Re: PSU fan no longer spinning


Joe Jorgenson wrote:

The fan on my PSU (not sure of the brand) has stopped spinning.

I opened it up to see if I can replace it, but the fan's wires are soldered
into the circuitry.

Is it safe using a PSU without a fan?

Only if it's a fanless design. Otherwise the heatsinks are far too
small to cool adequately without some forced fan air flow, and most
supplies don't even contain circuitry to safely shut down the power in
case of overheating.

Or should I buy a new one immediately?

A new fan can be spliced into the existing wires with small wire nuts
or *** splices, but don't merely twist the wires together and cover
them with electrical tape since it has a high chance of unravelling and
then possibly allowing the bare end of a wire to come in contact with
exposed high voltage inside the supply. Use a nylon wire tie to bundle
the fan wires so they can't become tangled in the fan blades.

A very good but inexpensive make of power supply is Fortron-Source
(several brands), sold by, among others, Newegg and Directron, but if
you can get to a Fry's today, look at the Antec case with 350W power
supply on sale for just $25 after rebate (expires today).

.