Alright, I know almost all of you are just as tired of buying air canisters to blow out all of the dust that collects in your computer. It's annoying, but so far we all have accepted it as a necessary part of having a computer. And even computer cases with a filter in the front intake fan doesn't solve the problem. It just makes it less of an issue but outside, non-filtered, air still makes its way into the case simply because the back exhaust fan sucks air out and the power supply fan also sucks air out. So even though the front intake is filtered, air is seeping through the cracks to make up for the fact that 2 fans suck air out to one blowing in. Not to mention, dust collects in the front face plate since the incoming air is filtered at the fan, but not before it passes in through the faceplate and the front usb/firewire ports and all that stuff.

And you can't make the back fan suck air in because it'll suck the warm power supply air into the case and your cpu will probably overheat under load.

So what's the solution? Over pressurization is the key to not have to dust again. Or at least not any more than once per year or less.

Here is what I did to my computer. I took both the front intake fan AND the back exhaust fan out of the case completely. I then cut some holes in my side panels, and mount THREE of the big 120mm fans on the sides of my case. All three are filtered using mesh aluminum filters, so there's no foamy filters that you have to let dry if you decide to wash it. These aluminum mesh filters only require that you shake them off or you can wash them, then dry them with a cloth. I made ALL 3 of the 120mm fans suck air INTO the case, none blowing out. Now this causes over pressure inside the case, so all of the cracks and holes in the case have air rushing OUT of them, none in. So now you have complete control over the air going in. And since all of the air going in is filtered, there is very little dust getting in there.

My friend has been on a cruder version of this theory for over a year now, and when you look in his case, you barely see any dust at all. Over a year and there is no dust caking up in the CPU, GPU, or mobo core chipset fans. Now that is impressive. I finally decided to not be lazy and modify my case to work with the same idea. It is working out great and it looks quite pleasing to the eye as well. Looks stock, lol.

Here are some photos:




The filters I bought are these: FilterRight 120mm Clear Aluminum filters

But they come in many other colors to match your case or your taste. Go to this link and scroll down, and the selection continues to the 2nd page. Pay attention to the size though, they have the same selection in 120mm and 80mm:

Fan filters

As you can see, there are a lot of other types, but I like these because they are 2-piece so you don't have to take it all apart to clean the filters, they come off separately. Also, they come with the necessary mounting hardware, so that's one less headache to worry about.

I also suggest using 120mm fans because they move so much air per minute, so it's the most efficient with them. They are also much quieter. You might not get away with the fan on the right side like I have since the motherboard is on that side. But my case is a little larger than some and there was room in front of the mobo. I placed the ones on the left side with the back one precisely on top of the video card so now it's rushing fresh cool air directly onto the video card and the GPU fan will have plenty of fresh cool air to use.

Just be careful though, measure 5 times and cut once. Make sure you have enough clearance depth-wise as well as not mounting the fans so close to the edges of the case that it does not have the room to move to open or close the side panels on your case. I used a jig saw to cut the holes.

I suggest using blue painter's tape and taping up the entire outside of the case, drawing the hole placement on the outside and cut from the outside in. Jigsaws tend leave the rougher edge on the bottom side, so you want that to be the inside of your side panel, not the outside. Using sand paper for metal to sand down the edges is a good idea too. Make sure that after all the holes are cut and drilled, to wipe down the surface to make sure no metal shavings are stuck on there.

It's pretty simple, but if anyone is interested in this modification and have any questions, feel free to ask. I felt I should share this because maybe some of you might be interested in this. Some of you guys might hate dusting your computer as much as I do, lol.