I went on a cleaning binge yesterday, but didn't get everything done that I wanted to.

I've got an EVGA GTX280, which comes all nicely shrouded in a pretty plastic case to manage its airflow. While I could get the dust off of the fan blades, I'd like to open it up and clean off the inside of the card and especially the heatsinks.

Does anyone know how to non-destructively get the plastic cover off? And does doing so void the warranty? Seems odd that doing so to clean it (and thus extend its life) would void the warranty, but you never know.

The thread I am linking to has links in post#4 which go into more detail than you will need but does address your question about removing the cover and warranty.

http://www.evga.com/FORUMS/tm.aspx?m=68861&mpage=1#70389

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Thanks - Steve

Use a Vacuum cleaner.

Use a Vacuum cleaner.

I was. I'd still like to get the cover off for direct access to the heat sink for cleaning.

I looked at that write up about disassembling the shroud. Ouch. I could see doing that once to attach a water block, but doing it once every month or so seems way too invasive and likely to cause damage.

With the pic of what it looks like inside do you think you could attach a drinking straw (or some other flexible narrow diameter tubing, fish tank supplies maybe?) to the end of your vacuum cleaner to get to the innards?

I have found that regular vacuuming my cards is the best way to keep temps down. The difference between doing maintenance every month and every other month is almost surprising.

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Thanks - Steve

With the pic of what it looks like inside do you think you could attach a drinking straw (or some other flexible narrow diameter tubing, fish tank supplies maybe?) to the end of your vacuum cleaner to get to the innards?

I have found that regular vacuuming my cards is the best way to keep temps down. The difference between doing maintenance every month and every other month is almost surprising.

I actually was using a straw/vacuum hose combo to clean the CPU heatsink. However, both ends of the GTX280 -- the rotary fan on the inside or the exhaust vents on the outside -- are too small for even a small straw. Furthermore, I still wouldn't be able to see how much dust, if any, is trapped in there.

Blowing into the exhaust, either by mouth or e.g. a hair dryer, can be more effective than sucking the dust away due to the higher air speeds.

MrS

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Scanning for our furry friends since Jan 2002

Blowing into the exhaust, either by mouth or e.g. a hair dryer, can be more effective than sucking the dust away due to the higher air speeds.

MrS

Thanks, I'll try that next time I pull the machine apart. I didn't think of using a hair dryer; that's a great idea. Considering the layout of the vents and the heatsink fins, blowing air into the back vents should clear out anything in there.

Get a biro, take the inside out and use it to blow any dust out.

Compressed/canned air. Works great.

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C2Q, GTX 660ti