How to clean inside my pc case?

D1craig

Enthusiast
Been looking at some guides and they are very basic. Pretty much all say squirt some air in there and that's it.

Tbh that ain't going to cut it in my case lol gave it an air blast about a year/2 after I got it and that was it.

I'm thinking I would have to take it apart to get the best clean. I have just bought myself an AS wrist strap.

The problem is my girlfriends place (where my pc is) is all carpet so I think I'm best taking it to mine as its wood flooring In Parts.

Some of them guides have a paint brush, q-tips and vinegar solution as what you need but don't go into what you do with them. What can I and can't I brush dust off or use the solution on etc etc.
Doubt I get the vinegar water but the other stuff isn't to far fetched for me.

PS. I'm going to buy a 970 and want my case nice and clean for it :p

/D1craig
 

vanthus

Member Resting in Peace
You will get a lot of conflicting advice about cleaning out a computer,for what it's worth this is how I do It.
compressed air and a paintbrush with bristles made from natural fibres and cotton buds for cleaning stubborn dust bunnies..
Always keep the can upright & use only in short bursts to avoid the possibility of any moisture being ejected.Also keep in mind when cleaning fans with compressed air to keep the fans wedged with something as spinning them manually can damage the bearings.
Some people use compressed air and a vacuum cleaner,but you need to be very careful not to go too near any components using this method.
 

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
Depends how dirty your case is. if its just a bit of dust I'd recommend just cleaning the fans/intake grills and anything collecting round heat sinks.

You really don't need too much other than a paintbrush to get rid of the dust, give the stubborn bits a quick brush over and then blast it with some compressed air. The important bits to clean are the fans and make sure nothing is blocking airflow through the heatsinks or intake/exhausts.
 

D1craig

Enthusiast
I am in the process of replacing the fans and sticking filters in them so may aswell get the dust out aswell.

Is there any mat I could use to lean on or anything at my girlfriends house instead of worrying about the static. I'm assuming the wrist strap isn't 100% static proof ofcourse.

Thanx for the advice guys :)
 

tom_gr7

Life Serving
I think you can get anti static mats, but i'd imagine they would be rather expensive.

I aint cleaned my for ages, mainly as compressed air is expensive nowdays. I need to buy an air compressor or something.
 

Androcles

Rising Star
You can get an anti-static mate (500mm x 600mm) from Maplin for £16.99, they're not that expensive at all.
 

nathanjrb

Prolific Poster
Also keep in mind when cleaning fans with compressed air to keep the fans wedged with something as spinning them manually can damage the bearings.

When I was trading in my 690 the guy behind the counter picked it up and flicked the fan with all his might. I was like "........did you actually just do that to a £600 card?". This was before they'd tested it so if it hadn't worked then I would have been very angry! They know nothing in those places...

:2guns:
 

DeadEyeDuk

Superhero Level Poster
But...whenever I clean mine (not that I do it often enough), I always enjoy watching the GPU fan spin around as I blast copious amounts of air at it...weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

(Starting to rethink some of those issues I have had with my card...)
 
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