Noisy PSU fan

Curry_Queen

My PC is making strange noises LOL!

I've tracked it down to possibly being the PSU fan, although it does appear to still be working but the noise is coming from the PSU unit. It goes off after a while but overnight the PC seems to have switched itself off for some reason and now the noise is back. I'm wondering if it got jolted or something during the house move.

Anyway, is it possible to buy just a replacement fan or would I be better getting a complete new PSU? ... and if so, any recommendations for a reasonably priced one please? ... needs to be 400W minimum.

Also, can I safely use my PC in this state or will it cause any damage to anything else?

Cheers


PS Just to add it sounds more like a vibrating noise if that's any help?

wolfman

Hmm doesn't sound reassuring. Unless it sounds like a buzzing noise, like there's a bee in there. You get that with some psu's. I think it's to do with grounding or some sort of resistance being created.

What psu do you have? brand/model etc...

Also, what is the spec of your system? To determine the kind of power you need

Always worth getting a branded psu if you do get a new one. Spending £40-60 as a minimum is advisable. Seasonic come out as one if not the best. There are plenty of other good brands out their, I use Tagan, there's Enermax, Antec as examples.

Hiper, be careful with. Some of their models are very good, others not so. And they look great but don't always be fooled by looks.

cwoodham

I have the 'buzzing bee' sound Wolfman describes. It usually happens first thing in morning when booting up, presumably because the components are cold. It stops after about two minutes once the machine is warm and doesnt happen again till next morning. Its being doing this for ages so doesn't seem to suggest imminent psu failure.

Curry_Queen

There's a constant low level buzzing but it sounds much louder than it did before I moved it, but then it was tucked away under a desk so maybe I just never noticed it. I've got the base open at my feet right now and if I place my hand on the PSU I can stop the vibration and it quietens down a bit, so I'm wondering if there's something a bit loose.

Not sure if this a brand name or not (never heard of it!) but it says Switching Power Supply and is an ATX 400W. Can't remember the PC specs off top of my head but it's something like 2ghz processor, 80Gb HDD, 1Gb RAM, cdwr, dvdrw etc but I had checked out the power needed on one of those websites that works it out for you and it came back as sufficient with 400W.

Done a quick Google and spotted this one but not sure if thats good value or not. Never had to buy a standalone PSU before as they've already been installed the case with the last couple I built.

Curry_Queen

Actually thinking about it, if I do need a new PSU I may as well upgrade the case too (want a black/silver one to match everything else LOL!) so might be better looking for a combined unit

Curry_Queen

cwoodham wrote:

I have the 'buzzing bee' sound Wolfman describes. It usually happens first thing in morning when booting up, presumably because the components are cold. It stops after about two minutes once the machine is warm and doesnt happen again till next morning. Its being doing this for ages so doesn't seem to suggest imminent psu failure.

Ah right, now normally I never switch my PC off so I wonder if that's why I'm now noticing it because it all had to be switched off and transported to my new house last night. Even though it was only off a couple of hours it had endured a car journey on a cold damp night so maybe it will settle down again in a day or two

wolfman

The buzzing bee thing isn't anything to be worried about. I had it 2 psu's ago, researched into it and it came up as nothing serious. It's basically something to do with earthing, or built up resistance/charge I think. With the Tagan PSU's you get a extra cable to attach to the motherboard (one of its screws) so that the psu is properly grounded, apparently this helps.

With regards to the psu you posted in Maplin, I'd not get that one. Can't see a brand name, and paying that much I'd get a decent branded one.

If you want a psu, go for something (depending on the spec of your system) like this:
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=7939&GroupID=635

or an Enermax NoiseTaker, or one of the Seasonics.

If you want a case and powersupply, I'd highly recommend the Antec Sonata II. A silent, very well built case that's got a very nice piano black finish. It also comes with a decent 450W Antec PSU. All for about £80, great value.

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=10013&GroupID=0

Reviews (first 3 from googling "Sonata II review"):
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1833962,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532
http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=217
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/rev_sonata2/

Joe_Bloggs

I have to admit that a buzzing bee sound can mean many things. I doubt that it could be an earthing problem though switched mode PSUs are strange beasts. The integrity of all connections and seating of cards should be checked. Possibly a wire or cable being grazed by a fan. To my ears this would sound like a circular saw in action. Worn fan bearings tend to buzz when they start up then, if lucky, after a few minutes become silent. Before they become silent there is often a period where they buzz on and off every few seconds. I'd call it 'mooing'.
PCs are delicate devices. Many home built models have extra heavy CPU heatsinks/fan that could be too heavy to survive transport in an unfavourable orientation without falling off.
My guess is disloged dust in the bearings. A new fan may cure the problem. Do you have the skills to replace it safely, a source of correctly sized fans, and the skill not to create further problems with the proceedure ?
Question.
Where are the dimemsions of a typical chassis fan measured. I'm sure it is along the side of the fan. Is it between the centres of the screw mounting holes ?
J_B.

wolfman

The buzzing I used to get occurred even when the computer was shut down and no fans were running. It drove me mad in the end, and I got rid of the Hiper psu and switched to Enermax.

Just checking what is was again. Coil noise I think I saw someone call it. Choke vibrating I think is another name. Some psu's suffer from such buzzing, in fact Tagan were notorious for it, although it has since been fixed.

With my current Tagan if I detach the extra cable you screw to the motherboard it makes a very slight buzzing, yet when I attach it back the buzzing goes.

Some say it's ok, and just something you get, others say it's when the psu is reaching it's limit so needs replacing. I ran my Hiper for a couple of years and a friend has it now without any problems so it was ok for me. I did replace it though, so you may want to do the same.

Note - I'm not diagnosing your problem as the above, just describing one of the possibilities.

normal

Sounds like a fan problem to me. I had exactly the same problem last year.

If you can, take it off without doing damage to the rest of the computer, take the fan to your local maplin or independant computer repair/parts shop and buy a new one and refit. Should only cost £5-10. Saying that, some shops are willing to sell you a second hand one for £1!

If you can't do it yourself, take it a friendly independant and hopefully they can do it there and then and not charge too much!

wolfman

If opening up the PSU to change a fan, make sure you decharge it. Save getting burnt slightly or damaging anything. I think most of the stored power discharges within the first 10 seconds or so.