Blew the dust out- way quieter!

[professor]

One time, one of the guys at work had me clean out his computer with compressed air and he said it ran a lot quieter.

Today I took mine outside and did the same thing- lots of house dust left, along with half the fan noise.
I think the extra load on the fan motor is the source of the loudness, and when it is clear, the noise and load goes down.

[Autumnlicious]

Replacing the thermal grease after removing the old with anhydrous alcohol works wonders.

Thermal grease ain't forever and when it breaks down it becomes more like an insulator (disaster).

[Chad32]

I'm not sure how to get it blown out. Would a hair dryer help?

[Minimalist]

I bought a water-cooled case. Amazing. What air comes out of it is cool and it is very quiet.

[LastPoet]

One time, one of the guys at work had me clean out his computer with compressed air and he said it ran a lot quieter.

Today I took mine outside and did the same thing- lots of house dust left, along with half the fan noise.
I think the extra load on the fan motor is the source of the loudness, and when it is clear, the noise and load goes down.

You know, you could always beg god to fix your computer *rimshot*

Damn, couldn't resist, sorry.

[Cyberman]

I'm not sure how to get it blown out. Would a hair dryer help?

I'm no expert, I'm basing all this on research I did when I first had to clean out my computer, but apparently that could cause more harm than just leaving it dusty. There's a potential for the air currents acting on the dust to generate static, which is not what you want inside a computer. The same goes for using a vacuum cleaner. Much safer to buy a can of compressed air, an "air duster", for next to nothing and use that. It's important to secure your fans with something like a pencil, otherwise the action of the blades spinning in reverse could conceivably generate a current.

Now I sit back and await others better versed in this subject to fall on me like the proverbial ton of bricks.

[Jackalope]

I'm not sure how to get it blown out. Would a hair dryer help?

I'm no expert, I'm basing all this on research I did when I first had to clean out my computer, but apparently that could cause more harm than just leaving it dusty. There's a potential for the air currents acting on the dust to generate static, which is not what you want inside a computer. The same goes for using a vacuum cleaner. Much safer to buy a can of compressed air, an "air duster", for next to nothing and use that. It's important to secure your fans with something like a pencil, otherwise the action of the blades spinning in reverse could conceivably generate a current.

Now I sit back and await others better versed in this subject to fall on me like the proverbial ton of bricks.

That is my understanding as well, more or less.

FWIW, I used to do computer field service a few decades ago and we used portable vacuums to clean the dust and shit out of everything. Then again, equipment back then didn't have the semiconductor density that we have today.

I'm in the compressed air camp these days.

[pocaracas]

Can you two experts tell me what's the difference between having air going away from your machine and air going toward it, that one causes static, and the other doesn't?

I always use a vacuum cleaner and it works just fine... plus, no dust flying around and messing with your lungs.

[Marvin]

Today I took mine outside and did the same thing- lots of house dust left, along with half the fan noise.
I think the extra load on the fan motor is the source of the loudness, and when it is clear, the noise and load goes down.

I think if the sensors report a high temperature the fans are spun faster to compensate. Dust will make make it harder for the air flow to take the heat away. I don't think a dust on blade stresses the motor causing noise, if that's what you meant.