• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

High pitch noise

K

Kyohe

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
97
My power supply recently starting making a noticeable high pitch noise. I don't really when it started, but as soon as I noticed it I couldn't ignore it. FIrst, should I be concerned? Second, is there anything I could do to stop it? Thanks.
 
What brand and wattage is the PSU, is it old or new and did it just start doing it on random, or did you swap out any parts in your computer before it started?
 
Could be coil whine. I bought a Seasonic M12D 850W and had to RMA it twice. The first time it was through Amazon and they sent me another one with the coil whine. The next time I went straight to Seasonic and they shipped me one that was tested to be 100% free from any type of coil whine.
 
It's an Antec 450 Watt purchased on 2005. So, it's not new. As far as I know it started when I moved to my new place. I don't *remember* it whining before, but I have no way of testing whether it did nor not...

One thing I've noticed is the fan on the back isn't spinning. I didn't let it run very long so I thought maybe it just hadn't reached the temp threshold. Do those normally spin up on startup though?

If it is coil whine I'm guessing there isn't much to do short of replacing the PSU?
 
What is the specific model number? If it's a Truepower or Truepower II, it could be failing capacitors. Also, the fan should certainly be running, and if it isn't then it could be contributing to premature PSU failure.
 
I actually can't seem to find a model number on it. But it says "Smart Power" on the side so I'm pretty sure that it isn't True power. I wish I'd noticed the fan not spinning sooner... I did confirm that the noise is not coming from the fan though. Which only leaves parts within the PSU. So, whether it's "coil whine" or a dying capacitor I assume there isn't much I can do short of replacing the PSU? My PC is a

Geforce 6800
Athlon 64 3700+

Any suggestions for a good reliable replacement I could get that would be in my range? I really don't need more than 450Watts (not even using that much) and I'd rather not spend a lot of money on it. So, cheapish, 450watts and Quiet. Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Well, it's less likely that your Smartpower has failing capacitors, but either way, you're correct in assuming that there's nothing you can do to stop the noise short of replacing the PSU entirely. Here are a few inexpensive quality PSUs that would run your system fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151077

I would personally go with the CX400, but the choice is up to you.
 
Well, before I do anything hasty, do you think it could be the electrical system in the house? My concern is whether or not there will be damage. Is there any way to confirm that the noise is benign? If not I think I'll go ahead and replace it.

Thank you for the suggestions.
 
There is a possibility that it is caused by the input power, but it's unlikely since you said that it started to happen out of the blue. As for whether or not it is benign, that depends on if it's a result of failing capacitors or if it's just coil whine. Failing capacitors can cause damage to your hardware, but coil whine is harmless.
 
Zero82z said:
There is a possibility that it is caused by the input power, but it's unlikely since you said that it started to happen out of the blue. As for whether or not it is benign, that depends on if it's a result of failing capacitors or if it's just coil whine. Failing capacitors can cause damage to your hardware, but coil whine is harmless.
Click to expand...

agreed. and since the fan isn't spinning, i think the issue is the unit itself.
 
Kyohe said:
I actually can't seem to find a model number on it. But it says "Smart Power" on the side so I'm pretty sure that it isn't True power. I wish I'd noticed the fan not spinning sooner... I did confirm that the noise is not coming from the fan though. Which only leaves parts within the PSU. So, whether it's "coil whine" or a dying capacitor I assume there isn't much I can do short of replacing the PSU? My PC is a

Geforce 6800
Athlon 64 3700+

Any suggestions for a good reliable replacement I could get that would be in my range? I really don't need more than 450Watts (not even using that much) and I'd rather not spend a lot of money on it. So, cheapish, 450watts and Quiet. Thanks for any suggestions.
Click to expand...

I think I had one of those PSU's, it decided to just make that noise one day and the system would BIOS error, then shut off, time for a new PSU before it does some damage.
 
My Antec TP Trio 650 started to whine today. It was really loud. I thought it was a fan but it's inside the PSU.

I ran to Best Buy and bought an Antec Earthwatts 650 that was on sale for $80. Need to box up the TP 650 and RMA it to Antec, hopefully it isn't over 3 years old.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top