Is an extra air filter needed for the Mac Studio?

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Is an extra air filter needed for the Mac Studio?

The Mac Stdio has a permanently working ventilator to keep the electronics cool. It takes in air on the bottom, in the plinth, and blows out at the back.

Question: is an extra filter needed to keep out dust?

Having openend iMacs I saw quite some dust on components, even where the opening is small like the little doors over the memory bars.

I saw an extra air filter. The Mac Studio Stand from Spigen. It comes with a washable filter.

WOULD IT BE BENEFICIENT? or are the holes so big they have no impacct on dust? [I see no fabric layer]
And would a hub like the Hagibis USB-C Hub still fit underneath that contraption? (I need the extra USB-A slots)

Mac Studio

Posted on Jan 2, 2023 8:00 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 2, 2023 8:28 AM in response to alberti-nl

If your Mac Studio REQUIRED an additional filter, it would have been shipped in the box. Apple does not hold back on inexpensive items to make nickels and dimes from you later.

Instead, Apple wants to make you a Happy Customer. Happy Customers buy MUCH more stuff later.

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On Mac Pro 42 lb tower, if placed on the floor, may need to be cleaned periodically. The approved method is to move the machine to a 'don't care if it gets dusty' location, and blast the dust bunnies up and out of the machine with compressed air. The main caution is to not be unrelenting in spinning the fans.

DO NOT use a consumer vacuum cleaner anywhere near your sensitive electronics. Its wands can generate huge electronic-killing static charges long before you feel the Zap of a static discharge.

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Answer 2

alberti-nl Author

Level 1

36 points

Jan 2, 2023 12:41 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Wait a second. I did take physics classes at university, I even hold a degree in EE.

To me this looks like far fetched.

A cleaner takes in air. Does not propel. Send ionized particles into the machine.

If it is 'dangerous' then all vaccuum cleaning in the room is dangerous.

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Answer 3

Jan 2, 2023 5:16 PM in response to alberti-nl

It may not be the moving Air that induces static charges, but just the plastic wands themselves.

'Best practice' is that if you use a vacuum, you use one specifically made for electronics. Typically these will have metal accessories.

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Answer 4

alberti-nl Author

Level 1

36 points

Jan 2, 2023 10:31 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Well it sounds commercial ;-)

But I do not understand why a vacuum cleaner applied to the bottom would not be allowed, having turned off the computer before turning it around.

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Answer 5

Jan 2, 2023 10:41 AM in response to alberti-nl

Think of a consumer vacuum cleaner as if it were a portable Van de Graaff generator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator

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Is an extra air filter needed for the Mac Studio?

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