New Mac Owner at DVinfo.net

Matthew Pugerude · February 26th, 2008, 05:08 PM

Alright this is not an editing question but I did not know where else to put it. I have a new Mac Pro. This is my first Mac I love it I should have mad the switch sooner. Any way I live in a very dusty desert portion of Oregon. My Pc is always full of dust so I about every few months I blow it out. I clean the filters that it has on the intakes and what not. So Naturally my question is what is the best way to keep the inside of my Mac clean and free of dust. Is there a filter I should look for or what?

David McGiffert · February 27th, 2008, 04:02 AM

I would be interested in this topic too,
although my dust problem is not as bad as you describe,
it takes constant attention to the build-up to keep my Mac Pro
clean...a must for computer life as we all know.

I know that putting a filter on the intakes of the computer is a no-no,
the fans need an unobstructed area to keep a flow of air passing through
the innards.

I have tried an air purifier that pulls dust out of the air,
but it makes a god-awful noise and much of the time seems
only to blow the dust around and keep it stirred up.

Solutions anyone?

David

Robert Lane · February 27th, 2008, 02:42 PM

The thing to be cautious of with "air purifiers" especially those like the ones sold by Sharper Image is that they raise the static-electricity levels in the surrounding air and, since humans are perfect static-storage devices means that you'll get those unintentional "zaps" when touching anything metal.

It also means that anything metal will actually attract more dust than it would otherwise, and since computers are dust-magnets anyway this just makes the problem of internal dust even worse.

There's really only two things you can do (which is what we do in the dusty desert southwest):

1) Keep the room that contains your computer equipment as clean as possible. Vacuum the carpet at least once a week (power off all your equipment first) and keep shelves, hardwood floors and equipment tops dusted off.

2) Don't put your Mac - or any other tower - on the floor, instead raise it up by putting it on a shelf no closer than 12" inches to the ground.

The floor, whether it's carpet or hard, is where all the dirt & dust accumulates and when you walk and move around in the room you literally push those particulates around - and the fans in the tower suck all that stuff inside and deposit the dirt onto the hot and statically charged components such as the CPU, RAM and HDD's creating a thermo-blanket of dirt.

By keeping the tower above the floor you'll significantly reduce the amount of dust/dirt that get's into the machine requiring less frequent cleaning.

February 26th, 2008, 05:08 PM	#1
Matthew Pugerude Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Redmond, Oregon Posts: 173	New Mac Owner Alright this is not an editing question but I did not know where else to put it. I have a new Mac Pro. This is my first Mac I love it I should have mad the switch sooner. Any way I live in a very dusty desert portion of Oregon. My Pc is always full of dust so I about every few months I blow it out. I clean the filters that it has on the intakes and what not. So Naturally my question is what is the best way to keep the inside of my Mac clean and free of dust. Is there a filter I should look for or what?

February 27th, 2008, 04:02 AM	#2
David McGiffert Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Topanga, CA Posts: 139	I would be interested in this topic too, although my dust problem is not as bad as you describe, it takes constant attention to the build-up to keep my Mac Pro clean...a must for computer life as we all know. I know that putting a filter on the intakes of the computer is a no-no, the fans need an unobstructed area to keep a flow of air passing through the innards. I have tried an air purifier that pulls dust out of the air, but it makes a god-awful noise and much of the time seems only to blow the dust around and keep it stirred up. Solutions anyone? David

February 27th, 2008, 02:42 PM	#3
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,823 Images: 15	The thing to be cautious of with "air purifiers" especially those like the ones sold by Sharper Image is that they raise the static-electricity levels in the surrounding air and, since humans are perfect static-storage devices means that you'll get those unintentional "zaps" when touching anything metal. It also means that anything metal will actually attract more dust than it would otherwise, and since computers are dust-magnets anyway this just makes the problem of internal dust even worse. There's really only two things you can do (which is what we do in the dusty desert southwest): 1) Keep the room that contains your computer equipment as clean as possible. Vacuum the carpet at least once a week (power off all your equipment first) and keep shelves, hardwood floors and equipment tops dusted off. 2) Don't put your Mac - or any other tower - on the floor, instead raise it up by putting it on a shelf no closer than 12" inches to the ground. The floor, whether it's carpet or hard, is where all the dirt & dust accumulates and when you walk and move around in the room you literally push those particulates around - and the fans in the tower suck all that stuff inside and deposit the dirt onto the hot and statically charged components such as the CPU, RAM and HDD's creating a thermo-blanket of dirt. By keeping the tower above the floor you'll significantly reduce the amount of dust/dirt that get's into the machine requiring less frequent cleaning.