Resolved Noise from inside pc

Hi, I started hearing a whirling noise at start up. It completely disapeared as soon as the desktop appeared. I changed the fan and no change. H/d is about 4 years old and has 20gig used out of 250gig. Any ideas?

Thanks

 

Which fan did you change? The one on the heat sink or the one in the power supply? Some video cards also have fans.
Have you tried leaving the side off the tower and try to isolate where the noise is coming from?

 

Hi, thanks for replying so fast. I did'nt change the heat sink fan. My graphics card has no fan. I changed the fan that draws air at the back of the pc. (connects to case where case has a grill)

Will I be ok taking off the side while the pc is running? The floor is carpeted and the anti static wrist strap is on order from ebay. Coming from China. 2 week delivery LOL

Thanks MrBill

 

I have never used a wrist strap. I have carpet also. Just touch the case and to make sure that the static is gone and do your thing. Just don't be shuffling your feet on the carpet. Seen people just take a short piece of wire and wrap it around their ring or watch band and hook the other end to the case of the PC to make a wrist strap.
I clean my PC at least once ever 6-8 months or so by blowing it out. Especially the heat sink where most of the dust bunnies like to live.

 

Thank you Sir,

Forgot to mention..if I shut down after it's been running for a while then restart within a few minutes..no noises. Say I shut down and leave it for a while (hour +) and restart noises return.

I will be careful when removing the side to listen where the noise is actually coming from.

I used comp. air to clean the heat sink when I changed the fan yesterday.

I have an excellent spool of wire but it's up at the cottage!

I'll report back where the culprit is for this noise.

 

Reckon it could be the harddrive?

 

Hope it's not. But we shall see.............

 

Maybe an almost dried up and wearing out fan bearing?

Also, when you use compressed air, be sure NOT to spin any fans faster then they were to designed to spin. Doing so can wear out the bearings in them in a hurry.

 

Hi again, Let the pc sit for a while and as before the whirling noise returned. With the side off, I can safely say the sound is coming from the power supply. I believe that is called the power supply. Electrical cord plugs into it at back of pc.

 

I've replaced may a fan in a power supply. You got to be real careful though. There are some capacitors in there that can hold a powerful charge long after they have been switched off.

Shawnee teen electrocuted while working on computer

All capacitors should be considered charged unless proven otherwise ... i.e. measured with a known-good meter, or short-circuited with a solid short between the terminals.

 

Interesting....I will take it to a shop for SURE now! Thanks everyone who chimed in.

 

Hi Bimmer Guy, you don't mention your PSU in your System Details. How old is it? Was it brand new when you built the unit or did it come in the case?
What wattage size is it?
If you are sure that is where the noise is from - I would give serious thought to buying a new PSU.
Units supplied with a case aren't always of high quality or reliability or higher enough capacity for the demands put on them.
Just my tuppence worth. Neil.

 

If it's cheap power supply, you may have a hard time changing that fan out. My power supply's external case had to be bent in order to reach the fan screws, so I purchased a new unit instead.

 

It would be a lot cheaper to buy a PS and change it yourself. You can pick up good ones for about $30 to $35 and it is only 4 screws that hold it in and everything else plugs in to the MOBO and drives. 10 minute job at the most.

 

Hi again guys,

Did some local checking last night around here. A new PSU is $50 + a $10 install from a local shop. (Canadian prices) ! This psu came with the case. It's about 4 yrs old. I will add the specs of the new one when I have it put in.

Appreciate everyone who helped me along this psu noise issue!!

 

I do not recommend "normal" users opening up PSUs. If the fan is making noise, I recommend replacing the PSU with a "good" 80 PLUS certified PSU. I prefer Corsair and Antec PSUs. Do NOT cheap out on the PSU - your high-speed digital electronics will appreciate the solid and "clean" power from a good supply and reward you with stable operation.

Note PSU fans are not standardized. And PSU fan specs are rarely published. Since there is so much more to fan specs than the fan's physical dimensions, you cannot be sure you can find a suitable replacement.

Also, ANYTHING THAT PLUGS INTO THE WALL CAN KILL! For that reason, I recommend most users leave PSUs alone, and unopened - unless you are an experienced electrician.

I do recommend the use of a wrist strap for folks who don't normally work on computers. Folks who work on (or in) computers frequently tend to already be in the habit of discharging our bodies by touching the bare metal of the case interior. We also tend to have established work places besides carpeted floors. Non-frequent maintainers (and experts too) can benefit from a good wrist strap - assuming the clip is properly connected to case ground (through contact with "bare" metal).

The way I tell if a fan is bad and isolate it is by VERY CAREFULLY and lightly touching the center hub of the fan with my finger for just a split second. If that is the failing fan, the "pitch" of the offending noise will change when you touch the hub and RPMs momentarily drop. For an installed PSU, I insert a wood Popsicle stick through the cage cover to carefully touch the hub - though often a failing PSU fan can be detected simply by sticking an ear at the back of the PSU.

Alternatively, if you pull the PSU and isolate it from other noise generators then use a PSU Tester to start the PSU, you can easily determine if the PSU fan is failing (and give the PSU a little - though not 100% conclusive - voltage test in the process).

BTW, when it comes to swapping out parts, for sure swapping out a PSU is pretty much the simplest for the less experienced - except maybe RAM. There are just 4 screws through the back of the case to mount the PSU. The cable connections are all keyed - meaning you cannot insert them the wrong way (or into the wrong device) without excessive force.

Of course, the advantage of having someone else do it is that you have someone else liable if they drop your computer or spill coffee with sugar and cream all over your motherboard.

 

Hi Bill, Thanks for sharing your experience. I learned quite a few things in your posting.

Best Regards,
Marty

 

That's my job. Thanks.