Dust resistant case

[busia12]

Hey guys, I need a new case that can accomplish two things...

manage to keep my high end rig nice and cool while I game, and keep out the loads of dust that flies around the typical college dorm room. Any suggestions on a stylish case with plenty of cooling that is also well rated against dust intrusion? Links would be great.

Thanks.

 

[panfist]

For the ~$100 you would spend on a case...pay yourself minimum wage to spend 30 minutes cleaning your dorm room every week.

This also helps attract girls.

edit: seriously I had the same problem as you. First I tried fan dust covers, then I tried putting my entire computer in a dust bag. Regardless of what solution you choose, there is maintenance involved keeping your computer dust free. There is no buy-it-once-and-forget-it solution. You will have to clean the fan covers or dust bag every week or two anyway, why not just vacuum your dorm room every week or two.

 

[Zepper]

Positive pressure can make most systems relatively dust free, but it takes some effort. And you do have to maintain the intake filter(s) frequently for best performance.

.bh.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: panfist
Regardless of what solution you choose, there is maintenance involved keeping your computer dust free. There is no buy-it-once-and-forget-it solution.

QFT

I use an Antec Solo case that has decent filtering, but it has to be cleaned periodically. I did this recently when I swapped some parts, and took some pics.

Front filter clogged with dust

Front filter after cleaning

Yes, the inside of my computer stayed a LOT cleaner than the filter, but the filter HAS to be cleaned periodically or else:

1) Dust will start getting in around the filter (through other openings in your case).

2) Case temperatures will go up.

 

[busia12]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the suggestions, and panfist, I'm obsessively neat. However, thanks to the lottery that is roommate selection, I get stuck with people who do not share this quality. My girlfriend and I are quite content with the cleanliness of my corner of the room.

I'm going to have to look into some sort of solution. I do regularly clean my current case fan filters, it just builds up so damn fast!

Thanks again.

 

[panfist]

Originally posted by: busia12
I'm obsessively neat. However, thanks to the lottery that is roommate selection, I get stuck with people who do not share this quality. My girlfriend and I are quite content with the cleanliness of my corner of the room.

Since that is the case then I would recommend some kind of positive pressure system. I don't know if anyone rates cases based on dust resistance, but as long as the case isn't covered with or made out of exposed grills it should not be too hard to seal off, unless you plan on opening it frequently.

I would go for a 120 or 140mm fan intake fan in the front with at least 50% more CFM then your exhaust fan. You need at least one exhaust fan near the CPU otherwise your case temps will get pretty high. It's a lot easier to exhaust hot air near the source than it is to get effective in-flow of cool air.

After you've performed your initial seal-up, power up the computer and take a very fine sheet of tissue paper or something similar and see if you can find any uncontrolled area of the case where air seems to be entering. I would then augment your seal-up job by trying to install another filtered intake fan as close to this leak as possible.

Also, you should consider the quality of your filters. Unless it's a very nice micron/hepa whatever filter, it might just be letting as much dust pass as it catches.