Suck or Blow?

serverfault.com

11 points·splattne··6 comments

What an odd question? I guess a lot depends on the orientation of the fan and it's spin direction. If the fan is accelerated by blowing, then it may spin 'too fast' as the PC rep suggests. However, if the fan is accelerated by sucking then it may still spin 'too fast'.

Personally I find it a little strange that fans would be put at risk at all. Surely the fan speed is rated higher than the actual maximum spin from the power it normally receives?

PC fans are designed to spin for a long time with very little friction and no maintenance. Their internal components are designed with this in mind. Spinning them rapidly with compressed air introduces all kinds of forces they were never designed for. Depending on the quality of the fan, I've seen them fail immediately, or shortly after having been blown like a turbine. Others seem unaffected and run fine for years. It's best to err on the side of safety. A dead CPU heatsink fan can mean dead CPU in short order.

That title grabbed my attention right away!

It did, but then I was disappointed. I had hoped for something about Alfred Lawson, inventor of the airliner, and his unusual physics theories that revolved around things he called "suction and pressure", "penetrability", and "zig-zag-and-swirl".

His University, the University of Lawsownomy, offered a degree that conferred the title of "Knowledgian". That totally kicks the ass of such lame titles as "Doctor".

Same here.

My mind went straight into the gutter...

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