A "sticky" question about GPU coolers

[DigDog]

q: What is, in your opinion, the easiest to clean GPU cooler on the market.


i have a XFX DD 7750, and my cooler is pitiful; and this isn't even the worst, my GTX280 was completely encrusted with dust.

yeah i know a bit of compressed air should do the trick, but somehow, it never seems to really clean it.
I imagine it's minute particles of oils and other greases which make a second buildup of dirt much quicker, because after i clean my cards, in a week or so they are clogged as if nothing happened.

So im thinking, what cooler should i get on my next GPU, that i can take off/open when needed, and give it a good scrub?
(i dont mean the copper base from the die, just the fans/fins)

Surely having a fully functional cooler is worth a few mhz ...

 

[BrightCandle]

Water cooling block. They don't really stack up much in the way of dust and it doesn't matter if there is dust on them. Admittedly the radiators now stack up with dust instead but fan filters do a decent job of catching 95% of it, a perk you don't get with a blower type fan.

 

[blackened23]

How dirty is your case? It takes months for any appreciable buildup of dirt to collect in my cards......keeping the case clean is a big part of it.

I've used a wide variety of aftermarket cards without any issue of dust buildup. It builds up but takes many months.

 

[Arkadrel]

Positive pressure inside pc case (more intake that out) + dust filters.

I imagine it's minute particles of oils and other greases....

Do you smoke? (if nikotin can colour walls and stick to them, it surely can to a cooler too in a pc)
other than that... greases? how would that get there?

 

[DigDog]

guilty as charged; i smoke at my PC more than anything. my case is not really the best either (CM Ammo 533), but that's beside the point. I was curious if any of you could recommend a GPU cooler which is sensibly easier to clean than the average (ie, it opens / detaches, is easily accessible, and so on).

fyi i've only had "closed" coolers until now, the reference, plastic covered, back-exausting ones. the "box".

 

[Stuka87]

Cigarette smoke is HORRIBLE for electronics. At the last company I worked for we had some equipment on board airliners (Part of the entertainment system), and sometimes one would fail on board Air France aircraft. Air France at the time was the last airline to allow smoking on board during flights.

When they would get back to us, everything would be caked in this thick brown greasy dust/tar stuff. The fans would barely turn, so obviously it would not cool, so it would go into thermal shutdown.

I didn't smoke before, but I sure as hell was not going to start after having to clean that gunk off electronics.

 

[bononos]

Its probably better to install filters on your case if dust builds up so quickly. Get the really fine meshed ones.
I added extra fans to setup positive pressure and I don't have to worry about dust inside for a long while.

 

[blackened23]

guilty as charged; i smoke at my PC more than anything. my case is not really the best either (CM Ammo 533), but that's beside the point. I was curious if any of you could recommend a GPU cooler which is sensibly easier to clean than the average (ie, it opens / detaches, is easily accessible, and so on).

fyi i've only had "closed" coolers until now, the reference, plastic covered, back-exausting ones. the "box".

No. There aren't any coolers, reference or otherwise, that are easily accessible in terms of removing the shroud for cleaning. Its a PITA no matter what. You're gonna have to remove the screws and the shroud + reapply TIM regardless of the cooler type.

Keep your case clean, basically. Use dust filters. Etc. You shouldn't be accumulating dust in a week, it takes me 6+ months to even notice dust on GPUs.

 

[DigDog]

Thanks all for the replies; i'll have to ask around the Cooling forum for a "dust-filter box" as my case doesn't take them now - or just buy another case, but i got a wee idea on making a "HEPA tent" for my PC in the future.

 

[bononos]

Thanks all for the replies; i'll have to ask around the Cooling forum for a "dust-filter box" as my case doesn't take them now - or just buy another case, but i got a wee idea on making a "HEPA tent" for my PC in the future.

You could just buy magnetic filters and slap them on or make your own using magnetic tape and fine mesh/whatever filter is convenient.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999257

 

[24601]

You could just buy magnetic filters and slap them on or make your own using magnetic tape and fine mesh/whatever filter is convenient.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999257

OP would literally have to make a "hepa tent" like he said he was thinking about, or at least use hepa level filters on all openings to his PC.

The smoke from smoking is very hard to filter properly.