Metal rust in old PC case a concern?

So I’ve gotten this silly idea into my head that I will reuse an old case (possibly 20 years old) for a new gaming rig (reasonably high end). Going for a sleeper build but I have some concerns.

Measured everything and I should be able to place everything inside it. Should thermals become a problem, I’ll address that later on. Long story cut short, after cleaning the case I noticed some light rust spots in a few areas.

One of those areas is the thin metal piece that supports the PSU, see picture below.

This will sound like a very remote possibility, but could that rust cause problems down the line (I’m talking 10+ years). Will try to make the rig last at least 20 years?

I’m somewhat concerned that a small piece of rust could eventually break off and cause a short on the mobo or other components. Am I overthinking this or is this something that should be addressed?

All input is appreciated.

I doubt it’ll be a problem but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to knock off most of it with a light wire brush or sand paper and then rub a light film of mineral oil or something to try and seal the surface a bit to inhibit more rust. The case was probably stored in a damp environment and just got a little surface rust.

If you were concerned, you could paint those sections too.

2 Likes

And to add to pyroholtz post between brushing and oiling / painting use some acetone or isopropyl alcohol to clean up any loose metal flakes / particles … they will cause problems with your pc that will be hard to figure out!