Quieting a Corsair 750TX?? Stock fan is LOUD!!

My Corsair 750TX is far and away the loudest component in my rig. So loud that It is the only fan I can hear from 10ft away and it is extremely irritating.

My question is, how can I make it quieter??
My ideas were:

Disable and/or remove the internal fan, and add (ghetto-rig) 2 x 80mm fans at very low speed to the rear of the PSU.

Make the internal fan spin at a lower speed, without adding any extra cooling measures. I am unsure if this will provide enough cooling (it is a 140MM fan, and it is much louder than any of my 120mm fans while seemingly moving much less air (wet finger test). In relation to the noise, very little air is coming out the rear grille (compared to my case exhaust fans).
I have a Zalman 7v fan resistor but I dont know if the fan connector will be the same internally (it is a standard 3 pin fan connector, but I hear PSU fans often use different connectors).

What do you guys think? I had the oppurtunity (when I was building my case) to get a 650w Zalman PSU and I think I was dumb for not taking it. I didnt realize this corsair would be so loud though!

How can I quiet this damn thing?????

EDIT:
I forgot my specs. It is a fairly low power build (a 750 is way way overkill for this, I know. I wanted overhead room in-case I wanted to go for a crossfire setup but I dont play games so that is doubtful).

Q6600 (Stock clock, 1.8v)
ATI 4850 (Stock clock, stock voltage)
4gb OCZ Reaper 1066 DDR2 Ram
2x Samsung Spinpoint 750gb 7200rpm
2x LG DVD Burners
5x Low speed 120 mm case fans

I had the same problem until I bought the Seasonic X750. Sorry, but that's my take on it. Get rid of it.

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't want to go around messing with a PSU fan. Can't find the post either, but didn't someone here say that the PSU wouldn't even boot up if the fan weren't plugged in (so just disabling it might not work)?

Huh...I can't hear mine. BUT, my Zalman 9700 is loud as crap...lol

You have a defective unit. Contact Corsair for a RMA.

My TX750 is very quiet. The internal fan is barely audible while gaming in an 85 degree (Fahrenheit) room.

To be fair, every other fan in my case is silent, and the PSU is the only one really making noise. Do you really think I have a defective unit?
Im going to pull it from the case and see if it is some other problem. I blew all the dust out of it a few days ago with no real sound decrease.

It is in a PC-v1000 with PSU extender bracket. Basically ~20mm of the fan is sticking out of the rear of the case, but has complete ventilation due to the bracket. The only part that is being blocked is the ~3mm where the fan crosses the outer wall of the case.
Its like this, just sticking out the back a little:


So maybe thats why. Im going to still pull it out and see what I can do. I hear people on the Silent PC forums modding their fans to be 7V with no performance hit.

After further investigating the fan sounds fine, its just spinning fast. But I DO feel a lot of blowback from the fan, right at the "rear"
(the rear of the case, where the PSU grill is).
It is blowing back at my hand from that area and makes a decent amount of noise. Any ideas??

Do you think its just me being annoying about noise? It is really the only thing I can hear from the PC when im not standing right next to it though.

The TX750 is not especially quiet for a PSU. It's not noisy per se, but it is louder than other higher-end units and it is possible that its normal noise levels are simply higher than your comfort level.

What are your ambient temperatures like around the PS's intake? None of the Corsairs I own are especially noisy, but I'm not pushing them as hard as I could and my case temperatures are extremely low (within 1-3*C of room ambient), so...

investinwaffles said:

Do you really think I have a defective unit?

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Yes. If it's as loud as you say (The 10' thing.) it is definitely a faulty unit.

I have the HX850 and the only time I hear it is if I stick my ear right up to the rear vent.

The PSU fans are the quietest fans in all of my rigs. (Antecs/Corsair.)

How do you even know it's the fan? What 'noise' is this exactly? It makes no sense because you say it's barely spinning but then you can hear it 10' away, which means either that the motor has gone bad or that the noise has nothing to do with the fan.

I actually have the same problem and its loud on idle but it gets really loud when I game which is weird. My system info:

Q6600 Thermalright ultra 120xtreme with noctua fan
Antec 182B with fans on low
4870x2 with accelero cooler (doesnt sound at all)

I will really appreciate if someone can help cause the noise is so annoying

I have the TX-750, it has a loud fan.

It is pretty much the most noticable fan noise of the system......and I have some 80mm Panaflo ultras in the same box....

I think that's just the nature of the beast, especially in a system that's power hungry.

Matrices said:

How do you even know it's the fan? What 'noise' is this exactly? It makes no sense because you say it's barely spinning but then you can hear it 10' away, which means either that the motor has gone bad or that the noise has nothing to do with the fan.

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It is 110% the fan. The noise is air turbulence from the fan (sounds like just a loud fan chopping at air?). From 10ft away it completely overpowers any other noise from my computer. The fan is spinning fast, but in relation to the amount of air that is exhausted it is pathetic.

Siorus said:

What are your ambient temperatures like around the PS's intake? None of the Corsairs I own are especially noisy, but I'm not pushing them as hard as I could and my case temperatures are extremely low (within 1-3*C of room ambient), so...

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Ambient temps in the room are around 70*F.

Little_4nic8er said:

Yes. If it's as loud as you say (The 10' thing.) it is definitely a faulty unit.

I have the HX850 and the only time I hear it is if I stick my ear right up to the rear vent.

The PSU fans are the quietest fans in all of my rigs. (Antecs/Corsair.)

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Ok thanks. It seems like the noise is coming from the fan blades, and the air turbulence that is created due to the "short" airflow path inside the PSU.

TazDmAn said:

I actually have the same problem and its loud on idle but it gets really loud when I game which is weird. My system info:

Q6600 Thermalright ultra 120xtreme with noctua fan
Antec 182B with fans on low
4870x2 with accelero cooler (doesnt sound at all)

I will really appreciate if someone can help cause the noise is so annoying

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Yeah, I mean my config is even lower power, and I dont realy hear it ramp up after a while of gaming though. It does if I overheat my processor though (dont ask how I know)

magoo said:

I have the TX-750, it has a loud fan.

It is pretty much the most noticable fan noise of the system......and I have some 80mm Panaflo ultras in the same box....

I think that's just the nature of the beast, especially in a system that's power hungry.

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Thanks, I think they overlooked noise issues. I think I am going to pull the PSU out, and open it up to see what the deal is. Maybe I can mount the fan on the OUTSIDE of the PSU instead.


EDIT:
Aaahhh, damnit! Looks like my plan is foiled
Anyone know how to get a warranty sticker off so I can put it back on
I dont know if I have the "stones" to void the 3 more years of warranty I have on this thing.

http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/672192-replace-corsair-750tx-fan.html

This.
In order to change the fan you would need to puncture through the "Voided if removed" sticker to get to a screw.
If you wanted a blue LED fan, you should have gotten a OCZ

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The PSU will last a long time, even if you wack the sticker.

The fan is not the problem, that would be the fan speed and thus the noise created when it ramps up.
The "fix" would be to replace the fan controller circuit....which would be tricky if you have never taken a PSU apart.

Please make sure the PSU sits a while to let the capacitors drain their charge, befire you pop the top off, or your wife could find a mass of charred remains in the cellar.

Email Corsair and see what they have to say about this?

Ok, so I pulled it from the case and took a gander inside.


There is a plastic "baffle" that spans the entire back portion of the PSU (rear meaning rear of the case, where the PSU exhausts). What happens is the fan is getting backpressure from its own blades, resulting in air turbulence and thus noise. The baffle is there for the uselessly large 140mm fan. 2x slow 80mm fans in a staggered configuration (Left rear of the case, and right front or something) would have been much more efficient, both in cooling and noise. Regardless, I am stuck with this PSU because im refuse to shell out $150+ for a PSU (and I got this thing for ~$100 after rebate two years ago).


to quote an Overclockers Club review:

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/corsair_tx750w_r/6.htm
The Corsair TX750W is fitted with a clear plastic fan baffle that covers approximately fifty percent of the total fan area and I have to ask, is it really needed? The reason for its inclusion must be to improve cooling but I couldn't help but notice a quite powerful airstream leaving the fan in the area of the baffle. This isn't the first time I've seen the baffle fitted so just out of interest I removed it and ran the power supply at full load for over two hours and the only difference I observed was a reduction in fan noise, temperature difference was negligable. This is just an observation and I don't advise anybody attempting to remove or run the power supply without the baffle, the designers must have their reasons for its inclusion, even if I can't find it!

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Now, my problem is that the rest of the fans are so quiet that it makes the one in the corsair seem "freakishly" loud. This PSU was cheap and I could care less about it. So screw the warranty, I can probably make it as quiet as any other "quiet" PSU (which I am pissed about, because I thought this was supposed to be "ultra low noise" to quote Corsair directly).

My ideas:
1. Shift the entire PSU inside (half of the intake is outside the rear of the case due to the PC-V1000 PSU extender bracket). That back half is basically the entire baffle which means it is the loudest part of the PSU.
2. Shift the fan to the outisde of the PSU so there is less resistance for the fan (I have plenty of space inside my case).
3. Trim the baffle, but keep most of it. With the increased volume between it and the fan, there should be much less noise.

OR (complete different idea)
1. Externalize the fan on the PSU
2. REVERSE the airflow so the fan is pushing air out the bottom of the case (also similar to a "baffled" design), and intaking through the rear of the PSU. I have no problem modding the bottom of the case, but the 140mm fan will be too large for the integrated grilles. Thus all the air will be pushed out what will be a large rectangle in the bottom (The drilled rectangles, and in-between).

See this pic for reference:
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cases/lianli/pcv1000/psu_small.jpg

Regardless, I think I want to keep the stock fan at stock voltage and see how loud it is with the reduced restriction. If it is too loud, though I dont know what to do. I have no qualms wiring in my spare Zalman 7v fan resistor, but since the fan is temperature controlled the fan might be below start-up voltage.
I dont think the PSU will operate normally if I wire the fan to my fan controller though.

Take the baffle out.
If you don't care about the PSU and it happens to go nuclear on you..........you can buy a new one.

Or..........email Corsair and ask them for some advice, but let them know you want to disassemble the PSU fan baffle.

I doubt that you'd cause a problem by removing the baffle entirely. I could be wrong, but... Let's say (and this is just a thought experiment, I'm pulling the numbers out of, uh, somewhere) that to maintain an internal temperature of 45*C when you're gaming, the fan with the baffle in place has to spin at 1500rpms. Let's say that with some of the airflow being "wasted" without the baffle, it now needs to run at 1600rpms to maintain 45*C. The noise without the baffle in place at 1600rpms may be lower than with it in place at 1500.

The only time you might run into a problem that I can see is if the fan is already running flat out and it can't keep the PS cool without the baffle in place, but I don't think that's going to happen in your case; the load is too low, and your ambient temperatures at the PS intake can't be much over 30*C, if they're even that high.

Aside: This is a perfect example of why I hate the stupid trend toward using 135/140mm fans in power supplies and 140s, 200s, or larger in cases. None of the good fan manufacturers (Sanyo Denki, Papst, Nidec) make anything in those sizes. 120x25 is an industry standard. 140x25 is not. You can't buy any decent fans in any of these larger sizes. If the PS had a normal 120mm fan I'd just tell you to pull the baffle and replace the fan with a Sanyo Denki 9S1212H or F401 while you're in there. But it doesn't. So I can't.

Yate loon makes some pretty good 140mm fans. At medium speed they are fairly quiet. I think the fan is low enough speed for the design to not matter.

Here an ultra high quality rendering of what I am thinking of doing. This is only the back PSU compartment in my Lian Li PC-V1000. Note the psu is mounted "upside down" because the PSU intake is at the bottom of the case.




now, the grille on the back of the PSU spans the entire rear of it, so I would need to create a blocking plate (simple cardboard), stuck inside so airflow is not wasted. By keeping the baffle, the PSU still gets maximum cooling while the fan receives a 25mm plenum to reduce noise. Further more, I will probably put some sound dampening on the plastic baffling, as well as on the back and side walls of the PSU if possible. I noticed that there is a large gap between the back of the internal circuitry and the wall of the PSU, no doubt because of the stupid 140mm fan
I guess this is a good thing in my situation, as the increased internal volume will allow for smoother airflow and less noise.

I would have gotten refund myself rather that open it up. Then put the money towards an HX850 (Or any HX model for that matter. Hell, even another maker if you've been soured on Corsair.)

Its over a year and a half old, can I still get a refund??

investinwaffles said:

Its over a year and a half old, can I still get a refund??

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No.

Thats what I thought
Any, I RMAd it because I do think there is something wrong with the PSU.

If I shut my PC down, about 70% of the time it will NOT restart.
What happens is it i will hit the power button, everything (fans, hdd, cd drives, etc) spin up, for 1 sec, then it goes "soft-off" and powers back on in around 3 to 5 seconds.

Does that sound like a PSU issue? I cant for the life of me track the problem down.
At first (when it wasnt starting), I thought my CPU might have come unseated (no dice since when I do manage to get it to boot it works perfectly for days).
Then I pulled all the wires out, and re-hooked em up thinking a connector might have been lose. No dice there either.

Any ideas?

investinwaffles said:

Thats what I thought
Any, I RMAd it because I do think there is something wrong with the PSU.

If I shut my PC down, about 70% of the time it will NOT restart.
What happens is it i will hit the power button, everything (fans, hdd, cd drives, etc) spin up, for 1 sec, then it goes "soft-off" and powers back on in around 3 to 5 seconds.

Does that sound like a PSU issue? I cant for the life of me track the problem down.
At first (when it wasnt starting), I thought my CPU might have come unseated (no dice since when I do manage to get it to boot it works perfectly for days).
Then I pulled all the wires out, and re-hooked em up thinking a connector might have been lose. No dice there either.

Any ideas?

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That's a pretty common motherboard thing. It's not a problem. Many boards will do this when overclocked.

EDIT: nvm, I see you're RMA'd it.

I have never been able to overclock this CPU or board (bought both at the same time).

Everything is mostly at the stock setting (ram timings excluded), but even with "auto" ram timings nothing changes. Is it definately the mobo?

It's almost certainly the motherboard, but like I said, it's not a problem.

Let us know if the new one is quieter, I too was suspecting the fan control circuitry as these are not reported as "loud" units. There have been a couple of posts/units where it was determined the fan control was wacko and the fan running too fast.

It seems as if the fan is running constantly at 50 or 100% because it is certainly louder than even my Slipstream medium speed fans, and about the same noise as my crappy Apevia red LED fans at full speed (not quiet at all).
Also it doesnt spin up even after 3 hrs of BC2 (but my system is kind of low power anyway?)

Just to dig up and old thread as I'd been curious.

I have now removed the plastic baffle in my 750TX that was very noisy with air noise.

I must say the air rush is greatly reduced and it is quieter, the fan is still going fast.

Seems this is quite common with the 750TX. A flawed design perhaps.

I think it is in place to act as an airflow baffle, so no air from the 120mm fan gets "shortcutted" out the back instead of cooling the PSU internals.

Anyway, my new one is just as loud which was pretty much expected. They arent designed for the silent user which is the mistake I made when I bought it (didnt really consider noise at the time).
Upgraded some other "fans" in my room so my computer is the least of my worries lol.

Might upgrade when the 6990 comes out (if it ever does) and when ivy bridge comes out but for now its fine. I love this PSU, its a tough little bugger and has handled everything ive thrown at it without making a peep.

The airflow from the fan now covers all the components, including the heatsink that several reviewers noted didnt get cooled due to the baffle and therefore reduces the fan speed.

The baffle actually pushes the air though only the rear half of the PSU.

I am going to try inserting a block or a wedge in the front of the PSU to fill the empty inch of space.

At the end of the day I now have a 3 year old PSU that sounds less like a vacuum cleaner and a little more like a domestically acceptable component.