Cleaning Up
Most desktop computers now have at least two fans inside them to keep crucial components running at an acceptable temperature. When these components get too hot, your computer can behave irraticly. This can involve shutting down unexpedly, slowing down, becoming more noisy, crashing randomly or graphics not appearing correctly. Left unnoticed and unattended to, overheating can and will permanently damage components.
A side effect of having fans to keep the box cool is that it also works as a vacuum cleaner! Any dust in the air, or pet hairs will get sucked into it. Over time, this reduces the effectiveness of the fans by blocking airways and producing solid layers between fans and heatsinks.
Please refer to the "Open and close tower" page for details on getting into your computer and getting it back together safely.
Once you have your case open, look for fans and any areas that are gathering dust.
The most important and most affected area is likely to be the processor heatsink and fan. For a quick clean, A vacuum with a plastic extention (the plastic extension reduces the risk of static electricity zapping your motherboard) and an old, dry toothbrush should do the trick. Simply hold the vacuum nozzel above the fan as you scrub. Don't allow fans to spin while you clean them as this will have a dynamo effect and send electricity back into the motherboard.
For a more thorough clean, remove the fan from the top of the heatsink. This will allow you to remove a lot of dust from the heatsink. The nozzel and toothbrush technique will work perfectly here. Do not remove the heatsink as it is attached to the processor with thermal paste. You will risk pulling the processor out with the heatsink, and you will have to replace the thermal paste with fresh paste. This will allow you to remove a lot of dust from the heatsink. The nozzel and toothbrush technique will work perfectly here.
If you have removed any fans, reattach them and be sure to reconnect them!
A side effect of having fans to keep the box cool is that it also works as a vacuum cleaner! Any dust in the air, or pet hairs will get sucked into it. Over time, this reduces the effectiveness of the fans by blocking airways and producing solid layers between fans and heatsinks.
Please refer to the "Open and close tower" page for details on getting into your computer and getting it back together safely.
Once you have your case open, look for fans and any areas that are gathering dust.
The most important and most affected area is likely to be the processor heatsink and fan. For a quick clean, A vacuum with a plastic extention (the plastic extension reduces the risk of static electricity zapping your motherboard) and an old, dry toothbrush should do the trick. Simply hold the vacuum nozzel above the fan as you scrub. Don't allow fans to spin while you clean them as this will have a dynamo effect and send electricity back into the motherboard.
For a more thorough clean, remove the fan from the top of the heatsink. This will allow you to remove a lot of dust from the heatsink. The nozzel and toothbrush technique will work perfectly here. Do not remove the heatsink as it is attached to the processor with thermal paste. You will risk pulling the processor out with the heatsink, and you will have to replace the thermal paste with fresh paste. This will allow you to remove a lot of dust from the heatsink. The nozzel and toothbrush technique will work perfectly here.
If you have removed any fans, reattach them and be sure to reconnect them!