Computer makes unpleasant humming noise, consumer displeased

[GrandSpleen]

I've got a Gigabyte GA-7VAXP motherboard (I've had it for almost 5 months). In the past, on occasion when I started up the computer I would get an unpleasant humming sound that sounded like a fan having some kind of problem. When the sound in question occurred, I would power off the computer and allow it to sit for several minutes, then once I turned it back on the problem was generally solved. I figured that this would be only a temporary solution and that things could only get worse, and indeed for the past couple of days the computer has been humming incessantly. It seems that the humming comes from the built-in motherboard fan, but it is a little hard to tell since there are quite a few fans running in the machine. The only other feasible culprit would be the CPU fan, but I determined this not to be the case as I have replaced the CPU fan once in the system's life, and the humming has persisted.

Additional info: The humming decreases if I set the system on its side (motherboard level with the ground, facing up), and if I find ways to decrease the system temp (open all the windows in the room, remove the chassis wall and let the cool air flow). It's obviously a fan... so:

Is it a known issue for these fans to hum -- is this a warning sign of a fan that will soon fail? Moreover, where might I go about purchasing a replacement fan?
Thank you,
GrandSpleen

 

[skriefal]

It's not uncommon for fans to hum or vibrate in certain orientations, especially if they're cheap or poorly balanced fans. The PSU fan in my system hums and/or vibrates very annoyingly if I lay the system on its side, but is fine when the system stands upright. Yes, it's an inexpensive PSU and probably an inexpensive fan -- and I'll replace the fan someday.

I'm not very familiar with motherboard chipset fans, although I believe they're usually standard 40mm fans. Perhaps someone else will be able to help specifically with that.

 

[kursplat]

2cooltek is a good place if you don't have a local electronics store handy.
good luck

 

[Geeyoff]

I had this problem once before. I determined that it was, in fact, the 40mm northbridge fan by unplugging it from the mobo, starting the computer, and then pulling the power as soon as I noted that the humming was gone. Yeah, maybe cutting the power while the computer is trying to POST isn't the best idea, but the mobo was starting to get old, anyway.

The best replacement, IMHO, is this Zalman heatsink.

And even though Newegg's shipping charge is 100% of its sale cost, it's still cheaper there than anywhere else I've seen it for sale. :disgust:

--Geeyoff

 

[clicknext]

I've got a GA-7VAXP and the fan made very loud dying noises on a regular basis and even when it wasnt dying it made a lot of noise. So I just took it out, and my comp is running fine at 174 FSB.

 

[bgeh]

if the culprit is a fan, then peel the sticker off and put a few drops of oil into the bearings and then put back the fan.....that should fix the whiny sound.

 

[tcsenter]

I've had noisy cases and fans from time to time.

One was solved by replacing the PS fan with a new one. Apparently, the old fan became saturated with so much dust that it got into the bearing, or it was defective to begin with and just needed a few months to wear out.

There were also times the inlets/outlets were restricted with dust and that creates additional burden on the fans by restricting air flow = excessive wear and noise. Or the design of the inlets/outlets were simply not sufficient to allow the amount of air the fan was trying to push/pull.

I have one now that rattles a bit, pretty annoying. Its the front panel that is problem, either the panel itself rattling against the chassis, or the removable bay covers vibrating in their slots. If I put my hand over either of them the rattling stops. The computer sits on a hard floor and hard floors can amplify that kind of stuff.

In one case I had to just completely replace the PS with a better one. The PS was so cheaply constructed that the PS fan didn't fit well. Tried two different fans, snugged the fan screws down, and it just got worse. Bought another PS and threw that cheap generic POS away.

 

[clicknext]

If you want to find out which fan is making noise, take a paper tube like from toilet paper or roll of paper towels or whatever (or any tube really), stick one end on your ear, and move one end around the noise sources to find out which one is doing it.