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knocking sound from new build

F

fasterthanlight

Gawd
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
677
I have a C2D 3.0GHZ, 2 120mm case fans, a dvd burner, and a 640GB HDD. I just added a new Radeon 4870 and I attached the 2 PCIE from the PSU to the card. When I turned this on I now hear a knocking noise, like a diesel engine. I am running an Antec TruePower 550w. I replaced an nVidia 8800GTS which only had one PCIE lead to it. If I stop any fan, the knocking goes away for a second but comes back.

Any ideas?

If I undo the 2 120mm fans, the Radeon is absolutely quiet. It is running and I can see the fan moving. I am used to cards with loud fans under idle, but not like this. Did ATI really kick it up a notch on this card?
 
Are you stopping the fan by hot-unplugging or by poking it with your finger while it's turning?
 
sounds like wire or zip tie or something loose hitting something turning. Hit everything one by one by sticking something soft (padded finger) or dc power to suspected hardware.
 
ha! check the oil.

I am using my finger to stop the fans. I pulled the power on the 2 120mm and the knocking went away. I assumed my 550w would do enough. The fans run off the mobo instead from molex connectors.
 
Just an FYI:

The Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series were well known for their above average death rates due to a poor choice in caps and cooling design. In more specific terms, Antec/CWT specified/used caps that did not respond well to heat. Unfortunately, Antec made the decision to have the PSU fan only ramp at really high temps in an effort to keep the PSU quiet. However, just medium to high temps were enough to screw up the caps so really high temps were murderous. Over time, this degraded the quality and performance of those PSU series.
 
That is an interesting thing. I purchased three at the same time and one did blow out. So a 66% success rate is okay. How do you calculate your total wattage or voltage use?
 
TheAmerican said:
How do you calculate your total wattage or voltage use?
Click to expand...

Educated guessing. Look up the max total wattage that each part takes up, assume that all of that wattage is on the +12V rail, add up the wattage, multiply that total needed wattage by 1.4 to 1.8 to stay within the optimal efficiency, temperature and noise range for a PSU as well as for headroom for future upgrades and there you go.

Personally I just use the Corsair PSU finder to figure out the basic amperage (not voltage). The Corsair PSU finder is generally pretty accurate.

Also hit up this PSU FAQ:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1036
 
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