Question Acer P03-600 PSU(ATX12VO) fan making noise & vacillates

[columbia1993]

First, I built my prev PC so not a noob, BUT...that was in '08! A little bit has changed since then. LOL.

A few months ago, my PSU fan started making noise...not loud but certainly loud enough. It was sporadic and most of the time, a restart would silence it. Recently it started making the noise all of the time. It also vacillates (if that makes sense). I watched a video on opening the PSU to clean the fan but it frankly scared me with talk of electrocution.

So, I can attempt to clean the fan, even replace it, but between the electrocution & worry it's more than a fan issue, I hesitate. The bigger issue is, this PC is the ATX12VO. I read an article on this site about that but it was a discussion, not info on dealing with this oddball PSU. If I decide to go with a new PSU, can I? What are my options? I've contacted ACER a number of times but can't get a response. Their forums haven't offered much help, besides getting totally opposite ideas!

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I'm retired so money is tight. Thx!

 

[punkncat]

Unplug the PC. Hit and hold the power button for 10 seconds.

The dangerous part of the inside of a PSU are the capacitors. Every PSU I have ever taken apart had the fan mounted in such a way that you really didn't have to disturb the board aside from the header the fan plugs into. So long as you are watchful and careful you should be able to at the very least clean the fan and perhaps gather the needed information to replace it.

If you look back on the PSU it may well have warranty if you kept the box and receipt. I make the assumption that you built this system from individual components, not as a pre-built. I would start with the manufacturer as it appears you have. If you cannot get a reply it may be worthwhile to contact the store you purchased the power supply from to see if they can be helpful in getting the ball rolling.

The aspect of it that will be troublesome is that your PC will not be operable without it while you wait for repair/replacement.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

If I decide to go with a new PSU, can I? What are my options?

if this is some prebuilt OEM system you normally can't replace the power supply with a retail version.

to do so you would likely have to also replace the motherboard and possibly the case housing them.

 

[35below0]

How old is this PSU? What is the exact model?

If the fan is the culprit, it is more likely the bearing and so not something you can fix with cleaning.