Metro ED500 DataVac 500-Watt 120 volt 0.75-HP Electric Blower Duster

Hey all.

So, I bought a ton of new parts and they all came in today. I gutted my computer to clean it, and my dumbass believed all of the advice I saw on here and elsewhere that canned compressed air would work just fine.... nope. Definitely not. The cans work for about 15 seconds, become too cold to the touch, and lose all pressure. I bought 4 of these cans, assuming they wouldn’t last long, and I’m having to alternate between all 4 just to clean one part of my computer. I use one for 10 seconds or so, put it down, grab another, etc etc. I saw some people recommending these electric, handheld air fans, and I thought about getting one, but I didn’t... I’m regretting this now.

I do not own an air compressor either, as much as I wish I did. I need other means of cleaning, please.. ones that are actually viable. I just wanted to clean this and get it built up by tonight to try it out, but, the chances of that are looking super slim..

Thanks.

It's time to do some cleaning for the inside of my pc, forgot about it since I made it over a year ago due to life situations. Haven't really done it before, are pressurised air cans good enough or is there a better option?

I used to have access to a big air compressor that was my dad’s, but now I don’t have room for one like that and the cans of compressed air kind of suck so what should I use ?

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Title says it all. Anything that most people wouldn't think of buying/using for the process of building their PC or just using it. This doesn't include obvious stuff like mouse, monitor, etc.

So, I was thinking of using my Vacuum's exhaust, (the vents on the front that spit out hot air) to clean the dust from my PC. I have it all tapped off and funnelling into the hose and from there funnelling into a smaller opening for increased air pressure.

​

Would using the vent on my vacuum to blow dust off create static electricity or does that only apply to sucking the dust up?

I need to clean my computer from dust and I heard that you shouldn't use normal vacuums to do it. I don't want to use a canned air thingy because it doesn't last for long. If I shouldn't use a vacuum why exactly? Is it a good idea to take my computer and use the thing which is used to pump car tires?

So my PC is starting to get a bit dusty, and wasn't sure how to go about cleaning it. I figured an air can would be fine, but wasn't too sure.

I was looking for refillable compressed air cans and stumbled upon this guy Metro ED500 DataVac 500-Watt 120 volt 0.75-HP Electric Blower Duster https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_DymKBbK5A70V2

Gotta be honest up front: I’ve never used a compressed air can before and I’ve certainly never used an electronic duster before so some real talk would be appreciated. All I need is something simple to use that can clean PC parts, keyboards, and occasionally my console and controller.

The gist of the debate seems to be that compressed air cans are more powerful, but electric dusters save money over time. If it is less powerful than a can, I can deal with that if I know in the end the electric duster is paying for itself. It beats me how many compressed air cans I’ll finish, but I know I plan on cleaning everything once a quarter. With this level of usage, how much money may the electric duster save and would it offset its relatively hefty price tag?

I've been having some trouble cleaning my pc, i usually just clean the dustfilters and wipe of some dust inside my pc every other week, but im beginning to see some dust building up in places i can't reach. So i was just wondering what the best way to clean my pc would be?

​

I really hit the jackpot. I found a Craigslist ad for what looked like a commercial grinder. It looked very industrial. As luck would have it, the guy was only 4 miles away, so I popped over there. He's been in the coffee business as a technician for 45 years, and his last trip out to Guatemala where he and his wife's family are from, he brought back a few machines. He rebuilds them and then sells them I guess. I got the last one, it's a beast. Probably a 1-2hp motor. He said the other two sold because they had numbers on the adjustment dials, but that this one had them rubbed off from use. However, he opens up the machine for me and inside are the gleaming burrs and under is a brand newish motor. It's got a toggle switch for on and off and a dial on the top with a bar that you lift and slide into groves. The cord was also redone, completely new, heavy duty. The body is all stainless, think and held together with large accessible flat head screws. It's a freaking tank. The damn thing weighs about 40lbs, it's about 12 inch x 12 inch by maybe 14 inches high.

It just makes a humming sound when flicked on. Grinds through beans like crazy. I just gave it a few tasks, I dropped bean in to see the output and get an idea of how good it was, then three cups of aeropress grind and a moka pot grind. It looked fabulous. Hardly any fines in the aeropress grind. I'll be interested to see how it does with auto drip and French tomorrow.

Three questions:

Does anyone have any quick and dirty ideas for a diy hopper? I'm thinking PVC pipe if I'm lucky. Otherwise, I'm not really planning on needing one. 95% of my coffee is single cup servings, so about 20g max.

Does anyone have a solution for static electricity? The spout that the ground coffee comes out of has lots of beans. Actually, I lost a few grams on my initial grind. I assume that the entire inside is pretty much coated now (no flavored beans!! The new rule of the house)

To follow up on that point, how often should I break this down and brush out the old grounds. I assume they will eventually get stale and undesirable to keep in the throat of this thing.

Yeehaw!!

I've been using a kyocera hand grinder (hario skerton type) and I gotta say, begrudgingly, this is definitely next leveling my coffee game. I had a "Meh" Brazilian pulp that I roasted a few days ago that I couldn't get any taste out of. I thought it was the bean, but it smelled great, like cocoa and orange peel. This morning, I tried it again to no avail. This afternoon after I set the new machine up, it was my inaugural bean because I figured that I could waste it since the bean wasn't that great. HOLEEEEY SMOKES was I wrong. It was GLORIOUS!!! It's all in the grind. A good grind makes an OK bean a great bean and a bad grind makes a great bean, a "Meh" bean. I couldn't believe the chocolate and orange tastes coming off this bean with a great grind.

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What do you have planned?

I want to move my firewall from the spare office down in the basement. The rack made this same move a couple of weeks ago. Last night I completed the conduit run for the network connections. Now the firewall can join the rest of the gear.

So today my PC case was really dusty, so I vacuumed and swept it with microfiber cloth. It removed most of the dust, however some of it is still "stuck" into the fan blades etc. Which would require disassembling parts of the computer to get all of it away.

I however wonder, how often would it be worthwhile to remove all dust? Or do I need to consider with some dust being stuck to the fans etc.? I'm not sure if they'll affect performance in any noticeable way.

How do I clean my pc? Its not that dusty but it does need cleaning? How can I clean my PC without damaging it?

Hello all,

Before I commit to cleaning out my PC, I first want to make sure that the methods I plan to use will not mess up my PC.

Method 1. An inflatable bed pump

Method 2. A cheap blower from AliExpress? (https://nl.aliexpress.com/popular/electric-air-blower-computer.html)

There is no way of static electricity build up when using either one of those methods right?

Thanks!

Hello all,

Before I commit to cleaning out my PC, I first want to make sure that the methods I plan to use will not mess up my PC.

Method 1. An inflatable bed pump

Method 2. A cheap blower from AliExpress? (https://nl.aliexpress.com/popular/electric-air-blower-computer.html)

There is no way of static electricity build up when using either one of those methods right?

Thanks!

Hello /r/networking!

Currently in our data center we have 2 ISPs that each connect to their own dirty switch before going to our firewall. I am upgrading these switches this year. My plan was to put the new switches in a stack and feed both connections into the stack. Recommended idea or not?

Friend just got a free, used, 24port Dell Switch. It was rather dusty on the inside; and the inside has been cleaned.

The 24 RJ45 1GB ports on the front are also dusty; and the vacuum cleaner did not help much.

Is it ok to take Q-tips with tiny amount Isopropyl Alcohol and gently clean out each of the RJ45 ports?

Naturally, the power plug is pulled. /thanks

EDIT: Turns out this old switch (free) came from an office full of cigarette smokers; and the "dirt" was years of cigarette tar. Air did not work; but alcohol did (used with higher-end camera glass cleaning wipes). Happy conclusion to the problem. Thanks

[deleted]

anyone have any experience finding a good air compressor for cleaning pc parts / desks etc?

I have a 2 year old PS4. Which was showing blue screen of PS4 heating up.

I went to Sony service centre and they said PS4 is toast and need to replace and I need to pay 80 percent of the cost.

Went to local service people and they asked for 150 dollars.

I searched around Internet and most people suggested not to change thermal paste.

Then I went ahead, bought the tools and paste and thought let's give it a try. After I opened up the main board.

The thermal paste around the processor was only on the sides and squished. And on heat sink there was minimal amount.

I cleaned it and just put a pea sized dot in the centre and put back PS4.

Almost immediately PS4 was almost dead silent. Even when running heavy games which would shut off after 1 second of play.

So if any of u guys are facing this problem. Just change thermal paste. It gives new life to a dead PS4.

[removed]

Is there an electric air compressor or something? It’s annoying to have to buy more compressed air cans every once in a while. Is there some alternative than compress over and over?

Description of problem

I'm going to clean my motherboard with isopropyl alcohol for the first time. I'm feeling very cautious about it, and someone who understands hardware better recommended me to remove the BIOS battery to avoid short circuit. But I have other doubts:1) Long time ago, I updated the BIOS driver to recognize Godavari APUs. It was necessary because I upgraded the APU. After BIOS reset, will the OS installed in my hard disk recognize the APU? Will I have to update the BIOS driver again?2) People say that Isopropyl dries fast, but as I'm a very unlucky guy I intend to wait at least one hour to turn the computer on. Also, I intend to replace the BIOS battery one minute after I finished cleaning. Is it safe to do or should I have to wait drying first?

Other relevant info

• Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H
• Amd A10-7860k

When this issue began

Today

Recurring issue

No

Cause/Steps to recreate the issue

Nothing

What I've tried so far to resolve the issue

Nothing

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Hello,

I am going out of town for a couple of days and I would really like to get my computer cleaned while I am gone. Im not talking about getting the hard drives cleaned up, I am talking about the internal parts of my computer physically cleaned and all the dust removed.

Does anyone know the best place to get this type of service done at?

Thank you!

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"Talent hits a target no one else can hit, Genius hits a target no one else can see." - Arthur Schopenhauer

Magandang gabi!

So i seen a lot of videos of people cleaning their ps4s with canned air, air compressor, vacumm and i was wondering, can i use a hair dryer in cold air to do it?

Like myself, many of you have hairy friends who, despite your best efforts, want to be near your PC. I built my first dedicated gaming computer this past April and want to keep it running in the best condition possible. I bought the magnetic screens that help cover the ventilation grates, but that is the extent of my "hair prevention system." What are some other things that you all use to help keep the inside of your PC clean?

Also, when the day comes to clean the inside of my PC, what all do you clean, what do you clean it with (cloths, vacuum, etc.), and what cleaning products are safe to use?

Thank you all and hope you have a great week.

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I just recently started my lab, but I'm having problems with dust (especially with lint from towels etc) getting into my servers as my rack is only passively cooled and is located in the same room as the dryer and washing machine and after only a couple of weeks you can definitely see a fair bit of dust and lint inside the equipment. I know this isn't an optimal solution, but it's the only one I have.
I'm trying to solve this problem without buying a specialized rack which would be extremely expensive.
I though I could maybe 'seal up' all of the vents in my rack using filters and then use a fan that pulls filtered air in from the outside, effectively creating a positive pressure inside the rack. This would solve my dust problems with the benefit of also being a great cooling solution. The problem with this though is that here in Germany we tend to have really high humidity, usually upwards of 85% RH (90% RH right now) and I'm not sure if the servers would like that.
Does anyone have other suggestions or experience with servers running in conditions like this ?

I just bought 99% IPA and I'm planning to dilute to 50%. Is it safe to use IPA for cleaning the front lens elements?

They're looking pretty dusty. I've got compressed air... is it cool to just spray right into it or will that just move the dust further in and burn my apartment down?

Thanks!

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When I go to a brick and mortar store, it seems incredibly expensive to buy a single can of compressed air. Where do you guys buy your compressed air? Is there a way to buy a lot of it in bulk?

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Last week's thread

After having my PC for over a month i opened it up to check on some things and noticed a heck of a lot of dust and dog hairs from my dog shedding made its way inside my PC. Is it okay to spray everything inside the PC with a airduster ?? or do i need to avoid some things?

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Can I use a handheld electric leaf blower instead of compressed air to clean my PC?

I was just looking through previous orders on Amazon and realised the last can of compressed air I brought to clean my pc was February last year. Can anyone recommend any electric dusters or some other good way of ridding it of dust build up?

Thank you

Who makes the best air duster? I don't mind having a cord. just want the strongest air pressure I can get that isn't one of those disposable cans.

Yesterday I disassembled my Dell Inspiron 15 3537 to clean it thoroughly from accumulated dust. After carefully putting everything back in place, I tried to boot it, but it doesn't do anything.

The only sign of life is LED indicator for power, which turns on and off few times for around 10 seconds and after that stays on. I can hear CPU and GPU both hissing, but the fan doesn't spin. Trying to power it off by holding power button doesn't work either.

I tried booting without any peripherals: only motherboard with CPU and GPU and two RAM sticks, after that I removed one and then another RAM stick. All of attempts resulted in same LED blinking.

I've seen people use Air Blasters such as the Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster on their PCs but I don't know enough about Air Blasters to know if they're a good alternative to compressed air dusters. Has anyone here used them on their PCs?

I would also like to apologize in advanced if this topic isn't appropriate for this subreddit. I tried looking for a subreddit specifically about cleaning PCs. I tried /r/pccare and /r/pccleaning , but neither of those subreddits exist. I did build my PC a few months ago however and it's getting a bit dusty.

My pc is getting very dusty inside now as I have not cleaned it since I built it. I was wondering what is the best way to clean out all the dust?

Tell us how do you do it.

I want to use it to clean out the dust in my pc as ive heard sucking the air in on some of the pc parts isnt good

I've been using canned air but at $10 a can it's starting to add up and I'd rather buy something that will last me for a while. Is an air compressor the right choice or will the high psi damage something? Any good duster recommendations for all over also?

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Noticed my few month old Corsair Strafe was getting pretty gross inside, could any harm come to the switches if I'm not careful? (Yes, I know about canned air, but I don't really feel like spending any money on cleaning out my keyboard)

Sorry, I don't know if this is the right place to post this especially since my computer was pre-built. I got it from HP and I love it to death, It came at an incredible price (980 ti, i7-4790 and 250gb SSD for 1000$!) and I've had it for a year and a half but I've neglected to clean it.

I want to go in and clean it but I don't want to damage anything. How fragile is the inside of a computer? Is there any company or service that helps with this sort of thing? I'm also thinking of replacing the PSU because it's only 500W which is definitely too low for my pc.

I'd really appreciate any tips and advice and please let me know if I should post this in a different sub. Thank you.

Edit: Just wanted to comment that I am deeply appreciative of what a kind and thoughtful community you guys have here, you've been incredibly helpful and supportive!

My current bag is almost running out so Ill be ordering a new bag of coffee in a few days. Just wanted to know how you clean your grinder when just changing beans? The manual seems a bit confusing; doesn't specify which surfaces will be exposed depending on the "level" of cleaning. Thanks!

Edit: Also, has anyone experience some substantial retention of grounds at the bottomside of the burrs? I add a bit of water to my beans before grinding but grinding relatively finer always makes me have to tap the grinder lightly to get all the grounds to fall onto the catch bin.

I cant find air compressors anywhere nearby

So I was contacted by some random recruiter at TEKSystems for a potential position as the number 2 guy on a team of 6. Pay rate was good, list of requirements looked good in the sense that I have done 90% of it recently. Go onsite for the interview and it is a total shit show. Both DC's are running Server 2003, not even R2. The newest server they have? A Dell 2850 running Exchange 2003 on Server 2003 R2. Network gear consisted of 10 year old Dell PowerConnects. The firewall is the newest piece of equipment and its a Fortigate 310B.

So after going on the tour, the IT Manager sits me down and asks me what I think. I told him I have some real concerns about the infrastructure and asked if he had plans to upgrade. Nothing was concrete, and proposals he has submitted haven't been approved "yet". I ended the interview at that point and thanked him for his time. Told him I'd be willing to work as a project based contractor through TEKSystems to assist him with upgrading everything, but that I would not be willing to accept a full time position with that company. He asked me for some advice since he was kind of weak on "newer" technologies like virtualization (please god shoot me now...). Gave him a few pointers on how to setup relatively low cost virtual environments that are easy to expand. Went on to touch base on things like hosted email, and emphasized the need to upgrade the hardware as that was my major concern. Not sure if I dodged a bullet or a nuke, but I have a feeling that company is in for a world of pain in the next 6 months when that exchange box shits the bed.

I'm sick of paying five bucks a can. I'm getting ripped off, this shouldn't be such a major expense.

I got one of those Giotto football thingies that you can squeeze for air, but, it's nothing compared the power of a giant can of dust-off. I just wish I could find a cheaper solution.

Is anyone else concerned with dust buildup inside of the Switch? Fans pick up dust pretty quickly so I'm just wondering if anyone else has thought about it yet. The main issue is that even if you wanted to try and clean the fan and the rest of the insides you'll be breaking your warranty. With dust buildup comes overheating. And has anyone thought of a way to possibly clean the inside without shooting compressed air down one of the vents or air intakes?

Got the star wars bundle ps4 (i like star wars) right before the warranty expired it died. (Power supply presumably) now a year later it started acting like it did before it died. Since it is out of warranty i took it apart and cleaned it got enough fur out of it for a fourth cat (speaking of which anyone want my wife's damn cats). Put back together and it started up and its alot quieter.

Anybody got any ideas on how to restrict cat hair flow into the ps4 (short of getting rid of wife's cats)? Or any other insight and advice?

I bet it is quite easy to find, however I am a lazy fuck and also nervous about messing up my glorious pc. XD Thanks in advance!

[deleted]

i meant 7$ for 12 oz. or a tenth of a gallon.

I was noticing just a tad little bit of noise build up, thought to myself probably dust build up. Got up in the morning today and cleaned him up properly, turned it back on and was running quieter and temperature stayed more stable/below the norm. I am still a beginner and this was so satisfying to have control over, just wanted to share because my console would get hot and dirty back in the days and I couldn't do anything.

After finishing this post I noticed I rambled abit too much so TLDR: is using a pressurized duster a good idea to clean the inside of a computer case or is there other methods I could use?

Hi there,

Recently about 2 months ago I finished building my first computer which was both amazing and terrifying haha.

I just upgraded my ram and when I opened my case to put it on, I noticed that the bottom of my case had accumulated quite a bit of dust. Maybe it's because my room is on carpet and although the tower isn't touching the carpet its just about 10 cm of the ground. Since I was visiting this subreddit for a while before building my computer I have come across a few posts saying that cleaning your computer regularly is good in order for your computer to last.

With that being said, I currently work at a company where a lot of supplies are given to the workers and one of them is pressurized duster. Would this be okay to clean my computer with or is there other ways to clean it?

Sorry for rambling.

What is the best method of cleaning monitors--screen and chassis? Mine have a combination of dust, dirt, and various scuffs.

Let's all show off where we work, benches or retail floor, I will post soon

My rig is coming up on 3 years old now and while everything runs great, I've noticed a sizable layer of dust forming amidst all the nooks and crannies of the machine. I do periodically clean out the front fan's filter but I'm wondering what tools and techniques I should use most efficiently and effectively clean up the interior.

Are their any decent alternatives to buying cans or air? I looked at a few of the Hurricane options a few years ago but all the reviews I read said that they actually where not that good.

Are their any good options these days?

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So, I am looking into getting a Datavac. I recently cleaned out my PC and it's still rather dusty. I am kinda tired of using canned air for it and have no experience in cleaning the inside of a PC so any tips, advice, or stories will greatly help.

[deleted]

[deleted]

https://imgur.com/gallery/stMzs

Had to restring my Seagull today, so I figured I would take a few pics and share. Thanks for looking.

Hello! So we are all PC Gaming Enthusiasts, right? So i'm wanting to know some things i might not know already on keeping my precious computer as dust free as possible, well i wouldn't have bothered if i hadn't just bought a new keyboard i wanted to test out. So i have just recently moved my computer from downstairs where it is relativity dust free, wooden floor, open spaced, into the bedroom where we have carpet. Having the computer on the desk with me isn't a option because of the space. So what else can i do? i sit relativity close to the window, will keeping it open a little bit through the day help circulate the air and keep more dust settling around?

Edit: I would like to add i do have dust filters on my computer, also what about having all my fans as pull and maybe just one intake, or will that cause other issues a such as heat?

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Hello, /r/buildapc !
Couple days ago I made a post about how to clean pc properly so I don't have lots of dust in my coolers, power supply, graphics card etc.
After reading how people clean their pc, I went ahead and bought a 300ml can of air, Cooler Master E1 IC Essential Thermal Compound, and started working on my pc. Took it apart, took down the cooler from my CPU (stock INTEL cooler) and started blowing air on it. After a bit of air my can just stopped working and it started freezing. Alright then, wasted money.

After that I cleaned my CPU, my stock cooler and tried to put it back. Oh well, the pins just didn't want to go in. After first try of pushing the pins in (I'm 100% sure they were in the holes), I took the cooler out AND OFCOURSE I SPILLED SOME OF THE THERMAL PASTE (not a lot) ON MY MOTHERBOARD AND RAM SLOTS. At this point I started stressing like a little bitch since I thought I'm a complete crackhead.

After taking out and putting my cooler back in for the 30th time (I believe it's more than that), I finally managed to push the pins in.

Questions now:

1) Is there any way to remove the thermal paste from my motherboard and RAM slots? (Picture at the end of the post)
2) If I got some air bubbles, is it something I should worry about? At the last try I didn't take out my cooler, just slightly moved it.
3) A bit of thermal paste got onto the chip itself, not the metal place at the top. Should I worry?
4) WHY AM I A FUCKING MONGOL THAT CAN'T DO THINGS THE RIGHT WAY?

Thanks for reading if you did. Thanks a lot.
Picture: http://imgur.com/a/RWjW9

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Built my PC 6 months ago, have not dusted it since, I opened it and was horrified, I need a tool to get rid of this pesky dust!

After opening up my PC, and cleaning out the internals, there is no output to monitor and no USB devices work. Everything turns on fine, but when I turn it off, the fans go full blast.

So here's the deal: I have been into video games for 20+ years. I've always played on console, and the only time I would play on PC is back in high school when I would be on AIM (glory days) and playing free games off sites like bored.com. The kind of games I am into are FPS, open world GTA type games, and sports/racing games. I currently play on Xbox one and my only issue with it, is it only has enough memory to store about 8 games. Whenever I buy a new game or get 1 sent from gamefly I have to uninstall a game just to play the new 1. Other than that, I love it. Now, my 8 year old son also loves games. He plays the Xbox one and has a Wii U. Recently he has said that he wants a PC because of different games. So here's some questions:

1. What am I looking at price wise for a decent gaming PC, monitor, keyboard, mouse, everything put together?

2. How hard is it for a someone like me with no PC experience to get it up and running?

3. I've heard people talking about using Xbox controllers while gaming on PC, can you do this with all games or just certain titles? I really can't see me gaming without a controller, and feel like learning the mouse and keyboard would be a steep learning curve for me.

4. What are some PC exclusive games you think I would enjoy?

5. What about PC exclusive games for my son? He plays games like mine craft, garden warfare, and I do let him play a little fallout.

6. What kind of maintenance does a PC involve? Do you need to do updates?

Again, I'm completely new and lost at PC gaming. Thanks for any help and opinions.

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Just go in and take dust off things?

I only encounter this problem when playing Battlefield 1. The game runs smooth, however I noticed on HWMonitor that my Motherboard VRM temp is tipping over 90C, max at 95C. I fear this may be damaging my system. Are there any suggestions to fix this other than getting a new case and improving air flow? This coming Black Friday I plan on buying a new case and possibly a water cooling system to see if it would alleviate this problem. (I'm also going to tinker with the cable management, excited for that)

My setup in case it's necessary;

Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3

Gigabyte GeForce GTX970

16GB DDR3 RAM

AMD FX-8350 no OC

500GB Samsung Evo 850

1TB HDD

Troubleshooting Help:

What is your parts list? Consider formatting your parts list.PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Describe your problem. List any error messages and symptoms. Be descriptive.

I've got an old Sapphire R9 290x (reference cooler) that I bought second hand. The thing seems to work fine until things get demanding. Games will run fine for the first few seconds, but once the fans on the GPU ramp up, I will get a black screen and the game will crash. I have tried updating drivers, but the issue persists. The card also runs extremely hot, and will remain hot for up to half an hour after I pull it. I suspect it may be an issue with the cooler, as it runs fine prior to the fans ramping up.

Provide any additional details you wish below.

I know that my PSU is under recommended wattage for a 290x, but at 620W, it still should be enough even at max load.

I'm not sure what the problem is, but I believe the actual GPU chip seems fine as it is capable of graphical processing for a very limited amount of time. Does anyone know what's wrong and what I can do to fix it? Thank you.

[deleted]

So I just got a data vac and i must say it is a must have for pc. I dust my pc once a month with canned air and i thought it worked well. I got tired of getting canned air so I looked this bad boy up. It blew so much dust out it was crazy and it came with attachments for stronger air flow and stuff like that. It was 60 bucks and worth every penny.

Hello, My friend has an old computer that uses as media server. It's on 24/7 and it's also on his room. After a few years of using it he says that now it's louder. He asked me for advice on how to make it silent, I know that he should change the PSU, and maybe also the case with all the fans, but is there any other way to make it silent (maybe a case with sound barriers on the sides)

Thanks

I am missing a bit on an Amazon order to get free shipping, and I'd like to get something for my new build. What should I get?

I'm sure this thread would help people who are looking for some PC gadgets on a budget too!

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So I have a full sized desktop PC and the inside is very dusty what is a good way to clean my PC. I would like some helpful suggestions. I cant afford to lose my PC because I never new how to clean it. To many Precious videogames inside of it.

I got a system that looks like it was locked up in a dusty room for 10 centuries! There's hard dust on the mobo, components look like coated dust. What's the safest way to remove it without damaging the precious components. I tried a vacuum and gently tapping but no luck. any ideas?

So, what is the best option as I keep blue screening and my friends think dust cause be causing issues. Would it be compressed air or a mini hover or something else?

I just joined on a new company, and we have literally no tools. We just borrow tools from the other departments. We don't even have screwdrivers. This is clearly not okay, so I've made it my first big impact project to get us a damn pegboard full of tools.

What do you use every day? What do you use rarely but it's something that comes up enough to need one?

Say one has a PC full of dust and filth and want's it to look brand new again without messing one's shit up. How can this be attained?

Say one has a PC full of dust and filth and want's it to look brand new again without messing one's shit up. How can this be attained?

Say one has a PC full of dust and filth and want's it to look brand new again without messing one's shit up. How can this be attained?

I think there might be some dust or dirt or something inside the keys on my Type Cover. How could I clean them?

I recently took out all my components in my PC build and with the intention of taking the dust out of the case. I read online that the best way to do this is with an air can but in my country it is very hard to get and ordering it online is a nightmare so I was thinking of alternatives and tissue came to mind. I didn't know if this could be harmful (static buildup etc) and I don't know much about this kinda stuff. So lots of help would be appreciated but the main question is if I can use standard tissue to clean out the case, if not please leave some alternatives that I can use that can be bought from the standard supermarket

Thanks

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[removed]

So I buy lots of stuff at yard sales / swapmeets that tend to be super dusty and have been laying outside for years. I used to clean them by hand and although you can get them looking good and new with a couple wipes of a wet microfiber cloth, it is really freaken hard to get into the nooks and crannies of items that have small holes (nerf guns have tons of little crevices that always have some dust I cant get to)

I found out about compressed air in a can the other day but holy crap its like $9 a can and I am not gonna waste that much just to clean something that I can sell without cleaning. I was thinking about what else I could do when I remembered my dad has a big ass air compressor!

He had it at my grandmas house so I went and picked it up, cleaned it up since it had been sitting there for years and bought an air gun at home depot for $5.

Where has this thing been all my life holy shit I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. I have been cleaning like a madman and the power on this thing is so intense it can completely dust down anything in a matter of seconds. This is gonna save me so much time. I don't know what they cost since this one isn't mine and I get to use it for free. If you are gonna get one though make sure you do get a big tank because I was using another one that my dad had for airbrush and that one could not keep up with my air gun. I had to wait for it to fill up and I would finish the air within a couple minutes. This tank fills up faster than I can use it and shoots at a much stronger rate than the small one, definitely worth the investment (just note its pretty loud while the airbrush one is super quiet)

Here it is in all its glory :D

http://i.imgur.com/58gp5hA.jpg

EDIT: I am pretty sure this is the same one. $400 doesn't seem too bad for the time you will save and it will last you years and y ears. You may not need it if you'll only use it for cleaning but these things have a lot of uses with air tools. Plus, you could always find a cheaper one on craigslist

http://i.imgur.com/GvNJw9i.png

[deleted]

Got a simple question? Get a simple answer!

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For the sake of helping others, please don't downvote questions! To help facilitate this, comments are sorted randomly for this post, so anyone's question can be seen and answered.

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This thread is for simple questions that don't warrant their own thread (although we strongly suggest checking the sidebar and the wiki before posting!). Please don't post involved questions that are better suited to a [Build Help], [Build Ready] or [Build Complete] post. Examples of questions:

• Is this RAM compatible with my motherboard?
• I'm thinking of getting a GTX 970. Which one should I get?
• I'm on a very tight budget and I'm looking for a case < $50

Remember that IRC is a great place to ask quick questions as well: http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/wiki/irc

Important: Downvotes are strongly discouraged in this thread. Sorting by new is strongly encouraged.

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[deleted]

Unfortunately I live in an inordinately dusty home. Combine that with an almost perpetually shedding cat and I have to take extra care to fastidiously maintain my electronics.

What are the most reliable/least invasive methods to cleaning out my console on a regular basis?

What is the best way to clean it and also the safest? I guess the dry microfiber cloth will help right? If I clean it from the outside with this, would it also get rid of something in the fans?

This thread is for simple questions that don't warrant their own thread (although we strongly suggest checking the sidebar and the wiki before posting!). Please don't post involved questions that are better suited to a [Build Help], [Build Ready] or [Build Complete] post. Examples of questions:

• Is this RAM compatible with my motherboard?
• I'm thinking of getting a GTX 970. Which one should I get?
• I'm on a very tight budget and I'm looking for a case < $50

Remember that IRC is a great place to ask quick questions as well: http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/wiki/irc

Important: Downvotes are strongly discouraged in this thread. Sorting by new is strongly encouraged.

Have a question about the subreddit or otherwise for /r/buildapc mods? We welcome your mod mail!

Looking for all the Simple Questions threads? Want an easy way to locate today's thread? This link is now in the sidebar below the yellow Rules section.

Got a simple question? Get a simple answer!

This thread is for all of the small and simple questions that you might have about computing that probably wouldn't work all too well as a standalone post. Software issues, build questions, game recommendations, post them here!

For the sake of helping others, please don't downvote questions! To help facilitate this, comments are sorted randomly for this post, so anyone's question can be seen and answered.

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Mine gets dusty but I don't know how to clean it properly, should I use a brush then vacuum?

edit: thanks for the replies!

If you have questions about juice, vendors, mods or anything vaping related, please feel free to ask them below.

Here are some helpful links-

Starter Guide

Everything I wish I knew about rebuildables

Infographic that every new user should see courtesy of /u/emergenl

/u/Jimmith's beginners guide to vaping

We will be doing an evening thread every night at 8PM Eastern as well, so if it is later in evening and you aren't getting questions answered, look out for that thread.

I'm pretty tired of using cans of compressed air. The 2-3 minute usage window before they freeze up and RIP pressure until it warms up.

I saw one vid demo of one on Amazon, but curious if others have experience with different products. Trying to see what options I have.

Don't end up like my friend!

Firstly, excuse my pictures, etc. My setup is only a few weeks old and I'm still unboxing some old stuff and figuring out what I'd like to display.

Back in the day, our TRS-80 had plastic covers for everything. There was one for the printer and one that was formed to the monitor/keyboard. It was pretty smooth.

I've been looking for something similar, but something that is not too pricy and fits well over each console.

I tested out a couple of acrylic cases for the consoles that I don't ever use. the cases are pretty expensive though. You can see them here on a couple of my old systems (that are borderline worthless, but meaningful to me, and actually fit in there -- if i get a case for the oddesy300, it would be $60+) http://screencast.com/t/1bvkcPFOa

Last night we played MKIII on the dreamcast, and I was surprised how much dust had collected in a couple of weeks. my connected systems.

Any ideas?

[deleted]

[deleted]

So I do not know if this is the proper place to ask, but I looked around and hopefully it is ok. I have a MSI GE62 Apache Pro that I bought around black Friday 2015. The question is, what is the best way to clean it. I am talking about cleaning the case and the screen. I have some areas on my screen where some liquids have splashed on it and cause small marks along with one the keyboard area. Before you make a comment, there are not nasty liquids that have gotten on it. I also would like to maybe open it up and clean the internal components a little bit, mainly make sure it is not dusty. If there is something that i need to buy for cleaning, please let me know. Also let me know what is the best way to take care of it. Thanks so much for reading, and if this is not the right place to ask, let me know and I will try and get help somewhere else.

Was looking at getting a DataVac to save money in the long run. Found one for $40 and was wondering if anyone had first hand experience and if it's worth it.

I currently have this case https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BLY9MTI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And will be getting a FTW GTX 1080..

I know for regular graphics cards like the founders edition with exhaust fans that push air out of the chassis positive pressure is better because it will help the cooler on the GPU to work more efficiently by wanting to push more air outward..

However for ACX cards I am less sure about this. Do I want more exhaust fans, creating negative pressure to get the heat out that's being dumped in the case, or positive pressure, with more intake fans introducing colder air to the system?

Any advice on airflow for this case is also appreciated.

I have had my new setup for about 9 months now and have only used compressed air to clean it over that time. Even after using air I can still see dust particles on the circuit board and wondering what solution is best to clean that with? It's currently a GTX 980Ti.

I tried searching for results but found either really old posts and people mostly suggesting compressed air but I wan't to detail this if possible. There are a few post/videos where people show the breakdown of their card but don't really show what was being used unless they didn't go into that much detailed cleaning. Thanks for any suggestions!

So I hate using canned air because it's so expensive For how little you get. Not having An alternative is really hurting my PC as I don't clean it as often as I should. I don't have a working compressor, so please don't suggest it again. Any help would be appreciated.

P.S. Hello world (read PCMR.) This is my first OP here, long time stalker and giveaway applicant though.

So I haven't cleaned it in like a year or 2 or 3 years so I think it's about time.

Thing is I've never done it before. I'm too scared I'll break something. What's the best way to do it and if someone could recommend me a video that would be appreciated

In the past I always use canned air but seeing as I went through them rather quickly and the fact that they very quickly lose pressure due to becoming too cold I decided to buy an air compressor (this was around a year ago).

I've heard people saying compressors aren't good for some reason yet they always fail to properly explain why. My air compressor is an 8 bar oil-lubricated one with a drain valve to remove condensation.

It's worked wonders and cleans out my entire PC in a matter of minutes at most.

Is it best to buy cans of air or just buy a Air Compressor?

Got a simple question? Get a simple answer!

This thread is for all of the small and simple questions that you might have about computing that probably wouldn't work all too well as a standalone post. Software issues, build questions, game recommendations, post them here!

For the sake of helping others, please don't downvote questions! To help facilitate this, comments are sorted randomly for this post, so anyone's question can be seen and answered.

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What accessories do you have on your desk to make your life a little easier? Things such as cable clips, cable bungies, cable tidies, etc.

I'm really wanting to see what cool stuff you guys have.

How often do you clean your computer and what is the best way to do so without damaging any components?

Do you recomended any cheap model to clean keyboard?

Thanks

This might be the biggest noob question, but i'm not sure so I'll better ask before doing anything wrong.

Can I disassemble my pc parts for cleaning/upgrading and putting them back together without any problems or driver-reinstallations afterwards? I want to blow out the dust from every little part etc.

TL;DR: want to take pc apart + put back together and continue using like before

The 2nd part of our giveaway celebrating SAPPHIRE’s Not From Concentrate 2 PC building video series and PCMR’s 5th birthday kicks off!

NFC2 is a video series about the passion for PC modding. If you share this passion it’s a must-see! In four episodes Josh Sniffen will show you step by step how he created a very unique build.

With each episode we will post a giveaway thread in which you can win a SAPPHIRE graphics card. If you take part in all four giveaways you will get a chance to win an awesome grand prize pack containing a SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard. Read the full schedule below to make sure you don’t miss anything!

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter just answer the following question in a comment under this thread:

In the second episode of Not From Concentrate 2 Josh is using a variety of unusual tools to make the core elements of his build. Write about your favorite or most useful tool that helps you in PC building and maintenance.

This edition’s prize is 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 370 4GB

SCHEDULE:

• Episode 1 Giveaway: https://redd.it/4iplx8 Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB ENTRIES STILL OPEN
• Episode 2 Giveaway: NOW! Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode 3 Giveaway: May 14th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB
• Episode 4 Giveaway: May 16th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode closing: May 20th, 5:00 PM CEST
• Winners announcement: May 27th, 5:00 PM CEST including the winner of GRAND PRIZE - a set of SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard

The giveaway is worldwide!

You can watch the first season of NFC here

We'd be delighted if you visit our community blog sapphirenation.net where we bring you PC hardware and gaming articles along with awesome giveaways.

Got a simple question? Get a simple answer!

This thread is for all of the small and simple questions that you might have about computing that probably wouldn't work all too well as a standalone post. Software issues, build questions, game recommendations, post them here!

For the sake of helping others, please don't downvote questions! To help facilitate this, comments are sorted randomly for this post, so anyone's question can be seen and answered.

Want to see more Simple Question threads? Here's all of them for your browsing pleasure!

The 2nd part of our giveaway celebrating SAPPHIRE’s Not From Concentrate 2 PC building video series and PCMR’s 5th birthday kicks off!

NFC2 is a video series about the passion for PC modding. If you share this passion it’s a must-see! In four episodes Josh Sniffen will show you step by step how he created a very unique build.

With each episode we will post a giveaway thread in which you can win a SAPPHIRE graphics card. If you take part in all four giveaways you will get a chance to win an awesome grand prize pack containing a SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard. Read the full schedule below to make sure you don’t miss anything!

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter just answer the following question in a comment under this thread:

In the second episode of Not From Concentrate 2 Josh is using a variety of unusual tools to make the core elements of his build. Write about your favorite or most useful tool that helps you in PC building and maintenance.

This edition’s prize is 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 370 4GB

SCHEDULE:

• Episode 1 Giveaway: https://redd.it/4iplx8 Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB ENTRIES STILL OPEN
• Episode 2 Giveaway: NOW! Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode 3 Giveaway: May 14th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB
• Episode 4 Giveaway: May 16th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode closing: May 20th, 5:00 PM CEST
• Winners announcement: May 27th, 5:00 PM CEST including the winner of GRAND PRIZE - a set of SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard

The giveaway is worldwide!

You can watch the first season of NFC here

We'd be delighted if you visit our community blog sapphirenation.net where we bring you PC hardware and gaming articles along with awesome giveaways.

I have the stock case fans and noticed that they're getting unusually loud so figured they are covered in dust, so what's the best way to clean them

The 2nd part of our giveaway celebrating SAPPHIRE’s Not From Concentrate 2 PC building video series and PCMR’s 5th birthday kicks off!

NFC2 is a video series about the passion for PC modding. If you share this passion it’s a must-see! In four episodes Josh Sniffen will show you step by step how he created a very unique build.

With each episode we will post a giveaway thread in which you can win a SAPPHIRE graphics card. If you take part in all four giveaways you will get a chance to win an awesome grand prize pack containing a SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard. Read the full schedule below to make sure you don’t miss anything!

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter just answer the following question in a comment under this thread:

In the second episode of Not From Concentrate 2 Josh is using a variety of unusual tools to make the core elements of his build. Write about your favorite or most useful tool that helps you in PC building and maintenance.

This edition’s prize is 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 370 4GB

SCHEDULE:

• Episode 1 Giveaway: https://redd.it/4iplx8 Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB ENTRIES STILL OPEN
• Episode 2 Giveaway: NOW! Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode 3 Giveaway: May 14th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB
• Episode 4 Giveaway: May 16th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode closing: May 20th, 5:00 PM CEST
• Winners announcement: May 27th, 5:00 PM CEST including the winner of GRAND PRIZE - a set of SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard

The giveaway is worldwide!

You can watch the first season of NFC here

We'd be delighted if you visit our community blog sapphirenation.net where we bring you PC hardware and gaming articles along with awesome giveaways.

The 2nd part of our giveaway celebrating SAPPHIRE’s Not From Concentrate 2 PC building video series and PCMR’s 5th birthday kicks off!

NFC2 is a video series about the passion for PC modding. If you share this passion it’s a must-see! In four episodes Josh Sniffen will show you step by step how he created a very unique build.

With each episode we will post a giveaway thread in which you can win a SAPPHIRE graphics card. If you take part in all four giveaways you will get a chance to win an awesome grand prize pack containing a SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard. Read the full schedule below to make sure you don’t miss anything!

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter just answer the following question in a comment under this thread:

In the second episode of Not From Concentrate 2 Josh is using a variety of unusual tools to make the core elements of his build. Write about your favorite or most useful tool that helps you in PC building and maintenance.

This edition’s prize is 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 370 4GB

SCHEDULE:

• Episode 1 Giveaway: https://redd.it/4iplx8 Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB ENTRIES STILL OPEN
• Episode 2 Giveaway: NOW! Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode 3 Giveaway: May 14th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB
• Episode 4 Giveaway: May 16th, 5:00 PM CEST Prize: 1x SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 370 4GB
• Episode closing: May 20th, 5:00 PM CEST
• Winners announcement: May 27th, 5:00 PM CEST including the winner of GRAND PRIZE - a set of SAPPHIRE R9 Fury, Patriot V360 headset, V560 mouse and V790 keyboard

The giveaway is worldwide!

You can watch the first season of NFC here

We'd be delighted if you visit our community blog sapphirenation.net where we bring you PC hardware and gaming articles along with awesome giveaways.

I am not certified tech, but I know my way around computers. Most of the issues my friends and family encounter I can fix with ease.

So my friend calls me up and is telling me he thinks he has a virus. The computer keeps shutting down on him for no reason.

I get to his house and the first problem is really apparent. He has one of those old school wooden desks, with that stupid tower drawer on the side with no ventilation.

I explain to him his PC needs to "breath" and to either leave his door open or take it out of the tower drawer.

Go to turn the computer on, works for awhile and shuts down again. I take the tower out of the desk and look at it and the front grill looks funny.

I open the case up and the computer tower is just PACKED with animal hair. As it turns out his sister gave him this computer when she upgraded and she had like 6 cats.

There was so much hair, the case fan blades couldn't even move. A shop vac and a can of duster later and it works fine.

What's the best way to clean my PC from dust? Quite a lot of it is piling up but I can't 'open up' my PC because of warranty stickers.

First: I don't post on Reddit a lot - how do I flair a post?

Now that I feel like an idiot, here's my question:

What's the most effective way to clean dust out of my PC? I can't just wipe my finger or hand across the computer, that would almost certainly kill something. My main problem is the GPU and fans, they're really dusty after just 4 months of having this PC.

Advice appreciated!

Got a simple question? Get a simple answer!

This thread is for all of the small and simple questions that you might have about computing that probably wouldn't work all too well as a standalone post. Software issues, build questions, game recommendations, post them here!

For the sake of helping others, please don't downvote questions! To help facilitate this, comments are sorted randomly for this post, so anyone's question can be seen and answered.

Want to see more Simple Question threads? Here's all of them for your browsing pleasure!

Got a simple question? Get a simple answer!

This thread is for all of the small and simple questions that you might have about computing that probably wouldn't work all too well as a standalone post. Software issues, build questions, game recommendations, post them here!

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So my rig is in a corner under my table and as a result, it builds up dust pretty quick on the vents (case is NZXT H440) and the fact that the entire apartment is carpeted doesn't help much. I wanted to know which is a better investment, compressed air cans or an electric duster. I've never used an electric duster but compressed air cans are getting more and more pricey and run out faster than I'd like. And if anyone can, please post recommended stuff from amazon, might as well use my Prime more often. I also plan to clean the thin layer of dust on my parts.

So back in 2009 I purchased a Corsair 750TX PSU, supposed to be one of the best at the time. It's lasted me through two complete rebuilds. I've had zero problems with it, but of course I'm well past warranty. Per what I've heard if your PSU fails you can potentially lose everything in your rig. Should I consider replacing it due to age (7 years now)? Or just keep on trucking?

Looking for some ways or tips to best clean the following. Yes I will be getting Gamer Gear Dust off REALLY! -GPU (the fans are always hard) -Case (I have Air 540) -Between RAM slots -Wrist guard cushion -Mousepad

Looking to get one to dust my PC every now and then. Anyone have any good recommendations that aren't to high priced (something in the $30-$50 range would be good).

Edit: went with the Metro. Thank you guys.

I always see references to the place and figured I could answer a lot about what we can do and how we do it. I don't know if these sort of thing would be heard I'll sought after or not but am on my break right now! I've been here for two years, as both the guy who's fixes your stuff as well as who initially may work on it and check it for diagnostics. Obviously as such I know exactly how everything else works, especially the build your own department for those of you doing builds or having us do them for you...and obvious how to fix your screw ups Ask away!

EDIT: guys i dont know when or where they will open stores, sorry :D also the more specific the question the more in detail i can try to go.

EDIT: Specs for those that asked, most of this built, unfortunately, a few months to a few years before i worked there. : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/88nhsY

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Hello all - this is my first post on this forum, my colleague having only recently shown it to me. This story is 100% true, although I sincerely wish it wasn't.

One weekend in 2008 while on-call doing internal support for a mortgage company, I get a call from a remote underwriter. She tells me that due to a winter storm, she was working from home rather than the office today. As a result, she's using a desktop she has had for several years already, rather than her usual laptop.

Her complaint is that it is 'slow and noisy'. To demonstrate the noise, she held the phone up to the machine. I conceded that yes, it was indeed whirring audibly. I remoted in, and couldn't find anything seriously wrong with the machine, aside from it was old, and somewhat overwhelmed with the workload - it had 2gb of RAM and was running XP, with quite a lot of company pre-installed bloat, e.g. just enough memory to boot up and not much else. I told her there wasn't much I could do about the performance, but she should clean the machine out with some canned air, and check for random loose parts that could be rattling in the bottom of the machine. Satisfied, she hung up, agreeing she'd clean it out.

20 minutes later, she calls again, to inform me that the machine has stopped working all together. Nothing she could do would get it to turn back on again. She said it hadn't worked since she cleaned it out. Upset for her, and annoyed my advice had led to the problem, I sent her a shipping label to get the machine to me so I could fix it.

When the system arrived, I could not power it on either. I looked inside it to investigate, and found a nightmare - there was literally melted plastic everywhere. Some had dripped onto the CPU fan. One of the corners of the motherboard was drooping, like cheese on a TV commercial Whopper.

Immediately, I called the user.

"So, this machine is a goner, m'aam."

"Why? I did exactly as you said!"

"You used canned air?"

"I didn't have time to go to the store, I just used a hairdryer."

"...You what?"

"You know, a hairdryer? It blows air, and it got all the dust out."

"You used a hairdryer inside your desktop tower?"

"Yeah, and it scared me when it started making sparks."

"You had it plugged in while you were doing that?"

"I never turned it off, I didn't want to disconnect from the VPN."

Hello all - this is my first post on this forum, my colleague having only recently shown it to me. This story is 100% true, although I sincerely wish it wasn't.

One weekend in 2008 while on-call doing internal support for a mortgage company, I get a call from a remote underwriter. She tells me that due to a winter storm, she was working from home rather than the office today. As a result, she's using a desktop she has had for several years already, rather than her usual laptop.

Her complaint is that it is 'slow and noisy'. To demonstrate the noise, she held the phone up to the machine. I conceded that yes, it was indeed whirring audibly. I remoted in, and couldn't find anything seriously wrong with the machine, aside from it was old, and somewhat overwhelmed with the workload - it had 2gb of RAM and was running XP, with quite a lot of company pre-installed bloat, e.g. just enough memory to boot up and not much else. I told her there wasn't much I could do about the performance, but she should clean the machine out with some canned air, and check for random loose parts that could be rattling in the bottom of the machine. Satisfied, she hung up, agreeing she'd clean it out.

20 minutes later, she calls again, to inform me that the machine has stopped working all together. Nothing she could do would get it to turn back on again. She said it hadn't worked since she cleaned it out. Upset for her, and annoyed my advice had led to the problem, I sent her a shipping label to get the machine to me so I could fix it.

When the system arrived, I could not power it on either. I looked inside it to investigate, and found a nightmare - there was literally melted plastic everywhere. Some had dripped onto the CPU fan. One of the corners of the motherboard was drooping, like cheese on a TV commercial Whopper.

Immediately, I called the user.

"So, this machine is a goner, m'aam."

"Why? I did exactly as you said!"

"You used canned air?"

"I didn't have time to go to the store, I just used a hairdryer."

"...You what?"

"You know, a hairdryer? It blows air, and it got all the dust out."

"You used a hairdryer inside your desktop tower?"

"Yeah, and it scared me when it started making sparks."

"You had it plugged in while you were doing that?"

"I never turned it off, I didn't want to disconnect from the VPN."

Hello all - this is my first post on this forum, my colleague having only recently shown it to me. This story is 100% true, although I sincerely wish it wasn't.

One weekend in 2008 while on-call doing internal support for a mortgage company, I get a call from a remote underwriter. She tells me that due to a winter storm, she was working from home rather than the office today. As a result, she's using a desktop she has had for several years already, rather than her usual laptop.

Her complaint is that it is 'slow and noisy'. To demonstrate the noise, she held the phone up to the machine. I conceded that yes, it was indeed whirring audibly. I remoted in, and couldn't find anything seriously wrong with the machine, aside from it was old, and somewhat overwhelmed with the workload - it had 2gb of RAM and was running XP, with quite a lot of company pre-installed bloat, e.g. just enough memory to boot up and not much else. I told her there wasn't much I could do about the performance, but she should clean the machine out with some canned air, and check for random loose parts that could be rattling in the bottom of the machine. Satisfied, she hung up, agreeing she'd clean it out.

20 minutes later, she calls again, to inform me that the machine has stopped working all together. Nothing she could do would get it to turn back on again. She said it hadn't worked since she cleaned it out. Upset for her, and annoyed my advice had led to the problem, I sent her a shipping label to get the machine to me so I could fix it.

When the system arrived, I could not power it on either. I looked inside it to investigate, and found a nightmare - there was literally melted plastic everywhere. Some had dripped onto the CPU fan. One of the corners of the motherboard was drooping, like cheese on a TV commercial Whopper.

Immediately, I called the user.

"So, this machine is a goner, m'aam."

"Why? I did exactly as you said!"

"You used canned air?"

"I didn't have time to go to the store, I just used a hairdryer."

"...You what?"

"You know, a hairdryer? It blows air, and it got all the dust out."

"You used a hairdryer inside your desktop tower?"

"Yeah, and it scared me when it started making sparks."

"You had it plugged in while you were doing that?"

"I never turned it off, I didn't want to disconnect from the VPN."

Whats a good brand of compressed air to use to remove dust that has accumulated on desktop hardware? What is a good brand I can find on Amazon, ideally with Prime shipping?

Posted this into another thread and thought it may be useful to people as its own post; bearing in mind that whilst a PC can be fully built in one go, if it doesn't fire up first go this is the troubleshooting order to run through before anything else.

Building a PC goes like this:

1. RTFM :)
2. Mount MB, CPU and PSU
3. Plug monitor, KB & mouse into MB
4. Power on. Get RAM error. Power off
5. Add RAM. Power on. Get No OS error
6. Add GPU. Plug monitor into GPU. Get No OS error
7. Connect HDD. Power on. Get No OS error
8. Congratulations. Your PC works. Install OS

If your PC fails anywhere between steps 1 & 6, the last component you added is possibly faulty. Check seating/connections/cables/fan connections.

Edit: courtesy of /u/ak47_killstreak - highly recommend buying something like one of these mini speakers when you do your order if your case doesn't have an inbuilt PC speaker. Super helpful for determining faults (e.g: no KB connected, RAM failure, etc...)

Also, some AMD AM3/3+ motherboards may not have an integrated GPU - and therefore no monitor output, in which case the above mini PC speaker will be useful in the event that your PC refuses to work as intended.

2nd Edit: added new 1st step

Hi people,

I've got allot of electronics in my house, and my PC seems to be drawing dust like a vacuumcleaner. I literally have to clean out my pc every week. Any recommendations how to...make it attract less dust/clean it properly?

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Pics: http://imgur.com/a/NYrQK

Part List: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zmFJjX

This is my first build, and despite a few regrets I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out. It was definitely a learning experience.

I purchased the Pistons 3 in JD store. They were really fine, good quality, etc. However, after using them for 2 months, the left earbud started playing music way quieter, even on max volume. I thought it was because maybe of the earwax or something but I cleaned it up nicely and it didn't work.

Any recommendations of what to do with them? Should I bother opening the left earbud up or just purchase different set of earphones?

Cheers

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I've been pretty bad about dusting my figures, and they now have a thin layer of dust on them ): I plan on dusting them all off this weekend, so are there any recommended brands or types of brushes/dusters? I remember reading that a lot of people like using makeup brushes, but which ones? The big, fluffy kabuki brushes? Are there any that I might be able to pick up at target instead of needing to go to Sephora?

My pasta was too hot to eat so I decided to blow on it. Then I saw my can of compressed air sitting on my desk. I now have pasta all over myself, the floor, and the walls. I am not a smart man.

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