@@aaronmunn2918 incorrect. Some will be, but to suggest most is, is ridiculous if you just stop and think about how much dust there is after a week of no cleaning your home. Also... how do you account for the levels of dust you find in abandoned buildings? Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
Live next to a corn field and got hella dogs, it’s sooo hard to keep it clean. Gotta clean the house like once every 2 days to just wipe everything down
lol that's a pretty cool idea. would be best if the PC doesn't depend on it for cooling though, or if it can spin slow enough so you don't always have to feel the fan.
I remember when I bought my first "prebuilt" PC (I chose all the parts myself, but let the company I bought it from assemble it), I just chose a budget midtower case that I like from its looks from the front. Incidentally, it had great airflow with only 1 intake and 2 exhaust fans, with the cpu cooler being one of them, and a foam filter in front of the intake fan. I opened the case for cleaning I think about a year, year and a half and was pleasantly surprised at how little dust made it inside. I mean, the amount of dust could only be comparable to I think 1 months of daily use with the PC on the floor (I had it on my desk).
I keep my PC on a vented stand under my desk, with a bottom to top airflow pattern. My case also has fantastic filtration. After 2 years, there's barely any dust in it.
@@Dracossaint It's a monitor stand with a perforated top. Helps my PC breathe. It even has a drawer for extra cords and junk. www.amazon.com/SimpleHouseware-Metal-Monitor-Organizer-Drawer/dp/B075KP5JLH/
@@CaveyMoth ahhh i figured it was something similar. but i was hoping for a postive pressure system with a semi-hermatic seal a little bit. Usually that's what words like vented bring to mind
I'll use a duster can or battery-operated blower, but I'll be damned if I'm going to take apart EVERY. SINGLE. COMPONENT. in the case every so often to literally wash it out like that and then have to wait forever for it to *perfectly* dry before reassembling everything. Screw that.
This is very true, i was annoyed with my PC getting so dirty every month, so i threw in 2 be quiet 140s as intake, and i saw no more dust build up in the case, only in the proper intake filters was there any dust. Plus gpu temps went down, win win.
One thing that I learned about 16 years ago was panty hose/nylon stockings can be cut up and be used as a filter medium. It's crazy, but it works, especially if it's stretched just right. Last I checked, they were available in black...
4:58 - the calculation for positive or negative pressure by number of fans doesn't work with a filtered intake case - filtered fans will move air at c. 1/3 to 1/2 the rate of the open-grille exhaust fans, hence *2 or 3 intake fans = 1 exhaust fan* (of the same size and RPM).
@@smolcap A simple test is to hold a burning taper (incense stick) up to the PCI grille of the case - it's well away from the direct flow of front and rear fans and will clearly indicate +ve or -ve pressure. I've done this many times and the numbers above are what I've gathered.
Built my first PC by hand this past September and I chose the Corsair 4000D Airflow edition to build it in. I'll admit that I'm guilty of putting it on the floor due to simply not having enough space in my room for a bigger desk, but the built-in dust filters at every major entry point for air have made monthly-ish cleanup an absolute breeze, and have done an amazing job at keeping dust out of the internals. A quick wipe of the dust filters and an extremely quick spraying of the internals with compressed air is the worst I've ever had to deal with, I highly recommend it or Corsair's refresh on that line of cases, the entire lineup of 5000D cases!
5:45 Dude you’re 1000% correct. I’ve never thought about the small change in pressure inside the case but it makes perfect sense. Props on thinking outside the box.
Got a Meshify C. Three 120 mm in the front, 4x120 mm on the radiator up top (push/pull) for exhaust and one 120 mm on the rear for exhaust. Probably overkill, just kept adding more stuff after the initial build a few years ago. Live in Orlando, too, but honestly a blast with my Data Vac every six months keeps it pretty clean :P
My previous case was pretty amazing at keeping dust out but I also had positive air flow. For anyone interested the case I'm talking about is the Corsair 780t and as long as you clean off the filters every couple of weeks it virtually stays super clean. In the 7-8 years that I used it as my main pc I had to fully clean it only 3 times tops and yes there was some dust and dirt in it once i took it completely apart for my new build but on all of the visible areas not a spot of dust build up and some minor build up in the rad and between the grills but I couldn't recommend that case more if you're looking to tackle dust and maintain a decent airflow. Let's hope my new case stands up to the 780t I now have the 5000d AF and it has some big shoes to fill but if its anything like my last Corsair I have little doubt in it.
Great vid and great advice my dude. I always tell people let NO intake opportunity go to waste. Many cases have fan vents on the bottom that go unused. Even just one more intake can make a huge difference especially if someone is in a high dust region.
I got two fan intakes and three exhaust. Two intakes at the front, two exhaust at the top and one in the back. I got two maglift filters that came with my case. It has help keep dust out for months at a time if I keep the filters clean
Had my fx 8300 system in the snow edition of that versa case. It was so bad, but looking back i have grown to really appreciate it. I learnt most of what i know about modding from that case, and most of what i know about overclocking from that cpu. It was my worst and my best pc memories.
8:10 the graphics card will suck air from the pci openings in every case. Thats the shortest way, even if you have 3 fans in front. Ans it makes the gpu cooler in practice.
Made everything he says in his video and can confirm it works just as he said. Built my pc 15 months ago an have been using on my table ever since. Never got it cleaned or even opened, my temps are the same as the day I built it (I've made a few teaks on them day one), but I can see a very thin dust layer above pretty much everything inside the case, but my down front fan is stuck with a dense amount of dirt that is starting to take a shape around it lol. 15 months without even opening it, I see that as an absolute win.
I have 11 120mm fans in my Lian Li Snow White Mini LOL. I took off all those screen filters because they're very restrictive, there is enough flow now that dust doesn't get a chance to collect.
... I have 4 dogs, people walking in and out all day with dirt all over their shoes... we country here and I keep my side panel off. with only one fan on the back and a fan on my video card, it still does not get all that dirty, I clean it every few years with an air blower and it has been running smoothly since 2014. Just upgraded to the evga Gold G6 750 psu and was about to look into a bigger case, when I thought about the dust... but now I know it is not as dusty as possible.... 0:05
Also thank you, I asked for this video on twitter….Though I asked in a more “what setup is appropriate for what situation” more from a cooling angle than cleanliness but thins still helps with that
You can have 100% airflow with less dust if you just get a proper case. I personally have a Meshify C since it released a little over a year ago and there’s practically no dust build up. There’s just enough to swipe your finger and notice a slight color different, but without checking you’d never notice. It’s way better than the Define R5 I have. High airflow cases are by far the best option to go with in a PC as they tend to have the better overall dust filtration than other, cheaper cases. Don’t spend $50 on a case that you’ll have to rip apart and clean every month, spent $100 or more on a decent case and you’ll get better airflow and thermals and you won’t have to rip it alert to clean it of dust way less frequently
@@jamesdonnelly7194 there are alot better options for cases than nzxt, infact most nzxt cases have poor thermals. Phanteks or lian li are much better options
Especially if you're a streamer, get that floor PC up on the desk as close to microphone as possible. Ideally with the exhaust fans pointed directly at the mic. Viewers really appreciate the ASMR constant fan noise! Multiplayer chat buddies will too! /s On a serious note, positive pressure FTW! Just do it, your CPU and GPU will thank you.
A lot of what you cover is why I consider these cases with the glass panel sides to be dipshit rubbish. I've always been a fan of the 10" side fan... probably why I consider the Rosewill Thor the current pinnacle of case development, with the old TT Element G running a close second. 10" fan maintains positive pressure through the rest of the case. It can spin at lower RPM's whilst moving more air, meaning it is quieter. There are so many advantages to it, and this "bling bling" lighted see-through side nonsense is pretty much the enemy. I've also found it handy to use actual HEPA filter material instead of the silly little drill plates. Means your PC can do double-duty as a air filter, and if you just attach them to the outside (adhesive velcro FTW) they're easy-peasy to take off and clean.
There are also 'mounts' to hang the PC under your desk, then there is no dusty surface anywhere nearby. I did this for years and my PC barely needed cleaning dust out. It does block any vertical ventilation though, and there are very few cases nowadays with power button at the front.
I do all this already, its great for temps and very low dust build up. I actually bought a file cabinet for the PC case to sit on. A small 2 drawer one and I never told the Mrs. this, but I bought it for the PC alone, putting documents in it was never my intention :P but eventually important papers come along in life and its nice to have a place to put them in. Works great for PC parts storage too!
Get a MERV 8 filter for your home HVAC system. We've had far less dust in our PC's since we did that. I don't keep PC's on a desk because the single biggest measure you can take to deal with PC noise is get it away from you- especially away from your head. I keep it beside my desk on the floor. I haven't noticed the dust being any different than PC's on a desk. But probably the most sensible approach would be to put the PC on a low stand of some sort, and keep the area around the PC clean.
I live in farm country down south (already hitting 90 degrees (F) here in May). The dust is crazy here. With a 10 fan case (Lian Li o11 Dynamic XL), that dust can be murder. So I have my system on a shelf ABOVE my monitors. It's base feet nearly 6 feet off the floor and the top of the case is about 6 inches or so from the ceiling and indeed it helps keeping the dust build up to minimum. I can go about a month before I need to clean the filters and clean inside every other month or so. Also my space in limited so the location helps with that too. However the one con is that heat rises of course so the system runs a touch warmer but not bad at about 1 to 2 degrees C warmer vs desk level. A fair trade-off for a cleaner system IMO. Plus the fact that dirty systems run hotter, which pretty much makes it breaks even in that regard.
I feel like you should have mentioned cooler component selection require less air flow to begin with, which in some instances could mean zero to low air flow.
Greg, iv'e been wondering this for quite some time: you see, i first built a computer for my mom even prior to building mine, i bought a cheap case that has space for 3 120 mm fans on the front, that plus the one (included) rear exhaust fan was enough for her basic system (and to create a good possitive preassure), however, for mine i bought a q300l from Cooler master, a mini itx case, and it is symmetrical on the top and front, both having space for up to two 120 mm fans each, but, because of this, i wanted to put some exhaust fans on top due to the hot air rising, and then i realized there is a problem with the air pressure if i wanted it to be possitive ... since i would have the rear and the two upside fans as exhausting fans; and considering the build only has 2 front fans, it's preassure is negative, but... i really don't know which fan position should i change, because if i do with the rear fan, it would create turbulence due to it being directly opposed to the front fans, and i don't know if i should only change the direction of one of the upwards fans, since, well, hot air rises and that stuff... i'm kinda new in this world of pc building and wanted to know what do you think of this situation and what whould the best adjustment be for the case's air preassure to be possitive.
This video was really helpful. I kind of wish there were illustrations of 'air flow' or ' negative and positive pressure' build ups so idiots like me could understand lol, But I am sure if I look it up I will understand more. Hopefully I will be able get my PC of my floor, soon!
my biggest saver of dust is the electric air duster. I have a xpower brand one. but pretty much any half decent electric air duster works. It is up front alot more then just a can of air but then you can dust more often and not worry about burning through cans of air when you do so
Neutral pressure is fine, but having positive pressure is still better since it's stopping dust from getting into places you don't want it to be in like through little cracks in a side panel or something like that. Keep on mind that you can also achieve positive pressure by setting the exhausts to a lower overall rpm than the intake fans.
I put my PC in an old TV cabinet and took the doors off, so dust cant settle down from above and doesnt get pulled in from the front as much. So far the mesh front of the case is enough to stop the dust and a vacuum is enough to clean it off the front.
Your logic is sound, but the whole floor thing depends on a lot of variables. Where you live, how often you vacuum/dust, how well sealed your house is, humidity, pets, furnace filters, even how good your hygiene is. I've got systems on the floor, under desks, on top of desks... and they all collect about the same amount of dust. I don't have to clean them very often. But With the recent renovations I've been doing, none of them were spared. Even the one mounted to the bottom of the desk looked like it had been through an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption. Drywall dust is the worst.
I have a Fractal design R5 case, it has fantastic mesh dust filters, and as the case is off the floor, it amazes me how clean it stays inside, practically dust free. I would recommend any case with good mesh filters as a guide, unless you don't mind regular cleaning of your fans etc.
I would add get some of those fine mesh filters for the intake fans. Sure those block some airflow, but they keep a lot of the dust out. Specially if the case has a big holed mesh front panel.
Very informative. I've just bought an ramesses 310, and the airflow is none existent, So I got the old hand drill out and made a cheese grater out of the side panel, pop 3 120 fans as intake and it should do the job,
Best tip would be : vacuum your room and house about 2 times per week. And don't use rugs they accumulate hair, dust particles and allergens That is the best tip. My IT guy always says he has never seen a cleaner PC and I told him why he says that is the best thing you can do to help your PC
I actually have a large air purifier I use for my room positioned underneath my PC, which is sitting on my desk. It mostly intakes air only pushed out thats already been filtered.
What about a PC case placed on a stand on the floor? Would it be ok or would it still need to be placed on the table? I dont have much space on my table and no space to place a bigger table in my system area. Any help and suggestions would be appreciated!
I hate cleaning out my PC so I built one that has a 16 x 20 inch furnace fan filtering all the air coming in. This required case modification and careful sealing of any air leaks to ensure that 100% of air coming in was filtered using a real filter, not those porous screens that come with cases. I also made sure I have positive air pressure.
I know this isn't why my PC died, but thanks a lot Greg. I decided to move my PC from next to my desk, to the desktop. Everything was running fine and I decided to race a round in Dirt 5. I'd completed my match, when all of the sudden the PC shut down, tried to reboot and kept going through a reboot cycle. I pulled the plug, removed all but one RAM stick and managed to get into a Asus Tek system fail screen. I went to add another stick and the thing went from trying to boot, to just cranking up the fans on the GPU and never going through a boot cycle. This is almost exactly what happened to my rig back in 2015 and now I'll have to go through the RMA process of replacing the 9900K and the Asus Maximus Hero XI motherboard. So depressed!
The thumbnail got me right in the feels. My fans are setup for just above neutral pressure, so I don't have a dust problem inside of the case. But when my overclocked GPU fans start spinning :) Oh boy do those vented place holders get a workout!
I bought a new monitor the other day and have had to move my tower off my desk to the floor. I am definately going to get something to raise it up somewhat. Great video as always.
Would have been nice to tried different fan setups and use some kind of smoke utility or thermal camera to see the smoke path and to learn how much fans do you need at front and how much exhaust for a negative or positive pressure.
I put on table add lot's of fan proper aur flowing and postion. 6 intake 2 exhaust. 8 fans all quite good position. My house was good but recently a construction is going one the moment i open the window or go to the balcony God too much dust, My case has good filters. Though, I vacuum the inside once a week, Running pretty cool,
I have 3 fan slots on the fronts -occupied 1 fan slot on the back - occupied 2 fan slots for the basement -free and 2 for the roof -free Should I add the missing fans up top and at the bottom or is the air flow good as it is now?
I have the Be Quiet Silent base 802 with the mesh panels installed. The case also has easy to clean filters in the front, top, and bottom so I like that. I created a positive pressure with 7 case fans. I installed 3x Noctua 140mm Chromax front intakes that can push more air than the exhaust fans. With all the fans I can run them on lower power so that the noise level is low and also helps keep dust down.
@Rondo James Yes I know opening the case and blowing house fans at it is one solution to excess heat. I used to do that in the 90's when I was benchmarking some seriously old hardware, like the 3dfx Voodoo 3 and 5 graphics cards and the very first Nvidia GeForce graphics card. It's not something I care to do with my current system though and cases have evolved and can give ample cooling and filtering at the same time now. I've had several Dell XPS systems and unfortunately they haven't done much evolving over the years. When you buy your own system and build it properly, you want to be able to enjoy it and enjoy looking at it too. Leaving the side panel off isn't a good look and is completely unnecessary if your system has been built properly. I've seen the difference between unfiltered cases and filtered and I'll take the filtered.
@Rondo James something to consider is, if your liquid cooler is 10 years old then that is probably past it's lifetime if it is which could make for some warm temps. I never got into liquid cooling myself, Currently I am running the Noctua Chromax U12A cpu cooler and it does a great job.
I have a Fractal Design Define R5 case with 2 140 mil fans in front, 2 140 mil fans at the bottom, all 4 pull air in. The only exhaust fan is mounted at the back to a 120 mil AIO radiator. The power supply is isolated, and has a silent mode, so it doesn't even run its fan most of the time. The case sits on my desk next to the monitor. Dust buildup is minimal to a point I don't need to clean it for 6 months.
I have the phantex p300a mesh case with 2 arctic p14's (140mm) for intake with an AIO, and 2 arctic f120 bionix (120mm) for exhaust. I rarely have to clean my PC, because the dust mainly builds up on the front metal mesh panel and slightly on the radiator. Very thin layer of dust, just have to wipe off the metal mesh every now and then. The inside of the case gets very little dust particles
I would add that if you have a rad in the roof you should add an exhaust fan to compensate for the restriction the rad causes. IE: 3 unimpeded intakes and 3 exhaust on a 360 rad you should have one extra fan for a 4 x 120mm total exhaust (and vice versa if you are using it as the intake).
these tips added up all contribute to keeping the PC cleaner longer. I'd say positive pressure is probably the biggest one. I had a floor PC, and maintained positive pressure with the intakes filtered, and I had to clean the thing about twice a year, and the dust build up would be constrained to the filters, and then using a blower to blow out the rest of the air inside the case. In combination with not leaving the PC on the floor would be ideal.
I had this absolutely stupid idea a while back and part of me still wonders if it's possible... What if you made a vacuum-sealed liquid-cooled pc? If it's liquid cooled, you could keep the radiators and fans in a separate (open-air) chamber, although you'd really have to pay attention to make sure every possible heat source is in contact with a cooling block since, y'know, physics. It'd remove any possibility of dust buildup on the components as well as prevent corrosion on anything from moisture.
Best case is the one that makes easy to clean, easy front removal, easy filters removal, etc. Just blowing some air each month an your case will be perfect clean
I reverse the rear exhaust fan (using a ghetto-modded magnetic filter), with the fan on the single tower air-cooler mounted on its rear blowing toward the front of the case, a single centre-top 14cm fan very efficiently exhausts the warm air exiting the cooler. Front and bottom intake fans keep air moving around the the rest of the case, keeping the GFX and other chips on the MB cool. Effectively this creates an almost independent system for the CPU and I've found it runs several degrees cooler than with the orthodox fan arrangement (it has external air blown directly on to it). Obviously this results in a positive pressure setup, but that's the general idea with filtered intakes - the PC can go months without needing cleaning. ETA >> the reversed exhaust (now intake) fan ends up almost 'stacked' on the CPU fan, which isn't ideal (unless they're contra-rotating) - to mitigate this I used a Be Quiet Pure Wings which has circular duct onto which I've slipped a circular, 4cm deep eggbox grille made of stiff black card, this turns it into a 'vane-axial' fan. The grille converts the angular (spinning) motion of the air into a straight, high velocity (and hence high-pressure) axial flow directed at the CPU fan (which is good!). It also stops the harmonic interaction of the two fans (faint, weird 'moaning' noises at certain RPMs).
Can you make a video about optimizing your PC after you’ve built it? I have high-end specs, but I’m getting mid-tier frame rates. Would really appreciate a video on how to ensure your components are working at their max potential.
Check your games graphics settings first. They’re likely set way too high. Most games will automatically adjust settings on first installation and it’s almost never correct. Adjust your settings to suit your preferences. FYI - setting everything to the max is the worst way to play a game because those “Max” or “Ultra” settings are usually meant for making screenshots. I have a 3080 and a 9900k and I run games at the High Preset and changing certain settings like shadows and Anti-aliasing a little low usually lets me play most games at 120-160fps without issue. Doom Eternal is the exception as I can run that game at 1440p and get 200fps on Nightmare graphics without even trying.
@@rotor13 I have a 10900k and 3090, but I'm only getting around 140 fps on Warzone, which is definitely on the lower side, even with high settings for the most part.
I have an old Alienware Area-51 7500 case that I still use. Not a lot of ventilation as compared to recent designs, but it's looks cool, But does have dust collection on the sides.
Hi, Greg. Can you do a video to keep your oc clean in another way, getting rid of bloat ware. I have a feeling my pc is being slowed big time but no idea how to Safely get rid of that.
Easy. Look at the programs running the background, locate their icons in the task bar next to the clock. Disable or uninstall any that do not serve a purpose. Then open task manager and check the startup apps tab and disable any that you don’t regularly use.
@@rotor13 I did that, but some programs i am not sure of, i dont want want to Uninstall something critical by mistake. Plus opening task manager you see some programs running multiples of the same thing, not sure if that's a windows thing.
Somehow fan speed on my case affects whether the pressure inside is lower or higher. Low fan speed will force air enters through the pci covers, and vice versa.
00:46 - sir I have a Corsair Air 540 and limited desk space. I don’t know where you want me to put this. So anyway thanks for justifying me upgrading to a mitx build
i know i’m late to this video but theoretically could i keep my pc near the ground but also buy some type of air purifier that removes dust and keep it somewhat near the pc and my pc will be safe?
Where you live in general also factors in, you may happen to live in a dusty neighborhood with gravel roads, unless you plan on moving to a better neighborhood, your PC is going to collect dust real quick regardless of the cases or case placement, leading to frequent clean ups.
My o11 xl with 10 fans has been running since October and I upgraded it yesterday and other than a very small amount on the fan blades. I was surprised on how the parts had close to 0 dust on any of them.
I keep my tempered glass panel removed. I have a 240 aio mounted on the top to cool my 5900X and the 240 aio for my Strix LC 6800 XT is mounted on the front (mesh, Lancool 2 Mesh case). That's it, 4 fans total, 2 per aio and the temps are excellent. Dust will of course collect as it's inevitable but regular maintenance keeps things clean and working in optimum shape.
Sometimes that glass can actually help airflow, as it helps the fans direct the air to follow the path. If you were to leave the glass off, I'd put both AIO's to intake, as then they both get cooler air, and it can vent out of the open side.
Petition for Greg to make a ceiling-mounted PC...
Yesss
You won't triple dog dare me 👀
@@GregSalazar Ok I'll triple dog dare you Greg.
@@GregSalazar I septuple dog dare you!
Signed
You forgot the 4th factor. Keeping your house clean. Your fans can only drag in what's actually there.
So true, same for all those dirty people with their consoles getting all the dirt inside hahaha
Most dust in a home is actually dead human skin cells.
@@aaronmunn2918 incorrect. Some will be, but to suggest most is, is ridiculous if you just stop and think about how much dust there is after a week of no cleaning your home. Also... how do you account for the levels of dust you find in abandoned buildings? Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
Live next to a corn field and got hella dogs, it’s sooo hard to keep it clean. Gotta clean the house like once every 2 days to just wipe everything down
Google: - This it English? No, It's Korean!
Can you make a ceiling mounted pc that has a really really big cooler so it also works as a ceiling fan
I would like to see a massive water block and rad that uses the ceiling fan for a fan.
lol that's a pretty cool idea. would be best if the PC doesn't depend on it for cooling though, or if it can spin slow enough so you don't always have to feel the fan.
Nah just stick the pc near air conditioner for MAXIMUM COOLING or just fuking dip them inside pure water lmao
LMAO PLEASE.
I remember when I bought my first "prebuilt" PC (I chose all the parts myself, but let the company I bought it from assemble it), I just chose a budget midtower case that I like from its looks from the front. Incidentally, it had great airflow with only 1 intake and 2 exhaust fans, with the cpu cooler being one of them, and a foam filter in front of the intake fan. I opened the case for cleaning I think about a year, year and a half and was pleasantly surprised at how little dust made it inside. I mean, the amount of dust could only be comparable to I think 1 months of daily use with the PC on the floor (I had it on my desk).
I keep my PC on a vented stand under my desk, with a bottom to top airflow pattern. My case also has fantastic filtration. After 2 years, there's barely any dust in it.
Vented stand?
@@Dracossaint It's a monitor stand with a perforated top. Helps my PC breathe. It even has a drawer for extra cords and junk.
www.amazon.com/SimpleHouseware-Metal-Monitor-Organizer-Drawer/dp/B075KP5JLH/
bro what is your case? must be really small
@@CaveyMoth ahhh i figured it was something similar. but i was hoping for a postive pressure system with a semi-hermatic seal a little bit. Usually that's what words like vented bring to mind
@@danirizki7325 Cooler Master NR200P. It's kind of small. I originally had a Q500L, and that fit, too.
I cleaned my pc last week, and I already feel like I need to do it again…
me every 2 weeks
time to take these tips to heart
or time to start cleaning your room as well
I have a 220T from Corsair and I feel your pain. Need to clean the filters weekly lmao
@@HazewinDog I do clean my room, my problem is my dogs. 😂 plus my pc is close the the ground cus my wife didn’t want it on the desk.
@@tychi5916 I have the same case, it’s like a vacuum 😂
“When’s the last time you cleaned behind your screens”
*me lookin at the swiffer refill I threw out last night after cleaning behind my monitor*
had to break eye contact with the screen, I cleaned behind them last night found stuff that I thought was gone for good.
@@tomr3422 same lol I looked behind my tv on the ledge where the hdmi plugs are and there was like half an inch of dust on it lelelelelelelele
You are supposed to clean a PC? I thought the dust protected it from heat loss and activated the inner room-warming features.
👁👃👁
Ur the type of person to ask someone why ur mirror looks so ugly
Dust is combination of little particles, as long as theres a hole they can enter
can't tell if this is satire or not lol
I'll use a duster can or battery-operated blower, but I'll be damned if I'm going to take apart EVERY. SINGLE. COMPONENT. in the case every so often to literally wash it out like that and then have to wait forever for it to *perfectly* dry before reassembling everything. Screw that.
This is very true, i was annoyed with my PC getting so dirty every month, so i threw in 2 be quiet 140s as intake, and i saw no more dust build up in the case, only in the proper intake filters was there any dust. Plus gpu temps went down, win win.
One thing that I learned about 16 years ago was panty hose/nylon stockings can be cut up and be used as a filter medium. It's crazy, but it works, especially if it's stretched just right. Last I checked, they were available in black...
4:58 - the calculation for positive or negative pressure by number of fans doesn't work with a filtered intake case - filtered fans will move air at c. 1/3 to 1/2 the rate of the open-grille exhaust fans, hence *2 or 3 intake fans = 1 exhaust fan* (of the same size and RPM).
how do you know how much airflow is moving through your case and to know that specific detail that its moving at 1/3 or 1/2 the rate?
@@smolcap A simple test is to hold a burning taper (incense stick) up to the PCI grille of the case - it's well away from the direct flow of front and rear fans and will clearly indicate +ve or -ve pressure. I've done this many times and the numbers above are what I've gathered.
I guess buying an air filter and putting in my office aimed to the front of case was a a win win. 😁
Built my first PC by hand this past September and I chose the Corsair 4000D Airflow edition to build it in. I'll admit that I'm guilty of putting it on the floor due to simply not having enough space in my room for a bigger desk, but the built-in dust filters at every major entry point for air have made monthly-ish cleanup an absolute breeze, and have done an amazing job at keeping dust out of the internals. A quick wipe of the dust filters and an extremely quick spraying of the internals with compressed air is the worst I've ever had to deal with, I highly recommend it or Corsair's refresh on that line of cases, the entire lineup of 5000D cases!
5:45 Dude you’re 1000% correct. I’ve never thought about the small change in pressure inside the case but it makes perfect sense. Props on thinking outside the box.
I have an open air case, the Inwin 925. I do a thorough dust cleaning once a week. I find it therapeutic
I can testify, had negative pressure for a while, my pc looked like an old shoe box, got two fans in the front and an exhaust now, it's looking mint
Got a Meshify C. Three 120 mm in the front, 4x120 mm on the radiator up top (push/pull) for exhaust and one 120 mm on the rear for exhaust. Probably overkill, just kept adding more stuff after the initial build a few years ago. Live in Orlando, too, but honestly a blast with my Data Vac every six months keeps it pretty clean :P
My previous case was pretty amazing at keeping dust out but I also had positive air flow. For anyone interested the case I'm talking about is the Corsair 780t and as long as you clean off the filters every couple of weeks it virtually stays super clean. In the 7-8 years that I used it as my main pc I had to fully clean it only 3 times tops and yes there was some dust and dirt in it once i took it completely apart for my new build but on all of the visible areas not a spot of dust build up and some minor build up in the rad and between the grills but I couldn't recommend that case more if you're looking to tackle dust and maintain a decent airflow. Let's hope my new case stands up to the 780t I now have the 5000d AF and it has some big shoes to fill but if its anything like my last Corsair I have little doubt in it.
Me having laptop : Interesting........
Great vid and great advice my dude. I always tell people let NO intake opportunity go to waste. Many cases have fan vents on the bottom that go unused. Even just one more intake can make a huge difference especially if someone is in a high dust region.
Also you should put your pc in a super low traffic area if possible. (Like a well vented large closset). And placed 4ft+ off the ground.
Just came here after watching Jay put chocolate milk in a loop.
I got two fan intakes and three exhaust. Two intakes at the front, two exhaust at the top and one in the back. I got two maglift filters that came with my case. It has help keep dust out for months at a time if I keep the filters clean
Had my fx 8300 system in the snow edition of that versa case. It was so bad, but looking back i have grown to really appreciate it. I learnt most of what i know about modding from that case, and most of what i know about overclocking from that cpu. It was my worst and my best pc memories.
One of the best videos !!!
Unique yet so under rated as a concept !
Thank you Greg :D
8:10 the graphics card will suck air from the pci openings in every case. Thats the shortest way, even if you have 3 fans in front. Ans it makes the gpu cooler in practice.
Thanks for this, I think it’s making a difference. It’s on the desk now and the sidefan is now pointing in to create positive pressure.
Been an informative, inspiring and good series on maintenance. Thanks, Greg!
Made everything he says in his video and can confirm it works just as he said. Built my pc 15 months ago an have been using on my table ever since. Never got it cleaned or even opened, my temps are the same as the day I built it (I've made a few teaks on them day one), but I can see a very thin dust layer above pretty much everything inside the case, but my down front fan is stuck with a dense amount of dirt that is starting to take a shape around it lol. 15 months without even opening it, I see that as an absolute win.
I have 11 120mm fans in my Lian Li Snow White Mini LOL. I took off all those screen filters because they're very restrictive, there is enough flow now that dust doesn't get a chance to collect.
... I have 4 dogs, people walking in and out all day with dirt all over their shoes... we country here and I keep my side panel off. with only one fan on the back and a fan on my video card, it still does not get all that dirty, I clean it every few years with an air blower and it has been running smoothly since 2014.
Just upgraded to the evga Gold G6 750 psu and was about to look into a bigger case, when I thought about the dust... but now I know it is not as dusty as possible.... 0:05
Also thank you, I asked for this video on twitter….Though I asked in a more “what setup is appropriate for what situation” more from a cooling angle than cleanliness but thins still helps with that
i'd rather have 100% airflow with more dust than 50% airflow with less dust
I'd rather have 25% airflow with less dust, as long as performance isn't impacted and temps are well under control.
You can have 100% airflow with less dust if you just get a proper case.
I personally have a Meshify C since it released a little over a year ago and there’s practically no dust build up. There’s just enough to swipe your finger and notice a slight color different, but without checking you’d never notice.
It’s way better than the Define R5 I have.
High airflow cases are by far the best option to go with in a PC as they tend to have the better overall dust filtration than other, cheaper cases.
Don’t spend $50 on a case that you’ll have to rip apart and clean every month, spent $100 or more on a decent case and you’ll get better airflow and thermals and you won’t have to rip it alert to clean it of dust way less frequently
@@rotor13 nzxt cases are quite good and they only cost a hundred bucks
@@jamesdonnelly7194 there are alot better options for cases than nzxt, infact most nzxt cases have poor thermals. Phanteks or lian li are much better options
@@TheSectric phanteks p360a, is that good?
Especially if you're a streamer, get that floor PC up on the desk as close to microphone as possible. Ideally with the exhaust fans pointed directly at the mic. Viewers really appreciate the ASMR constant fan noise! Multiplayer chat buddies will too! /s
On a serious note, positive pressure FTW! Just do it, your CPU and GPU will thank you.
A lot of what you cover is why I consider these cases with the glass panel sides to be dipshit rubbish. I've always been a fan of the 10" side fan... probably why I consider the Rosewill Thor the current pinnacle of case development, with the old TT Element G running a close second.
10" fan maintains positive pressure through the rest of the case. It can spin at lower RPM's whilst moving more air, meaning it is quieter. There are so many advantages to it, and this "bling bling" lighted see-through side nonsense is pretty much the enemy.
I've also found it handy to use actual HEPA filter material instead of the silly little drill plates. Means your PC can do double-duty as a air filter, and if you just attach them to the outside (adhesive velcro FTW) they're easy-peasy to take off and clean.
There are also 'mounts' to hang the PC under your desk, then there is no dusty surface anywhere nearby. I did this for years and my PC barely needed cleaning dust out. It does block any vertical ventilation though, and there are very few cases nowadays with power button at the front.
I do all this already, its great for temps and very low dust build up.
I actually bought a file cabinet for the PC case to sit on. A small 2 drawer one and I never told the Mrs. this, but I bought it for the PC alone, putting documents in it was never my intention :P but eventually important papers come along in life and its nice to have a place to put them in. Works great for PC parts storage too!
Get a MERV 8 filter for your home HVAC system. We've had far less dust in our PC's since we did that.
I don't keep PC's on a desk because the single biggest measure you can take to deal with PC noise is get it away from you- especially away from your head. I keep it beside my desk on the floor. I haven't noticed the dust being any different than PC's on a desk. But probably the most sensible approach would be to put the PC on a low stand of some sort, and keep the area around the PC clean.
I live in farm country down south (already hitting 90 degrees (F) here in May). The dust is crazy here. With a 10 fan case (Lian Li o11 Dynamic XL), that dust can be murder. So I have my system on a shelf ABOVE my monitors. It's base feet nearly 6 feet off the floor and the top of the case is about 6 inches or so from the ceiling and indeed it helps keeping the dust build up to minimum. I can go about a month before I need to clean the filters and clean inside every other month or so. Also my space in limited so the location helps with that too. However the one con is that heat rises of course so the system runs a touch warmer but not bad at about 1 to 2 degrees C warmer vs desk level. A fair trade-off for a cleaner system IMO. Plus the fact that dirty systems run hotter, which pretty much makes it breaks even in that regard.
I needed this. I've got a PC that is a dust magnet.
Trust me the PS4 pro is a friggin dust vacuum
Great video, thank you. Also your direct conclusion at the end was👌🏼👌🏼
I feel like you should have mentioned cooler component selection require less air flow to begin with, which in some instances could mean zero to low air flow.
An extreme solution would be to design and build intake trunking using a car type full flow air filter, just like in your car.
Is it a good idea to power down my pc every night or when I leave for work to help mitigate dust collection? I typically leave it on 24/7.
Greg, iv'e been wondering this for quite some time: you see, i first built a computer for my mom even prior to building mine, i bought a cheap case that has space for 3 120 mm fans on the front, that plus the one (included) rear exhaust fan was enough for her basic system (and to create a good possitive preassure), however, for mine i bought a q300l from Cooler master, a mini itx case, and it is symmetrical on the top and front, both having space for up to two 120 mm fans each, but, because of this, i wanted to put some exhaust fans on top due to the hot air rising, and then i realized there is a problem with the air pressure if i wanted it to be possitive ... since i would have the rear and the two upside fans as exhausting fans; and considering the build only has 2 front fans, it's preassure is negative, but... i really don't know which fan position should i change, because if i do with the rear fan, it would create turbulence due to it being directly opposed to the front fans, and i don't know if i should only change the direction of one of the upwards fans, since, well, hot air rises and that stuff... i'm kinda new in this world of pc building and wanted to know what do you think of this situation and what whould the best adjustment be for the case's air preassure to be possitive.
just run with two intakes and make sure the vents for exhaust is clear. also wire management.
This video was really helpful. I kind of wish there were illustrations of 'air flow' or ' negative and positive pressure' build ups so idiots like me could understand lol, But I am sure if I look it up I will understand more.
Hopefully I will be able get my PC of my floor, soon!
my biggest saver of dust is the electric air duster. I have a xpower brand one. but pretty much any half decent electric air duster works. It is up front alot more then just a can of air but then you can dust more often and not worry about burning through cans of air when you do so
What about neutral pressure? I got 3 140mm intake, 1 140mm exhaust, 280mm aio set to exhaust
Neutral pressure is fine, but having positive pressure is still better since it's stopping dust from getting into places you don't want it to be in like through little cracks in a side panel or something like that. Keep on mind that you can also achieve positive pressure by setting the exhausts to a lower overall rpm than the intake fans.
I put my PC in an old TV cabinet and took the doors off, so dust cant settle down from above and doesnt get pulled in from the front as much. So far the mesh front of the case is enough to stop the dust and a vacuum is enough to clean it off the front.
Your logic is sound, but the whole floor thing depends on a lot of variables. Where you live, how often you vacuum/dust, how well sealed your house is, humidity, pets, furnace filters, even how good your hygiene is. I've got systems on the floor, under desks, on top of desks... and they all collect about the same amount of dust. I don't have to clean them very often. But With the recent renovations I've been doing, none of them were spared. Even the one mounted to the bottom of the desk looked like it had been through an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption. Drywall dust is the worst.
I have a Fractal design R5 case, it has fantastic mesh dust filters, and as the case is off the floor, it amazes me how clean it stays inside, practically dust free. I would recommend any case with good mesh filters as a guide, unless you don't mind regular cleaning of your fans etc.
you can also buy a case that has a HEPA filter inside, i think its a silverstone case i don't remember exactly
I would add get some of those fine mesh filters for the intake fans. Sure those block some airflow, but they keep a lot of the dust out.
Specially if the case has a big holed mesh front panel.
Do you think having an air purifier around the pc would have any affect at all?
what direction should the top fans blow inside the case or outside?
Very informative. I've just bought an ramesses 310, and the airflow is none existent, So I got the old hand drill out and made a cheese grater out of the side panel, pop 3 120 fans as intake and it should do the job,
Best tip would be : vacuum your room and house about 2 times per week. And don't use rugs they accumulate hair, dust particles and allergens That is the best tip. My IT guy always says he has never seen a cleaner PC and I told him why he says that is the best thing you can do to help your PC
I actually have a large air purifier I use for my room positioned underneath my PC, which is sitting on my desk. It mostly intakes air only pushed out thats already been filtered.
What about a PC case placed on a stand on the floor? Would it be ok or would it still need to be placed on the table? I dont have much space on my table and no space to place a bigger table in my system area. Any help and suggestions would be appreciated!
I hate cleaning out my PC so I built one that has a 16 x 20 inch furnace fan filtering all the air coming in. This required case modification and careful sealing of any air leaks to ensure that 100% of air coming in was filtered using a real filter, not those porous screens that come with cases. I also made sure I have positive air pressure.
Me without a PC: hmmm interesting
I know this isn't why my PC died, but thanks a lot Greg. I decided to move my PC from next to my desk, to the desktop. Everything was running fine and I decided to race a round in Dirt 5. I'd completed my match, when all of the sudden the PC shut down, tried to reboot and kept going through a reboot cycle. I pulled the plug, removed all but one RAM stick and managed to get into a Asus Tek system fail screen. I went to add another stick and the thing went from trying to boot, to just cranking up the fans on the GPU and never going through a boot cycle. This is almost exactly what happened to my rig back in 2015 and now I'll have to go through the RMA process of replacing the 9900K and the Asus Maximus Hero XI motherboard. So depressed!
The thumbnail got me right in the feels.
My fans are setup for just above neutral pressure, so I don't have a dust problem inside of the case.
But when my overclocked GPU fans start spinning :) Oh boy do those vented place holders get a workout!
I bought a new monitor the other day and have had to move my tower off my desk to the floor. I am definately going to get something to raise it up somewhat. Great video as always.
Would have been nice to tried different fan setups and use some kind of smoke utility or thermal camera to see the smoke path and to learn how much fans do you need at front and how much exhaust for a negative or positive pressure.
I put on table add lot's of fan proper aur flowing and postion.
6 intake 2 exhaust.
8 fans all quite good position.
My house was good but recently a construction is going one the moment i open the window or go to the balcony God too much dust,
My case has good filters.
Though, I vacuum the inside once a week,
Running pretty cool,
1:18 I mounted mine with a bracket under my desk. If you're looking to have a clean desk but not have it sitting on the floor.
I have 3 fan slots on the fronts -occupied
1 fan slot on the back - occupied
2 fan slots for the basement -free
and 2 for the roof -free
Should I add the missing fans up top and at the bottom or is the air flow good as it is now?
I have the Be Quiet Silent base 802 with the mesh panels installed. The case also has easy to clean filters in the front, top, and bottom so I like that. I created a positive pressure with 7 case fans. I installed 3x Noctua 140mm Chromax front intakes that can push more air than the exhaust fans. With all the fans I can run them on lower power so that the noise level is low and also helps keep dust down.
@Rondo James Yes I know opening the case and blowing house fans at it is one solution to excess heat. I used to do that in the 90's when I was benchmarking some seriously old hardware, like the 3dfx Voodoo 3 and 5 graphics cards and the very first Nvidia GeForce graphics card. It's not something I care to do with my current system though and cases have evolved and can give ample cooling and filtering at the same time now.
I've had several Dell XPS systems and unfortunately they haven't done much evolving over the years. When you buy your own system and build it properly, you want to be able to enjoy it and enjoy looking at it too. Leaving the side panel off isn't a good look and is completely unnecessary if your system has been built properly. I've seen the difference between unfiltered cases and filtered and I'll take the filtered.
@Rondo James something to consider is, if your liquid cooler is 10 years old then that is probably past it's lifetime if it is which could make for some warm temps. I never got into liquid cooling myself, Currently I am running the Noctua Chromax U12A cpu cooler and it does a great job.
I have a Fractal Design Define R5 case with 2 140 mil fans in front, 2 140 mil fans at the bottom, all 4 pull air in.
The only exhaust fan is mounted at the back to a 120 mil AIO radiator.
The power supply is isolated, and has a silent mode, so it doesn't even run its fan most of the time.
The case sits on my desk next to the monitor. Dust buildup is minimal to a point I don't need to clean it for 6 months.
I've only had my PC for 2 years, its like he's speaking a different language, I love it
I have the phantex p300a mesh case with 2 arctic p14's (140mm) for intake with an AIO, and 2 arctic f120 bionix (120mm) for exhaust. I rarely have to clean my PC, because the dust mainly builds up on the front metal mesh panel and slightly on the radiator. Very thin layer of dust, just have to wipe off the metal mesh every now and then. The inside of the case gets very little dust particles
I would add that if you have a rad in the roof you should add an exhaust fan to compensate for the restriction the rad causes. IE: 3 unimpeded intakes and 3 exhaust on a 360 rad you should have one extra fan for a 4 x 120mm total exhaust (and vice versa if you are using it as the intake).
these tips added up all contribute to keeping the PC cleaner longer. I'd say positive pressure is probably the biggest one. I had a floor PC, and maintained positive pressure with the intakes filtered, and I had to clean the thing about twice a year, and the dust build up would be constrained to the filters, and then using a blower to blow out the rest of the air inside the case.
In combination with not leaving the PC on the floor would be ideal.
I had this absolutely stupid idea a while back and part of me still wonders if it's possible... What if you made a vacuum-sealed liquid-cooled pc? If it's liquid cooled, you could keep the radiators and fans in a separate (open-air) chamber, although you'd really have to pay attention to make sure every possible heat source is in contact with a cooling block since, y'know, physics. It'd remove any possibility of dust buildup on the components as well as prevent corrosion on anything from moisture.
I always clean my dust filter every weekend to prevent dust build up .
Best case is the one that makes easy to clean, easy front removal, easy filters removal, etc. Just blowing some air each month an your case will be perfect clean
I reverse the rear exhaust fan (using a ghetto-modded magnetic filter), with the fan on the single tower air-cooler mounted on its rear blowing toward the front of the case, a single centre-top 14cm fan very efficiently exhausts the warm air exiting the cooler. Front and bottom intake fans keep air moving around the the rest of the case, keeping the GFX and other chips on the MB cool. Effectively this creates an almost independent system for the CPU and I've found it runs several degrees cooler than with the orthodox fan arrangement (it has external air blown directly on to it). Obviously this results in a positive pressure setup, but that's the general idea with filtered intakes - the PC can go months without needing cleaning.
ETA >> the reversed exhaust (now intake) fan ends up almost 'stacked' on the CPU fan, which isn't ideal (unless they're contra-rotating) - to mitigate this I used a Be Quiet Pure Wings which has circular duct onto which I've slipped a circular, 4cm deep eggbox grille made of stiff black card, this turns it into a 'vane-axial' fan. The grille converts the angular (spinning) motion of the air into a straight, high velocity (and hence high-pressure) axial flow directed at the CPU fan (which is good!). It also stops the harmonic interaction of the two fans (faint, weird 'moaning' noises at certain RPMs).
Can you make a video about optimizing your PC after you’ve built it? I have high-end specs, but I’m getting mid-tier frame rates. Would really appreciate a video on how to ensure your components are working at their max potential.
Check your games graphics settings first. They’re likely set way too high.
Most games will automatically adjust settings on first installation and it’s almost never correct.
Adjust your settings to suit your preferences.
FYI - setting everything to the max is the worst way to play a game because those “Max” or “Ultra” settings are usually meant for making screenshots.
I have a 3080 and a 9900k and I run games at the High Preset and changing certain settings like shadows and Anti-aliasing a little low usually lets me play most games at 120-160fps without issue.
Doom Eternal is the exception as I can run that game at 1440p and get 200fps on Nightmare graphics without even trying.
@@rotor13 I have a 10900k and 3090, but I'm only getting around 140 fps on Warzone, which is definitely on the lower side, even with high settings for the most part.
@@JackWutang i have a rtx 2070 super and thats what i get on warzone, something definitely is off.
@@JackWutang warzone 2 btw
I have an old Alienware Area-51 7500 case that I still use. Not a lot of ventilation as compared to recent designs, but it's looks cool, But does have dust collection on the sides.
Super helpful video. I love this channel! 😚
Thanks a ton!
Thanks, i finally understood how the air pressure works inside the case. Your explanation was on point as always.
This is what I wanted to know more about. Thanks for the video
great tips!, plus always clean your room.
I'm so glad I installed some mesh on the front panel fans. 😌
Great video! I got a new PC and this is perfect to keep it clean.
Hi, Greg. Can you do a video to keep your oc clean in another way, getting rid of bloat ware. I have a feeling my pc is being slowed big time but no idea how to Safely get rid of that.
Easy. Look at the programs running the background, locate their icons in the task bar next to the clock. Disable or uninstall any that do not serve a purpose.
Then open task manager and check the startup apps tab and disable any that you don’t regularly use.
@@rotor13 I did that, but some programs i am not sure of, i dont want want to Uninstall something critical by mistake. Plus opening task manager you see some programs running multiples of the same thing, not sure if that's a windows thing.
Somehow fan speed on my case affects whether the pressure inside is lower or higher. Low fan speed will force air enters through the pci covers, and vice versa.
00:46 - sir I have a Corsair Air 540 and limited desk space. I don’t know where you want me to put this. So anyway thanks for justifying me upgrading to a mitx build
Great explanation.
We use small plastic file cabinets Greg to help keep our PC's or Rigs clean.
In my new build I have 3 fans exhaust and 2 intake in my nr200. Now to wait and see how the dust build up goes 🤔
You can adjust dust settings in the Bios.
i know i’m late to this video but theoretically could i keep my pc near the ground but also buy some type of air purifier that removes dust and keep it somewhat near the pc and my pc will be safe?
Where you live in general also factors in, you may happen to live in a dusty neighborhood with gravel roads, unless you plan on moving to a better neighborhood, your PC is going to collect dust real quick regardless of the cases or case placement, leading to frequent clean ups.
Me: Its 1AM i have to sleep
Me again: Saw the new video notification
My mind: This video is for you ma man😂
Hahah thanks for the late-night viewership!
I am still rocking a Cooler Master Cosmos case which is as big as my desk, taking off the floor is a no go LOL
My o11 xl with 10 fans has been running since October and I upgraded it yesterday and other than a very small amount on the fan blades. I was surprised on how the parts had close to 0 dust on any of them.
I keep my tempered glass panel removed. I have a 240 aio mounted on the top to cool my 5900X and the 240 aio for my Strix LC 6800 XT is mounted on the front (mesh, Lancool 2 Mesh case). That's it, 4 fans total, 2 per aio and the temps are excellent. Dust will of course collect as it's inevitable but regular maintenance keeps things clean and working in optimum shape.
Sometimes that glass can actually help airflow, as it helps the fans direct the air to follow the path. If you were to leave the glass off, I'd put both AIO's to intake, as then they both get cooler air, and it can vent out of the open side.