CPU fan & CPU Heatsink cleaning advice

Hi there!

Not the most exciting thread title I know, but i thought I'd come here rather than drive myself mad forever googling, as I'm sure their are plenty of wise tech-heads here can help!

so I've two tower PCs, both of which sound and look like the fans are a little dusty and noisy when on.

I've removed enough dust as I can from both cases/PCs, especially the PSU units, although both have lots of crud on the CPU fans and dust collecting round the CPU heatsinks.

Obvious Answer: "Get new CPU fans!"
Yes, obvious and should some simple cleaning tips to prevent that for a bit, but I'm not exactly poverty stricken, so if all else fails - yep, new fans for both.

Following advice from numerous sites - I've bought two compress air canisters (they are on their way) but still a little scared of using them around the CPU heat sinks and the fans.

Has anyone got any experience with using them for that? Good idea/bad idea?

I'm drawn to the cheap and cheerful idea of using cotton buds to de-crud the fans on both to hopefully reduce the noise and clean them a bit - again, good idea/bad idea?

Any help gratefully appreciated!

Cheers!

The problem with "air in a can" is that it contains propellants which can cause fresh dust to stick to whatever it is you want to clean....


Once a month I open up my tower case and blast everything with the Rocket Blower I use for cleaning my cameras. It works for me

Cheers for the advice, £5 wasted on compressed air it seems.

Just, used google, instead of being lazy, Is this the kind of thing you mean?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Giottos-GTAA1900...B00017LSPI

That's the fella. I use it for cleaning the sensors on my cameras but it does a decent job of blasting dust off anything electronic as long as you don't let it build up too much.

The compressed air is ok for cleaning keyboards....you'd be amazed at the amount of crap they collect.

Ok I'll see how much crud a cotton bud can clean off the fans and in the meantime wait for the Rocket Blower for the case, compressed air strictly for the keyboards buy the sounds of it.

Tipping and shaking an obviously crap-filled keyboard upside at work and seeing the detritus fall out is one of the most disheartening things in a office to do.

I took my cover off, unscrewed the heak sink, hovered (CAREFULLY) and put it back on, but make sure the fan is the right way up, blow not suck.

I have used my Hoover Vacuum cleaner with nozzle (sucking, not blowing) in the past on mine without problems.
Switch off the PC at the mains.
There is no need to dismantle fan or heat sink but you have to hold the fan blades to stop them spinning round from the airflow while doing this, or damage can be caused by the back emf voltage produced.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I'm trying to see if I can get a small battery powered vacuum to go along with the rocket blower and the scrubbing with cotton buds approach.

Many thanks again.

Further to earlier replies, cleaned the fan earlier using cotton buds and got a huge amount of dust out.

However, I now think the real problem is the PSU

Any advice for getting the PSU cleaned right or should I simply get and wire up (yikes) a new silent PSU?

Any recommendations for a really quiet PSU brand, I've not a power gaming type PC, although can't remember whether it was 450-500w PSU but I do want it to be silent rather the more often whirring-than-silent PC.

Sometimes after a time, it goes silent again but either you can hear it whirling/'chugging' away soon after it's switched on or after about an hour or two of being on.

I've found it especially noticeable recently when the weather is humid too (odd?)

Again, any further help appreciated!

The only name I know in quiet PSU's is Zalman, they seem pretty good, but others are available, so worth shopping around and checking online reviews.

A good place to start :

http://quietpc.co.uk/powersupplies

the clue is in the website name really

You might also want to check something like the silicon damping gaskets, and/or washers they do to reduce vibration noise, and the fan filters to stop the dust getting into the case in the first place.