How to clean the Mac Studio from dust?

[TzunamiOSX]

Since one inevitable day, the Studio will need to be opened to be properly cleaned, what are your plans, doing it yourselves or taking them to the apple store or a shop for someone else to do it for you?

Do it by my own, but I have a electrical engineering training. Only assembly the foot ring is a problem, I would sink.

 

[splifingate]

So, I got to some deep Workspace cleaning this morning.

My M2 Max has been sitting upon a severely-neglected LD202.

I have two Quats in the house (among other Elemental considerations).

This is what I observed, today:

This is what the Studio showed:

I VTF (Vacuumed The Fur) out of both the stand, and the Studio (Herself (I even daubed-off the coffee-splatters off of Her beautiful face))!

iStat commended me on my efforts:

When it comes to Attentive Maintennance, every little bit counts, right?

 

[Sharky II]

It’s quite a flimsy thing and even though the box was sealed, it came with a few marks on it. But then, it’s very cheap.

Comes with a total of 3 sponge filters, not sure if they consider them a consumable, or where to buy more from. The sponge filters are very thin and delicate but I think that could be a good thing.

It’s also a bit annoying that the Mac Studio doesn’t lock into place onto the stand, it can easily slip off, unlike the Spigen which I believe uses the Kensington lock slot to hold the Mac, though the Mac Studio Ultra is very heavy. The machine does sit flush without the gap that many Spigen owners seem to report.

But ultimately I think it should do its job for the foreseeable future and from a distance it looks decent (see attached)!

Since installing this, I have not seen any dust on the bottom of the Mac. I don't really see any on the filter, either. Weird!

I'm still using the same 'filter' sponge that it came with, though I have two spare. I might change it just as a precaution.

 

[asiga]

Just received a M4 Max Mac Studio, plugged it yesterday, and I'm deciding what to do for avoiding dust. I've read the whole thread. One aspect that I'm thinking is that if you make the airflow more difficult with the use of dense foam, I guess the air will be arriving from other places: the ports holes, or even the rear grill (whose purpose is to expel air, but if you limit the bottom airflow, I guess air will find another way for flowing).

However, I saw in the thread pictures of foam that has captured dust, so it does seem to work.

I tend to believe the solution by @Shazaam! is the best one, but... do you really need the 3D printed box? Don't you get the same result with just foam and the Studio sitting on top of the foam directly, like you show in some pictures?

 

[SepticUG]

I just cleaned my spigen dustfilter for my m2ultra studio last week. I saw that thermals were rising and not dropping fast anymore. Took the spigen to the sink and cleaned it with hot water. It was already filled with dust (and I have a BIG AC in my room) after cleaning it went back to normal again.

I had 75% fanspeed last weeks, now it is back to zero again. I bought it when I got the Studio. So this is really an investement you wanna make.

My baseline front intake went from 39 to 31 *Celsius
Typical P-core thermals from 47 to 37 (being idle with only chrome and tv streaming stuff, no DAW or other stuff running)

 

[Ifti]

Ive just received the Spigen stand/filter, will be using it wit the Mac Studio that hasnt arrived yet.......
I was hoping it would capture all dust, but the holes in the filter do seem a tad large. I may try adding another coat of finer mesh material to it.....

 

[designerdave72]

Ive just received the Spigen stand/filter, will be using it wit the Mac Studio that hasnt arrived yet.......
I was hoping it would capture all dust, but the holes in the filter do seem a tad large. I may try adding another coat of finer mesh material to it.....

Just remember to clean it regularly. I have a Spigen for my late 2022 M1 Max and it’s kept dust at bay since I had it. I do clean the Spigen and the Studio grill usually every 2 months if it needs it.

 

[asiga]

View attachment 2236563
3D Printed (choose your color)
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-print-models/hobby-diy/electronics/mac-studio-filter-casing-3d-printing
View attachment 2236536Amount of dust captured in four months by foam air filter.

View attachment 2236531
https://unifilter.com/online-catalog/accessories/

Uni Filter - BF-1 BF1 12" X 16" X 5/8" 65-PPI Green Fine Foam

Uni filter ATV air filters keep out all the dirt, dust, and mud providing superior engine protection. The principle of how foam air filters work is simple, open cell polyurethane foam is wetted with specially developed filter oil. The sticky filter oil.

www.amazon.com

Do you replace the foam, or do you clean it? With just warm water, or how?

 

[Chuckeee]

Do you replace the foam, or do you clean it? With just warm water, or how?

Blow it clean with canned air (removing the filter first from the stand)?

 

[Ifti]

Just remember to clean it regularly. I have a Spigen for my late 2022 M1 Max and it’s kept dust at bay since I had it. I do clean the Spigen and the Studio grill usually every 2 months if it needs it.

Do you find much dust gets through the Spigen filter and to the Studio itself?
Wonder if it may be an idea to add some air filter foam around the inner edges of the spigen stand so finer particles can't get through at all......although being careful not to affect computer temperatures at the same time....
Or do you think that's not necessary?

 

[asiga]

I think I’ll try the plain “sit on foam” approach that can be seen in the first pages of the thread. Without any base, just two layers of foam, the first one with a circle cut. I want it quick, easy, and effective.

 

[designerdave72]

Do you find much dust gets through the Spigen filter and to the Studio itself?
Wonder if it may be an idea to add some air filter foam around the inner edges of the spigen stand so finer particles can't get through at all......although being careful not to affect computer temperatures at the same time....
Or do you think that's not necessary?

Some dust powder goes through to the Studio but not as too worry about it. I also have my studio raised on a perforated stand to assist the airflow.

 

[splifingate]

While I haven't directly opened my Studio to check the dust-residue, my temps haven't risen.

Accumulation is basically accumulation, and assessment speaks to time-spans greater than what has been available for us (relatively) recent purchasers.

 

[asiga]

Finally, instead of the foam, I went for the Spigen and also ordered 20DEN stockings following the advice of the youtube video that was posted in the thread. I don't like at all the idea of putting the Mac inside a stocking as shown in the video, but I thought that if I cut a square piece and put it between the Spigen and the Mac Studio, it would do the same effect in an aesthetic way. Anyway, I'll check the thermal measurements. If it raises the temperature, maybe I'll run the Spigen plain with no addons.

 

[asiga]

Finally, instead of the foam, I went for the Spigen and also ordered 20DEN stockings following the advice of the youtube video that was posted in the thread. I don't like at all the idea of putting the Mac inside a stocking as shown in the video, but I thought that if I cut a square piece and put it between the Spigen and the Mac Studio, it would do the same effect in an aesthetic way. Anyway, I'll check the thermal measurements. If it raises the temperature, maybe I'll run the Spigen plain with no addons.

After some tests, my final decision is to use the Spigen without any extra filter on it.

Reasoning:

Disclaimer: note that these measurements depend a lot on the temperature of your room. In fact I was able to increase or decrease the fans speed by closing or opening the room door.

I made measurements in my new M4 Max (with the open source stats app). It seems the Mac Studio M4 Max is designed to keep the CPU temperature below 80ºC and the GPU temperature below 70ºC. Running a stress test of CPU performance cores plus GPU cores in the stats app for 40 minutes and without any filter nor Spigen, just the plain Mac Studio, the CPU temperature stabilized at about 77ºC, the GPU at about 67ºC, and the fans at about 1150 RPM.

Then, keeping the CPU+GPU stress test running, I added the Spigen with an extra filter of 20 DEN stockings (a single layer of nylon, the greatest square I could cut from a stocking, which is a few millimetres smaller than the diameter of the Spigen, but you can extend it to fit, and the nice thing of the Spigen is that you can put that layer between the Spigen and the filter, clamping and fixing it). This test, to my taste, didn't work well: after less than 10 minutes, the CPU temperature raised to 82ºC (5ºC higher), and the GPU to 72ºC (also 5ºC higher) and the fans raised to 1490 RPM (340 RPM more).

I didn't like that increase of 340 RPM, and I didn't like that MacOS couldn't keep the CPU and GPU temperatures below 80ºC and 70ºC respectively, so I cancelled the test in the first 10 minutes.

Next, I repeated the same full stress CPU+GPU test (note: I say "full stress" but it's only the performance cores, not the efficiency cores, but I don't think they would change the results substantially) with the Spigen only (no stockings), and to my satisfaction, after 40 minutes, the temperatures were identical to the first test with just the plain Mac Studio (77ºC and 67ºC), so the extra 5ºC in the cancelled test came from the stockings. The fan speed stabilized at 1270 RPM (so the Spigen stresses a bit the fans, by 120 RPM, but doesn't modify the temperatures).

As a conclusion, I think the Spigen with no extra filters is the best solution. I agree the Spigen holes are too big for effectively filtering dust, but by adding a effective filter you are stressing the fans. The Spigen holes, even if they are big, it's worth of mention that you actually have the holes of the Mac Studio, so these two grills which are in contact, I believe will have a good effect in reducing the accumulation of dust inside the machine, so I think it will take more time to notice performance degradation due to dust if you use a Spigen, and I believe it's beneficial. But, as @splifingate said, it's too early to have good reviews on the impact of using a Spigen.

Another extra conclusion, it's the first Studio I buy, and I'm overly satisfied with its thermals: 77ºC and 67ºC with totally silent fans after 40 minutes of full stress running is a great feat. I cannot say the same about Apple totally ignoring the dust ingestion (or maybe not ignoring but using it to their income benefit): that's a FAIL, Apple.

 

[NJRonbo]

Thank you for posting those extensive testing results. Happy that I went with the Spigen option and it still holds up as being an effective one.

 

[designerdave72]

I cannot say the same about Apple totally ignoring the dust ingestion (or maybe not ignoring but using it to their income benefit): that's a FAIL, Apple.

When I researched my first Mac Studio to replace my 2014 iMac I saw a unit in the Barcelona Apple Store and the underneath was absolutely caked in dust and hair from the display table. I eventually bought my Mac Studio in November 2022 and bought a Spigen after a recommendation on here and never looked back. The only issue i have now, is whether or not to upgrade my M1 for an M4 🤔🤣

 

[dimme]

I have had a Mac studio on my desk for almost 2 years with the Spigen stand. I am not in an ideal environment; old small house, 2 dog and a bird. The place gets dusty, I try to keep the desk clean and free of dust but you know how that goes. Once a month or so I vacuums the Spigen and the bottom vent holes of the Studio. I have not noticed any issues with fan speed, or rising temps. Another plus for the Spigen is if something was to get spilled on the desk the computer is rated and will probably be unaffected.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

You can elevate the Studio one inch or 50 inches — it has no effect on the amount of airborne dust particles ingested by the intake fans.

I disagree. Using a stand that elevates the Mini or the Studio several inches, even 10," from the desk reduces the amount of airborne particles being collected by the cooling intake, specially if there is no air movement in the room. If there isn't air movement in the room, not even a person moving around, open window, and so on, airborne particles fall down and settle on the desk or table, and on the top of the Studio. Since the cool air intake is at the bottom, the particles that fall on the desk and right next the to intake are sucked into it. Also, dust and other particles on your desk can be dislodged and moved into the intake ports by any air movement in the room.

Placing the Studio or Mini right on top of the desk creates this problem: horizontal air movement along the board or top of the desk dislodges dust and other particles at a faster rate-aided by the intake fan (similar to a Venturi effect) as the air reaches the intake ports. The reason for this is that the dust is not allowed to fall in a downward direction and continues its travel horizontally. Some dust could move upwards and not reach the air intake ports, but the rest can only move horizontally along the desktop, much like when one on is standing on a very flat sand dune and the wind kicks the dust horizontally in your direction.

The truth is that The Mini M4 nor the Mac Studio aren't designed for operating in dusty environments, although the worst of the two is the Mini. An expensive computer that is well-designed should allow for the user to clean it without the added cost of taking it to a shop to have it professionally done.

 

[Barbel]

I am preparing to buy my first ever Mac Stidio. I want to protect it from dust from the beginning. After digging through this forum, I've decided to go with the stand from @Gjuroo.

I'm just wondering what will work better - a foam filter or some cabin car air filter.

Has anyone perhaps checked this out, tested it and has a comparison of what actually performs better in terms of temperature and dust retention?
Or maybe it is worth using, for example, a layer of 1cm/3cm foam (45ppi) on the bottom and put a cabin filter on that?

 

[Wheel_D]

I want to protect it from dust from the beginning. After digging through this forum, I've decided to go with the stand from @Gjuroo.

Yes, it definitely seems like a worthwhile option, doesn't it? Please keep us informed about your experiences.

 

[keigo]

Since my place is near the main road and tends to get dusty easily, I put together this setup, which I found online and adapted from a similar one. I’m using a Motorcycle Air Intake Filter Cleaner designed for the Harley VRSCF VRSCDX 10TH. To help create a better bottom seal, I placed a transparent Mac Studio base stand on top of the filter. The size all fit perfectly without a need for modification.

 

[katewes]

Since my place is near the main road and tends to get dusty easily, I put together this setup, which I found online and adapted from a similar one. I’m using a Motorcycle Air Intake Filter Cleaner designed for the Harley VRSCF VRSCDX 10TH. To help create a better bottom seal, I placed a transparent Mac Studio base stand on top of the filter. The size all fit perfectly without a need for modification.View attachment 2497105

Could you specify the precise details of the square blue filter, and the transparent Mac Studio base filter?

I searched, but most of the Harley filters were significantly larger than the Mac Studio's base, whereas you seem to have found one that is precisely 5" x 5".

What is the brand and model number of the base that you said you found online?

Hence, can you give specifics so we can obtain the exact products you used. Thanks.

 

[keigo]

Could you specify the precise details of the square blue filter, and the transparent Mac Studio base filter?

I searched, but most of the Harley filters were significantly larger than the Mac Studio's base, whereas you seem to have found one that is precisely 5" x 5".

What is the brand and model number of the base that you said you found online?

Hence, can you give specifics so we can obtain the exact products you used. Thanks.

The square filter you can find it here from Amazon.

The transparent Mac Studio Mac I got it from Aliexpress

 

[Sabored]

I took one for the team regarding price—but considering the machine itself was already $4,350, I felt the expense was justified.

That, combined with the fact that I'd have had to stand the Studio on end anyway to fit it on my desk...

It's a ZEERA MacForge Studio with a 200mm DEMCiflex Round Fan Filter.

Note that the actual flat surface width on the case is closer to 195mm, so if you elect to spend the money I did, either this or a custom 195mm round filter would be a better fit.