So after my recent 'does this slow my comp down' thread
 

i figured something internal was fuxored... so i took off my fan shield, took the fans out, cleaned em, and low and behold i could see why the fans were working their ass off... know how after you run the dryer the lint trap isnt see thru anymore?... well i took a toothbrush to my heat sink and tons and tons of dust came out that sumbitch... now the comp seems to run smoother, quicker, and makes barely any noise... so if you feel your comp is slowly starting to deteriorate, give it a good cleaning and she'll hopefully be running better. just gotta grab a can of air tomorrow and blast the rest of it out and we'll be good to go:banana:

edit: anyone got any 240pin ram of the 1 gig or higher sittin around they dont use?:twisted:

hmm sounds like a good idea for my 3yo desktop thats been draggin ass lately

Yeah, I clean out my pc every year. The dust/lint/fur buildup is amazing. But my 2nd fan still kicks in and roars like a jet engine so I think it needs a fan.

I think the only thing to watch out for when doing that is to not let the fan spin freely. I think you can burn them out that way.

definitely power down the computer before touching anything inside. that's common sense.

IMO can of compressed air and vacuum cleaner hose near by once or twice a month is the easiest to keep it clean.

and ground yourself, even a shock you dont feel can be enough to hurt delicate circuts

I meant with the computer off it can damage the fan. I wouldn't expect anyone to do any of this with the computer powered up.

not so much anymore, but it is still a small danger... i have been working on computers forever and have never had a problem with shock