Dust filters - good idea?

sparky05084

sparky05084

sparky05084

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4 Sep 2011
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Evening all.

Well, I am in the process of purchasing an extra roof fan for my NZXT Phantom Enthusiast and I was wondering if I should be getting some dust filters at the same time.

Basically, I recall a post relating to the build up of dust inside cases over time and there was mention of my case and how dust is prone to settling on the top shelf and apparently, is a bit of a nightmare.

This concerns me as it's my first build and although I will do my best to clean it on a regular basis and try to stick to it, I want to minimise any dust build up.

Yes, I know it's inevitable but what would you suggest I get?

Do you think it's worth it at all?

Finally, what's a good compressed air cleaner?

Thanks
 
dust filters are a great way of minimizing the dust that will get inside although dust will still get inside. If you do not clean the dust filters on a regular basis what you will get is dust covering the filter and basically making your intake fans pointless and then you will at some point get over heating.

In my last build I had an antec 1200 case which had 3 120mm fans at the front which all had dust filters in front of them. I had to clean them every 30 days to keep my airflow good but it only took about 10 minutes to clean them and any dust that got in the case.

Get yourself some compressed air and the job is already half done.
 
Are you adding this as an exhaust or an intake?

Exhausts don't need filters and if you have more exhaust than intake dust filters won't help much.
 
OptimaLnrg said:
Are you adding this as an exhaust or an intake?

Exhausts don't need filters and if you have more exhaust than intake dust filters won't help much.
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By the amount of dust on my exhaust fans, I'd say they do :p


I've had many cases over the past few years and have to say although cooling is not optimal, I'd rather have a lot less dust, so when looking for cases dust-filters is a huge factor.
 
Corsair 550D atm, 2x 120mm intakes front, 2x120mm exhaust top, 1x 120mm exhaust rear.
Also had it on;
Thermaltake Level 10 GT, 200mm intake front, 200mm intake side, 2x 120mm exhaust top, 1x 120mm exhaust rear.

I wouldn't say either of those cases are good for cooling though :)

Although I was referring to the dust that worms its way in when the PC is turned off coming in from the top fans :p
 
YarwoodUK said:
Corsair 550D atm, 2x 120mm intakes front, 2x120mm exhaust top, 1x 120mm exhaust rear.
Also had it on;
Thermaltake Level 10 GT, 200mm intake front, 200mm intake side, 2x 120mm exhaust top, 1x 120mm exhaust rear.

I wouldn't say either of those cases are good for cooling though :)

Although I was referring to the dust that worms its way in when the PC is turned off coming in from the top fans :p
Click to expand...

oic

well in that config you have negative pressure and dust will be sucked in from all over the place anyway, especially with the restricted front intake airflow.

I won't even consider the level 10 gt as it's just.. eurgh..
 
Slap a filter on all intakes, keep positive air pressure as much as humanly possible. It really does help in reducing the amount of dust collecting in it.
 
Thanks guys for the replies. Basically, I have 3 intakes being a front Akasa 120mm Piranha and the 2 sides being the original 120mm NZXT fans that come pre installed.

As for exhausts, I have 3 of which are 2 200mm NZXT (mounted at top) and a rear 120mm NZXT. As this is an equal number, I’m hoping that I will have good airflow. Am I right in saying that to get a much more positive pressure inside the case you need more intakes than exhausts?

Anyways, after a bit of thought, I am now considering getting some DEMCiflex 120mm square filters for my intakes only and a single 200mm round DEMCifex to replace the factory fitted filter on the side of my case.

Basically, I can't fit a 200mm side intake fan as it would clash with my Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom cooler. Didn't think to check that. Silly me :D

I would appreciate any available advice if the DEMCifex filters are worth it as they are currently on offer and will they be compatible with my case.

Thanks.
 
I have a fan filter in the front of my case but i still get a shin layer of chinchilla clay on the bottom of the case, in the GPU heat sink and CPU Rad, its getting really annoying. I have tried positive air pressure but that's not working! arrhhh
 
The best solution to dramatically cut down on dust build up in my machine was to move it off of the floor and up onto the desk, now it only needs cleaning out once every couple of months rather than every week before.
 
Ive started to leave my top exhaust filter on now, I'd been leaving it off for a few week and the build up off dust inside was incredible really, even though the top fan is an exhaust fan you have space either side where dust can get in on a 650D. I leave the rear exhaust filter off when the pc is on as the fan covers the whole mesh area so no dust can get in. Both filters are on when the pc is not in use.
 
My Fractal R4 came with dust filters on the front x2 140mm instake and the bottom 140mm and psu intake. I can go without cleaning the filters for 2 weeks without me seeing a single strand of dust in the system.

They're definitely worth it I don't see how I ever went without them.
 
What if there is 2exhausts and 2intake would this be a balanced air pressure? :p I did have positive but had to remove one fan due to heatsink
 
silk300 said:
Get some tights from the supermarket, work great and are really cheap :D
Click to expand...

this, except i find if its not tight enough over the fan it can pull the tights toward the fan and make an annoying "noise" its very quiet but i can still hear it !
 
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