noisy PC fan and dirty heatsink...

[numbnuts]

After reading this I cleaned my computer fan last night, had a little bit of dust around the fans

 

[MontyVeda]

...
DO NOT invert the Airduster or you'll end up spraying everthing with liquid propane which is a bit on the chilly side.
...

and if you do accidentally invert the airduster, don't turn your PC on after a couple of minutes thinking 'it'll have evaporated by now', otherwise you'll get a fireball the size of a beachball, lose the hair on one arm and singe the carpet within an 18" radius if the PC ... amazingly the PC did actually work and all the dust in the PCU had magically gone!

 

[Andy_R]

and if you do accidentally invert the airduster, don't turn your PC on after a couple of minutes thinking 'it'll have evaporated by now', otherwise you'll get a fireball the size of a beachball, lose the hair on one arm and singe the carpet within an 18" radius if the PC ... amazingly the PC did actually work and all the dust in the PCU had magically gone!

^^

 

[JoeyB]

I wouldn't use a Hoover, if I were forced to I would at least make sure it had a plastic nozzle, not metal.

As has been said, air in a can is best, or just take it out and blow hard lol

If your case has air vents you can fit foam style filters to prevent the dust buildup.

 

[Bman]

Although the risk of static is there, I've never managed to damage a PC by hoovering it.

Best practice is always to leave the computer plugged in (but powered off), so that it is earthed and therfore no static can build up. If you touch the case you also discharge any static from yourself.

Edit This doesnt apply to laptops. They are usually not earthed.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Although the risk of static is there, I've never managed to damage a PC by hoovering it.

Best practice is always to leave the computer plugged in (but powered off), so that it is earthed and therfore no static can build up. If you touch the case you also discharge any static from yourself.

....

agreed.

worst server I ever had to look at had been running for 9 years without ever being opened. It had suddenly 'failed' according to the accountant whose desk it was under. I really wish I had taken some photographs of the inside of it, but the truth was you would never have seen anything. there was no free air space inside, Once back in my lab I had to set about locating the hard drives to recover the data, the result completely disrupted a 6th form lesson when my lab disappeared into a cloud of dust. Since then I have much prefered the hoover option to the compressed air option!

 

[Maz]

So I installed some software to tell me what temperate my chip was running at:

It's running at 57C (working max limit 71C).
Was thinking about getting this paste - Arctic Silver Céramique:

Will the old (dried up?) paste come off easily or will I need a special substance to remove it?

Thanks

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

you should get an alcohol wipe with the paste to clear off the old paste. if not any sterile injection swab will do.
BUT allow it to dry off thoroughly first...

 

[Globalti]

Once you've puled out the old heatsink, rig it up to a 9v battery and put your hand on the central pad; you'll be amazed at how effective it is at cooling your skin.

That white heat transmission paste is the same stuff that's used on solar collector tubes when you plug them into their manifolds, I think it's just a titanium dioxide paste.