Apparantley CPU's don't like dust

[Crewman47]

I know that seems kind of a duh type of thing to say but for months I've being trying to figure out why my computers been revving up so loud like a Jet engine when doing things like on Photoshop, playing games, etc even though I had no problems a few years ago playing the same games and stuff.

As the computers around 5 year old I thought it was just the AGP card aging away but tonight I had an epiphany, I opened up the case, got a duster and some cotton buds and decided to carefully clean away as much dust as I could get to and, guess what, computers purring like a kitten now instead of roaring like a lion.

Just curious, how much dust would it have actually taken before CPU meltdown and how often should you really dust out the inside of a computer.

 

[USS Mariner]

I know that seems kind of a duh type of thing to say but for months I've being trying to figure out why my computers been revving up so loud like a Jet engine when doing things like on Photoshop, playing games, etc even though I had no problems a few years ago playing the same games and stuff.

As the computers around 5 year old I thought it was just the AGP card aging away but tonight I had an epiphany, I opened up the case, got a duster and some cotton buds and decided to carefully clean away as much dust as I could get to and, guess what, computers purring like a kitten now instead of roaring like a lion.

Just curious, how much dust would it have actually taken before CPU meltdown and how often should you really dust out the inside of a computer.

I'd say once a month is a good figure.

 

[ATimson]

Just curious, how much dust would it have actually taken before CPU meltdown...

Depends on your motherboard/CPU. Recent Intel designs have features to slow down the processor when it gets too hot. AMD chips, at least last I heard, will happily melt themselves into slag.

 

[farmkid]

Just curious, how much dust would it have actually taken before CPU meltdown...

Depends on your motherboard/CPU. Recent Intel designs have features to slow down the processor when it gets too hot. AMD chips, at least last I heard, will happily melt themselves into slag.

Not any more. That was true back in the P4/early AthlonXP days, but not for the last 5 years or so. Intel integrated thermal protection circuits in the P4, and AMD began integrating thermal protection in the later AthlonXP models. Everything since then, from both companies, has had thermal protection built in to the chip.

As to the original question, it depends on how dusty the environment is, and how much of that dust gets into the case. If it sits on or close to the floor, it will get dusty faster. Personally, I always run SpeedFan, which will display the CPU temperature in the system tray. When it starts to get warm, I open it up and blow the dust out. I end up doing that every few months.

 

[Garrovick]

Just curious, how much dust would it have actually taken before CPU meltdown...

Depends on your motherboard/CPU. Recent Intel designs have features to slow down the processor when it gets too hot. AMD chips, at least last I heard, will happily melt themselves into slag.

I clean mine out monthly with compressed air and a vacuum.

I had a power supply fail once, many years ago because of carpet "dust" So the vents on it get special attention.

Never had a "Chip" of any kind fail.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

It's also a good idea when blowing out the PC (I recommend canned air liberally applied) to also audit all the fans in the unit. Many manufacturers are notoriously cheap when it comes to cooing fan selection. Some even still use sleeve bearing fans... which is to say not really using any bearings.


Places to check include the CPU heat sink, the power supply, and in many Pcs these days, the graphics card, the main CPU support chips, and the case itself.

Keep it cool, it'll keep running!

 

[Charlie Kelly]

You don't really need to dust your PC that often. As long as your fans are all spinning fine and none of the vents are clogged up there shouldn't be any need to dust it at all. Of cause it doesn't hurt to clean it now and again but really it doesn't matter. Just get a program to monitor the temperatures of your devices and if they start getting hotter than usual then try dusting; but a computer can run for years and years without any problems and if they do develop a problem it's probably down to bad design.

Charlie

 

[black_dranzer]

I had the same thing, my computer got to the point where it was louder than my TV sometimes Then I just took the fan out and removed it from all the dust that came with it and yay, a quiet computer again

farmkid, I might just copy you and get that SpeedFan thing, just for peace of mind

 

[Santaman]

One little caution about fans, do not use compressed air on them you'll only blast the dust into the bearings use a brush to clean them and hold a vacuum cleaner near them to suck up the dust.

As for sleeve bearings, well made sleeve bearing fans like those made by Papst last longer then cheap ass ball bearing fans, also they're quieter.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

You don't really need to dust your PC that often.

Charlie

Depends on the environment. If the op has a small fluffy dog that likes sleeping behind the PC, or for a more drastic example (though not for a home PC) a machine that spends its days in the vicinity of a lime kiln, more diligence is needed than other less extreme environs.

 

[hyzmarca]

You can make a totally quite dust proof computer by dunking the whole thing (except for the drives) into a tub of mineral oil. It's a surprisingly efficient cooling method, though somewhat messy when you need to upgrade.

 

[GMac]

Every 3-4 months works fine for my box - a can of compressed air, a small brush and a dry, lint-free cloth (to remove dust from the case & CPU fan blades) are the tools I use. Same for work PCs - some of those are brought into the workshop in less than optimal condition......

GM

 

[Santaman]

^^ I hear ya... I've always refused to clean nicotine corpses btw, if you're a big enough moron to smoke near a computer then clean it yourself again as well.

 

[TEH BABA]

Give the cpu coffee. Machines love it.