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Dust, is it bad?

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs - Dust, is it bad?

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Mistah_Iggy   03-16-2003 at 07:26:43 AM

(Ahh first post, wonderful)
Today I opened up my comp case to switch around some HD cables and I noticed that there was a significant build up of dust all inside the case. Should I be concerned about this? Can the dust somehow ruin the components inside my computer? I noticed that my CPU fan has dust on it as well, does that mean the fan hasn't been used much?

BTW this comp was custom built in July of 2000 and really hasn't had any problems, so thus far I don't think the dust has really been doing anything counterproductive. Of course it never hurts to check.

Thanks for any feedback,
Kevin

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lhgpoobaa   03-16-2003 at 08:14:21 AM
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well in extreeme cases dust can cauze shorts... but the main problem with most cases is that dust is a nice insulator... something thats not desired on a heatsink... it can cauze overheating.

give your heatsink/fan a gentle dust with a can of compressed air or a soft brush.

(dont use a vacuum as it can damage things and cauze a buildup of static electricity)

<b>Paying for Sex didn’t mean you couldn’t get it any other way – it meant that you could afford the convenience option, same as any other service.</b>
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by LHGPooBaa on 03/16/03 02:16 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

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LumberJack   03-16-2003 at 04:23:43 PM
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Agreed... personally I don't like dust at all.. I clean my case inside out every few weeks... need to maintain your airflow and keep things nice and new.. dust can screw up your drives big time if you let it build up... not HD's but cd drives and floppy drives I mean...

Also make sure you clean your HSF regularly especially with AMD HSF's where there are fine grills on the heatsink, dust can block your airflow quickly... cleaning should reduce your temp a couple of degrees.

To err is human... to really screw things up you need a computer!

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Teq   03-16-2003 at 04:38:55 PM
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As others have pointed out, dust can trap heat causing things to get a little hotter than they should. It's seldom disastrous but it's certainly not helpful.

The dust on the fans is not because they aren't being used, it's because they are sucking dust into your computer from the open room.

When I sell a system I suggest a simple rule to my customers... When going on daylight savings: Change your clocks, change your smoke alarm batteries, dust your computer.

The best method is to use a long bristled soft brush... a paint brush will work, and gently whisk away the dust from boards, fans, and from inside the CPU cooler.

In extreme cases, you may have to use an airblast on the CPU cooler. You can get cans of compressed gas at most electronics stores for this purpose. Just put the nozzle down through the fan blades and blast away from several different positions.

If you have a real dust problem, you may want to put filters on your air intakes. I use the spun plastic pot scrubber mats you get at the grocery store for this purpose. They're about 1/4" thick and 6" square and come in all kinds of interesting colours. They offer almost no resistence to airflow but they trap dust pretty well. Just tape them over your air intakes and remember to wash them out a couple of times a year.




--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

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4ryan6   03-16-2003 at 05:58:52 PM
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Safety Tip, use the canned air outside the house, or in an extreemely well ventilated area, the fumes are toxic and will disapate very fast, but are not reccomended to use in a closed environment.




Details, Details, Its all in the Details, If you need help, Don't leave out the Details.

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LumberJack   03-16-2003 at 06:27:21 PM
- 0 +

Yes pluss filling your room with crasy amounts of dust is also not the best idea ;)

To err is human... to really screw things up you need a computer!

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jihiggs   03-16-2003 at 07:12:02 PM
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in my case, i have one 120 mm fan on top blowing in the case, and two 80 mm fans blowing out, top back and bottom front. obviously this isnt the most efficient design, but if you get the fans with speed controls (or make your own) you can get a good balance so the only air coming in is through the 120mm fan, wich you can put a nice filter on. since doing that about 4 months ago i have had very little dust. thats with some times leaving the cover off for a week at a time.

my computer is so fast, it completes an endless loop in less than 4 seconds!

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wurrmm   03-16-2003 at 11:36:23 PM
- 0 +

DUST IS EVIL!!!!

One mans throw-away is another mans god-box. Help friends in need, I always do!!
Then again, having extra parts are great for making dedicated servers for LAN parties!!!!

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