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Redditor finds heavy block of iron shavings inside cheap PSU, also appears to lack safety protections
(www.tomshardware.com)
this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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In certain devices (batteries and power supplies) there's a minimum weight that can realistically store or convert a specified amount of energy or power.
So if you buy a 1000w PSU and it's too light, you're going to know it is fake. So they add the weight to make it feel right for the power rating. In this case this is a double-whammy of a failure waiting to happen. A PSU with a lower than advertised rating, coupled with a lack of safety circuitry means it's more likely to fail due to the overload applied, and when it fails it's more likely to go out in a big way.
I think they were asking about legitimate benefits of adding weights to consumer electronics.
I could see it making sense in a hard drive to dampen vibrations but that’s a stretch
~~There legitimately aren't any, so no, I doubt they were asking that.~~ Derp, yes they were, context is important kids! Leaving the rest of my original answer, as it's accurate:
In some handhelds, you might see small counterweights added to make them easier to hold for long periods, or to stop them tipping over when in a table, but for internal components (like power supplies) there's never a need to add weights.
That's definitely what they meant, I don't know why you're so certain otherwise. Just because a question doesn't have an answer doesn't mean it wasn't asked.