[Dark RevenantX]

Every once in a while, my power supply will make this... awful... annoying... sound.  It sounds sorta like a pair of demented hummingbirds with extra helium, almost like a long line of broken mini-jingle bells.  It's hard to describe, but it is definitely a high-pitched ringing.  The sound comes on when the power supply has a sudden change of power, or any change of heat.

Here's a timeline:

1.  Sound comes on... I hope it goes away.
2.  Sound doesn't go away... I get mad.
3.  Sound goes away... Then it comes back again.
4.  I pound my desk and open my case to cool it off.
5.  Sound gets softer and dies away... Then it comes back again.
6.  I blow on the power supply... Nothing happens.
7.  I give up and close the case... The sound turns off.
8.  Repeat seventy times.
9.  I post here.

HELP ME!  My power supply is a 400W thing with a brand name that i forgot.  I already threw away the box for it.


P.S.  The sound came back on.

[achtung]

Does it sound like the whine a t.v. makes?

[Shade]

Any loose wires from the PSU dangling around inthere? If one happens to be near the fan, it could create a not entirely dissimilar noise if it comes into contact as it keeps bouncing off each fan blade.

[Dark RevenantX]

No, I tried shaking it randomly when the sound didn't appear and nothing happened.

[Flipside]

Sounds like it might be a bearing in the fan rattling, if the fan has bearings. It's not a direct problem apart from the noise. If it is that, you'll probably need a new PSU, but it's not something you'll need urgently, just when the sound finally drives you to it.

[Descenterace]

Sure it's the PSU, and not resonance in the case caused by a fan or disk drive?

The near side panel of my Stacker case tends to vibrate when the DVD drive spins up. My 5-second-fix for the problem is a piece of paper wedged in the gap between panel and frame.

[pecenipicek]

there is a chance that one of the transformators went bonkers.


i have that problem with everything that uses high voltage, as my ears are.... well, apparently, well attuned to catch high frequencies. one of the reasons i dont watch tv anymore. cant stand that whine.

[Triple Ace]

I had a similar problem a while back. I fixed it by taking apart my power supply and cleaning out all the dust and crap. I don't know if this will work for you if you even want to attempt it.

[Shade]

one of the reasons i dont watch tv anymore. cant stand that whine.[/i]You're not the only one... I hate that, can tell if a TV is on through several closed doors despite the sound being. Not as bad with newer sets, but old ones... they're horrible. As long as the sound is on though it doesn't really bother me much.

[Dark RevenantX]

The noise is most definitely the fan.  It makes noise when the temperature changes and when the workload changes.

It's the PSU because the sound started to happen when I replaced my PSU a few months backs.  I replaced my motherboard, not my PSU a few weeks ago, and the sound still happened.  Yep, it's my PSU fan.

Luckily, my computer is quiet enough to run with the case opened up.

[achtung]

there is a chance that one of the transformators went bonkers.


i have that problem with everything that uses high voltage, as my ears are.... well, apparently, well attuned to catch high frequencies. one of the reasons i dont watch tv anymore. cant stand that whine.

Then you never want to walk behind the T.V. in my living room, I get a headache after about 30 seconds behind it.