4 ms·

Cleaning the CPU heat sink and fan from dust (and in my case, cat hair) can sometimes give a surprising performance boost. Especially on cheap laptops that are

by exDM69 13y ago

Cleaning the CPU heat sink and fan from dust (and in my case, cat hair) can sometimes give a surprising performance boost. Especially on cheap laptops that are often sold with inadequate cooling. CPU thermal throttling can have a huge effect on performance.

stephengillie 13y ago
Pulling the gaming boxen over to the garage & blasting them out with the air compressor hose is part of spring cleaning here.
- Karunamon 13y ago
  Do you run into any trouble with dust/static doing it that way vs canned duster?
  - stephengillie 13y ago
    Not dust or static, but air compressors can build up water in the tanks and lines, if you don't drain the tank like you're supposed to.
- shabble 13y ago
  If doing this (or using canned air) it's a good idea to use a small stick or bit of plastic to jam any fans to stop them spinning too hard and ruining their bearings or throwing a blade, both of which I've had happen. Laptop ones seem particularly susceptible, probably down to size and typically higher usage temps.
  - jws 13y ago
    Or acting as a generator and throwing an over voltage into a circuit that isn't protected from it. (Also, don't push your robot with the motors wired unless you know you protected the motor driver circuitry.)
    - stephengillie 13y ago
      I had never considered this possibility -- either in my laptop's fans nor in my Arduino robot. But that's a great pro-tip I'll keep in mind. (It may be why my Arduino stops working normally after a couple hours and takes a couple days to straighten out)
gabemart 13y ago
Frustratingly, cheap laptops are very often constructed in such a way that properly cleaning the CPU fan requires completely disassembling the device. I hate taking apart laptops because the ribbon connectors are often very stiff and very fragile. I was once on the verge of buying a cheap dell laptop only to discover that replacing the HD required first removing the mainboard (!)
- lostlogin 13y ago
  That's a luxury if your a MacBook Air owner.

by exDM69 13y ago

stephengillie 13y ago

Pulling the gaming boxen over to the garage & blasting them out with the air compressor hose is part of spring cleaning here.

Karunamon 13y ago
Do you run into any trouble with dust/static doing it that way vs canned duster?
- stephengillie 13y ago
  Not dust or static, but air compressors can build up water in the tanks and lines, if you don't drain the tank like you're supposed to.
shabble 13y ago
If doing this (or using canned air) it's a good idea to use a small stick or bit of plastic to jam any fans to stop them spinning too hard and ruining their bearings or throwing a blade, both of which I've had happen. Laptop ones seem particularly susceptible, probably down to size and typically higher usage temps.
- jws 13y ago
  Or acting as a generator and throwing an over voltage into a circuit that isn't protected from it. (Also, don't push your robot with the motors wired unless you know you protected the motor driver circuitry.)
  - stephengillie 13y ago
    I had never considered this possibility -- either in my laptop's fans nor in my Arduino robot. But that's a great pro-tip I'll keep in mind. (It may be why my Arduino stops working normally after a couple hours and takes a couple days to straighten out)

gabemart 13y ago

Frustratingly, cheap laptops are very often constructed in such a way that properly cleaning the CPU fan requires completely disassembling the device. I hate taking apart laptops because the ribbon connectors are often very stiff and very fragile. I was once on the verge of buying a cheap dell laptop only to discover that replacing the HD required first removing the mainboard (!)

lostlogin 13y ago
That's a luxury if your a MacBook Air owner.