***Public Service Announcement***

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 7:18 am

It's getting to be summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere. It's a darn good time to open up your case and clean out all your filters, fan blades and heatsink fins. Don't forget to clean inside your PSU too. Hold a pencil or something against the fan blades when you're blowing on them so they don't spin too fast and get damaged.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:50 am

I just did my work machine yesterday...WOW, that's a lot of dust.

My personal machines I keep much more tidy, maybe cause I'm constantly tinkering.

I think I'll be able to run my A/C less this summer with my new HTPC (4850e/780G-based) not baking my living room like my old one (XP3200+/nForce2). Bring on the x.264 1080p!!!

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:05 am

Perfect timing. My new dust filters arrived today.

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:00 pm

I'm too lazy

FÃ«anor · Post by **FÃ«anor** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:57 pm

The filters on the P182 keep the inside of the case pretty darn clean, but thank you for the reminder. Usually a good idea to open it up and clean it out whether I think it needs it or not.

kittle · Post by **kittle** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:23 pm

Good plan there.

Dust just killed the fan on my server's video card.

scdr · Post by **scdr** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:37 pm

So something I have been curious about - what are the pros and cons of dusting the computer? Anybody seen any study/research of what best practice to recommend to end users?

Sure I can dust my systems, and the dust hares (too big to be bunnies) that come out of some machines are amazing, but I always wonder which is worse - having the average user (i.e. klutz) open their machine and try to dust it, or letting the dust accumulate.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 12:32 am

A can of compressed air, if held upright while spraying, is usually plenty safe. I've used a vacuum cleaner with a brush nozzle without any problems for a long time.

The normal negative pressure SPCR-type setup, even without any attempt at filtration, does not collect collect dust as much as your normal computer....for one reason. Airflow.....there's less of it in a quiet setup, which also means less dust.

So....an SPCR-inspired setup is quieter and cleaner. (in theory anyway).

AuraAllan · Post by **AuraAllan** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 12:41 am

Bluefront wrote:I've used a vacuum cleaner with a brush nozzle without any problems for a long time.

I've done this for years without any problems. Very easy.

Bluefront wrote:The normal negative pressure SPCR-type setup, even without any attempt at filtration, does not collect collect dust as much as your normal computer....for one reason. Airflow.....there's less of it in a quiet setup, which also means less dust.

So....an SPCR-inspired setup is quieter and cleaner. (in theory anyway).

Very true. None of my computers need cleaning. Theres hardly any dust in any of them.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:36 am

I'll change my system in a month or two. Its then easier cleaning...

godprobe · Post by **godprobe** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:54 am

scdr wrote:So something I have been curious about - what are the pros and cons of dusting the computer? Anybody seen any study/research of what best practice to recommend to end users?

Sure I can dust my systems, and the dust hares (too big to be bunnies) that come out of some machines are amazing, but I always wonder which is worse - having the average user (i.e. klutz) open their machine and try to dust it, or letting the dust accumulate.

FWIW, I've never cleaned out the inside of my laptop in the 2.5 years I've owned it (thank you for the PSA Ralf!... I think I'll bother to clean it this summer)... and games that it used to be able to play just fine (i.e. FEAR) will eventually overheat the graphics card and cause framerates to drop severely as the machine goes into panic mode and attempts to cool things down... the framerate pops back up again when things are cool enough... gives a few more minutes of smooth as silk gameplay, and drops right back down... repeat. It will do this even off of a completely new Windows install and accumulated dust is the only thing I can think of that's significantly changed.

I consistently used a laptop cooler for the first two years of ownership, but haven't bothered lately (long after the overheating issue).

I also wouldn't be surprised if dust and heat caused one of my USB ports on the laptop to go bad.

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:20 am

Meh. My XP install has been exhibiting a progressively bad case of Windows Alzheimers(TM) over the past few months. Today it forgot that it had a DVD drive attached (well it remembered that it had it, it just couldn't remember its name). I'm surprised it hasn't been found sitting on a bench in the local park wearing just it's night-clothes.

I'm eyeing the new tranche of graphics cards about to launch, and pondering the potential of the HybridPower and the AMD equivalent and what they can do for me. Also SSDs and various other things.

In short my PC is most likely to get a clean-out as part of an upgrade. In any case summer here ain't no big deal, it's just a change of clothing rather than a change of weather.

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:36 am

Dust?
My PC in probably has more dust and pet hair to contend with than average but since i have a positive air pressure setup and all the intakes have filters on them i dont see any dust buildup. A small amount of dust collected at the bottom of the case is about as much as ive seen, and i havent properly cleaned it since i installed my mobo almost a year and half ago. Clean the filters about once a month (2 minute job at max) and thats it.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 8:50 pm

In the military, we call this a PMI (Preventative Maintenance Inspection) which basically consists of an over priced "ESD" vacuum (looks a lot like a regular vacuum to me). Though we typically vacuum out computers on a monthly basis instead of yearly.

My personal computers, i clean them every time i open them, which is at least a few times a year.

Ben Kama · Post by **Ben Kama** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 12:22 am

My spouse's brother asked me to help with a computer problem he had, "it just turns off after a strange bleep". The HSF was packed with gathered dust rolled up in balls held together by cat hair. Lucky enough, summer wasn't in full effect yet and he now vacuums it regularly.

Plekto · Post by **Plekto** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:48 am

Note - do this on the deck/outside. The amount of dust if you have kids and a couple of pets is mind-boggling.

kittle · Post by **kittle** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:56 am

Ben Kama wrote:My spouse's brother asked me to help with a computer problem he had, "it just turns off after a strange bleep". The HSF was packed with gathered dust rolled up in balls held together by cat hair. Lucky enough, summer wasn't in full effect yet and he now vacuums it regularly.

My brother's PC had the same issue a while back. Dust caked around the HSF.

So I did what I always do with my own stuff - take the HSF off, remove the fan and wash it (yes in the kitchen sink). Clean the cpu, dry everything off. Fresh thermal paste and re-assemble. Works great now.

JVM · Post by **JVM** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:22 pm

No need to clean my new system at this time, but I did use Isopropyl alcohol on a Q-Tip to clean fan blades and heat sink fins in my previous system for whatever compressed air didn't get rid of.

I have 3 cats and they are very interested in computers.

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:18 pm

JVM wrote:I have 3 cats and they are very interested in computers.

Any shredded paws yet?

I have my girl-friends black long hair everywheere. Thanks goodness it doesn't fit through my PCs mesh-front.

Gojira-X · Post by **Gojira-X** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 2:03 pm

cleaning dust from the insides of computers, where do I start...

I think i have used pretty much every kind of method to clean dust out of mine and other's computers. Methods of note include (in no order):

Large artists paint brush to lean dust from a skived fan heatsink,
Surface cleaner wipes to clean dust from fans and around case,
damp cloth and its more expensive sibling... damp kitchen paper,
anti-static foam cleaner (its better than it seems!)
Contact cleaner (the oily stuff that you use to lean the insides of switches)
WD40 - especially ys-tech tmd (tip magnetic driving) and maglev fans
vacumn cleaners
Air dusters
Floor cleaning wipes (be careful of the polish)
Washing in water (useful if reusing old bits - but you must let it dry properly)
and
good ole vibration (tipping the pc over and giving it a good shake).

Its gonna be interesting how my new Acer Aspire m5100 pc holds up (dust wise in house full of laminate flooring) being that I can't open it up for fear of voiding the warrantee.