macgta16

Hello thar ;)

I have noticed recently (although it may have been there all the time, it's mainly because of the type of the noise you usually don't just "pick up" on it unless you actively listen for it) that when the PC is on i hear a quiet, high frequency noise (not high pitched, it's the sort of noise that just cuts through everything, except when i have music on/games/sounds etc..). I was wondering whether it could be my PSU dying, if not that then basically any ideas what it is?

I have tried:

-- Attempting to find where the sound is coming from which is annoyingly impossible; i can hear it loudest when i'm at my seat (with my PC under the table to NW of me) then when i get near to the PC with the side off i can hear it clearly but again i cannot tell where its coming from, if i move my ears to certain areas of the case it just goes away then, well it's just hard to find.
-- Listening hard to the PSU, and that's incredibly quiet, except with a very silent buzz that all my PSU's make, and when the PC's off you can hear it slightly as well.
-- Trying a demanding game (GTA IV, max settings/res, driving about for about 30 mins) to see if that affected it, but the buzz from my DVD drive because of the disc being spun kinda "overwrites" it, but i listened to the PSU very closely and again couldn't notice anything unusual
-- Ruled out HDD making noise (bought another one because old HDD dying) and still makes noise.

I have no idea whether it's normal for PC's to make slight noises, i just wanted some advice on whether it is, in fact, a bad noise; and if so how to isolate the problem. For the record i have been having NO wierd performance (in windows, games etc...) issues like random crashing etc..., it's just performing the same as it's always been.

Tyree

PC's do make some noise but that is normally fans or Hdd's working.
Have you tried disconnecting one thing at a time?
PC Specs?
Prebuilt--Brand name & Model Number
Custom Build--Brand & Model of Mobo-CPU-RAM-Graphics-PSU.

macgta16

Sorry about that, forgotten again :)

Mobo: MSI K9A2 Platinum - MS-7376 VER 1.0
RAM: Corsair XMS2 2x2GB sticks
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9950+ Black edition (With Zalman fan instead of stock fan)
Graphics card: Sapphire 4870 1GB
Sound: Integrated Realtek HD
PSU: Coolermaster 650w (Not sure of the exact name)
Case: Antec 900

(If i've forgot anything plz ask)

Btw, it is really quiet noise, was contemplating not bothering asking but i thought i may as well just to make sure. In more detail, if you are right next to it sounds like its pulsating sometimes, which is why i presume it's either PSU or case/CPU fan.
Also, i have not tried disconnecting things yet; i have only tried disconnecting the HDD, but that makes no difference - i am not really confident enough (don't really know what each wire does) to try and unplug fans. Apart from that i can't really thing of what else i can do.

greenbrucelee

does the pulsating noise sound a bit like a grating noise? if so that is probably the hard drive platters failing.

As for the high pitched noise this is probably one of the fans that either needs the bearings oiled or has dust caught in it.

Get a can of compressed air and blow dust from inside the case and fans.

As for the pulsating noise if it is your hard drive then you will need to back up your data and replace it as this means the hard drive is failing.

macgta16

It's not my HDD, plus the noise/pulsating noise are both the same, it's just it sounds like it's pulsating when you get close to the side of the PC, But again it's not very loud which is why i was just comteplating not bothering about it.

greenbrucelee

ahh but if this is a bearing on a fan then that fan wi;ll stop spinning when the bearing seazes just clean the fans of dust and oil them,

macgta16

I asked a friend about this whining noise and he had a fairly simple idea of testing which fan it is; he said to stick a screwdriver into the fans when the sound is emitting (it usually starts after the PC has been on for a while) and if the sound stops, then i've found the bad fan. What i ask is, is this safe?

wrench97

Use a wooden pencil if you chose that method, I would just unplug the fan before starting the PC and run it if you hear the noise shut down and move to the next fan.

macgta16

I can't really unplug them because i don't realy know what i'm doing with the fans; as i didn't actually cable the PC up (unfortunately), so i'm not really sure what does what; I haven't been able to try the pencil thing yet, mainly because i'm a bit jubious as to whether i'll mess something up (stick it in too far, etc...) so i'm gonna try and skip that step, But i have tried another method. I put my head next to the PSU (it's on the bottom of the case below my graphics card, and i couldn't hear it but if i move my head slightly up, so my ear is just between the PSU and the graphics card (outside the case) i can hear it; it's very very quiet, and this sound is different than what i heard before, so i kept my head there when i turned the PC off to see if the sound fizzled out (if it was a bearing i assume it wouldn't just instantly stop when the fan starts to spin down) and just as the PC turns off the sound just stops. Now at this point i would assume that its the PSU that's making this sound; if it is the PSU is there any way to confirm it? as in would the PC have other symptoms like crashing, slow performance etc...?

greenbrucelee

keep the side of case off when it is running and see if you can identify where the sound is coming from.

macgta16

I did take the side of the case off; it's just my ear cannot determine what it's coming from; it's just strange how if you move your ear below the PSU it completely goes away :(

greenbrucelee

I would check for dust.

Also don't take this the wrong way but have you been checked for tinnitus? I have it.

It is a condition that makes the hear really sensitive to certain noises with it you hear noises like high pitched noises or wrrring noises but sometimes if you tilt you head they go away.

macgta16

I'm not sure, but i do hear a faint ringing when there's no sounds anywhere (but the sound i hear is let's say an "aquired taste" because nobody else seems to have noticed it, but then again they aren't sitting right next to the PSU) About the dust, we cleaned the case out from dust not too long ago, so it's probably not to do with that. I'm surprised by now no-one has actually suggested getting another PSU :).

The primary issue with this problem is (apart from potentially frying each and every component in my system should it be a faulty PSU) after getting a new HDD, my father seems to think that i'm "obsessing" over my PC, and chances are won't let me get a new PSU out of pity, so if it does indeed need replacing, there's absolutely no chance of me getting a replacement because in his words "we'll get another one when this one dies", which when it comes to PSU's, that not the mentality to take let's just say.

greenbrucelee

check the bios for voltages and temps, what do they say?

macgta16

Well i don't know much about what i should be looking for, but i'd guess that the voltages the BIOS says should be the same as the ones on the side of the PSU. About the temps, is that in the BIOS as well or will HWmonitor or Speedfan tell me?

greenbrucelee

do it in the bios as it is more acurate it will be under a section called hadrware or harware montior and could be under a section called advanced.

you are looking for the 12v, 3.3 and 5v and temps too.

do not use speed fan to check temperatures as it is veri inacurate. Speedfan should onlt be used to check the speed of your fans

macgta16

OK i shall check that out tomorrow; btw if the temperatures on the PSU/BIOS don't match up what does that mean? Does it mean that straight up my PSU is dying?

wrench97

The rated voltage +/- 5%, so the 12v reading should be between 11.4v-12.6v but either extreme is not good.

5v - 4.75v-5.25v
3.3v - 3.135v-3.465v

macgta16

what do you mean by either extreme?

wrench97

Either end of the range, I like to see 11.9v-12.10v as any decent quality properly sized supply should be able to maintain that. We have seen Graphics issues below 11.7v and heat issues above 12.4v, but the Spec is +/- 5%.