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Hello, I opened up my computer to clean out dust for the first time in a decade and I also removed the ODD because it’s no longer operating. Should I still keep the ODD fan installed or can I remove it? I don’t know if it is needed to cool other parts of the computer but I don’t want to put it in if it’s gonna over speed because of some error from the ODD being gone
SMC requires the input of the fan to properly work. Are you sure the fan has failed? If it has you’ll need to replace it otherwise your system will ramp up the other fans to make sure the system doesn’t overheat (Safe Mode) So simply put yes you need the fan and yes you’ll need to replace it for your system to work properly iMac Intel 21.5" (Late 2009-Mid 2011) Optical Drive Fan