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Originally Posted by alpal
The heatsink was vacuumed out from all directions
with a small air nozzle attachment.
Also by not using an air compressor I didn't spread dust everywhere through the computer.
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Heatsinks are aluminium and once removed, taken outside and bulk of grub brushed off with cheap reject shop paint brush (I buy them in various sizes for cleaning electronics (anything)) then a good scrub in a sink and a good dry. I don't vacuum the things, straight in the tub.
Quick question regarding the photos you put a link to, why do you have heatsink compound on both the heatsink and the processor?
https://itigic.com/thermal-paste-on-...or-too-little/
It's only required on the processor and it's better not to apply it too thick, a thin, even coating is best. The purpose of the thermal compound is to fill and level valleys and ridges on the CPU and heatsink and allow good thermal conductivity between CPU and heatsink. Too much and you create a thermal insulator/barrier. Many people (and manufacturers) claim it's better to only use 5 small dabs, one on each corner and one in the middle and not spread it out. I've tried that method and it has worked well but I still usually spread it evenly, force of habit (we'll do 20-30 processors in a row from our server gear).
Hint: $2 sticker remover from Reject shop comes with a great plastic applicator great for spreading thermal compound. Failing that, old plastic coated business cards work.
Sorry, I mentioned blowing computers out with a compressor, I didn't mean those little cans of refrigerant gas (Air duster spray, my son and I turn the cans of air upside down and drizzle the gas out in liquid form and use the refrigerant gas for many things, we don't use the cans for the air), I meant a proper compressor out in the shed
(you mentioned you don't have, sorry, I missed that) that blows the dust from everything and most importantly, the PSU (power supply unit). By using a decent compressor it won't spread dust throughout the entire computer, that's the point of the compressor, it blows the dust right out.
Dust left within the case, on mother board, RAM and other small crooks and nannies, sorry, "Nooks and Crannies" will soon get picked up by the case and CPU fans and blow it around into everything. Again, no available compressor, a good, clean, cheap soft bristled paintbrush is your friend, put a mask on (we all have them, right?) and take the case outside. There's nothing a soft bristled paint brush will damage if used with a small amount of care.
There's a lot of dusty crooks and nannies out there, LOL.
Prior to touching RAM, if not using a anti-static wrist strap or mat, touch the computer case to ground yourself and discharge any built up bodily static charge. I do it frequently through any build/strip down /repair. d I've been building and servicing computers for over 30 years (electronics and IT qualifications).
I also remove RAM and wipe the contacts on the RAM sticks with methylated spirits, electrical contact cleaner or Isopropyl alcohol and brush/blow out RAM slots. Dust in RAM slots accounts for a lot of PC problems, as does poorly seated RAM
We have a LOT of server gear here, my son has 4 C7000 blade cabinets (only 1 populated with 16 blade servers thankfully), a C3000 (8 blade cabinet), a rack mount DL360 twin processor server sitting on a cupboard in the kitchen which is our firewall and my sons VM's he plays with, 24 and 48 port switches in multiple rooms (plus more gear than I can mention (or remember, all bought cheap from Grays auctions in Sydney)) and basically rely on a decent compressor to keep it all clean because we have cats too.
Though I have a back yard where I can do that and a decent compressor in a shed to use for the purpose. Those little air brush compressors and most tyre inflators are toys depending on how much you spend (fit for their intended purpose) and won't blow dust from a computer, heaven knows I've tried when I can't be bothered going up to the shed late at night in the rain