Buzzing PSU

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nSidious

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Hi guys

I bought a Cooler Master Real Power PSU - 550w from Take 2 a couple months ago and it recently starting to emit a loud irritating electrical buzzing noise. I tried another PSU in my PC just to be sure that it was the PSU.

I sent it back but it seems they cannot replicate the problem. I admit, it comes and goes randomly but recently it's been 'buzzing' for very long periods. They wont replace it and they want me to pay R60 if I want it back.

Any advice? Don't know how to prove to them that somethings wrong?
 
Could just be the fan. My Vantec was super silent as well, but about 2 months down the line it has the "buzz" going on. It's commutator noise from the large slow moving fan. Can't stand it. The whole PC has this dull low buzz going on and I can't stop it without voiding the warranty.

Unfortunately stores will not replace these units until they are completely dead. When that happens it sometimes winds up being a bit late for your other components.

So you didn't get your PSU back from them? They want money from you for your own product that's under warranty?
 
nSidious said:
Hi guys

I bought a Cooler Master Real Power PSU - 550w from Take 2 a couple months ago and it recently starting to emit a loud irritating electrical buzzing noise. I tried another PSU in my PC just to be sure that it was the PSU.

I sent it back but it seems they cannot replicate the problem. I admit, it comes and goes randomly but recently it's been 'buzzing' for very long periods. They wont replace it and they want me to pay R60 if I want it back.

Any advice? Don't know how to prove to them that somethings wrong?
Click to expand...
Don't know, but I can speculate.;)

Its similar to mains hum. 50Hz tone. I don't think its dangerous and I don't think you'll be able to send it back as defective even if they can replicate the noise.

It's also entirely possible that you've got some from of resonance in your case & that why they can't replicate it. Temps & load might also have an influence.

To be honest I think you're pretty much stuck with this.:(
 
That's sounds correct.
Thing is, why must he still pay R60 to get it back?
 
Yeah I just paid the R60 now. :( Giving up! I need it back before Friday cos I'm going on holiday. I'm tired of our (South African) so called on-line retailers and their 'Suppliers'. Gonna only buy stuff from Incredible Connection from now on!!! lol

It does happen mostly when the PC is idle so maybe it's the Fan communicator problem.
 
Commutator noise seems to show up when spinning slow. I'm sure that PSU isn't putting out so much power on load for it to send the fan to higher speeds.

That little rattle is annoying, isn't it? :D I'm sitting here looking for a fanless PSU right now. Absolute zero useless ones out there.

Well, hopefully it is just the fan and the normal mains hum or switching noise. Nothing to worry about if it is.
 
Yeah OMG it's terrible. I have to keep my headphones on all the time!!! I went on that Wiki page that AnomalyNexus posted about mains humm. Dosn't really sound like the audio samples of 50 and 60hz noises that they give at the bottom so it's probably the PSU FAN.
 
:D
Here's the wierd thing...
You'll never notice this noise until the rest of the setup quietens down. But once you notice it is there you will never forget about it.

If it is indeed the fan you could try and isolate the PSU from the chassis. Chassis makes it worse. I have this on my aluminium case which makes it even more annoying, especially late at night when things quieten down around the house.

What you should do when you get the PSU back is switch it on outside the case and try and isolate which part of the PSU it is coming from. Temporarily stop the fan with your finger and if the noise stops then it's the fan. If not, then indeed it is something inside and could just be switching noise or electric hum/buzz.
 
CM PSUs have been known to emit electrical noise... Do a google search and you will find numerous Silent PC sites as well as regular hardware review sites have come to the same conclusion regarding coolermaster PSUs especially the extreme/real power ranges.

Unfortunately for you this does not warrant a replacement since it is technically not a fault with the PSU.

In future you should keep away from CM PSUs. Luckily for you it was a 550W and not a 1000W or something which could have hurt your pocket a lot more should you wish to change PSU.
 
yeah, seeing they cant do anything about it, I am in agreement with the self remedy option. Run the PSU outside the casing, also, unscrew the PSU cover and see if u can hear anything. It could be the fan, and thats the easiest to remedy, but it could also just be dust or something sitting in the wrong place. But you just bought it, so it shouldnt have any dust collection just yet. PSU's have a lot of components and stuff that can make a buzz (if its not the fan) is all the circuitry handling the AC power coming in. AC components can all emit buzzing, which includes transformer and coils
 
Them fans are not always the easiest to find replacements for. In all their infinite wisdom PSU manufacturers have decided to use 135mm fans. :P

Electrical buzz or fan buzz, it's just annoying.
 
I am sitting with a Gigabyte Odin 800W and the fan on that is giving off a really annoying hum.

Trying to find a replacement for it but its a 140mm and the only ones i can find are very low CFM compared to whats in it now.
 
What is in it now?

I doubt that fan has ever reached its theoretical paper-based CFM values. I know some fans are a bit picky about startup voltage. The ones in these PSUs run at low voltage. Read a review couple days ago showing the fan in some PSU never got more than 7V. Usually that's a start voltage for some fans.

You'll probably be fine with any 14cm replacement fan. Trial and error.

Thing is I've got some 14cm fans on the side of my chassis now and close up they have that hum. Inside a PSU, hard mounted to metal, it'll probably make the same noise as the current fan after some time.
 
Here's a test:

When your PSU is buzzing, press lightly on the back fan grill. Does that make the buzzing stop? If so, try loosening one of the screws ever so slightly. Noise gone? Good. Noise still there? Must be something more serious.
 
What if it's a high pitched whining noise even when the pc is off? I have a Gigabyte Odin 585w which is making a very high pitched whining noise, only audible when everything is quiet in my house, this is when the pc is off. As soon as I switch off the PSU with the switch on the PSU itself, the noise is gone. Only started about a week ago, PSU is still under warranty.
 
Probably some cap going nuts. Something called capacitor whine (whodathought :D). Think it happens with cheap caps or failing ones. Could just be a cheap cap which means another Odin 585w might do the same, but then it might be a failing one. You might want to return just for peace of mind.

I've got bad tinitus so I can imagine how annoying a whiney/whistling noise is.
 
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