The loudest fan in my system is my PSU fan...what can I do? UPDATE: Getting a TX650V2

[996GT2]

Is there any way to make it quieter?

I have a Corsair GS 600, which I believe uses a 140mm ball bearing Yate Loon LED fan. According to specs, the fan is thermally controlled, but it sounds like it's spinning at ~1300-1400 RPM all the time, making it by far the loudest fan in my case. I can't even hear the difference in my other case fans going from 5V->12V because the PSU fan overpowers them all in noise.

My other fans: 120mm CM Blade Master PWM
2x CM Blue LED 120mm (undervolted to run at ~950 RPM)
1x TT 120mm side intake (runs at ~600 RPM by default)

EDIT: Here's a clip recorded from just under my PSU to give you an idea of what the sound signature is like. It sounds like more than just airflow to me.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25994702/DS300007.WMA

Here's my setup for reference:

 

[Lazarus52980]

Is replacing the power supply an option? There are some very good quiet and even silent power supply's out there...

 

[ahenkel]

There's a good chance you could just replace the fan with a more quiet 140mm fan. I did the same thing with a loud cooler master psu fan. it may void your warranty though.

 

[Zap]

There's a good chance you could just replace the fan with a more quiet 140mm fan. I did the same thing with a loud cooler master psu fan. it WILL void your warranty though.

Fixed.

Just get a quieter PSU. Something like the Antec NEO ECO 520C would be perfect - just wait until it goes on sale for under $50 shipped.

 

[Slugbait]

Something like the Antec NEO ECO 520C would be perfect - just wait until it goes on sale for under $50 shipped.

Agreed, got one of these for $40 shipped a couple of months ago...dead silent. And it's a Seasonic, so that's usually a plus.

But I digress...are you sure the noise isn't air flow? This appears to be your only external fan, and it's probably sucking air thru a small slit between the case and the floor. Try elevating your case: if the noise dissipates dramatically, you'll know it's not the fan.

 

[996GT2]

Agreed, got one of these for $40 shipped a couple of months ago...dead silent. And it's a Seasonic, so that's usually a plus.

But I digress...are you sure the noise isn't air flow? This appears to be your only external fan, and it's probably sucking air thru a small slit between the case and the floor. Try elevating your case: if the noise dissipates dramatically, you'll know it's not the fan.

It's not my only external fan. I have 2 additional intake fans and an exhaust fan, which I've tried disconnecting. Unplugging all the other fans didn't do much for noise, which confirmed that the PSU fan was considerably louder than the others.

As far as elevating my case, I put some tin cans under the case feet to move it a few inches off the ground. The sound is mostly still there. I'll try removing the fan filter under the PSU to see if that improves airflow.

 

[996GT2]

Here's a clip of the sound signature, taken with an Olympus DS-30 stereo recorder placed straight under my computer's case (about 2 inches away from PSU)

To me it sounds like more than just airflow. Can someone confirm?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25994702/DS300007.WMA

 

[Zap]

To be sure, just stop your PSU fan. Use a pencil eraser against the fan hub (if it is running) or use a screwdriver or something to hold the fan still and power on the system with no other fans hooked up. Then, let the fan spin and hear (or not) the difference.

FWIW the cheaper Corsair PSUs aren't as quiet as their more expensive offerings. I just built a system today using the CX430 and it was definitely the most noisy part of the system - not that the system was noisy by any means.

 

[Slugbait]

Just read this again...

According to specs, the fan is thermally controlled, but it sounds like it's spinning at ~1300-1400 RPM all the time

IIRC, thermal control for a PSU was primarily designed to that the fan will increase in speed to help exhaust more air as the temperature inside the case rises...

Since your PSU cannot exhaust any air, methinks you have a heat problem...maybe too much intake without enough exhaust. Or maybe the thermal controller is broken. One of my PSUs has a cable with a temp sensor at the end...do you have one, possibly positioned too close to a high heat source?

 

[996GT2]

Just read this again...

IIRC, thermal control for a PSU was primarily designed to that the fan will increase in speed to help exhaust more air as the temperature inside the case rises...

Since your PSU cannot exhaust any air, methinks you have a heat problem...maybe too much intake without enough exhaust. Or maybe the thermal controller is broken. One of my PSUs has a cable with a temp sensor at the end...do you have one, possibly positioned too close to a high heat source?

What do you mean, my PSU cannot exhaust any air? None of the openings are blocked (neither intake nor exhaust).

 

[Slugbait]

What do you mean, my PSU cannot exhaust any air? None of the openings are blocked (neither intake nor exhaust).

Your PSU draws air from outside the case...so, unlike the majority of other cases, it's impossible for your PSU to exhaust air from the inside of your case as the temperature rises.

So what I'm saying is that your PSU thermal sensor may be ramping up the RPM of the fan to help cool the interior of the case...but since it can't help remove the air, and you get heat build-up, the thermal sensor maintains high fan RPM even tho' it doesn't do anything to help.

 

[beginner99]

Your PSU draws air from outside the case...so, unlike the majority of other cases,...

Most good cases have exactly this setup nowadays.

But I get your point. Temp in cases is hot and PSU determines it's RPM based on temp in case and not of the it's own temp.

Anyway, I have an enermax and it is dead quite or at least not the noisiest part

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Interesting, I've never heard a PSU fan spin that hard/loud. Maybe your PSU is dying? Why would it think it needs to spin that fast? Has it ever done so/been that loud?

 

[ElFenix]

ball bearing fan. they're loud. reliable, but loud.

the fact that it's 140 mm and uses clear plastic is a bad sign as well. clear plastic sounds terrible, and there hasn't been as much effort put into 140 mm fans. so combine the two and, well, i wouldn't buy one.



edit:
see post 7, not good

 

[theAnimal]

The PSU will not know what the case temp is since it is getting air from outside the case and the temp sensor is inside the PSU not in the case.

 

[996GT2]

Interesting, I've never heard a PSU fan spin that hard/loud. Maybe your PSU is dying? Why would it think it needs to spin that fast? Has it ever done so/been that loud?

It's almost a brand-new PSU, and it's definitely not being stressed since I doubt my components pull more than 350w even at 100% load. I just got it a few months ago when I RMA'd my VX450 (that one had major electrical whine issues). My VX450 was fine in terms of fan noise (inaudible over my other fans), but the electrical whine was crazy.

The VX450 I put in a workstation build a few years back is absolutely problem free. Looks like I've just been having bad luck with Corsair since...

 

[muskie32]

And It is the Rig that is In your sig?

 

[996GT2]

And It is the Rig that is In your sig?

Yes

 

[ElFenix]

It's almost a brand-new PSU, and it's definitely not being stressed since I doubt my components pull more than 350w even at 100% load. I just got it a few months ago when I RMA'd my VX450 (that one had major electrical whine issues). My VX450 was fine in terms of fan noise (inaudible over my other fans), but the electrical whine was crazy.

they bumped you down a line when they replaced the VX under RMA? that's not good customer service.

 

[996GT2]

they bumped you down a line when they replaced the VX under RMA? that's not good customer service.

Well, they were out of stock on VX450s when I RMA'd, and the GS600 is actually a more powerful PSU (450W Seasonic vs. 600W CWT PSH II) with a higher street price ($55 vs $85), so I guess they considered it fair. My only other option at the time was a Builder Series 600W, which is an even lower grade than GS.

If I RMA again I'll ask them about RMAing to another VX450, but I doubt they'll have stock since I think it's been discontinued. Even the 450W VX is more than enough for my system as-is, so I wouldn't mind having that back for the lower noise.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

I would find their RMA unacceptable. They gave you a unit which gives more wattage, but is lower quality. They should match the quality of the RMA'ed unit reguardless of wattage.

 

[996GT2]

I would find their RMA unacceptable. They gave you a unit which gives more wattage, but is lower quality. They should match the quality of the RMA'ed unit reguardless of wattage.

Yeah, I specifically asked if I could pay the difference and get a VX550 or an HX/TX series, but the Corsair rep said they couldn't do that. I may RMA this GS600 simply because the fan is so loud, but I don't think my chances of getting a VX450 back are very high. I guess I can sell the GS600 I get back from RMA and get an Antec NeoEco 520 or something similar.

I wouldn't really say the GS600 is a much lower quality unit though. It's based on a CWT PSH II platform (like some of Corsair's higher end units), with a mix of Japanese and Chinese caps. I wouldn't have any complaints about this PSU if the fan wasn't so effing loud...

 

[Doclife]

Try to position the PSU such that the fan is facing up instead of down like you have now. I'm thinking the air flow may be restricted and caused excessive noise the way you have the PSU positioned now.

 

[tigersty1e]

Something in your system may be not idling properly.

Check to see if your cpu and gpu throttles down during idle mode.

 

[thescreensavers]

If thats your case in the OP, the power supply is upside down. Flip it