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Whats making noise in my system?

K

kaizersose

Golden Member
Just built a system and I am trying to get rid of the low pitched whine it puts out. I tried to stick my ear next to each piece but i cant make out anything. Which of the following components do you think is most likely to blame?
1. WD 80gig w/8mb cache
2. Stock HSF from P4 2.4C
3. Allied 300W PS
4. Run-o-the-mill 2500RPM case fan

I know the PS seems like the culprit, but the sound seemed to come from the innards. Then again, could be imagining things. Thanks!
 
get an Antec PS, get a Zalman CNPS 7000 CPU cooler, and some panaflo case fans with a good rheobus. Should get rid of the noise 😀
 
thanks, i am sure those are all good recommendations, but i was trying to keep my expenses to a minimum by replacing the worst perpetrator, then seeing if i can handle the new level of noise. if not, then i would keep going down the list. i am in college, not a whole lotta cash laying around. still appreciative though.
 
Try starting up your computer with your hard drive and your case fan unplugged. Then see if the noise is coming from either the HSF or PSU. Then plug back the hard drive and case, one by one to see if they're the culprit.
 
Also, check the screws on everything. I've found that unproperly screwd on components can emit a low pitched rumbling noise.
 
Do what wobblewobble said with the PS out of the case if possible. Easier to tell where the sound is coming from. Can be hard to tell when the heatsink fan and power supply
is near each other. Does the motherboard have a fan on the chipset? Could be that one.
 
Mod the power supply like I did! 🙂 3 bucks for a Panaflo L1A, then you get rid of the other fan and plug the panaflo into its place. Quite silent.
 
I'd say disable each component one by one, first just the fan, then the HD, etc... that way you can easily identify the culprit.
 
"Try starting up your computer with your hard drive and your case fan unplugged..." i am definitely going to try booting without the case fan.

"Mod the power supply like I did! 3 bucks for a Panaflo L1A, then you get rid of the other fan..." Ionizer, how did you mod your PS? do they require specialized fans?

"Does the motherboard have a fan on the chipset? Could be that one." I have the albatron PX865 Pro with a north bridge heat sink. it was one of the criteria for purchase.

thanks so much for all the help!
 
I dont like to go around unplugging internal components without good reason--it means i have to take my case apart and run the risk of physcially screwing something up for no good reason. i thought that some people might have personal experience and could comment on my components so that i could direct my efforts more wisely.
 
Hey kaizersose, what video card do you have installed? I just found out on Saturday that the stock GF4 Ti cooler and the aftermarket ThermalTake all-copper GF4 cooler are both very loud. I put an almost-silent Radeon 9600 Pro in my system and the noise difference is tremendous! It might be your GPU cooler making all that racket on ya...
 
"...what video card do you have installed?" fx 5200 with a heat sink...i was really trying to keep the fans to a minimum.
 
Unplugging the hard drive shouldn't hurt it. Just unplug the power. You can still boot the computer. How fast is the northbridge fan and cpu fan spinning? Can you check the speed in the bios?
 
I have the stock HSF (see rig profile), and I'm so grateful for the Asus Q-Fan control on my motherboard (Q-Fan lowers the voltage to the fans connected to the motherboard headers That retail HSF makes a lot of noise at full speed. I think it sounds a bit like an over-volted vacuum cleaner. If you can slow that thing down through your motherboard, do it. Otherwise, think about soldering an appropriate resistor into the fan's power lead, or getting an aftermarket HSF.

I modded my last PSU with an L1A. That made a huge difference in the noise level. All you do is buy a standard 80mm, 12 volt Panaflow L1A, open the PSU, change the fan out, cut the wires to the old fan, securely attach the new fan to the old wires (I like to solder them), and securely tape the wires (I recommend 3M Tartan brand electrical tape.)

I have an Antec True Power PSU, and I'm a bit disappointed in the noise level. I'm thinking of modding that with some quieter fans (it has 2, one 80mm and one larger one, not sure what size though. I have a spare Panaflow L1A, but I'll lose the fan-tach unless I buy one with a different connector.

The wonderful about the True Power is the temperature controlled "fan only" connector. It keeps the other L1As virtually silent.
 
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