It has been a year since I purchased this computer. I have occasionally cleaned the air filters of the front side of the case, mainly because when they are dirty I can see it. However, I have yet to clean the inside of the case.
This is not something that I regularly do and I thought to ask here in the forum how its members clean their machines.
Buying compressed air in cans is not really an option for me. I have yet to inquire but I am certain that it would be an hard-to-find item.
Use the compressed air cans on the front and inside of the machine. I sometimes use a vacume cleaner on the front of my machine and side of my case first which I find better than using a compressed can alone as it removes alot of the dust rather than blowing it into the case. If this is the first time you are cleaning your machine, when you have taken off the side, have a look at the cables. Are they tied or loose?
Probably not as often as I should do, but since I built my new system I intend to clean it out on a monthly basis. A can of compressed air and a soft artists paint brush works wonders.
4 x 4GB DDR3-1600 Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B (16GB)
Graphics Card(s)
MSI GeForce GTX770 Gaming OC 2GB
Sound Card
Realtek High Definition on board solution (ALC 898)
Monitor(s) Displays
ViewSonic VA1912w Widescreen
Screen Resolution
1440x900
Hard Drives
OCZ Agility 3 120GB SATA III x2 (RAID 0)
Samsung HD501LJ 500GB SATA II x2
Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 1TB SATA II
Iomega 1.5TB Ext USB 2.0
WD 2.0TB Ext USB 3.0
Speaking of compressed air, any recommendations as to what brand to get? There are a number of them out there. I'm just curious if one brand might be more reliable (meaning nozzle failure is scarce) and "green" (fewer chemicals inside).
Speaking of compressed air, any recommendations as to what brand to get? There are a number of them out there. I'm just curious if one brand might be more reliable (meaning nozzle failure is scarce) and "green" (fewer chemicals inside).
Not sure which canned air is better. But for a time the stationary shops sold a flashlight type gadget with a blower in the front. Great idea but the construction was so flimsy they died after about 6 weeks. I was thinking a small trigger operated bellows, small enough to be used one-handed, with a filter on the intake, would be great. But I bet the canned air people "discourage" it. I mean, if they built it well you could buy one "bellows gun" like every 5 years instead of 20 cans of air.
edit: looks like they have a new generation of flashlight types. The one being pushed looks more rugged. But it's also priced 5 times higher. Around $80 instead of $15.
You could probably use one of those tire inflation compressors you plug into the car cigarette lighter to pressurize a container. Like if you had a nozzle for those CO2 cannisters they use on spear guns. Or even a squeeze bulb. A hardware store would probably turn up something that doesn't get empty. Seems like in the electronics stores it's designed to either be throw-away or cost over $70. But for electronics I like the small bellows idea. Uses the filtered room air so it should be clean enough for blowing the dust out.
Even for the outside sometimes positive air pressure is better than negative. I have Black and Decker rechargeable vac. But they don't give you the attachments to get around the CRT. Even if I had flat screen, I have some docking stations on the desktop. Positive air would go well there too. But canned air gives me pause for cost and inhaling propellants. Something mechanical would work better longer I think.
Something between the super flimsy flashlight deal and the $80 rechargeable would be nice. Seems like $25 should be plenty for something to last 4 or 5 years. The accessory is costing more than the PC pretty soon.
edit: seems one trouble with trying to buy a simple bellows is they want to sell you a decorative one. It's like trying to buy just a simple salt shaker or a trash can cover without buying the trash can. Not easy to find.
Anyone know of a good tutorial demonstrating how to clean the inside of a PC? I also think I read that you have to be careful due to the cold temperature of the compressed air.
This one may not last long. But at that price you can buy 5. I haven't tried to check out yet to see the shipping cost.
edit: seems to be free shipping.
edit2: it may arrive on a slow boat from China. But I'm not in any hurry to pull open my cases. It will be a bonus if it squirts enough air to blow the dust off my docking stations.
On another board I found a great suggestion. A guy said his boss always used a little hand pump used to inflate balloons, sports balls etc..
I found one with free shipping for $2.53 at Quill.com. That should provide plenty of thrust to blow off my desktop.
You can get a similar pump at Walmart for a similar price. Only thing is they want like $9 shipping. Of course if you can get to the brick & mortar Walmart check out the sports section for the pump.
