Hi guys.

So recently my laptop has becoming real hot when playing or compiling (around 3-4 cores used), idling at around 55-69 and when playing it could reach 87-93 degrees, which is a lot compared to the TJMax, 100 degrees. Now, we do have a dog, which tends to lose hair even if you touch him, and if you hug him, you'll become a dog, so some of it might have gone in there. (Plus just regular dust)

So, before, I used the vacuum cleaner, which turned out to be a mistake as many people suggested that I'd could damage the pc components, and suggested compressed air. So as it's Christmas, I automatically have to find some presents, and, we agreed that my brother would get a new pc, a custom one, and meanwhile, we found this can of compressed gas, and they specifically said that it would be used for electronics, cleaning it:

So I guess at some point I'll have to clean my pc (It's around 2-3 years old, and I've never used compressed gas on it before), but I'd like to ask, is this safe, on the pc? When blowing it, it seems that it's not only gas, but I assume that it's part of the product, is this safe?

What are your past experiences with pc's, laptops or desktops when cleaning them, what have you done? What shouldn't I do?

So, yeah, that's it.

-MIGI0027

PC: Take everything apart. Take it outside and give it a good amount of compressed air. Use the vacuum to dust off the inside of the case and suck the dirt out of the PSU.

Laptop: Unscrew the bottom cover. I believe there exist many different designs but in my case I had to remove the fan with two screws. Behind it there is the radiator part that usually collects large amounts of dust, looking like a thick felt cloth (!) that you can just peel off.

Edit: I just found a fitting image... enjoy

I take all the fins off the CPUs and wash them with water.

Fans I take off, and wipe clean with a rag.

Everything else I blow off with DRY compressed air.

For laptops, I make sure to pop off the keyboard and get under it as well ( depending on what model, this can be tricky .

Neglected PC

Thanks .

Btw, from the bottle, it does say that it's highly explosive which worries me, is this normal?

Those are some real nasty pics you've got there...

Lol yes. Compressed air will explode under heat.

i had to get my laptop repaired a couple months ago, in doing so, i pulled litterally a wall of dust that had covered the gpu fan vents. At first i thought it might have been some sortof cloth, but it just fell apart, so it was just dust. now i plan to do a cleaning every 6 months, my laptop is running waaayy cooler now thanks to that cleaning. laptops however can be a pain in the ass. I took my friends apart to clean/fix a broken fan, but can't reassemble because the cable ribbions connecting the keyboad to the motherboard is just insanely short, and getting one in tends to pop another back out. it's extremly frustrating to deal with that crap.

Uncompressed air will 'explode' if heated enough and contained in a pressure vessel.

Compressed gas can contain a huge amount of energy, which is generally not a good thing to release in rapid and uncontrolled ways. Assuming you're not trying to stick a knife in them, or hitting them up with a torch, then you are generally safe. Biggest hazard comes from accidentally crushing them and sending them flying, or them aiding in the spread of fire in your house is burning down.

Big thing to watch out for is the compressed gas getting overly cold from use. If you get a 6 pack, don't use them one at a time. Unbox them all and swap between two or three if you need to use a lot. You really don't want to be spraying your electronics with cold gas, especially if you are in a reasonably high humidity area.

Always amuses me when I see someone playing paintball or something with a CO2 tank, and then puts an insulator wrap on to 'keep it warm' so it will shoot better. Sadly their eyes tend to glaze over when you mention ideal gas law and such.

When blowing it, it seems that it's not only gas, but I assume that it's part of the product, is this safe?

Liquid should not be coming out - make sure you keep the can upright and don't hold the button down, use short bursts. I don't think the liquid should cause any significant problems beyond making the dust a bit harder to remove, just don't get it on you - it's extremely cold and may give you a burn. It's not a very good idea to cool down your expensive electronics in this way, though it can be useful to detect overheating components when designing your own electronic circuits. In such cases the can is designed to let the liquid out.

It hopefully goes without saying that you shouldn't breathe the gas in, either!

Always amuses me when I see someone playing paintball or something with a CO2 tank, and then puts an insulator wrap on to 'keep it warm' so it will shoot better. Sadly their eyes tend to glaze over when you mention ideal gas law and such.

Keeping it warm is a perfectly valid method of maintain Pressure. With each shot, you're reducing n, which then results in a proportionate decrease in P. The only other variable to play with is Temperature, since volume is typically relatively constant, and R is, by definition, constant.

The irony though is that by insulating the tank, you're actually accomplishing the opposite, because as the pressure decreases, so too does the temperature of the gas. By insulating the tank, you're only maintaining that lower temperature. All in all, I really doubt it makes a substantial difference in the performance of the gun.

Short of actively heating the tanks, physically damaging them, or overfilling them, there's little you can do to cause a catastrophic rupture.

That being said, the nitrous bottle in my old Trans Am actually had an active heater. Of course, it was a pressure regulated heater, and the tank had a safety blow-off valve in case of dangerous over-pressure, so I'm certainly not advocating similar use on paintball guns.

it does say that it's highly explosive which worries me, is this normal?

Don't worry, that only applies in California.