Fixed my gaming PC with a $5 shop vac instead of replacing the PSU

I stopped by the recycling depot on 7th Ave last week and saw a stack of computers people just threw away. The guy there told me most of them worked fine, but owners thought they were dead. One had a power supply that was just clogged with dust. I paid $5 for a used shop vac at a garage sale, blew out my own PSU that was overheating and shutting off. Saved myself at least $80 versus buying a new one. The dust buildup was insane, like a fur coat inside the fan grill. Has anyone else fixed a "dead" machine just by giving it a good cleaning? I bet half the PCs in the dump just need a dusting off.

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.ruby9d ago

My neighbor once spent $200 on a new laptop and the old one just needed the vents cleaned out with a toothpick.

willow7329d ago

A buddy of mine had a laptop that was running so slow it took five minutes just to open a browser. He was getting ready to dump it on eBay for parts and buy something new. One day I was over and noticed the fan was rattling like crazy, so I popped the bottom off. The vents were completely clogged with dust bunnies and cat hair, a literal carpet of the stuff. He spent maybe ten minutes with a toothpick and a can of compressed air, and the thing ran like it was brand new again. He calls it his "dumb tax" moment now whenever anyone mentions throwing money at a tech problem without checking the basics first.