How dangerous is it to disable PSU fan?

[Pie Crust]

I've got a 1200W PSU with two fans and a few minutes ago, one of them starting making a very annoying sound. It's enough for both fans to be loud but making a rattling sound is a nono. Is it dangerous if I were to put a screw stopping the problematic fan from spinning? I don't feel like disassembling the PSU to change the fan and the last time the PSU was cleaned was back in 2003 so I wouldn't like to get stuff all over my floor because of one fan.

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[ThatRandomGuy]

Your computer will enter meltdown and the room will become heavily irradiated.

[jonnyman5656]

last time the PSU was cleaned was back in 2003 so I wouldn't like to get stuff all over my floor because of one fan.

Clean it outside

[Headcrab Zombie]

Things have fans for a reason.
Disabling them could cause it to overheat.

Also, blocking the fan with a screw can cause the fan itself to burn out and break.

Solution:

Clean it outside

[carolcat]

most PSUs lack the passive cooling capacity to go fanless. you'll kill your power supply fairly quickly if you disable its fan. and when your PSU goes, you risk it frying other components when it dies.

[SeventhSandwich]

Computer fans are delicate. Delicate enough that they routinely break when people blow compressed air into them without holding the blades still. I'm 99% certain that putting a screw in the way of the fan's blades will permanently destroy it.

Your computer draws a pretty decent amount of power from your PSU, some of which is dissipated as heat. If you outright turn off most of the cooling for your PSU, it'll heat up like crazy and probably break. I don't know if modern power supplies have some kind of temperature failsafe, but I wouldn't bet on it.

just clean the damn thing outside

[carolcat]

Your computer draws a pretty decent amount of power from your PSU, some of which is dissipated as heat. If you outright turn off most of the cooling for your PSU, it'll heat up like crazy and probably break. I don't know if modern power supplies have some kind of temperature failsafe, but I wouldn't bet on it.

some high efficiency power supplies are designed to run without the fan when under small loads, but not under high loads.

[SeventhSandwich]

Also don't ever disassemble your power supply if you aren't fairly familiar with electronics. Power supplies use big capacitors to smooth out fluctuations in voltage that will injure you if you touch them in the wrong place. They hold onto their charge for a long time too.

some high efficiency power supplies are designed to run without the fan when under small loads, but not under high loads.

That sounds realistic.

[ThatDarkNinja778]

Of course it wouldn't be okay to use a screw to block the fan on purpose. I'm fairly sure stopping the fan anyway would cause it over heat quickly for reasons stated above by everybody else. Just go and

Clean it outside

Also don't ever disassemble your power supply if you aren't fairly familiar with electronics. Power supplies use big capacitors to smooth out fluctuations in voltage that will injure you if you touch them in the wrong place. They hold onto their charge for a long time too.

Yeah also keep this in mind while cleaning it.

[TristanLuigi]

overheating problems aside, why would you put a screw in the way of a delicate spinning part

[SeventhSandwich]

Yeah also keep this in mind while cleaning it.

Or just don't take it apart at all. There are real cases of people who have died because they discharged a capacitor with their body.

[Kaz]

I'd be impressed if someone managed to fry themselves with a personal computer power supply. You might get some burns, but it shouldn't kill you.

[SeventhSandwich]

I'd be impressed if someone managed to fry themselves with a personal computer power supply. You might get some burns, but it shouldn't kill you.

http://www.cnet.com/news/teen-electrocuted-while-working-on-unplugged-computer/

[carolcat]

I'd be impressed if someone managed to fry themselves with a personal computer power supply. You might get some burns, but it shouldn't kill you.

http://www.cnet.com/news/teen-electrocuted-while-working-on-unplugged-computer/

http://www.cnet.com/news/teen-electrocuted-while-working-on-unplugged-computer/

forget

[e-maxx]

its incredibly easy to kill yourself with a capacitor