![]() ![]() Shoot the canned air at all surfaces and into all fans and heatsinks-in the direction opposite to the direction of the fan’s airflow, if possible. If you’re cleaning a particularly dirty system, you may want to do this part outside, because the dust will fly everywhere. While the cards are out your PC, I recommend giving everything a solid blast of canned air. Over many cycles of expansion and contraction, add-in cards and socket-mounted chips can creep out of their slots or sockets reseating the cards and connectors ensures that they remain properly connected. As the components in a system heat up, they expand slightly. ![]() It also gives you a chance to counteract a phenomenon known as “chip walk” (or “chip creep”), which causes cards and connectors to come loose over time. Removing the cards makes them easier to clean. Clogged intake fans can cause negative air pressure within a system, too, forcing the system’s exhaust fans to suck air into the case through any open crevice. Even a small amount of detritus can choke off your PC’s air supply, resulting in higher temperatures that promote system instability and reduce the lifespan of your components. As soon as I opened the door, I could see that the fan filters were completely clogged, and the vents on the rear of the system were covered with dust and cat hair. The case had dust filters over all of its intake fans and a door on the front that hid the optical drive and front-mounted fans. ![]() Hope your PC doesn’t look like this inside. Talk about a perfect storm! (Editor’s note: The PC portrayed below is a different, but equally disgusting example.) Wikipedia To practice what I preach in this article, I got my hands on a Core i5-based desktop PC that a smoker had been using (and not cleaning) for a couple of years in a house also occupied by a long-haired cat. ![]() An the thermal paste and isopropyl alcohol come into play if and when you need to reseat heatsinks. The paper towels, spray cleaner, and microfiber cloth are for wiping down hard, nonelectrical surfaces. The canned air and brush are useful for dislodging hair, dust and other debris from all of your PC’s surfaces-especially heatsinks and printed circuit boards (PCBs), which have a countless tiny nooks and crannies. The vacuum sucks up the various detritus. ![]()
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