IS it safe to use the suction extension tool off a vacuum cleaner to clean my case? In the past I've used canned air but I think the suction would be faster and get the dust out of those hard to reach areas....

IS it safe to use the suction extension tool off a vacuum cleaner to clean my case? In the past I've used canned air but I think the suction would be faster and get the dust out of those hard to reach areas....

Well you always have to be very careful when doing anything inside your case, a vacuum cleaner, hand, or anything really can carry an electric charge that will fry your mobo for example. I have also seen people when cleaning with compressed air have the can turned in an upside down angle to get into hard to reach places and thats a no no aswell it turns the air into a liquid frost. I find the best way to do things now is to use my leaf blower, I take the side off my PC and place it out on my deck on a bright sunny day of course, fire up the leaf blower let it run for a bit, making sure that there is no fine particles of dirt or condensation coming out of it, then gently on a low speed blow it into my case, and watch the dust fly, its really amazing how much dirt comes out of it.

My vac is plastic, but still I

Plastic will build up a charge..I use a shop vac on BLOW ... I take my PC out to the driveway and blow the dust to the wind .....

I use a portable compressed air tank with the regulator set at 45 psi with a standard blow-off nozzle, and a vacuum cleaner. I blow the components off and use the vacuum to draw as much of the cloud coming off the components as I can.I never get the nozzle closer than ~6 inches from the components--any persistent buildup can be cleared with a soft brush (grounded to the chassis before use), and I make sure the room is at better than 20% relative humidity, or the high velocity dry air by itself can cause a catastrophic buildup of static charge on the components. It's also important to disconnect anything that could provide a low-resistance path to ground.RegardsBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

Well I don't have a compressor nor do I own a dry shop-vac. So sucking using a vacuum is bad?I guess that leaves canned air....

Plastic will build up a charge..

I

In terms of avoiding dust build up...11111111Keep the PC case at an elevated level above ground e.g a table. PC Dust intake is much more on the ground where dust settles.22222222One way to let your PC clean itself is to create a positive air pressure inside the PC case. An air pressure strong enough that any dust that comes in the case is pushed out immediatly through the exhaust fans of PC case. In my case i have 9 140mm quiet fans running i7975 at 4.4Ghz.For postive air pressure inside the case 6 140mm fans blow air in while 3 140mm fans exhaust air from the case, the air turblence and postive pressure inside the case will ensure dust does not have a chance to settle before it pushed out. With positve air pressure case i prefer to remove fan filters and just use fan grills , cause some fan filters with too fine holes will actually reduce half effectivenss and heat. not good for OC system.Only way to control 9 140mms is with 2 fanc controllers mostly doing well on auto.for futre builds, good idea to build a PC that cleanse itsself with positve prussre inside the case

In terms of avoiding dust build up...11111111Keep the PC case at an elevated level above ground e.g a table. PC Dust intake is much more on the ground where dust settles.

Mine is on the carpet beside my desk (in the corner). There is about 6 inches on all sides though from the case to the walls. I doubt I'd be able to create better airflow the case is fairly cramped and I'm not about to spend money on it until I'm ready for a complete upgrade.

Positive pressure sounds like a good idea, but I

I do what w6kd does as well...I use a can of compressed air to blast out the nooks and crannies of the open case, while using a vacuum hose right near the work area to gather up the dust I am dislodging. The vacuum hose isn't held close enough to the computer components to suck them off the motherboard, but it is down in there to gather up the junk the aircan is blasting.It works much like the sawdust vacuums seen on professional woodworking equipment. The compressed air is much more efficient at cleaning out embedded dust, and the suction keeps that dust from resettling in the computer (*or in my lungs!) -Greg

For a general sweep of the case it's fine to use a low suction cleaner that is earthed. And so MUST BE the case!!!!! Take care not to touch metal to metal. Make sure you yourself wear an earthstrap which will prevent any static crossing from you, or your cleaner to your PC components. For close work around chips and in nooks and crannies use a photo lens blower brush.vololiberista

For those using compressed air, you might put a finger on the fans to prevent them from over-speeding. I blew a bearing on my CPU fan a while back with compressed air. She was probably ready to go anyway but just a word of precaution. Happy cleaning, y'all.