My entry to the competition [BLUE EYED MONSTER y'all
] :
http://s1253.photobu...mview=slideshow
44 Photos in the above album.
I am an avid reader on TE, I don't post much but I'm a very good and loyal follower of TE.
Each and every method that I've learnt on taking care of my desktop has come from TE. So thank you TE and TE'ians in advance.
I clean my BLUE EYED MONSTER after every 6 months, this cleaning includes removing the dust completely, cleaning of connectors with IPA(iso-propyl-alcohol),thorough cleaning of HSFs(GPU + CPU) and reapplication of TIM. Recent dust storms in Mumbai
and the TE Clean and Clear contest have forced me to clean my PC 1 month in advance of my schedule.
AIM : Cleaning, restoration, servicing and cable-management of a dirty desktop.
APPARATUS :
- Complete Desktop, Camera and an Internet connection.
- Cleaning Hardware : Iso-Propyl-Alcohol(PCB Cleaner), Water, Cotton Swabs, different assortment of brush, Chamois Cloth and Micro-Fibre Cloth.
- Servicing : ANTI-STATIC BAND(very important), Plastic lock cable ties, Velcro reusable Cable Ties, electrical insulation pipe(for neater cable management), Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Interface Material, 2T-engine oil(for oiling fans) and Taparia-screw driver set.
Theory :
Configuration of Desktop :
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Processor : AMD PHENOM-II BE-550(UNLOCKED X4) [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Motherboard : GIGABYTE GA-M68M-S2P [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Dynamic Memory : 2X2GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz CL5 DDR2 [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Graphics Card : PALIT 8600GT 512DDR3 OR INNO-3D 8800GT 512DDR3(all thanks to Bikey) [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Hard Disk : 1 X 2TB SEAGATE LP 1 X 360GB WD BLUE [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Optical Drive : LG DVD-RW [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Mouse + Keyboard : MX 518 and LOGITECH MMKYB [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Speaker System : ALTEC LANSING VS4121 [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Power Supply : CORSAIR VX450 [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Monitor : Samsung 2033 20.5''[/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Cabinet : CM690G [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]-1 X CM120MM 45CFM [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]-1 X CM120MM 50CFM BLUE LED [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]-1 X SCYTHE SLIPSTREAM 77CFM [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]-1 X DRAGOON 120MM 65CFM BLUE LED [/font]
[font=times new roman,times,serif]Furniture : STUDY CUSTOM TABLE(old is gold )[/font]
Procedure :
1. Tie Anti-Static Band to your right hand.
2. Power off the Desktop and turn the mains off, repeatedly press the power bottom to discharge any residual power left inside the electrical/electronic components.
3. Detach and disconnect each and every component of the desktop.
4. Clean the entire table, Speaker system, Modem, Mouse, external wires and Monitor with dry cloth and then follow it up with soapy-wet cloth.
5. Remove each and every key of the keyboard with a key remover or a strong pin(carefully). Wash all the keys with detergent as no other mild cleaning agent will work on it properly. Let it dry, clean the keyboard body properly with brush and finish with its cleaning with chamois cloth. Reattach all the keys on the keyboard.
6. Remove all the fans, air filters, PSU, Optical Drives and Hard drives with bays/trays from the cabinet.
7. Clean the fans using some wet cloth and brush carefully without applying too much pressure on the blades.
8. Clean the air filters with brush and then wash then with only water.
9. Clean the HDD drives and bays carefully with dry chamois cloth.
10. Remove the motherboard, detach the RAM, Processor HSF and Graphics Card. Store them all in anti-static bags.
11. Take care off all the screws, store them all together clean them using a cloth and then use Kerosene to clean the rust(if rusting is present, in case of Mumbaikars YES), repaint the rusted screws and let them dry.
12. Remove the HSF from Graphics card and Processor and clean them both using a brush and then finish it off with IPA.
13. Clean the processor and GPU Chip using IPA & Micro fiber cloth, apply fresh TIM and attach now clean HSFs.
14. Clean all the electrical connections HDD SATA, GPU PCI-ex, various MOBO connectors etc.... with IPA.
15. Now dust the empty cabinet with a strong blower , then use a dry cloth for further dusting and apply IPA for cleaning of required connectors.
16. Now reattach everything inside the cabinet properly, apply all the ingenious techniques of cable management and screw tight all the components. Make sure you use more Velcro-based cable ties for it's easy removal and reusing characteristics.
17. Re-cable all the external connections, do proper cable management for them too.
15. Place all the components in the desired ergonomic positions and clean them all once more with moist chamois cloth and finish it with dry cloth.
16. Measure the new temperatures and reduced noise and reap the benefits for another 6-8 months.
Conclusion : Clean and Clear condition for the desktop has been achieved efficiently with minimum risk.
Reduction in temps :
Mobo - 5[font=arial, sans-serif]°[/font]C reduction(idle)
Processor - 5[font=arial, sans-serif]°C reduction(idle)[/font]
AUX - 5[font=arial, sans-serif]°C reduction(idle)[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]GPU Diode - 8[/font][font=arial, sans-serif]°C reduction(idle)[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]Seagate 2TB - 5[/font][font=arial, sans-serif]°C reduction(idle)[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]Seagate 360GB - 5[/font][font=arial, sans-serif]°C reduction(idle)[/font]
All the photos are in this album :
http://s1253.photobu...mview=slideshow
P.S. - The above write-up will help many newbees and it proves that one does not need an expensive rig or a modular power supply for good cable management.
Regards,
Naveen.
This is the link to my album.