PSU is loud. tipping it makes it quiet for a few minutes, then it gets loud again?

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CyByte

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I have a Thermaltake TR2 430W. The fan on it is very quiet, but then it gets very loud. tipping the case to the side makes it quiet for a while, but then it gets loud again. Is this a bad PSU?
 
Since just tipping it changes the sound means its most likely the only moving component on the PSU; the fan. Technically, as long as the fan is spinning at or near its normal speed you're fine. But I wouldn't wait around to find out how long it lasts.

If its new, RMA it. If its under warranty, contact the mfg. If neither, then repair/replace the fan yourself or replace the PSU. You can usually make a standard fan fit with a little rewiring of a new connector (or hard wired to the pcb). And you can always try oiling the fan bushing/bearing. It's also possible, though unlikely, a stray wire is just barely touch the fan blades.
 
bad fan or something falling into the fan, but most likely bad fan.
 
CyByte said:
I have a Thermaltake TR2 430W. The fan on it is very quiet, but then it gets very loud. tipping the case to the side makes it quiet for a while, but then it gets loud again. Is this a bad PSU?
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I'd also recommend replacing that PSU with a completely different brand and model ASAP: None of Thermaltake's TR2 series PSUs are at all good. In fact, that "430W" unit cannot handle its full advertised 430W rating - but instead, it is a very mediocre 350W PSU.
 
E4g1e said:
I'd also recommend replacing that PSU with a completely different brand and model ASAP: None of Thermaltake's TR2 series PSUs are at all good. In fact, that "430W" unit cannot handle its full advertised 430W rating - but instead, it is a very mediocre 350W PSU.
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I have literally seen one shoot flames out the back of a coworkers pc when he ran furmark on his gtx 260. Was one of the most impressive looking psu failures I have ever seen. The fan was still running causing a jet engine looking effect lol.
 
This is a new PSU I got from Best Buy after the one I purchased from Newegg was out of spec on the 24pin so it wouldn't fit onto a board properly. I'll see what else Best Buy has as I need one. This is currently to loud to have in my office.
 
Kardonxt said:
I have literally seen one shoot flames out the back of a coworkers pc when he ran furmark on his gtx 260. Was one of the most impressive looking psu failures I have ever seen. The fan was still running causing a jet engine looking effect lol.
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I want one now!
 
The Geek squad guy told me he has seen his friends light on fire of that model! :O Maybe this is a common problem with this model?

I picked up a cheap Dynex 400W and saved $11 haha I'm only running an i3 8GB RAM, 1 HDD and 3 case fans.
 
That Dynex isn't any better than the Thermaltake. I'd return that as well.
 
I'm in a pinch for my office computer. How bad can it be?

I just need it to be quiet and work in the office for my massage studio
 
I have a Corsair CX series that the 24pin doesn't fit motherboards because it was made out of spec. I still have to send that one back to Newegg.
 
CyByte said:
I have a Corsair CX series that the 24pin doesn't fit motherboards because it was made out of spec. I still have to send that one back to Newegg.
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What do you mean exactly by "made out of spec?" What was the exact issue in detail?
 
the plastic is to large and doesn't fit into the holes into 3 different mother boards. It's effectively useless so it's going back to Newegg. I did manage to get it to fit one older board by taking a piece of plastic and a 2.5LB weight and hammering it on for fun. It took off the connector from the mobo trying to pull it off so we used pliers to remove it from the plastic piece :)
 
According to the UPS at the office (Cyber Power) the pc is always using <100W
 
CyByte said:
the plastic is to large and doesn't fit into the holes into 3 different mother boards.
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Which plastic are you talking about?

Something still sounds fishy to me: I've never heard of a incompatibility issue with the CX series.

What were the three motherboards that you try to install that CX PSU to?
 
ASROCK H77M 2 boards
ASROCK H77M ITX 1 board

The thermaltake fit onto the board just fine. The only issue was with the fan, but this isn't a power build. It's for spread sheets, scheduling, web browsing, facebook, etc.
 
Hmm. all three are modern mobos. Something is off considering that the CX430 is a relatively new PSU.
 
I will try it in the computer tomorrow when I get to the office. I'm going to hope it works. It was only $40 dollars which wasn't to bad. I'd like to have another name brand one, but I do need the computer up and running to deal with clients. Music in the office is also controlled by the computer as well as scheduling and my medical records.
 
CyByte said:
I will try it in the computer tomorrow when I get to the office. I'm going to hope it works. It was only $40 dollars which wasn't to bad. I'd like to have another name brand one, but I do need the computer up and running to deal with clients. Music in the office is also controlled by the computer as well as scheduling and my medical records.
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Actually, it's not worth even $20. That PSU can't handle even 200W without killing some or all of the components of the PC it's connected to. In fact, it's barely a 150W PSU.

In addition, the office UPS power meters are almost always extremely inaccurate: They usually read far lower than what the PC actually draws.
 
Danny Bui said:
The last Dynex 400W I saw tested was pretty damn bad:
http://hardocp.com/article/2008/05/13/getting_best_buy_on_power_supply/2#.URW40qU73SM

So I still recommend taking back that PSU and getting something actually good. Something like the Corsair CX series. The Antec Earthwatts series is still being sold at Best Buy IIRC.
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I work in an industrial high vibaration, high dust, high heat environment where we use about three dozen workstations for use as PLC programming terminals and scanning/optimization processors. Two years ago we got a case of 12 Earthwatts as spares to replace the shitty Dell psus as they failed. A year later we had a pile of 12 failed Earthwatts, and IT ordered a dozen TR2 430s. Currently not a single one has failed and there are 8 or nine of them in use.. I'm as firm a believer in purchasing quality PSUs as the next guy, and these results are honestly.. weird. But I can honestly say I won't be buying any Earthwatts, and I've bought a few tr2's in the last while which havent given any problems o_O
 
Taranabas said:
I work in an industrial high vibaration, high dust, high heat environment where we use about three dozen workstations for use as PLC programming terminals and scanning/optimization processors. Two years ago we got a case of 12 Earthwatts as spares to replace the shitty Dell psus as they failed. A year later we had a pile of 12 failed Earthwatts, and IT ordered a dozen TR2 430s. Currently not a single one has failed and there are 8 or nine of them in use.. I'm as firm a believer in purchasing quality PSUs as the next guy, and these results are honestly.. weird. But I can honestly say I won't be buying any Earthwatts, and I've bought a few tr2's in the last while which havent given any problems o_O
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Guess what? A PSU refusing to die does not necessarily mean that it is safe to use. In fact, the TR2 PSU could be killing off some of the components of those PCs even if the PSU itself doesn't die off or explode. This is because the DC output, especially ripple, of those PSUs often could not stay within the ATX spec at more than 60 percent of their claimed wattages.

On the other hand, the EarthWatts series PSUs die off sooner than expected only because they aren't engineered to be run 24/7 continuously like some otherwise crappier PSUs. In fact, the EarthWatts PSUs are only meant for intermittent operation (on for no more than a few hours per day).

With that said, the biggest reason as to why you have had good luck with the TR2 430W is that none of the systems that those PSUs are powering at your company draw even 200W, let alone 350W, of DC output from the PSU - even at 100% of full load.
 
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I concur with all of the above regarding cheap PSUs. You can skimp on lots of components to save money, but the PSU is the last item to go cheap on. The PSU is the heart of the computer. Spend a few more bucks and get a quality PSU.
 
The PSU seems to be working good. How much voltage do you think my pc is running?

Intel Core i3-3240 3.4GHz
AsRock H77M ITX
Corsair Vengeance 1x 4GB 1600 Memory
2.5" WD Scorpio Blue SSD 160GB
USB receiver for mouse & keyboard (single logitch)
USB Wireless adapter
 
Unplug the AC power cord, and try pulling back on 2 fan blades on opposite sides of the motor by using wooden or plastic sticks (no metal -- large heatsinks are sometimes connected directly to high voltage capacitors). Sometimes this moves a thrust washer, but usually it helps only for clicking or chirping noises.
 
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