Do Computers Get Dustier On The Floor?

[Player0]

Place your vote. Do your PCs get dustier on the floor or on your desk? Cast your vote!

[illmatik]

As an urban, smoking (although 50% less smoking now) household, I've noticed it to be the same for the most part. I will say though, it varies on season. Stuff seems to be dustier when windows are open, more sunlight raising dust, etc. In the winter, I seem to clean the boxen less.

[Drake]

Pets >.<

[Nettik]

I find it fair to say that the cases get more dust on the ground due to the fact that the fans process air and their is more dirt/vinyl(from carpet)/misc stuff in the air closer to the ground. I used to keep my case on the ground, but that computer lasted two years before it died and it was full of dust.

:Nettik

[WackyComputer]

My PCs that are on the floor get a darker heavier dust consisting of some hair and food while PCs on the desk/(PC below it) have a whiter finer dust that does a number on my sinuses.

[Nut]

I see roughly the same dust levels in most of my computere wether they are on the floor my desk or my rack. Also depends on how many fans each of my cases has. The ones with fewer fans tend to collect less dust.

Now my work computer gets filthy in just a few days. I work in an automotive shop and the dirt/dust gets nasty very quick. Covers EVERYTHING inside the case. I have a case with a window, which is good so I can see when the thing needs cleaning. Usually every two to three weeks. This computer sits on top of my tool box at a height of about 3 1/2 feet. I have even gone to lengths of putting filters on all the intake fans but dirt still manages to get in. Plus in the summer when its 100F in the shop, I need the airflow through the case and the filters have to go.

[Synthohol]

and the filters have to go.
use Farabombs trick, use a scotch-brite pad for a filter, lots of air flow, decent filter and its washable for re-use:)

[ripley]

Dust is way bad on the floor because if you are walking around (anywhere around your case) you are kicking up dust that your computer is sucking up. but I dont know there is dust everywhere on everything so

[Kill-Switch]

I'd say dust would be worse in the floor, especially if you have carpeted floors. As Ripley said, if you're walking around your kicking up dust from the carpet and your system will suck it in.

[ricky]

30,000-40,000 dead skin cells fall off your body every minute.
The fatter you are and/or the more people that are around your computer, the more dust it will accumulate.

You are liable to lose about 40lbs of skin cells in a life time. Let's say an average life time is about 70 years / 40lbs = .57lb of dust per yr / 12 months = .05lb of dust per month. Let's say you have 4 people living in the house (like I do) so 4 * .05 = .20lb. Almost a 1/4 of a pound of dust settles on my computers each month, and this is not even calculating outside contaminants.

[Prometheus]

30,000-40,000 dead skin cells fall off your body every minute.
The fatter you are and/or the more people that are around your computer, the more dust it will accumulate.

You are liable to lose about 40lbs of skin cells in a life time. Let's say an average life time is about 70 years / 40lbs = .57lb of dust per yr / 12 months = .05lb of dust per month. Let's say you have 4 people living in the house (like I do) so 4 * .05 = .20lb. Almost a 1/4 of a pound of dust settles on my computers each month, and this is not even calculating outside contaminants.

Go Ricky!!

I think that dust particles come in several types myself, and can actually float in some cases for long periods of time in the air if even the slightest stiring occurs in the area. Whereas, I also know that the heavier particles fall to the ground, and can be stired with feet, but generally fall back down quickly unless they get attatched to something like your heatsinks during the time they are in the air.

I would tend to think that the dust closer the floor would be worse, if for no other reason than because its a combination of both types invloved. Those that continually float, get trapped easaly, those that are heavier get trapped when stired.

At higher places, there surface area that could catch the heavier particles would be less, therefore, most of the particles would be of the "airborn" type, and not the heavier ones that settle quickly.

Air is constantly moving in any enclosed area, even without outside stimulation. Though it may not be movement enough to get our attention, it does happen, and it carries with it the lightest of all the dust particles, so no matter what, you get it either way.

Point being, I think the floor gets both types of dust in a room where people are going to be moving around in.

"Unless" its like in an open air shop like Nut_Bag was talking about, and then its just too freakin bad cause your gonna get dust bunnies the size of Texas no matter what you do. :(

[Nut]

"Unless" its like in an open air shop like Nut_Bag was talking about, and then its just too freakin bad cause your gonna get dust bunnies the size of Texas no matter what you do. :(

I will try and remember to get some pics of how dirty my gear gets at work. Its really bad this time of year with the doors staying shut except when moving cars in or out. I wouldn't call it dust as much as just DIRT comprising of brakes dust (which always finds its way up my nose everyday), dried mud and road dirt (real bad when customer lives on dirt road) sand and salt (this time of year its BAD, why people never wash their cars I don't know) tailpipe emissons, oil leaks that burn off exhaust (some people like it when their engine burns oil, the people behind them in traffic probably don't)

I was once told by a home inspector that leaving the house fan on constantly will cut down on the airborn dust levels in the home as well as balance the temperature between levels. Just remember to change the filter once a month.

[unacceptable_risk]

Floor is way dustier for me. Floor + pets + carpet = eww. A mate of mine started getting really bad voltages on his 3.3 line, so I replaced his PSU, and this is what I found. (the inset is me holding it up to a fluro....minimal airflow here)
http://www.specialisedtechnologies.com/pics/dustyPSU1.jpg

I just go the air-compressor about 4 times a year on my machines. I have a watertrap, and I am carefull about it. (same PSU)
http://www.specialisedtechnologies.com/pics/dustyPSU2.jpg

[DCMan]

Yeah, I take a vacuum cleaner to mine every couple of months too... gets waaay too dusty too quickly otherwise!

[Player0]

Dust is worse on the floor for me. But I have hardwood floors. But its always been the case.

Shit, now I need to get the servers off the floor. You wouldnt beleive the dust I sucked out of LN. Bah, I have no room, I need to expand!! The dust already claimed on CPU fan. Imagine my delight to come home to a LN cpu running 97c :)