When was the last time you cleaned your computer?

Cup Noodle

Tch.
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kiwifarms.net
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Jan 30, 2021
I purchased a USB 3.0 PCIE card because my cords are out of control. I took it from this
1 - Copy.jpg

to this
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It's a marginal improvement at best, but I reduced some clutter and I gained four extra USB 3.0 slots for an investment of twenty bucks.
Before I even started putting the card in the box I realized that this was the perfect time for a cleaning. Tonight myself and my three kids all cleaned our desks and our PCs. That got me to thinking about how many people never clean their computers. This is where the effort post kicks in.
Normie PC users: Open the side panel of your box once a month and use a flashlight to see how much dust buildup you have. If it is more than surface, blow it out with canned air and don't forget your keyboard. It's probably dirtier than your computer.
Normie Laptop users: Use canned air to blow through the vents at least once a month. I've "saved" "dead" laptops by just taking them apart and cleaning the dust out. Laptops for the most part aren't made to be taken apart and If you don't have experience with it you probably shouldn't. Blow it out best you can and realize that you bought something that the manufacturer was hoping you would throw away and replace in a year or two anyways. Don't forget they keypad.
Epic Gamers and Miners;
I keep my miners in a climate controlled environment with dust filtration. They only require the once a year treatment. Otherwise heed the following advice.
If you are doing serious gaming or mining you should be cleaning your shit once a month at least. Focus on your GPU your CPU cooler and your power supply. These are the areas that collect the most dust and most affect your performance. Use canned air or if you have several machines to service think about investing in an air compressor.
If you are a epic gamer or miner, once a year you should break down your rig and do a thorough cleaning. The power supply is very important, but it is also very complicated and delicate. Blow it out and leave it alone. You should pull the CPU heat sink off and give it a good cleaning and clean off and replace the thermal paste. The same goes for the gpu. Void the warrantee and take it apart. Thermal paste has a lifespan like anything else. After a year of hard use it is pretty well done for. I use isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs to remove the old hard dried out thermal paste. I prefer Arctic Silver as a replacement, but use whatever you want to.
The main thing is clean your fucking computers you degenerates. Your computer isn't slowing down steadily over time because Donald Trump or Joe Biden installed some kind of super secret malware. It's slowing down because you don't know how to take care of it and computer manufacturers like it like that. Consume product and be excited for next product....or take care of your shit and save your money.
 
I clean the filters weekly and do the inside monthly. Nothing crazy just hitting it with some air.
 
Keeping your surroundings clean tends to keep your PC clean, too. Hence why I only need to check and clean filters on a monthly basis. Insides get blasted with canned air every other month.
 
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I wipe my keyboard down every other day or so, keeps things cozily fresh and not feeling too lived in. The cable management is something I'm ocd about but fall short of maintaining when I'm trying to keep my desk spotless.
 
Compressor and wipe down every two weeks, full strip down every six months.

@Cup Noodle , I thought my cable usage was excessive*, what the hell are you plugging into that thing?

* 3X GPU outputs. mouse, 2x keyboards, ring light, webcam, audio interface, USB hub, printer, ethernet, controller dongle, phone lead

I did my best to control my cables, though:
foto_no_exif.jpg
 
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@Cup Noodle , I thought my cable usage was excessive*, what the hell are you plugging into that thing?
My mess of cables is compounded by the fact that my ups sits on top of my pc and everything is plugged into it. My under desk game is pretty slick though. Only one cable. Where to even start? I run two monitors so I have two hdmi cables going to the pc and two power cables to the ups. My keyboard uses two usb cables. I have a usb cable for my printer and a power cable to the ups. It is a wireless printer, but I can't use it wireless for the time being because it causes complications with windows internet sharing. I live in bum fuck nowhere so I have a usb cable running to a cellphone that provides me with internet. I have a ethernet cable running across the room to a router that provides internet to everything else in the house. I have two external archival hard drives that each use a usb cable and a power cable. Two is one and one is none. There is also a cable from the ups to the pc so they can share information and if the ups battery gets low while on battery it will shut down the pc. I think the last thing is my headphone cord. Since I took that picture I did add one more cord for charging my phone. I usually kept that one in one of my desk drawers and would plug it into my keyboard when needed, but now I have usb ports to spare so it is a permanent feature. Your setup is super slick.
 
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My mess of cables is compounded by the fact that my ups sits on top of my pc and everything is plugged into it. My under desk game is pretty slick though. Only one cable. Where to even start? I run two monitors so I have two hdmi cables going to the pc and two power cables to the ups. My keyboard uses two usb cables. I have a usb cable for my printer and a power cable to the ups. It is a wireless printer, but I can't use it wireless for the time being because it causes complications with windows internet sharing. I live in bum fuck nowhere so I have a usb cable running to a cellphone that provides me with internet. I have a ethernet cable running across the room to a router that provides internet to everything else in the house. I have two external archival hard drives that each use a usb cable and a power cable. Two is one and one is none. There is also a cable from the ups to the pc so they can share information and if the ups battery gets low while on battery it will shut down the pc. I think the last thing is my headphone cord. Since I took that picture I did add one more cord for charging my phone. I usually kept that one in one of my desk drawers and would plug it into my keyboard when needed, but now I have usb ports to spare so it is a permanent feature.
Ah, it makes sense, now. Given how much you've got going on there, that's rather impressive; good job, man. :)

Your setup is super slick.
Thank you, it turned out better than I thought it would, but anything would have been better than what it was before; just a rat's nest of cables that triggered my 'tism every time I sat down to use my pc.
 
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Hadn't done it in ages but this summer I took off the side panel, dismantled it(including the GPU) to clean all heatsinks, then took those into the yard for a high pressure blow-through with the hose. The fins on modern CPU and GPU are tightly stacked so it's hard to see what's building up in there. It was a revelation, with some high pressure water from the hose blasting through the fins I could see all this black, grimy, interracial pornography starting to pour out. I had no idea my computer was that filthy.
 
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Hadn't done it in ages but this summer I took off the side panel, dismantled it(including the GPU) to clean all heatsinks, then took those into the yard for a high pressure blow-through with the hose. The fins on modern CPU and GPU are tightly stacked so it's hard to see what's building up in there. It was a revelation, with some high pressure water from the hose blasting through the fins I could see all this black, grimy, interracial pornography starting to pour out. I had no idea my computer was that filthy.
It builds up a lot faster than you would think, and it causes your hardware to run hotter. I closely monitor my hardware temps. I even have RGB ram that I have set to show me how hot my cpu and gpu are running by color. Most people just buy a computer and use it never thinking to clean it. Some people get caught up in the heat death of the universe that will never happen in our lifetimes, but never even think of the heat death of their silicon that will happen in a few years time if not prevented.
 
I never have to clean the insides of my PCs or servers. The secret is a $10 pack of vent filters. Most pre-built cases will have a plastic front plate that comes off with a couple latches or screws, and behind that there's the metal chassis. I just cut the filters down to fit between the plastic panel and the chassis over the main air intake. I solder and burn candles inside so I typically replace them every 6 months.

I should also add that this increases the temperature by 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit inside the case. I run all my components at factory frequencies and voltages so I have enough thermal overhead for it.
 
By this point I'd probably have to run this thing through an ultrasonic cleaner considering I've never actually had a more convenient tower PC that I could clean thoroughly without much hassle. I fucking hate laptops.
 
I've always clean mine every 3 months. Even though I have a LARGE air purifier, dust still collects in my rig. Which of course is normal. With a air cooling rig all you need is a horse hair paint brush and a air compressor. 10 minutes and you are done.

Water cooled setups are fucked. I don't like them. I don't like the amount of time and effort that you have to drain the coolant, knowing that natural electrolysis is going to happen which in time is going to cause your cooling system to fail.

I've done enough repairs on some of my clients computers to know how fucking shitty they actually are.

If you like your bling bling that is on you. But the gearhead that is me, who actually works on Harleys (my own now as I am no long in any MC for a long while... it's actually a good thing not to be in one... it will shorten your life/way of life real quick) will say these adages.

1. Chrome does not make you go fast.
2. 15 thousand and 15 miles does not make you a biker.

All of my builds are efficient builds using proper air cooling methods. And though I can easily buy all of those bling items and pimp my rig. I would rather use that extra money and...

Buy a used car.
 
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I run my PC with the side panels removed. Surprisingly little dust accumulates inside, apart from the fans.
 
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