is there any need to blow out the vents on a rMBP?

[dma550]

Hey guys

I used to blow or vacuum out the huge fans on my alienware m17x. There was always a huge puff of dust - we live in an old house and are slobs at heart.

I know the rMBP cannot be taken apart, but is there any recommended regimen for keeping the heat sink area clean? I tried the "run fans on high" trick another poster recommended but I don't think that's going to do it.

 

[Asuriyan]

Actually, running the fans on high is probably going to aggravate the issue more than alleviate it. It's taking in dust as it vents it- and if dust has accumulated to the point where it's clumping along the fan blades you're going to take in more than you dispel.

Compressed air helps- the fans are mounted along the hinge seam, though, so they aren't exactly accessible. Blowing into the air vents might wind up dislodging more debris. The unfortunate truth is that at some point the bottom plate will probably have to be removed and the fans cleaned manually. When you're in warranty I'm sure the Genius Bar would be happy to do this for you. When the warranty is up... get yourself a good pentalobe screwdriver. It's not at all difficult to remove.

Of course, you could do it yourself within warranty as easily as once it expires, but I don't have any desire to encourage anyone to invalidate their own warranty.

 

[mykem]

I'd rather vacuum the dust out rather than blowing the dust around the internals. If you have a good vacuum cleaner- I use my Dyson with the soft brush attachment (making sure I clean the brush prior to sticking it onto the rear vent of the rMBP).

 

[bobcan]

I'd rather vacuum the dust out rather than blowing the dust around the internals. If you have a good vacuum cleaner- I use my Dyson with the soft brush attachment (making sure I clean the brush prior to sticking it onto the rear vent of the rMBP).

Agreed with this!! If it all possible, on any sensitive electronic devices, dust should always be Removed from the Direction it went in.. So Vacuuming it out from the Air Intake Ports is a safer idea I am sure, unless you can open it up..