I've been noticing that dust is affecting my PC's temperatures lately. How frequently do you clean your gaming rigs? Do you have any quick tips for keeping everything running smoothly? Thanks!
5 Answers
It really depends on where your PC is situated. It’s best not to place it directly on the floor, especially on carpet. Keep your intake vents screened, and make sure your fans maintain positive pressure to avoid turning your case into a dust magnet.
If dust is affecting thermals, then you're overdue for a clean! I suggest lightly cleaning out the inside every couple of months and doing a full cleaning at least a couple of times a year. This way, there's rarely a lot to clean, and it's quick and easy.
That’s a solid routine!
Every six months, I check my filters and clean them if they look dirty. I also do a light cleanup of the inside at that time and it keeps everything running fine without much buildup. Just make sure you're monitoring your temps since dust can really affect performance if left unchecked!
Thanks for the detailed breakdown! Crazy to think some machines can run fine even buried in dust, but I’d rather keep mine a bit cleaner to avoid surprises 🙂 Appreciate it!
I recommend cleaning the filters every month to keep dust at bay. It only takes about 5 minutes, and that prevents dust from getting into other areas of your PC. As for the deeper clean, I do that every six months, and I recommend reapplying thermal paste and doing a clean Windows install once a year to keep things in top shape.
That sounds super manageable! Thanks 🙂
Why the Windows install, is it to cut down on junk files or something?
I generally clean my PC when I see dust bunnies obstructing airflow—no strict timeline for me. My main focus is ensuring thermal parts stay dust-free. If you can see buildup, then definitely it's cleaning time!
Looks like my PC’s been living the dusty life a bit too long 🙂
I do maintenance once a year. I’m sure most people reading on a subreddit called r/buildapc would advocate for doing it more often, but this cadence works for me.
Moving my PC off the floor helped a lot. Screens and positive pressure fans definitely make dust control way easier. Thanks for the tips!