Last edited by a moderator:
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Dust filter for Mac Pro
- Thread starter Einz
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I've had a dust filter on my Mac Pro since I got it (more than 3 years ago)
I went to Home Depot and bought a foam filter for about $10, cut it to size and inserted it into the Mac Pro. It sits against the grill on the inside and I can take it out once every 6 months or so and clean it.
That product looks to be the same thing… except it costs more than twice as much.
I went to Home Depot and bought a foam filter for about $10, cut it to size and inserted it into the Mac Pro. It sits against the grill on the inside and I can take it out once every 6 months or so and clean it.
That product looks to be the same thing… except it costs more than twice as much.
Thanks for sharing this. When you were using the dust filter, did your Mac Pro had heat issues like was the temperature of the machine higher with the filter on? Did the dust filter helped in making the interior totally dust free or it minimized dust getting in?
When I got my Mac Pro, I had it set on carpet which meant a lot of dust accumulated. After a week I had a coat of dust on everything in the Mac Pro.
So I went and got the foam, cut it to size (took me a few tries to get it perfect), and I've been using it ever since. This cured my dust issue to the point where after a year I barely had any dust in the computer. It was not entirely dust free as for example for the optical drive was I was unable to fit a filter there, so dust does have a way to get in; it was all minimal as the optical bay / power supply part of the chassis is compartmentalized from the rest of the Mac Pro.
The Mac Pro is very efficient and I did not have issues with temperatures going up (not to any degree that I noticed). If anything the foam also acted as sound dampener and reduced the overall noise of the Mac Pro.
Thank you for your inputs. I am considering putting a foam too as I wanted the interior to be clean at all times. Currently, I bring my Mac Pro to the Apple service center for periodic cleaning by gently air blowing the parts. No vacuum involved. The foam may be a convenient solution to dust.
My guess is you will have to increase fans speed to keep the same air flow over the innards, otherwise temperatures will go up. Of course, at some point the temperatures you get without the filter will creep up as dust collects inside. How long this will takes depends on the environment. Personally, I'd rather keep my MP quiet and cool, and do a cleaning from time to time with my DATAVAC.
Filter = Air Restriction
Any filter restricts air flow to some extent. I doubt Apple designed the air flow through the Mac Pro with a filter in mind.
I am more worried about temperature increases that could cause component failure. The dust I can occasionally blow/vacuum out of the unit.
Any filter restricts air flow to some extent. I doubt Apple designed the air flow through the Mac Pro with a filter in mind.
I am more worried about temperature increases that could cause component failure. The dust I can occasionally blow/vacuum out of the unit.
Well the fan speed profiles work by temperature so you're safe either way. SMC doesn't actually think about the fans speeds. It will continue increasing the fans speeds until the temperatures fall to whatever the profile requires.
And while at first you may think this may make your machine more noisy I'm betting that such a filter reduces more noise than whatever fan increase would introduce.
The filter looks like a great idea for those of us using SMCFanControl typically setting our "defaults" to 1300 or 1400.
----------
Instead of cutting a square hole for the ODD doors just cut three sides so that it acts like a flap. Then maybe glue a thin lobster skewer across the top edge of the flap so that it doesn't try to tuck inside when the drive closes again.
Or maybe just a long H shaped slit would work better?
Last edited:
There's another company that has made these things for years called Micro Solution. I needed one due to construction dust in HVAC ducts from a remodeling project and because I like to leave the door to outside open in nice weather.
It was well over a year before I needed to open up my Mac Pro for CPU/GPU upgrades. I know it was exposed to a lot of dust and pollen because I wiped it from desks and bookshelves, and could see it trapped on the filter. Inside, my Mac was pristine. These things work. Temps? I run flat out often for long periods of time and have never seen anything abnormal. If this product is anything like the one I think came from Japan, it works perfectly.
It was well over a year before I needed to open up my Mac Pro for CPU/GPU upgrades. I know it was exposed to a lot of dust and pollen because I wiped it from desks and bookshelves, and could see it trapped on the filter. Inside, my Mac was pristine. These things work. Temps? I run flat out often for long periods of time and have never seen anything abnormal. If this product is anything like the one I think came from Japan, it works perfectly.
After having my Mac Pro for 4 years, I don't see the need.
I hoover the front every so often and then every 6 months take it apart and hoover the heatsinks and fans at the same time.
The Northbridge heatsink is the worst :/
I hoover the front every so often and then every 6 months take it apart and hoover the heatsinks and fans at the same time.
The Northbridge heatsink is the worst :/
I hope you have a special grounded hoover, if you don't, you've got lucky these past 4 years.
Static buildup is only a problem if:
A) It isn't plugged in (and therefore grounded).
B) I touch electrical contacts.
As long as you dont rub balloons next to them computers are fine with being hoovered.
I would strongly disagree, as would most if not all reputable articles on computer care you read.
Home vacuum cleaners are simply too varied to declare them to be safe to use. It might be a small risk but it can still be a risk that destroys your computer.
You can do what you like but id urge anyone else to at least think twice before doing the same.
I wont reply on the subject again because i don't want to go further off topic.
15 years of cleaning computers with hoovers and not one has died.
If your careful, it isn't a problem.
What would be cool for our machines is a front intake dust filter similar to the one on my gaming rig's case. Its a thin mesh screen that doesn't restrict airflow really at all, and it picks up the heavy dust very nicely.
Ultimately you still have to dust your machine, but you can do it a lot less. Just clean the screens weekly and the computer maybe every 2-3 months.
After my mac pro build I am going to reuse my gaming rig's case and my next PC build will be a hackintosh capable one.
Ultimately you still have to dust your machine, but you can do it a lot less. Just clean the screens weekly and the computer maybe every 2-3 months.
After my mac pro build I am going to reuse my gaming rig's case and my next PC build will be a hackintosh capable one.
Heck, you don't even have to be all that careful. About the only way it would be unsafe is if some moron tried to use a power head with roller brushes and just run it over the internals - LOL. It is in fact completely safe. Any article that claims to be "reputable" and also cautions against using a vacuum is probably written by a nitwit self-proclaiming to know something. And vacuums don't vary in any significant way which would make them more or less safe either. They all have a plastic nozzle and they all suck air. Vacuum suction and/or compressed air blowing is exactly how to remove dust bunnies and copious amounts of dust and lint. There's like zero percent chance of static emission from either one. The basic tools for de-dustifying a clogged up PC are exactly, a couple of high quality paint-brushes, some canned air, and a vacuum cleaner.
Heh, next we'll be reading that cell-phones can't be used around computers because they'll make the memory chips pop like pop-corn.
Pretty much ditto (30 years electronic engineering)
Anyone really worried, buy an metal crevice tool to replace/substitute for the original plastic one.
Filter
Great thread. I need something I get grey perfumey dust in my macpro and couldnt figure it out until one day I watched one of my cats digging in the littler box across the room one day!
BUT yes I think one would have to speed up fan speed..
Is there any software to do that?
12 core new macpro!
Great thread. I need something I get grey perfumey dust in my macpro and couldnt figure it out until one day I watched one of my cats digging in the littler box across the room one day!
BUT yes I think one would have to speed up fan speed..
Is there any software to do that?
12 core new macpro!
Agreed, bought one last year on the advice of another poster. It's a beast, much better than cans of compressed air. Best to use outside!