Fan Noise

[eLinux]

Okay...this is driving me nuts.

Sensitive hearing doesn't go well with computers sometimes. My power supply fan was making noise the other day that was driving me nuts... When I'd turn the computer on, it'd make a very strange noise, as if the fan was struggling to spin, and after a minute or so it'd go back to normal.

My power supply cost me a bit of money (it was a PC Power and Cooling PSU, and it was not cheap), so I wanted to fix it myself. I bought a quality ball-bearing fan from newegg and installed it into the PSU. Everything worked beautifully... The computer was far quieter than before and there was lots more airflow. I was a happy camper

Now the fan is doing the same thing. Noise when the computer first turns on, and then it goes to quiet and spins normally (even though there's a slight high-pitched noise which I've noticed, although I'm thinking that's normal).

What's the deal!? Does noise bother anybody else on computers as it does me? And does anybody have any ideas on how to fix this problem? The fan is brand new...I'm not sure what could be causing it. I honestly think it's the fact that my dell case *sucks* and it keeps screwing things up. Sometimes when it'd mess with the case a little, the noise would go away a while back with the old fan...

*sigh*

Thoughts/ideas/input appreciated.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Well, it's one of two things - vibration, or a power-regulation issue. Doesn't sound like vibration, but check to see if it goes away if you clamp down on your computer.

Does any part of your machine have "Smart Fan Control" or something to that effect where RPM speed is dependant on temperature? I installed one of those in my fiancee's system, and on cold starts there's an audible whine as the fan struggles up to speed on the limited juice it's being fed. Goes away within half a minute or so.

- M4H

 

[scooter1]

Are you sure it's the power supply fan making the noise?

And no offense but if the fan only makes noise for the first minute after you turn on your computer then why worry about it too much?

 

[eLinux]

@mercenary:

Yes, the PSU supposedly has a temp sensor which goes up and down dependeing on the temp...I never thought that might cause the sound, but do you think that's a possibility?

@scooter:

I'm just worried that something else more serious (PSU bad?) is going on...

 

[0roo0roo]

if it doesn't happen after startup ever then its probably not a prob. but since u seem annoyed, it seems its lasting more then a couple seconds. thats not good. fans even at low rpm don't normally make noise. i have all my fans on speed controls, and at any rpm, they don't make strange noises, even the ball bearing ones. replace the fan, its dead. a quiet panaflo woulda been better for noise probably. better to have 2 quiet fans then one faster higher rpm higher pitch(more annoying) fan any day. its mostly the pitch that bothers people. when i replace fans in psus i just string the power cord through a grill and get power the regular way, makes it easier and also lets you use fan speed controllers too.

 

[sugarkang]

i have a seasonic psu which also changes fan speed depending on temperature.
it's dead silent.

since you changed out the fans, yours should also be silent.
did you try stopping all the other fans in your case to isolate the sound?
it sounds like the cpu fan or video card fan to me.

 

[Metron]

eLinux,

Check out some of the fans (and the site) at EndPCNoise.com

I highly recommend the Nexus power supplies, but you stated you already have an expensive PSU you'd rather keep. The Pabst fans are very quiet.

Metron

 

[eLinux]

Well...I really appreciate the responses thus far.

This is the picture of the back of my computer. (excuse the quality, it was taken with the camera on my cell phone).

If you note, the power supply isn't like most supplies (such as Antec, Enermax, etc.). The power cable is on the top left when the fan is on the right. I purchased a PC Power and Cooling supply b/c it actually fit in my case. The fan and the power cord are in the right places.

Anyways, I'd rather not switch out the supply if possible, only b/c I spent $150 on my power supply. I have a hard time believeing a nice ball bearing fan (which I purchased on NewEgg) is dying already. It seems to work okay (except for a slight higher pitched sound that I don't recall being there when I first installed the fan) except for when I first turn it on and, again, the slight high-pitched whine noise...

If I were to install *another* fan I'd have to resplice the cables, and unfortunately that can mean bad news, because I don't know how much cable I have left to resplice...

I am not sure how I'd isolate the noise, especially since unplugging the other fans could mean death to the process/GPU if there's no fan on them while the computer is one....

Finally, @metron: the fans there are whisper quiet! (dB level tells me so). However, I need at least a certain amount of CFM in order to meet the criteria of the original fan that came installed with the PSU...

Maybe I should stop being so picky and ignore the noise all together...

Frustrating either way.

 

[onza]

stick it in a box...

i'm getting to the point where noise is getting to loud.

 

[eLinux]

Stick it in a box?

That can't be good for ventilation or heat.

 

[Metron]

eLinux,

Once it gets too loud, get one of these... 19.2 dBA Nexus 350w PSU.

I've gone totally silent, I have 2 of those Pabst 8412 case fans, a Nexus 300W PSU, a Zalman heatpipe and OP-1 fan on my 9800, and a Zalman 7000 HSF.

Metron

 

[sugarkang]

I am not sure how I'd isolate the noise, especially since unplugging the other fans could mean death to the process/GPU if there's no fan on them while the computer is one....

1. the GPU will not get hot unless you're using it. if you're not running any games, and the screen is idle, you don't even need a heatsink on it. stop the fan with your finger, or put a piece of scotch tape over it, just for testing purposese.

2. the CPU will not get hot unless you're using it. you DO need a heatsink on it, but without running any processes/applications, you will be fine for at least a few minutes if not longer.

3. unplug your case fan.

4. reboot. see if the sound is coming from the PSU.


the reason i say all of this is because my friend thought that his seasonic PSU was making noise. it turned out to be the fan on his 9600xt.