However the current aluminum screen mesh filter on the side and the blue aircon filter on the front do not trap all the dust particles. The amount of dust inside the case is greatly reduced but not eliminated. I can see dust on the fan blades, on the places where the air flows and on the back of my video card. So I decided to upgrade the filters. I used a 3m brand aircon filter.
For a little less than 200 pesos, I get a rectangular piece of filter 18cm in height 39cm long. It is pre folded into 3, this gives you three 18x13cm filters if you elect to cut along the fold lines. For this build, The side intake fan uses up one and the front uses up less than one but the extra was cut off and discarded.
This is more expensive than the old blue one and I hope it catches more dust. I will be monitoring the GPU and CPU temps to see if they rise too much.
For the front filter I continue to use the velcro tape. You can see it as the red and black rectangles on the edges. Since the
Being more transparent, the aesthetics of the case is impaired but for me its an OK compromise.
For the side intake fan I opted to mount the filter on top of the existing mesh filter as a temporary measure. This prevents it being sucked into the fan blades, although the resistance to flow might increase. Some tape and the built in double sided tape is used to help anchor the filter but the main anchor is done by punching holes for the screws.
Ok thats it. Hope this further reduces dust build up. If this works, I'll buy more 3m Filtrete filters as replacements. Its expensive but its less expensive than the parts inside my pc.
Update: I'm saying this again. Yes, filters decrease airflow so you just have to have more fans or more powerful fans to compensate.
the end
