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Geek Culture / Clean your PC!

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Phaelax
DBPro Master
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Joined: 16th Apr 2003
Location: Metropia
Posted: 18th Jun 2011 10:57 Edited at: 18th Jun 2011 10:58
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Not sure if this is something most of you think "Duh!" or not, but here's what could be lurking inside your case. I've had a usb card reader for awhile now and finally decided to actually put it in the case and hook it up to the internal usb. I figured since I have the case open I may as well clean it.

I built this system late summer of 2007 and it's pretty much been running 24/7 since. Antec P180 case is nice and quiet, good air flow, and has filters on the front vents. Didn't think it'd get so dusty inside. So here's what more than 3 years of dust looks like. This is a stock intel heatsink for a C2D with the fan removed:


Cleaned out the case and fans, removed the graphics card and clean the heatsink/fan on it, and pulled off the CPU heatsink and also removed it's fan. (also applied fresh thermal paste, ceramic I think) Computer runs a few degrees cooler now, CPU around 35-39, overall system registers at 31-34.

As a side note, I found it interesting that my BIOS records how long the computer has been turned on.

PC Uptime Total: 29,349 hours
Power Cycles: 168
Reset Cycles: 44
AC Power On Total: 31,946 hours
AC Power Cycles: 45

That's 1222 days, or 3.34 years. So when I said it's been running since I built it, I wasn't exaggerating!

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uzi idiot
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 12:02
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o_o WOW!


Mental Stability is over-rated!
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lazerus
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 13:57 Edited at: 18th Jun 2011 13:58
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Ive worked on a computer that sat in a basement running 24/7 there was 4cm in dirt/dust compacted inside on its bottom. The guy never knew you had to clean them...

Spent the better part of 2 days doing a full strip down and cleaning each part. And it was a reasonable computer too about £600's worth at the time. Had to empty the hover it was that full :S

My face when i remember that dust is mostly skin


http://lazerus-reborn.deviantart.com/
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Green Gandalf
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Playing: Malevolence:Sword of Ahkranox, Skyrim, Civ6.
Posted: 18th Jun 2011 14:13 Edited at: 18th Jun 2011 14:23
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Could that be the problem I'm having?

I've been having problems with my desktop in the last week or so - the display goes blank for no obvious reason or the desktop seems to hang. When I try to reboot the PC it sometimes fails to boot up and the machine gives out one long beep followed by three short beeps.

That beep code is supposed to indicate a problem with video. I then ran the FurMark 1.9 stress test and it worked perfectly for 4 hours with the GPU temperature steady at 84-87 degrees C. Next I tried the Prime95 CPU stress tests for 4-6 hours and they worked fine too. I then opened up DBPro, edited a file and ping! the screen went blank and it took half an hour before the damn thing would reboot. It's not just DBPro, the thing hangs when it hibernates/wakes up or when I open email or indeed anything really. But works fine when under stress. I'm baffled.

Suggestions as to likely causes welcome.

Edit Hmmm? Just been running FurMark again so I could post a screenshot and everything seemed fine. Took a screenshot, closed FurMark, saved the screenshot using Paint, tried to copy the file to my laptop and ping! the desktop had hung again before I could copy the file.

I've tried four different versions of the display driver and they all seem the same.
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Benjamin
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 14:42
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Some years ago I used to notice that when playing certain games or running applications that use 100% CPU one of the fans would get really, really loud, and found out that there was a huge build-up of dust on the heatsink.

Now I take the heatsink off and clean it every 4-6 months, and by that time it's all clogged up with dust. I have some thermal paste, so I scrape off the old stuff and apply some more. Cleaning and re-pasting the sink can certainly have quite an impact on the running temperature, as well as the amount of noise the fans will make.



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Libervurto
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 15:58 Edited at: 18th Jun 2011 16:00
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If it's making a hell of a noise it probably needs cleaning. I'd say you should clean your PC every 6 months. I am borrowing my Mum's PC and it had NEVER been cleaned since it was bought around five years ago! I also gave its cpu some new thermal paste which I'm sure will improve its lifespan.

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Kevin Picone
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 17:30
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Had a similar drama, hot system with fans running overboard. Cleaned it out, ran a bit better.. But following day it started doing it again.

Hmmm.. was pondering the issue starring at the wall, when I notice the poster behind wasn't moving. Odd since normally the air from the PSU fan would flap it all over the place. Turned out the fan in the PSU was on it's last legs. Man those things get hot with no fan.. Replace the PSU and haven't had a drama since.. But there's always tomorrow.


Hmm, I wonder what's coming in 2011?
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BatVink
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 19:13
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Check out El Reg's X-rated circus of horrors, which ends with this incredible find inside a PC case...



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Non Sequitur M
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 19:28
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What the... Poor little guy. He could dodge 18 wheelers and sports cars, but I guess he wasn't fast enough to dodge a cooling fan blade! Ha!

Seriously, though, this is what I'm going to have to deal with while working on computers? Lord. Why did I ever put out those adds... I have allergies! People are going to come check on their comp and I'm going to look like the people who took E.T. away! XD Jk. A surgical mask is enough!

If the universe isn't a program, then why do planets orbit in loops, death sparks life, and human interaction is buggy and glitched?
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Wolf
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 19:33
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Mine has a transparent wall so I can see inside.

And yes, the amount of dust and hair I remove every half year is indeed astounding. I wonder where all this could actually come from



-Wolf

I make serious coffee - so strong it wakes up the neighbors.
http://serygalacaffeine.deviantart.com/
Twitter:@Serygala http://serygalacaffeine.blogspot.com
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Phaelax
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 21:43
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The fans never ran hard or loud at all. Everything was stock fans and still ran as quiet before the cleaning as they did when I first built the PC.

I found this program on another forum yesterday, it's great for viewing the voltage/temp specs on your computer.
http://www.hwinfo.com/


Didn't someone on this forum find a mouse inside their computer?

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Green Gandalf
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Playing: Malevolence:Sword of Ahkranox, Skyrim, Civ6.
Posted: 18th Jun 2011 22:44
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Quote: "Didn't someone on this forum find a mouse inside their computer?"




Quote: "And yes, the amount of dust and hair I remove every half year is indeed astounding."


I've had mine two years and I haven't cleaned it's inside yet.

I had the previous one for 6 years and didn't look inside the case of that either. And my laptop is 5 years old, also without being checked.

I think you lot are giving me a good hint of something I should check.
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Neuro Fuzzy
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Posted: 18th Jun 2011 23:21
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:\


Well... it's time to open up my laptop... brb


Why does blue text appear every time you are near?
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DeadTomGC
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Posted: 19th Jun 2011 00:36
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I just cleaned out my laptop, and I am glad I did, but now I need to clean off all the electronics that were sitting next to it.


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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 19th Jun 2011 00:57
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Thanks for the warning.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 19th Jun 2011 08:29
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3 years old and still looks brand new, that's what I like to see!



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