How much inefficient can my PC cooling become if not cleaned this winter?

Tech Reprise · December 8, 2022

Hi,
Winter has started in my country and humidity levels have dropped quite a bit to 40ish from regular 70-80 and as a result the dust build up has increased. I just cleaned my PC in November and within a month the fan blades insides and edges are dusty even with a closed front case. In my opinion if I clean it now it will again get dusty in a few weeks. The GPU looks cleaner than the fans though.
So will the dust build up cause any issue in long run, like till February-March?
At that time the temperature and humidity rises again and dust settles down instead of being airborne.

Stormseeker9 · December 8, 2022

Within a month? Hot damn.

funny though as my pc collects more dust in the summer time than winter time.

last I cleaned was I think early this year. Won’t clean anymore this year. Next year when temps are up again.

a PC ain’t gonna die. Remember the workhorses in manufacturing sheds never being cleaned for 20+ years running XP?

Needfuldoer · December 8, 2022

It's not ideal, but it will be fine as long as the cooler fins aren't completely clogged up with dust.

You could put dryer sheets or a piece of replacement window AC filter foam over the intakes if you want to try catching some of the dust before it gets into the PC. Or tape a 20 x 20 furnace filter onto a box fan and filter the air in your room.