High pitch whine from computer

[soccerballtux]

It's getting pretty loud; pretty annoying...but not enough to take off the panel and wedge myself under my bed and start unplugging harddrives and fans until I find it. Can I remotely shut off the harddrives from Windows?

What should I do? I'm most concerned about the whine damaging my hearing. Maybe I should just upgrade.

 

[Zepper]

What PSU are you using? Some PSUs will have a whine if underloaded or at some point in the load curve. Otherwise it could be a fan bearing going bad or full of dust bunnies - why, oh why would anyone put their machine under the bed?.. :roll: Or it could be an audible alarm set too low (or high) going off. You need to try to locate exactly where it is coming from to pin it down any closer.

.bh.

 

[Sheninat0r]

It might be whining coils from your motherboard or power supply...

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: Zepper
What PSU are you using? Some PSUs will have a whine if underloaded or at some point in the load curve. Otherwise it could be a fan bearing going bad or full of dust bunnies - why, oh why would anyone put their machine under the bed?.. :roll: Or it could be an audible alarm set too low (or high) going off. You need to try to locate exactly where it is coming from to pin it down any closer.

.bh.

It's an e-power Puma II

 

[Zepper]

It is mainly the Antec SU and EA series and some other Seasonic that this is mentioned about, but it can happen on others. I just did a quick search and didn't see any instances of Puma II and whine that were relevant.

.bh.

 

[fleabag]

Sometimes the wine could actually be coming from the motherboard itself (excluding moving parts) and in that case you're kinda SOL. Do you hear this sound when the computer is idle but when under load it goes away?

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: fleabag
Sometimes the wine could actually be coming from the motherboard itself (excluding moving parts) and in that case you're kinda SOL. Do you hear this sound when the computer is idle but when under load it goes away?

Actually, it appears to be the other way around....only comes up when under load as far as I can tell.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Actually, it appears to be the other way around....only comes up when under load as far as I can tell.

That sounds like an overloaded psu, or just one that's going bad, in this instance.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Actually, it appears to be the other way around....only comes up when under load as far as I can tell.

That sounds like an overloaded psu, or just one that's going bad, in this instance.

Ok,

Is there anything specific I could look for in MBM 5 in my power settings? I just have one 12v-rail at 2X or so amps, I don't know off the top of my head. When I start playing WoW, should I look for a flux in voltage beyond a certain range, or a flux in current, or both?

I kinda hope it is going out because this is just better and better news for upgrading but don't let that influence your post.

on second thought, nevermind I can goolge for this.

Thanks for the recommended diagnoses and a place to start looking for problems.

When PSU's go out, don't they usually...catch fire?

What are the odds of that happening under zero load? (basically just the CPU and RAM and graphics card going. 500GB HDD turns off after ~5 minutes of no use, and the other 3 160's are basically off all the time.) IE, going home for Christmas break, I leave my box on so I can SSH in and get any files or music songs or anything I need.

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
When PSU's go out, don't they usually...catch fire?

Only when their under the bed!:laugh:

 

[Zoomer]

Originally posted by: fleabag
Sometimes the wine could actually be coming from the motherboard itself (excluding moving parts) and in that case you're kinda SOL. Do you hear this sound when the computer is idle but when under load it goes away?

Where can I find a motherboard that produces wine? I want two!

The whine at high loads could just be a fan's bearings drying out.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Maybe it's crying because you put it under the bed?

 

[soccerballtux]

updated

PSU whines when it is HOT, not when it is under load. It keeps whining for 10 minutes after being under zero load.

Think it's safe to keep it?

I'm actually considering if I upgraded (to e2180 and overclocked; and a 3870, and a new case with 120mm fans instead of 90mm fans) that between the 3870 exhausting its hot air out the back of the case, and the 120mm fans moving a lot more air, that this would be enough to keep the PSU cooler and keep it quiet.