Dust free case

R

Rhialto

Gawd
Joined
Feb 23, 2004
Messages
545
My Sonata is currently under the desk and until now I never intended to actually display the component of it to any visitors.

I will build a new setup soon and this time I'm thinking if I should go that way. While not essential I think it may look cool nonetheless with all that is available today, LED, cold cathode, cool looking motherboard (some with LEDs on it), etc.

I'm a coputer technician and more than once I openend a case with lots of dust in it so I was wondering how you all case modders with a window to display your rigs, how are you dealing with dust? You simply clean it ever 4-6 months blowing compressed air?

Some trick I heard are having positive pressure inside case (more blowing in than out) and of course using filters (like air conditionning ones).

Next I will have to deal with having a case on my desktop which take more place and is also noiser than under it and also think of all the new wiring configuration but that's another story.
 
Cleaning it out a little more frequently than every 4-6 months. Depends on your dust level. YMMV.
 
I clean mine before lans. Most of my fans go through a radiator though so the dust usually gets trapped there
 
i'm stuck cleaning mine like once a month/ whenever my temps start to go up or i cant see the led's on my window fan, here at school its abnormally dusty, its like they pump the stuff in thru the air vents
 
I usually break mine open every month or 2. I'm pretty anal about dust in my case. The fins on my Zalman cpu and video heatsinks are great dust traps so they usually get the most attention.
 
Rhialto said:
how are you dealing with dust? You simply clean it ever 4-6 months blowing compressed air?
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Buy a decent quality air conditioner/central forced air furnace filter (the kind that are folded like an accordion bellows) and cut it into individual filters. Put one over every intake fan. Make sure you have more pressure inside than out (i.e more fans blowing in). The filters will remove a lot of dust and positive case pressure will ensure that the only air entering the case is coming through the filters.
 
omg not even my dads p2 400mhz that didnt get cleaned for about 8 years didnt look that bad lol!

oh and filters is a must
 
What case with a window got a piano black finish (black with a clear coat) like the Sonata and also comes with a good PS? When I say good PS I'm not talking about a monster of Watts, just a reliable one.
 
Rhialto said:
What case with a window got a piano black finish (black with a clear coat) like the Sonata and also comes with a good PS? When I say good PS I'm not talking about a monster of Watts, just a reliable one.
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You are better off buying a separate powersupply since the ones supplied with cases are often crap. I suggest a Seasonic or Corsair for reliability and high efficiency ;)
 
Well you could water cool the whole think, and possibly used a closed air loop to keep the ambient temps down.
 
Martyr said:
Well you could water cool the whole think, and possibly used a closed air loop to keep the ambient temps down.
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Nah, no water cooling. Just like no SLI. I like simple setup but this time I may go with a window to add a touch of wow! in the room.
 
Simply keeping it up off of the floor will help, and honestly, I just clean mine about once a month, sometimes more, if I'm bored;)
 
My filters on the p180b keep the dust out, but I have to clean the filters A LOT
 
I clean mine every other weekend.

I need some anti-static wipes for the window. The case doesn't get dusty, just the window. :(
 
Fan filters + good wire management + elevated case off the ground = clean case free of dust, and visually good looking :)
 
stain. said:
My filters on the p180b keep the dust out, but I have to clean the filters A LOT
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What about the big grill at the back of the case next to the pci slots? Did you tape it up?

I find it funny how some cases come with filters pre-installed at the front, yet they have big ass unfiltered vents on the side panel, at the back etc. :cool:
 
Shaman said:
I find it funny how some cases come with filters pre-installed at the front, yet they have big ass unfiltered vents on the side panel, at the back etc.
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If the case is under positive pressure (intake fans pushing air in faster than the exhaust fans can take it out) those openings will be exhausting air, not letting air in. If you can't achieve positive pressure, you could either close those openings or, better, put a filter on them.

If you put finer filters on all intake openings, you may have to step up the fan speeds to account for the greater resistance on air intake.
 
I use fan filters on my case. I also spray the filters down with K&N filter oil. Once the filters are saturated with it, let them sit for a day then reinstall them. I have to clean the filters about once a month. I use K&N filter cleaner to clean them.

Reason I use the filter oil is because I live out in the country and during the summer it gets really dusty out here. With out the oil I end up with a real fine dust collecting in my case.
 
I have heard of people using Fabric Softener sheets as filters, so I thought I would give it a try for my intakes. Actually, it helped cut the dust down to "almost" none, having to change the filters about once every 3 days for 2 weeks, then once a month afterwards. With my case though, I was able to conceal it and remove them easily enough.
 
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