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From: Brian Cryer on 21 May 2010 09:44
"Steve Giannoni" <casagiannoni(a)optonline.net> wrote in message
news:2sa3v558gude5d4eilj3jgaq4tc6eq90g3(a)4ax.com...
> How often is this required for a typical system? Even after nearly a
> year, there was relatively little dust ...

As others have indicated, it depends on how dusty it gets.

My desktop at home needs cleaning out every 3 months or so! Still not sure
why it needs it quite so frequently. Yet my work pc and work servers, which
I have occasionally needed to open, have never been in need - although they
get a brief dust when I'm there.

I'd recommend you keep an eye on your system, or an ear to it - I can
recognise by the sound of the cpu fan whether my pc at home is in need of me
cleaning the dust out. (Although arguably if I can hear the difference then
I've probably left it a bit late.)
--
Brian Cryer
http://www.cryer.co.uk/brian

From: mendmycomputer on 21 May 2010 06:00

The cleaner the pc is,the cooler it runs,the longer it lives.


From: kony on 22 May 2010 14:30
On Mon, 17 May 2010 16:57:04 -0400, Steve Giannoni
<casagiannoni(a)optonline.net> wrote:

>How often is this required for a typical system? Even after nearly a
>year, there was relatively little dust ...

If there is relatively little dust it does not need cleaned
yet. As others mentioned the period depends on the
environment, on # of hours it runs (yearly), the system
design as it effects airflow, whether there are other
pollutants in the air like tobacco smoke, grease, high
humidity, or any other airborne liquid, sticky substances or
gritty/abrasive dust.

However, there are two extremes people go to. Once is never
cleaning the system out till they notice a problem. The
other is thinking the system needs to be clean enough to eat
off of.

There is no need to clean a system that does not appear
dusty from 10 feet away, unless that system was terribly
configured to the point where it barely stayed cool enough
when new. If that is the situation, cleaning dust out is
not enough by itself, the system needs reconfigured,
redesigned, swapped into a different case or fan(s) added to
that case, whatever is needed to give the system ample
margin as it is not hard at all to keep a system cool enough
that it can run ok and have decent lifespan even if it is
choked enough with dust that airflow is cut in half.

One exception to that is if the system is owned by someone
obsessed with "quiet" PCs and has deliberately made the
system fans as slow as they could to reduce noise then
forget they have to dust it out at a lower dust level as a
result (but not a shorter time interval usually since slower
fans = slower dust buildup).

Main point is, if the system is not overheating it does not
need dusted out yet, BUT as with other chores in life if you
have the system open anyway, or someone brought it to you to
fix some problem, it is a good opportunity to go ahead and
dust it out so it doesn't have to be taken out of commission
later to do that.

Since I am often brought other people's PCs, I'll give you
an average time period in an attempt to answer your
question. Typically I find that people who have a very
clean home can go 5 years between system cleaning. People
who have an average clean home can go 3 years. Average
so-so not dirty home can go 2 years. Smokers or people who
have pets or don't vacuum their carpet often enough may need
a yearly cleaning.

People who smoke (or other environmental contaminants as
mentioned in the first paragraph above) AND don't clean
their floors often may need to dust out their system
multiple times each year, but even if they do it is expected
the system won't last as long... yet sometimes it is
surprising how durable a PC is so long as it doesn't get wet
or encounter power surges, fan or capacitor failures.

As for fan and capacitor failures, both should be checked
for when the system is dusted, and if the dusting period is
more than one year between each session, any sleeve bearing
fans should be relubed with viscous oil (bordering on light
grease with a drop point below room temperature).
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