TIL my old power supply might've been fine from a chat with a repair shop guy

I was at a flea market in Phoenix last weekend and got to talking with this older guy who used to run a computer repair shop. I told him about how I swapped out my 8 year old power supply because the fan started making noise, thinking it was dying. He laughed and said half the time it's just dust buildup causing the noise, not a failing unit. He told me he'd blow them out with compressed air and they'd run quiet for years after that. I felt kinda dumb for spending $45 on a new one when I could've just cleaned it. Next time mine gets noisy I'm definitely trying the air trick first. Has anyone else here revived a loud power supply that way?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_thomas7317d ago

and I actually read somewhere that power supply fans use sleeve bearings which are way more sensitive to dust than ball bearings. makes sense that a good cleaning would fix it since the dust jams up the lubrication. pretty sure that repair shop guy saved you more than just a few bucks in the long run.

dylan_green5817d ago

That dust jams up the lubrication, yep.