One of the things I dislike with PCs and workstations is their lack of air filtering.
Professional apparatuses have air filters that can be easily replaced.
And when you see what kinds and quantities of dirt collect in hospital PCs, you just shake your head in disbelief that apparently nobody cares about the obvious hygienic problem.
So PCs and workstations are de-facto dust and dirt collectors and spreaders.
This week I spent a few days cleaning my two most important computers after I realized how much dirt they blew out.
Just because I missed one annual cleaning, the CPU and GPU coolers were almost completely sealed with thick matted dust.
I practically had to completely disassemble the whole stuff including the PSUs only to clean/replace the fans.
The grime was another story, it cost me a lot of patience, much alcohol and help even from the dishwasher to get away that nasty smell.
I thought "never again" and decided to upgrade the machines with air filter mats and protective wire mesh, so the filters can be easily vacuumed from outside.
This was a lot of retrofitting work, as I also had to close off leaks, remove obstructing parts etc.
I used F9 filter mats that filter at least 70% of ~1um particles.
This should help the grime problem. I hope the filters won't clog too fast...
I also replaced the weak PC fans (12V 0.1A) with workstation/server fans (12V 0.5-0.6A) to compensate for the higher pressure differential, so temperatures are even lower than before without air filtering.
The effect is just amazing.
Air no longer feels dusty, is comfortable to breathe.
For my next computers I would like to buy ATX cases with built-in provisions to fit (and easily replace) filter mats.
Do there exist any on the market?
Professional apparatuses have air filters that can be easily replaced.
And when you see what kinds and quantities of dirt collect in hospital PCs, you just shake your head in disbelief that apparently nobody cares about the obvious hygienic problem.
So PCs and workstations are de-facto dust and dirt collectors and spreaders.
This week I spent a few days cleaning my two most important computers after I realized how much dirt they blew out.
Just because I missed one annual cleaning, the CPU and GPU coolers were almost completely sealed with thick matted dust.
I practically had to completely disassemble the whole stuff including the PSUs only to clean/replace the fans.
The grime was another story, it cost me a lot of patience, much alcohol and help even from the dishwasher to get away that nasty smell.
I thought "never again" and decided to upgrade the machines with air filter mats and protective wire mesh, so the filters can be easily vacuumed from outside.
This was a lot of retrofitting work, as I also had to close off leaks, remove obstructing parts etc.
I used F9 filter mats that filter at least 70% of ~1um particles.
This should help the grime problem. I hope the filters won't clog too fast...
I also replaced the weak PC fans (12V 0.1A) with workstation/server fans (12V 0.5-0.6A) to compensate for the higher pressure differential, so temperatures are even lower than before without air filtering.
The effect is just amazing.
Air no longer feels dusty, is comfortable to breathe.
For my next computers I would like to buy ATX cases with built-in provisions to fit (and easily replace) filter mats.
Do there exist any on the market?
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