What is making the noise?

[stuartw101]

Im not too sure whats making the noise in my pc. Its a loud whirring noise, if you know what i mean. I think its the psu but im not sure. What other things could be making the noise? And is there a way to find the exact bit of hardware making the noise, maybe disabling a drive etc?

Thanks for your help.

 

[TriplexDread]

It usually happens when a lot of dust and what not collects on the fans.

Make sure all fans are clear first, if it still happens it could be a fan is failing or loose!

Remove the side of your case and look to see if the fans are all functioning properly. Then gently touch each fan in turn to see which is making the noise. The one that is making hte noise will stop as soon as you touch it. Make sure after you hav found which it is it continues to spin until you can replace it. Especially is its the onboard chipset of CPU fan.

I forgot to mention it can also happen to GFX card fans because they are upside down a lot. They do tend to loosen after a while quite easily.

 

[stuartw101]

The fans are working fine. What do you mean when i touch the fan it will stop if its the one making noise?

 

[TriplexDread]

Right, touch each fan gently in turn. If it is a fan the one making the noise will stop making it.

Easy!

 

[stuartw101]

Ah, i thought you meant that. Wasn't sure if you meant to stop the fans from spinning lol.

Thanks

 

[crazylegs]

Better watch your fingers though ...you don't want to chop them off do you....

 

[Cache-man]

More than likely a fan that is making the noise.
In my sys, all of the fans are attached to a manual fan controller, so i would just turn each one off, then back on to see if the noise stops.
Without a fan controller, you can still stop them manually be either unplugging the attached molex, or by stopping the fan for a short moment with your finger (be VERY careful using this method as it can hurt if you catch your finger in the blades, the best way is to gently press on the circular area in the centre of the fan to stop it).
If when you stop the fan, the noise stops, then you have found the source of your noise.

Once you have located your noisy fan, you should try cleaning it, as dusty blades can often unbalance the fan, causing the noise. To do this you can either just give it a damn good blow, or remove it (after powering down your system) and manually clean the blades. If it is still noisy after giving it a clean, then just buy a new one.

Possible fans causing the noise could be:
CPU heatsink fan
Northbridge chipset cooling fan (if you have one)
Graphics card fan (stock GFX fans are usually pretty noisy, although quiter alternatives are available)
Any other intake/exhaust fans on your case
Finally, if it is none of the other fans, then there is a posibility it could be your PSU fan(s), try giving them a quick blow.

 

[TriplexDread]

All that above seems very familiar

 

[stuartw101]

The pc only has the 1 fan which is the CPU heatsink fan i believe. The noise continues when i stop the fan for a couple of seconds. Also when i turn the pc off and the fan is coming to a stop the noise stops. From this i would say its the psu thats making the noise. The psu is 3 years old along with the pc and its not a very good spec hence the 1 fan.

 

[TriplexDread]

It maybe possible for you to strip the PSU down and clean the fan. If it continues after the cleaning simply replace it. They are readily available online

Or just replace it

 

[stuartw101]

Im probaly gonna just buy a new case as the case i have currently doesnt allow me to put a normal sized psu in it. The pc was bought prebuilt.

 

[TriplexDread]

Good thinking batman

 

[stuartw101]

Thanks robin.

 

[psd99]

coulndt be asked to read fully
but dont forget your HARDDRIVES

GOSH these things are a nitemare if they start whining!

u got to replace these if it is them
i got a very loud northbridge cooler and im gona replace that

yes like ppl say clean it if its a fan then if its still the same REPLACE it
check out this site

www.quietpc.co.uk