Lately I'm finding more and more of the machines I repair are so dusty inside that it's no wonder they are failing. The electricity in your PC generates a static electric charge that attracts a lot of dust. One of the biggest killers of your PC's hardware is heat. The dust that accumulates in your case traps the heat and reduces airflow. Many items in your PC can get to over 140 degrees F. If they are not properly cooled, your components will fail. If your PC is more than 1 year old it needs cleaning. Here's a quick step by step for keeping it clean: 1. Tools you'll need. a. Canned air, don’t use a vacuum cleaner unless it's one of those small pen type battery operated. Your house vacuum has a static charge that could ruin your PC. Don't use your air compressor either unless it has a major in-line filter system!! b. A new / never used paintbrush. A 1" brush with long hairs works best for getting to the tight spots. c. A small cheap dental mirror and a penlight work great to see those hidden spots. 2. Precautions: (Do I have to say "Make sure it's unplugged?") a. If your PC is less than 1 year old, check your warranty before opening the case. Some will void the warranty if opened. b. Try not to touch the interior components unless you ground yourself first to eliminate static. Touching the case is usually ok. This is going to be a dusty process, so move to a wood or concrete floor for cleaning up and less static. Never on a carpet! 3. Open up your case. For generic cases it’s the 4 screws on the back. (2 left and 2 right). For you older model Dell & HP fans check the web site for your models manual for removal. I refer to those PC's as "Houdini Doors". "Push here, here, here, & here ... with all 4 hands at one time to remove" ..lol. 4. Once opened you can take the paintbrush and the air can and work around to remove the evident dust. Look at the heat sinks for dust clogging between the fins. (The aluminum thingy with ribs and maybe a fan on it) Use a toothpick to free the dirt inside the fins if the air wont blow it out. NEVER use a metal object inside the case to clean!!!! Be careful not to dislodge the cables from their connectors. Check the power supply fan. (That’s where the power plug comes in outside the case) Use the brush to clean the fan blades well. If you don't have an internal case fan this one supplies most of the airflow to the case interior. 5. Make sure you haven't left anything inside and put the case doors back on. You can tell if you've done a good job if the paintbrush looks like it's been electrocuted from stabbing it in the tight spots. Your good for another 6 months!!
Good thread, Dan. My custom box has two intake and two exhaust fan (not including the intake and exhaust fan on the PSU). Once I cleaned the filters that I installed in front of the intake fans, the system monitor showed an 8-10º (C) decrease across both its temperature probes.
Thanks for the reminder ddrdan. The tech who set up my new home PC, said my old PC was so full of cat hair that he was surprised I had not had a fire. So far, I've been unable to get the cover off my new PC - a Dell Dimension 4700, looked so easy when the tech did it - so I always turn off my PC when not in use. That way, I'll be sitting right there if a fire starts.
