, especially in hot climates where PC cooling is critical, like Australia. The best way to reduce dust build-up (apart from Bluefront's filtering, which is some of the best around, go through his posts for tips) is to reduce the amount of airflow you need to effectively cool your PC, ie make everything run cooler (CPU, GPU etc). This usually involves undervolting and underclocking (if possible). Try and keep external sources of dust (ie dogs, carpets) as far away from your PC as possible.

[IsaacKuo]

At what stage, if any should I become concerned about any dust buildup?
What is the most appropriate way to deal with it?

AFAIK, there is exactly three ways that dust can damage your computer:

1. It can form an insulating layer on components--especially heatsinks--which can cause them to overheat.

and

2. It can accumulate so much that it physically blocks airflow--especially on densely finned heatsinks and grills--which causes components to overheat.

and

3. It can enter some components of an optical or floppy drive, causing them to malfunction.

It's pretty easy to see whether there's an insulating layer forming, and it's pretty easy to just blow out that stuff. The exception is within the PSU, where it's both hard to see and hard to blow out.

The more insidious threat is dust accumulation that physically blocks airflow. A traditional CPU heatsink has a fan blowing down on fins directly underneath the fan. Dust loves to accumulate right behind this fan, where it literally block off the entire heatsink from airflow without it being very visible from outside. You could have a case which looks like it has minimal dust buildup, and yet the CPU heatsink is actually completely choked by a layer of dust underneath the CPU fan.

For SPCR'rs, this problem is often avoided because we tend to use aftermarket CPU coolers with widely spaced fins and/or without directly attached fans.

Generally, SPCR computers tend to have low airflow, and this has a dramatic effect on how quickly dust builds up. I have a relatively dirty environment with three cats and a dog. Nevertheless, I really don't have much of a dust buildup problem. I'll blow out my computers perhaps once a year. No big deal! The exception is my HTPC's intake grill, which I have to wipe off maybe once a month (I don't need to open up the PC). For some reason, an incredible amount of dust accumulates behind my TV.

[iphitus]

Thanks for the great responses.

Removing the causes of dust isnt too simple, all the locations where this computer could be are carpeted, and the dogs (x2) will pass by it once in a while. It's probably in a better position now than it used to be. It was at the end of a frequently used hallway and would have pulled in the dustier air from there. Now it's under a desk in a corner, quite a fair bit way under too.

I guess it looks like the simplest option is to just maintain it, clean out the filter more frequently to prevent it getting clogged, and to give it some compressed air once in a while as Ackelind said.

It'd be great to have a setup like Bluefront, but that's pretty much out of my reach, time and money wise.

Now that it isnt needed, would it be a good idea to remove/unplug the front intake fan?

James

[jaganath]

For some reason, an incredible amount of dust accumulates behind my TV.

If you have a CRT TV, that could be because of static charge from the electron guns:

Why does dust stick to TV's?

[Trunks]

I find myself cleaning the dust catcher on the front of the case every month or two.

This sounds normal to me.

[stupid]

I typically clean my PCs only once a year. My primary rig is not a big deal. However, my Antec Aria is a chore 'cause I have to remove the drive cage and the tight space.

[Chris Chan]

> It can enter some components of an optical or floppy drive
I also encountered today where dust had entered a fan (Globe Fan brand) and choked it. The oil in the sleeve bearing expelled itself out the label, and the fan totally seized up. It had been running like that for months, with no visible effects. The fan was in the PSU, so I opened the PSU and found several leaking capacitors. I replaced the PSU with a Fortron with no leaky caps, and a functioning Yate Loon fan.

[Bluefront]

It's always been puzzling to me that people will go to great lengths to quiet their computers......but when it comes to keeping that prized possession clean, they will come up with all sorts of reasons why it is too difficult to do so. A once a year blast of compressed air? (shakes his head)

[McBanjo]

Get it off the floor is an easy way to prevent dust from getting in