Is my laptop about to die? Fan problem?

The_Big_Bamboo

Neil_Jones wrote: »

Its one thing to use a Henry from outside the case but never use vacuum cleaners on motherboards - static electricity.

Also note that using Henry from outside the case doesn't change the underlying problem. From the model number you've posted the majority of the dust build up will be on the inside, which Henry can't deal with. All your sucking from the outside is what can come through the fins - you may have just cleared a "tunnel" which will just block up again in the near future.

After many decades in the industry I’ve never come across a proven instance of a vacuum cleaner damaging electronic components by static discharge; (I’m not implying that static discharge doesn’t exist or that it can’t damage sensitive components btw)

I’d imagine any vacuum induced failures are more likely caused by over exuberant use of a vacuum nozzle that’s damaged components or dislodged cables/connectors/dry-joints et al.

Simply removing the casing of laptops (or any electronic equipment for that matter) and having a poke around inside can result in unexpected failures exhibiting themselves when said equipment in re-assembled;...especially when said equipment is a few years old.

According to some ‘experts’??? the much-loved compressed air-blaster cleaning method is equally likely to lead to static-discharge and damage. As an aside, a vacuum clean actually removes debris,...a compressed air blast dislodges debris, some (or most) of which stays inside the equipment.

Clearing out the vents (inlets and outlets) with a powerful vacuum is generally all that’s needed to keep the fan/internals of a ‘domestic’ laptop reasonably clean/clear. There are exceptions of course and I assume that you have particular knowledge of the OP’s particular model number hence your comment “From the model number you've posted the majority of the dust build up will be on the inside, which Henry can't deal with”. I’m not familiar with that particular machine and if an internal clean (suck or blow!) is required then so be it.

If a vacuum is only able to clear the air-vents of “a tunnel which will just block up again in the near future” one would hazard a guess that the cleanliness of the environment is a major factor. Unless, due to a major design flaw, the laptop is very prone to blocked vents even in reasonably ‘clean’ environments as maybe the case with the OP’s laptop.

Laptops/PCs/servers etc can accumulate alarming amounts of internal detritus surprisingly quickly when used in certain environments. Warehouse environments in particular,...even if said equipment is housed in a seemingly clean (warehouse) office environment.

Most, but certainly not all, laptops are used in reasonably ‘clean’ environments.

Keeping equipment cool and clean is vital,...though the best method of attaining the required level of internal cleanliness (suck or blow or brush or wipe!) is certainly open to debate and conjecture. No doubt the conjecture will continue,...probably by way of this thread.:)

Neil_Jones

On the majority of laptops the cooling solution is just a fan on the side of the laptop that is attached to a piece of copper that screws on top of the processor itself.

This allows heat to radiate from the processor along the copper back to the fan, but the flaw in these designs is the dust builds up between the internal vent and the fan. This is where the heat gets trapped.

This is the cheapest solution for most laptops - some laptops may have other solutions but this is the most common. The quality of the fans in the cheaper laptops leaves a bit to be desired sometimes.