How much damage can dust do to your PC/How often should I clean it?

[Roasted Bunny]

I get worried about this a lot thanks!

[Fluffy]

well if things are really dusty it will restrict airflow to cpu,gpu,power supply, anything with a heatsink and or vrm components and these components could over-heat and die or in extreme cases cause a fire

can clean twice to once a year is usually sufficient it depends on the amount of dust it collects

[Roasted Bunny]

Originally posted by Fluffy:

well if things are really dusty it will restrict airflow to cpu,gpu,power supply, anything with a heatsink and or vrm components and these components could over-heat and die or in extreme cases cause a fire

Would that be a lot of dust? :O (Years of dust like 5 or more?)

[Fluffy]

yes 5 or more years would be alot of dust.. also the more case fans/fans you have the more dust gets in

[Roasted Bunny]

Originally posted by Fluffy:

yes 5 or more years would be alot of dust.. also the more case fans/fans you have the more dust gets in

Should I be worried? I don't clean my PC tbh.

[Fluffy]

if it was mine i would clean it out can just remove the side panel and blow out with can/compressed air dont have to disconnect or mess around with anything to make a big difference.. you can also open it an see how much dust is visible

[Roasted Bunny]

Originally posted by Fluffy:

if it was mine i would clean it out can just remove the side panel and blow out with can/compressed air dont have to disconnect or mess around with anything to make a big difference.. you can also open it an see how much dust is visible

My PC tower is quite big, so does that mean it collects a massive amount of dust?

[Zukabazuka]

Originally posted by BonnieTheBunny:

Originally posted by Fluffy:

if it was mine i would clean it out can just remove the side panel and blow out with can/compressed air dont have to disconnect or mess around with anything to make a big difference.. you can also open it an see how much dust is visible

My PC tower is quite big, so does that mean it collects a massive amount of dust?

Open your PC and have a look, if dust have covered most of the fans and the heat sink you really should clean the PC.

[Joki the Disco Bandit]

I clean mine once every two weeks, minimum. I live with a cat, however, so besides just regular old dust made largely of human skin I have to deal with approximately a metric ton of cat hair every fortnight. I've given serious thought to shaving her but the way she fights having her nails clipped I figure any attempt to get near her with clippers is liable to result in a battle I'm unlikely to win.

Tip: disconnect the external cables attached to the PC and carry the whole thing outdoors before blasting compressed air into it, else all you're doing is blowing all that dust right back into the air of your apt./house, where it will quickly get sucked directly back into the PC.

[upcoast]

Originally posted by BonnieTheBunny:

Originally posted by Fluffy:

yes 5 or more years would be alot of dust.. also the more case fans/fans you have the more dust gets in

Should I be worried? I don't clean my PC tbh.

Then just clean it at least once a year. My daughter let her pc go for about 2 1/2 yrs and poof psu basically overheated and died it was packed with dust, maybe now she'll learn.

I make a point of cleaning mine out just before summer and sometimes in the xmas season.

[Lil C]-[ew C]-[ew is ☂д☂]

Originally posted by Fluffy:

well if things are really dusty it will restrict airflow to cpu,gpu,power supply, anything with a heatsink and or vrm components and these components could over-heat and die or in extreme cases cause a fire

can clean twice to once a year is usually sufficient it depends on the amount of dust it collects

A year ? Seriously ?
Your computer must be in ruins....with roaches running around.
Do a superficial clean at least once each 3-4 months.If you live in a area next to ocean.

[upcoast]

Originally posted by T-e Lil C-ew C-ew:

Originally posted by Fluffy:

well if things are really dusty it will restrict airflow to cpu,gpu,power supply, anything with a heatsink and or vrm components and these components could over-heat and die or in extreme cases cause a fire

can clean twice to once a year is usually sufficient it depends on the amount of dust it collects

A year ? Seriously ?
Your computer must be in ruins....with roaches running around.
Do a superficial clean at least once each 3-4 months.If you live in a area next to ocean.

What do ya live on a sheep farm or something.

I live 2 blocks from a pulp mill and can still get away with once a year and twice when I'm on a roll.

For that matter the pulp mill is on the ocean and a river is a block another direction so I really don't see what the ocean has to do with it, seriously.

[shiel]

I'm going to blow mine out on a couple days, I do it once I year even though it doesn't even need it that often(dust filters ftw).

[Revelene]

I clean all my computers once a month.

I live in a dusty old house... but all my computers look showroom new

[MrMcSwifty]

As needed.

You guys that obsessively clean your PCs every few weeks/months crack me up. Seems like overkill to me, unless you happen to live in a particularly dusty environment.

Until I notice my temps creeping up I personally don't really even bother beyond clearing the dust off the intake grills/fans when it starts looking particularly hairy.

That's really all you need to be concerned with as far as damage to your PC. Dust is an insulator and can cause your components to overheat, but it's a gradual process.

If you've ever had enough dust in there to cause an electrical short it's probably been neglected for years and was already showing signs (overheating) long before that, which you most likely ignored.

[Revelene]

Originally posted by McSwifty:

As needed.

You guys that obsessively clean your PCs every few weeks/months crack me up. Seems like overkill to me, unless you happen to live in a particularly dusty environment.

Until I notice my temps creeping up I personally don't really even bother beyond clearing the dust off the intake grills/fans when it starts looking particularly hairy.

That's really all you need to be concerned with as far as damage to your PC. Dust is an insulator and can cause your components to overheat, but it's a gradual process.

If you've ever had enough dust in there to cause an electrical short it's probably been neglected for years and was already showing signs (overheating) long before that, which you most likely ignored.

Well, some people (like you) are only worried about cleaning it for performance sake... and some people (like me) are worried about how it looks as well.

Not obsession, but rather I like my nice things to always look nice.

If one is only worried about cleaning for performance... then yeah, you can technically go longer without cleaning.