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Is your CPU cooling fan really clean?

O

OBIO

Retired SOH Admin
I have my sister-in-law's computer here....the motherboard is bad and I am tracking down a replacment for it (found one in town for $20...just need to get with her to get the money). I was pulling some of the parts off the dead MOBO and decided to remove the CPU cooling fan so I could really clean the dust out of the CPU heat sink. When I pulled the fan off the heat sink, I was shocked by what I found on the under sides of the fan blades. Not just dust...but dust that had been so compacted that it was like stucco. I had to use my box knife to chip the stuff off the blades!

That got me to thinking about my CPU fan....so I removed it from the heat sink. It wasn't as bad as the first one...but it was not as clean as I thought it would be. Took a bit of work with a stiff toothbrush to get it all removed.

The next time you clean your system, remove the CPU fan from the heat sink...usually they are held on with 4 screws. Check the under sides of the fan blades...you may be shocked by what you find there. And while you have the fan off...really get all the dust and dirt off of and out of the CPU heat sink.

OBIO
 
Obio, I generally clean my main system monthly, just a quick blast with compressed air in a few spots and I use a small Shark vaccume around the area's I can reach. However every 3 months I do a good job, kind of like a detailing, I pull the cooling fans and all the covers and everything gets cleaned, you would be amazed at how much stuff can build up in 3 months even when you take care of your gear, of course it depends on the environment outside the system if there is lots of dust outside it will get inside and pack up anywhere it can.
 
I always remove my CPU fan and do a thorough cleaning every month, do the same for the four other cooling fans I have. Even remove my plug-and-plays; RAMs, sound card, video cards, etc. every six months and clean them good. I not only do this to my computer, but the four other computers used in the house.

Whether car, bicycle, telescope, microscope, or any apparatus, clean will add years of life to items, not only keep their performance at a premium.

Caz
 
I learned early that CPU fans, especially stock fans and heatsinks, compact dust and dirt into the fins of the heat sink.
 
Haven't cleaned my PC since september or so. Paid the price today...almost an hour of brushing, vacuuming and swearing, mostly at the CPU heatsink fan. That thing is a beech to remove and reattach. :isadizzy:
 
You susposed to clean them?????/


Must have missed that when I tossed out the manual....LOL
 
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