How many of us think to do a little preventative maintenance on our P.C.'s?
My secondary machine decided to quit after many years of service, it appears it is the main processor, (checked it in another board), it had the usual fan and larger finned H.S. but it was virtually useless due to
being totally clogged.
So having that warning I decided to check my main PC, it was virtually the same way.
Got a free 20min? it may be worth the effort to get the vacuum out.
Max.

 

Once a year I take all my PC's outside, open them up and blow them out with compressed air.

 

Mine has been open for 2 years now so it's easy to remember to clean it every now and then but I've had a machine that looked really bad when finally open and a surprise that it still worked.

 

I think air handling is an area that the computer industry has done very badly in general. They all work great when brand new or when kept in a clean room, but just about any electronics I've ever seen that moves air, is heavily blocked off and covered with filth when you dig in for a look. And this is just in normal use in a "clean" home, not in dirty industrial environments.

Some devices have hair and dustball catchers of various densities but that doesn't stop that grey, powdery, almost slimy material from getting everywhere.

I believe they've made the calculation that the device will be close to worthless anyway by the time it clogs up, and they just accept that as good enough.

 

please do not blow compressed air into fans, the bearings in pc fans arent really very good and may sieze up if overspeeded by compressed air. checking the fans is a good idea, if they are getting sticky, they will fail soon, and the caps in the supply will overheat and fail.

 

I buy cases with simple dust filters on the intake.. I clean it of every few months.. They just slide right out and get hit with some compressed air..
But I also monitor temps and would know if anything is out of wack..

 

please do not blow compressed air into fans, the bearings in pc fans arent really very good and may sieze up if overspeeded by compressed air. checking the fans is a good idea, if they are getting sticky, they will fail soon, and the caps in the supply will overheat and fail.

Depending upon the design they can also function as a generator that produces a voltage too high for many components.

I simply hold them stopped with a screwdriver.

 

I found the main Processor fan has to be unscrewed/removed anyway to properly clear the aluminum fins, especially on fine spacing.
Max.

 

Hello,

I blow out the dust with "dust off 67" once and a while, as I do not have a compressor.
http://www.soselectronic.com/?str=371&artnum=33205&name=kontakt-chemie-dust-off-67-200ml
I hold the fans when blowing into the fans, as letting the fans turn while you are blowing might cause induction voltages that can damage the motherboard of the PC.

Bertus