Found a 2019 study showing 42% of hardware failures are due to dust buildup

I read it in a trade journal at my dentist's office while waiting. Makes me wonder if we should push cleaning services more during checkups.

3 comments

3 Comments

brookepark2mo ago

Wait, 42%? That's almost half of all failures. How is dust that big of a problem?

thomas_roberts1mo ago

Used to think it was overblown too.

taylor.mary2mo ago

Yeah, "almost half" is crazy but it tracks. Dust acts like a blanket, trapping heat until parts overheat and die. I've seen more power supplies and fans killed by clogs than anything else. The fix is stupid simple, just open it up every few months and hit it with compressed air. Focus on the fan intakes and heat sinks, that's where it piles up.