[David C]

I have a desk top computer that i reguarly vacuum the vents but have not taken the cover off to clean internally. Should I clean the insides periodically and if so how? I thought about using a couple of cans of the compressed air that I use to clean my keyboard.  Any advice would be welcomed

[chlorofille]

yes they should. The dust normally collects on the heatsinks of the chips inside. I cleaned out my PC and the fan noise has reduced considerably due to the increased efficiency of cooling to the chips.

[srb]

Yes, dust accumulates in the interior and can cause components to run hotter than normal.  I usually disconnect all of the cables and take the box outside to blow out the dust with a can of compressed air.
 
I also send air into the interior vents of the power supply to blow out dust in the supply through it's exterior vents, and send air in both directions through any fans.  It shouldn't really take any more than a couple of minutes and 1/4 can of air or less, and I do this about twice a year.
 
I once saw a PC's power supply smoke and shut down, and inspection revealed the power supply was chock full of dust bunnies.  This particular computer had never been cleaned over it's service life of 4+ years in a fairly dusty environment.
 
Steve
 
 

[David C]

Guys
thanks for the responses. I will do the air cleaning today

[bregez]

When blowing air into the power supply or CPU heatsink try not to race the fans, this may cause premature bearing wear.  Use a pencil or straw to disable the fan from rotating while cleaning.  Also, unplug the power cord from the machine to assure that there is no power to any of the system components.

[David C]

Just finished and man was it dirty. Did not race the fans as suggested. Very easy and it is now on my twice a year maint . list. The PC is much quieter.

thanks again

[Goosepond]

Here is a problem I'm dealing with right now.

My video card also has a fan mounted above the processor. It got clogged enough so that at one point the fan stopped turning and all of a sudden my mouse pointer stopped responding. I shut everything down, opened her up and looked around. Vacuumed a little and turned it on with the cabinet still opened to see if anything looked suspicious.

So now every time I boot up, I have to hand start the video card fan a few times until at some point it takes over on its own. Once it gets going it never stops.

A real pain. If the PC wasn't so old, I'd just get another video card and be done with it. This is my 2nd video card as the 1st one had a really cheap fan and the bearing just gave way.

Gene

[turkey]

So now every time I boot up, I have to hand start the video card fan a few times until at some point it takes over on its own. Once it gets going it never stops.

A real pain. If the PC wasn't so old, I'd just get another video card and be done with it. This is my 2nd video card as the 1st one had a really cheap fan and the bearing just gave way.

Can you replace the fan on the video card?

Personally, I won't buy a video card with a cooling fan. They just don't hold up and then you often wind up having to buy another card.

At least the other fans used in a typical desktop computer are larger and last longer, plus they're normally standard sizes and can be replaced when they fail. (My current desktop computer at home has 4 120 mm fans.)

[Doublej]

Here is a problem I'm dealing with right now.

My video card also has a fan mounted above the processor. It got clogged enough so that at one point the fan stopped turning and all of a sudden my mouse pointer stopped responding. I shut everything down, opened her up and looked around. Vacuumed a little and turned it on with the cabinet still opened to see if anything looked suspicious.

So now every time I boot up, I have to hand start the video card fan a few times until at some point it takes over on its own. Once it gets going it never stops.

A real pain. If the PC wasn't so old, I'd just get another video card and be done with it. This is my 2nd video card as the 1st one had a really cheap fan and the bearing just gave way.

Gene

You can get a new video card for $15.

[brj]

Be very careful using vacuum near a computer... they can build up enough static charge to zap things that are best left un-zapped!  (This is especially true in drier climates.)

Cans of compressed air are the best bet.  (The air in the cans is dried so it contains almost no moisture.)

[Goosepond]

Can you replace the fan on the video card?

Personally, I won't buy a video card with a cooling fan. They just don't hold up and then you often wind up having to buy another card.

At least the other fans used in a typical desktop computer are larger and last longer, plus they're normally standard sizes and can be replaced when they fail. (My current desktop computer at home has 4 120 mm fans.)

You're right of course. This is my 2nd video card with this PC and both had fans. If I end up replacing it, I'll surely look for one with NO fan. 

Gene