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Computer cleaning
PNM_Jennings
Member UncommonPosts: 1,093
in Hardware
So I want to stop dropping money on air cannisters every few months. I've seen a few people recommend this but I was hoping someone on this site could back up the idea, or give some recommendations of their own.
Comments
Get a good case... It will collect 90% of the dust on the vents / mesh / dust collector things and you can just pop them off... Vacuume clean, and done. Can even wash them if you want, dry em off quick, and good to go!
Both of my new cases collect dust like no other (on the outside) and I simply clean the vents every so often. No dust collected inside the case hardly at all.
You'll know if it's working when you see round dirt circles where the fans suck air in
oh man. you got no idea. the outside is caked with just a few days' use, and the inside spits out clouds of dust when i clean it (about every month or so). i'm just wondering whether the duster listed is good for what i need or if there's something better. that my computer needs cleaning is beyond doubt.
It's lightweight and it works excellent. I like mine. Btw, you shouldn't be getting that much dust in just a few days. A good case makes a big difference in keeping a lot of dust out.
What happens when you log off your characters????.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQhfhnjYMk
Dark Age of Camelot
Where are you gaming at to build up visible dust in 24 hours or less.? I use dust filters on my intake fans and it keeps my inside dust free.
Just clean them regularly.
I got that thing and it works great. Works great on the keyboard too.
I have a coolermaster 922 haf case, it only as a screen on the front and to get to it you got to take out 6 screws to pull the front off to get it out and wash it. Usually blow out everything every couple months, damn persian cat gets long ass hair everywhere.
Also use it to blow out the vents on my flat screen tv and PS3 and anything else that collects dust that you can't really get inside easy.
A friendly warning though, hold your fans when you blow near them, it will spin the shit out of them and possibly cause damage. Also take whatever your cleaning outside because you will have a huge cloud of dust that would get all over the place, plus the thing is pretty loud. It blows a hell of lot more air than a can, so be prepared lol.
I dunno where the OP is from but I used to live in New Mexico, and I can tell you no amount of filters worked (though they do help). I cleaned my case out at least once a week.
You could literally dust your house, and a few days later you would see a decent film of dust gathering on all the surfaces you just dusted. It is just a hot, aird, dusty land and I'm going to assume the OP lives somewhere like that.
As for that vacuum I've never used one but it sounds like a neat idea.
For that much money, I agree, get an flat out air compressor, and you can do a lot more with it than just clean out your computer.
http://www.amazon.com/Factory-Reconditioned-Campbell-Hausfeld-FP209500RB-Compressor/dp/B001H0GCEA/ref=sr_1_14?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1356497388&sr=1-14&keywords=air+compressor
Something like this could even run small air tools (great if you case mod), or even do light work around the house (topping off car tires, filling up inflatables, small air tools, etc). It may be a bit large to store in a computer closet though, something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-CAT944-Gallon-Air-Compressor/dp/B004QF0L9K/ref=sr_1_8?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1356497437&sr=1-8&keywords=air+compressor
Quite a bit smaller - enough capacity to do heavy duty computer cleaning and the like. It could run miniature air tools, but your probably not going to be running any nail guns or anything with this little guy.
Either of these at 100psi with a small air wand will blow the pants off any air canister, and not really cost much more than that little vacuum gimmick. We use compressed air from our big air compressors in our shop to clean out electronics all the time, and even for general shop cleaning (100psi air wand makes for an ~awesome~ broom for nooks and crannies in a warehouse).
awesome. thanks for the info.
as for where i live, it may as well be hell. i hate dust even when it's not on my computer, and my place gets dust like no one's business. frakked if i know why. i think it might be because there's only linoleum on the floor. i'm going to get a rug soon, and see if that helps. it's actually horrifying how much dust i get.
Just grab this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFmWxNcqw5w or any other vacuum and blower cleaning tools.
Pardon my English as it is not my 1st language
Ahh, I see, it's where you live that just can't be helped with the dust, gotcha.
What happens when you log off your characters????.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQhfhnjYMk
Dark Age of Camelot
One I like to keep on hand for tidying up dirty case interiors (not components) is a plastic container of baby wipes.
Might sound odd, but they do great at picking up dust.
Your room is dusty, probably because your in it gaming, and dead skin is like the top cause of dust indoors, though a dry dusty climate doesnt help.
get a nice air purifier, set it up between you and the computer (if possible). This will reduce the dust accumulation.
Nothing will beat compressed air for getting the heatsink and GPU case clean however. Getting a solid case with great dust filters will reduce airflow and youll still need compressed air.
If your going to get a plug in air compressor, make sure you get the right kind (not an expert with these so cant specify) Some air compressors will accumulate condensation in the air tank, which is not what you want for a CPU duster.
Bottom line, if this is an issue, youll need to reduce the dust in your room which will reduce the amout of time you need between dusting with air.
I'd suggest trying to clean the room from dust instead of just cleaning your computer regularly. If there's so much dust it becomes a problem for computer, it won't be healthy for you either.
But with that said, a tool like that is better than using canned air regularly.
EDIT: Especially if you live in Burlington I'd suggest focusing on cleaning the dust from your room instead of just from your computer. Afaik there aren't any large deserts nearby which would make it an impossible task /EDIT