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PSI Value for safely cleaning dust from CPU HSF

2902 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Dark Volker, 
D
I ran out of canned air for cleaning my heatsinks and was wanting to know about what PSI value is used with canned air. I want to find a safe PSI value to run my air compressor at so that I don't have to buy anymore canned air.

I was thinking anywhere above ~25psi and below ~40psi would be safe for blowing out the dust that has collected within the fins of my heatsink, but I wanted to get someone else's opinion before I go to do it. Thanks!
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Adrienspawn
Not sure about PSI, but I hate to waste money too so I use a hair dryer.
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L
just try a few settings, start low and move up to what psi removes the dust (if it cant remove the dust it cant hurt anything else)
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D
I read in an online article that most canned air is compressed to ~70psi. I will probably start at 50 and work my way up until the dust is being removed.

Thanks for the replies!
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Derp
Be very careful to not use too much. i was interested in using a compressor aswell and i found an article concerning the air containing alot of moisture that could damage your hardware. they used some sort of filter that removed most of the water and it seemed fine. i dont know the details just a friendly warning you might want to look into.
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J
It's not so much the PSI that matters, more the design of the nozzle you are using. I recommend holding the nozzle about 2-3 inches from your hand, and blowing it on your palm. Find a setting that dimples your skin, but doesn't hurt or make your skin flap around.
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D
I found the "magic" psi value for cleaning dust from heatsinks. Between 60 and 65psi is perfect. Keep in mind that this was just for cleaning a heatsink, not any hardware components. For that, I would go ahead and buy more canned air.
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