[SOLVED] ~ OT? Dust in a computer

Any good solutions to keep the dust out? Anyone doing anything along those lines - and how's it working?

I have a desktop that's less than a year old and is packed with dust already. I can't make the environment dust free so that leaves modifying the computer.

It, like most computers, is run with negative pressure, 90mm case fan and ~50 mm PS fan exhaust air from the case. Holes in the side bring air in - along with disk drive doors, and various unintended case vents.

Easiest idea I've come up with is to remove one side panel and fit something like a furnace filter in its place.

More difficult, but maybe more bullet proof, build an external box and mount a blower in it and hang an automobile air cleaner or furnace filter on the box and use it to pressurize the case with a length of

4" clothes dryer exhaust hose.
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keep the room closed at all times and only use the a/c. the office where i work is little more than a box with only 2 doors and 2 a/c units. i recently opened up my case after a year and found surprisingly little dust. that's not to say there isn't any, but there was surprisingly little. it's impossible to have it dust-free, so this is the best you could hope for.

Reply to
corgorant

industrial cases with filters at the air intake.

perhaps something like this:

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filters need regular (but not frequent) cleaning.

Reply to
Jasen Betts

I keep mine away from the floor(tabletop or higher) and have almost no dust buildup.

Reply to
Sjouke Burry

You should see the ones cat owners give me to fix.

Tom

Reply to
Tom Biasi

I don't fit the sides since I'm often messing about with them. This seems to help avoid a lot of dust collection.

Also avoid any video card, CPU + cooler, chipset that requires a high speed fan. Better to have a large heatsink and a slow 60-80 mm fan than a small heatsink and a fan that screams. It'll last longer and be quieter too.

In fact I have 2 identical mobos. On one the chipset is convestion cooled with a larger heatsink, the other has a smaller heatsink + fan. Look for heatsink upgrades in this case.

Do you really need a case fan too ? I'll bet half of them are fitted by the sake of an overbloated spec.

Graham

Reply to
Eeyore

That's pretty effective too.

Graham

Reply to
Eeyore

Get a fan free PC ?

Graham

Reply to
Eeyore

:default wrote: :> Any good solutions to keep the dust out? Anyone doing anything along :> those lines - and how's it working? :> :> I have a desktop that's less than a year old and is packed with dust :> already. I can't make the environment dust free so that leaves :> modifying the computer. :> :> It, like most computers, is run with negative pressure, 90mm case fan :> and ~50 mm PS fan exhaust air from the case. Holes in the side bring :> air in - along with disk drive doors, and various unintended case :> vents. :> :> Easiest idea I've come up with is to remove one side panel and fit :> something like a furnace filter in its place. :> :> More difficult, but maybe more bullet proof, build an external box and :> mount a blower in it and hang an automobile air cleaner or furnace :> filter on the box and use it to pressurize the case with a length of :> 4" clothes dryer exhaust hose.

:I keep mine away from the floor(tabletop or higher) and have :almost no dust buildup.

I agree. Every PC I have opened which sits on the floor is usually choked with dust, particularly if in a carpetted room. In contrast, table mounted computers have very little dust accumulation. That is one reason I selected a table top PC enclosure - although this is not mandatory.

Reply to
Ross Herbert

Yeah, exactly. Long hair named Tribble.

A minor point perhaps - but one can never own a cat - one merely serves at the pleasure of a cat.

air conditioning isn't an option and moving it higher ain't an option

I guess I'll scope out furnace filters first, since I can do that without major effort and its easily reversible if it doesn't work out.

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help

That's kind of where I was heading with the furnace filter replacing the side. The side has holes strategically placed to direct air to the processor fan and card banks.

I think both my processor fan and case fan are too energetic. I was worried about the lack of air conditioning - but may have shot myself in the foot because the dust stops the flow and it is an insulator.

and a

upgrades

I may give the heat sink idea a go. Thanks.

sake of

It originally had no fan. I put the weakest one I had in it. The drives run hotter than the CPU.

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sake of

High rpm I assume ? I've got this funny idea you can get localised HDD coolers which might avoid the need for the case fan.

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Graham

Reply to
Eeyore

In article , rherber1 @bigpond.net.au says...>

PC

I prefer full towers, but have found that all it takes is a few inches (off the floor) to make a huge difference in dust accumulation. Desk space is too precious for the PC. ;-)

Reply to
krw

My office opens onto a fab shop, both machining (coolant vapor) and welding (weld fume) and grinding (grinder dust).

Every few weeks or so, I shut down the computers (my office is also the "server room"), and blow the dust out with shop air. I constrain the fans from spinning with a pencil or pen.

Good Luck! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

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