Dirtiest Computer I have Ever Worked on

[CaptainFailcon]

(coming from a car freak who uses air compressors almost daily)

Yes, the compressor will build up water inside of the tank but it is very easy to get rid of. All air compressors I have owned have an air purge valve (release all air after use) and a moisture dump valve on the bottom of the body/tank which you should use occasionally to ensure that you don't have any water buildup. I check for water maybe once per season (4x/yr) and have never seen more than 1/16th of a Teaspoon, and I use it multiple times a week*, as that 1-2psi can be the difference between 1st place or 10th.

Anyway, I would be more worried about the air pressure dislodging a component than the minimal humidity in the tank. Just let your system air out for 30min before using again if it worries you.

*(my heavily modified BMW 328Ci has a few sets of wheels, some for the Street, some for autocross, and some for the track; running Michelin Pilot SuperSports 255f/275r on 19x9f/19x10r BBS LM and Pirelli P-Zero Corsa System 245f/275r on iForged Monoblocs 19x9f/19x10.5r for street; for track I run Michelin Pilot Sport Cups 265f/285r on BBS LM-R 19x9.5f/19x10.5r; for Autocross I prefer my J-Line 5LR2's 18x9F/18x10r with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups 255f/265r)

depends on where you live
here in Ny we drain about a quart of water out of our 100Gallon shop compressor every 3 weeks

 

[MxPhenom 216]

it's weird cuz the cables position is a same between "before" and "after" if U blown up the dust cables should be move, I think "after" pic is take when PC still brand new and "before" is take after 3 years

what? Not when you route the cables as tightly as I do.

 

[theonedub]

I also noticed the cables haven't moved an inch in the two pictures, but what that other guy is saying about the two pics is one heck of a stretch- who would even bother to do something like that, and why?

For cleaning I use a DataVac Blower. I did occasionally use my 30gal compressor but the hassle of dragging it out the garage, filling it to pressure, setting it up, then draining it, rolling the hose back up, etc is a little much

 

[SnoopKatt]

I would use my air compressor if it worked lol. Compressed air for me!

 

[MxPhenom 216]

I also noticed the cables haven't moved an inch in the two pictures, but what that other guy is saying about the two pics is one heck of a stretch- who would even bother to do something like that, and why?

For cleaning I use a DataVac Blower. I did occasionally use my 30gal compressor but the hassle of dragging it out the garage, filling it to pressure, setting it up, then draining it, rolling the hose back up, etc is a little much

Yeah no the cables moved as they were being blown but after a while settled back to there normal positions. I blew the case out for close to 10 minutes so.

 

[theonedub]

It looks good, I would have liked to see the massive dust cloud that came out that thing the moment the air hit it (that's probably the most entertaining part ).

 

[Jstn7477]

I like using air compressors whenever possible to clean my PCs. "Canned air" is NOT canned air, but rather a can of difluoroethane (compressed into a liquid state) that is rather toxic and can kill you, possibly instantly, if you breathe in a sufficient amount. When you reduce the pressure of the liquid difluoroethane by pulling the trigger on your can, the liquid becomes a gas and evaporates, absorbing the heat around it and "freezing" the can. Technically, using one of those is pretty much how part of an air conditioner works, hence the existence of the "evaporator coil."

Physics aside, an air compressor at 60 PSI pretty much obliterates the toughest dust problems, while the wimpy, nauseating difluoroethane cans don't work to well on larger dust problems.

 

[GLD]

That is not that bad for 3 years of operation. I have seen worse.

Air compressor is what I use.

 

[micropage7]

i usually using paint brush and big fan
simple and effective

 

[nleksan]

CaptainFailcon - Wow! That's crazy!

Also, 60psi will do the trick, but you should try 300psi... It actually scares dust from returning

 

[MxPhenom 216]

CaptainFailcon - Wow! That's crazy!

Also, 60psi will do the trick, but you should try 300psi... It actually scares dust from returning

im just glad the CPU can breathe now haha.

 

[t_ski]

This belongs here:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145287

 

[sneekypeet]

This belongs here:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145287

I was going to post that, but if he thought the case in the OP was bad, I didn't want him puking on his keyboard looking through that thread

 

[CaptainFailcon]

CaptainFailcon - Wow! That's crazy!

Also, 60psi will do the trick, but you should try 300psi... It actually scares dust from returning

carefull not to overspeed the fan and explode it I did that once

 

[CrackerJack]

carefull not to overspeed the fan and explode it I did that once

I did that once also... damn cheap OEM coolers

 

[Mussels]

carefull not to overspeed the fan and explode it I did that once

^


ALWAYS wedge the fans so they cant spin! even if they dont break, they always end up noisier if you over rev them, or spin them backwards.

 

[HammerON]

This belongs here:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145287

I was trying to remember the thread...
And yes that is the one!!!

 

[de.das.dude]

this thread needs this.

 

[scaminatrix]

My brother's PC is worse, I keep on telling him to clean it but it runs 24/7 I'll get a pic of it next time I'm there.

Vacuums create static electricity.

Static again I've been hoovering motherboards, GPU's and everything else for years, and I'm not gentle. I go all over the hardware, in RAM and PCI slots, everywhere except the CPU socket. I've never broken anything while hoovering. I know the difference between static from a human and static from a hoover, but it certainly doesn't matter in my case.
Look at it like this - if you blow a computer with static then you're going to keep on blowing them as you are "prone" to static charges. But like most other people, I'm normal I think you shouldn't waste your life worrying about static unless you have problems with randomly dying hardware...
Static will just never affect some people

 

[Mussels]

static is just the excuse for "i smacked off a capacitor with the vacuum, but didnt notice"

 

[Melvis]

I hate to say it but ive had worse, like when you pull the side panel off dust literally falls out and there is a spider web right in-front of you of dust that you need to break through before even getting to the dusty components :shadedshu Some have been that dusty that the dust is even forming outside the computer at the vents, crazy

 

[OnePostWonder]

Is that case the PC-7B Plus II? It's the closest thing I could find to OPs pic (after looking for 5 minutes), but I'm hesitant to say for certain because the expansion slot covers are different. Then again, I'm sure you can buy ventilated expansion slot covers.

If anyone knows, lemme know. Thanks.

 

[naraku]

I always use this to clean my computer.
Datavac Electric Duster
Does it create static electricity too?

It blows good amount of air but it gets loud as vacuum does. lol

 

[de.das.dude]

not sure how you produce static electricity with blowers and vaccums. most of the caps are sheilded.

 

[SnoopKatt]

I like using air compressors whenever possible to clean my PCs. "Canned air" is NOT canned air, but rather a can of difluoroethane (compressed into a liquid state) that is rather toxic and can kill you, possibly instantly, if you breathe in a sufficient amount. When you reduce the pressure of the liquid difluoroethane by pulling the trigger on your can, the liquid becomes a gas and evaporates, absorbing the heat around it and "freezing" the can. Technically, using one of those is pretty much how part of an air conditioner works, hence the existence of the "evaporator coil."

Physics aside, an air compressor at 60 PSI pretty much obliterates the toughest dust problems, while the wimpy, nauseating difluoroethane cans don't work to well on larger dust problems.

Hmm, I was wondering why it felt like there was liquid in the can. Thanks for the explanation! As a summer project maybe I can get my compressor working again.

I wish I took pictures of my sister's laptop when I took it apart. I was astounded that the fan could even spin.