[NBLUG/talk] Safe cooling in a dusty environment?

[Lincoln Peters]

I'm expecting to do another upgrade on my parents' computer within the
next month or two (this time it's most likely a new motherboard, CPU,
and RAM).  However, one thing I noticed after the last upgrade I did
(new tower with better cooling) is that it's in an area filled with
dust and cat hair (there's a visible layer of cat hair suctioned to
the intake vent on the front of the case), and once I do this upgrade,
it will probably be producing even more heat than before.

Any suggestions?  I know I've seen dust filters that install between
the case vents and the fans, but I don't know how much they'll reduce
the amount of cooling I get from the fans.  And cleaning the dust out
of the case is a huge chore (I'm the only one who can reach behind it
to disconnect everything, and I have to travel 90 miles to do it for
them), so I want to minimize how often that needs to be done if I
possibly can.  I'm also reluctant to install a liquid-cooling system,
since a leak could cause considerable (and expensive) damage and
they're on a tight budget.


-- 
Lincoln Peters
<anfrind at gmail.com>