Question Case rattles at a pulsing frequency - how do I stop it ?

[kaitofiles]

Hello. First time posting on here, hopefully this makes sense. Today while I was running Tekken 8 at max settings on 4k my PC (that I built myself around two days ago, first ever build) started rattling. I've searched all over for someone who has an issue like mine, but to no avail. I'm going to attach a youtube link to a video showcasing the noise (you may need to raise your volume to hear it, its loud enough for it to be heard over my fans). Here's the youtube link.

The noise typically only appears at high loads, and is not constant. It will appear, grow in strength, fade out, and then repeat. I've tried applying pressure to the side of my case that its coming from, and I've attached an image of my findings). I have tried tightening my fans screws, my exhaust filter screws (bottom orange area), with the issue still being present.

Another issue I've been hearing pop up (but could not capture) is a howling noise that appears and disappears in the same way as above. This is only the second day of me actually using this computer, so its unlikely to be faulty parts. I don't want to keep having this issue though, so if any of you could help me, that would be greatly appreciated!

My specs:
Motherboard: MSI B550 Tomahawk MAX Wifi
CPU: Ryzen 7 5800x
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR4 32GB 3200Hz
GPU: RTX 4070
Storage: Sandisk 2TB SSD
Power: 850w
Cooling: NZXT Kraken Liquid Cooler
Case: Corsair 4000d Max Airflow

 

[woot]

try removing the two vertical brackets to see if the rattle persists.

 

[35below0]

Can you locate the source of the noise?

Sometimes, though rarely, new fans will take some time under load to set in. Shouldn't take more than a day or so, depending on how hard they have to work.

Or it may be a faulty fan.
Could be the PSU fan too.

If you can pinpoint the exact location it would help. Roll up a piece of paper and place it to your ear then scan the PC.

 

[kaitofiles]

It's the next morning now and before work I decided to test if the issue was still there. Same methods used to test it that last night would repeated cause the issue at will, nothing does it now. Seems like its solved (but I'll keep this thread handy in case it returns).

This is my first time building a PC so I'm still new to this, is it common for issues to disappear on their own? No matter what I do I can't get the rattling to happen.

Thank you both for reaching out as well, I really appreciate it!

 

[Colif]

have you looked to see if any cables are touching the side of case? it might be the rear side behind the motherboard
I had a rattle that I couldn't stop and it appears it was caused by a fan cable touching the side of the case. I could stop it by tapping the side of the case but the actual fix was to make sure no cables touch the side of case.

could be a different cause.

only one exhaust fan? what case is it? how many fans?

 

[kaitofiles]

I have 4 fans, one on the side that rattles (pull) two liquid on my roof (push), and one on the other side of my case (push). The case I have is listed in my original post, and I don't think its cables. The issue has stopped for now, with the only difference being the temperature of my room if that helps.

 

[Colif]

i used to get a weird throbbing noise in fans if I let my rear fan run at same speed as my top two exhaust fans. I found using Fan control software to control the fans fixed that. If I turn it off now I can reproduce the same noise.

So it might only happen when fans running at full speed. Ambient temps will play a part in fan speeds. could set a max speed for rear fan and see if it reduces the noise.

Home - Fan Control

Fan Control is a free software that allows the user to control his CPU, GPU and case fans using temperatures.

getfancontrol.com

if you have an AIO the intake/rear fans don't really need to run max speed. They only cooling everything else in pc. As long as there is some flow it should be fine.

 

[kaitofiles]

My cooler is an AIO liquid. I have the MSI Centre software to control my case fan speeds, with the settings telling them to run at 50%, 75% and 100% speed based on load (While leaving my liquid coolers fans unaffected, so my CPU shouldn't see a difference). Considering your comment, I've dropped it to 35%, 40% and 50% respectively (these were also the default settings proposed by the software before I increased them). I'll give that a go today, and see how it works. I'm still new to all this, so I don't really know how important each fan is, so if this all sounds fine let me know. Thank you for the input!

 

[beyondlogic]

I have 4 fans, one on the side that rattles (pull) two liquid on my roof (push), and one on the other side of my case (push). The case I have is listed in my original post, and I don't think its cables. The issue has stopped for now, with the only difference being the temperature of my room if that helps.

Check no cables are near fans any cables near fans cause vibration under fast load. Another thing is bearings in fans what are the model of the fans in the case

 

[beyondlogic]

My cooler is an AIO liquid. I have the MSI Centre software to control my case fan speeds, with the settings telling them to run at 50%, 75% and 100% speed based on load (While leaving my liquid coolers fans unaffected, so my CPU shouldn't see a difference). Considering your comment, I've dropped it to 35%, 40% and 50% respectively (these were also the default settings proposed by the software before I increased them). I'll give that a go today, and see how it works. I'm still new to all this, so I don't really know how important each fan is, so if this all sounds fine let me know. Thank you for the input!

The sound can also be the pump

 

[kaitofiles]

I don't think its the pump, since applying pressure on the side of my case stops the noise. I can also feel the vibration going through my fingers on that side only. There is only one fan on that side, so if its an issue with the fan, it'll be that. I've already checked my cables, and moved them away from fans during and after building it. I've used velcro straps to keep them as tidy as possibly.

The fans model is a 4000D/4000D Airflow 120mm 3-pin Fan, Black, 1200 RPM. It came preinstalled when I bought the case, and I had zero input on the fan before the issue arose (other than plugging it into the motherboard).

 

[kaitofiles]

Hello, I don't know if anyone is still seeing this but I've done some more testing. Today the rattling reappeared and I sped my fans up as it was happening. I heard the noise react to the speed increase, so its definitely that.

The noise only appears at high temperatures, and opening a window and making my fans run 100% speed cools the case enough that the noise goes away. My GPU is typically hotter than my CPU when it happens, with my CPU being 48c~ and my GPU being 62c~.

My question now is, is this anything for me to worry about? Everyone I've asked is saying its normal or its not an issue, I'd like to know what you think. Thanks in advance!

 

[Colif]

I heard the noise react to the speed increase, so its definitely that.

did noise increase? How did it react?

Maybe you need to add another intake fan to blow air through system. The AIO is cooling CPU but maybe GPU needs more fresh air, and it might stop noise.

since applying pressure on the side of my case stops the noise. I can also feel the vibration going through my fingers on that side only. There is only one fan on that side, so if its an issue with the fan

what side is it... you are showing shot of rear of the case, is that the side you mean?

Is the side fan mounted with rubber feet? My noctua fans have rubber mounts to avoid the vibrations from fan going into case

You can also get rubber screws/bolts to replace the screws. I have some but didn't end up needing them.

have you made sure all screws on case are tight? that was part of a fix I had to do. It stops things rattling as well.

4000D rattling case = link
solution in there was to run top exhaust fans slower.
most times with that case its the front mesh rattling, yours is different.

 

[kaitofiles]

did noise increase? How did it react?

The noise got faster. As my fans speed increased, so did the noise, so its something with my fan as that was the only thing that changed in that moment.

what side is it... you are showing shot of rear of the case, is that the side you mean?

Yes, my rear side of the case. If I apply pressure through my fingers to that side, I was previously able to feel the rattle in my hand. I had tried tightening screws (on the case fan, some other components and my pump) and the noise has reduced, but not disappeared. It might be a case of me just not finding the right screw yet, which would be nice.

Is the side fan mounted with rubber feet?

It is not, the exact fan can be found here.

have you made sure all screws on case are tight? that was part of a fix I had to do. It stops things rattling as well.

I have tried tightening screws as I come across them but I have forgotten where a lot of them are installed. As time goes on I will find more and tighten more, assuming this issue is not solved.

Whenever GPU is at 90% capacity, the temperature comes to around 60c. This is sometimes fine, on most days (right now) my room is cool, so there's no issue. On days when my room is warmer or hot the rattling begins, so could it be something in the case reacting to the heat? I know a lot of things expand when exposed to hot air, but does that track to PCs as well?

I didn't even know I could get a fan with rubber feet, so if all else fails I'll look into that. Thank you for the recommendation!

 

[Colif]

GPU temp isn't that bad, 60 is actually pretty good.

Did you try using fan control and set a max speed for the rear fan? Since noise increases as its speed goes up, setting a max might be answer.

My two exhaust fans make a noise if I run at max so I used that program to set max speeds for each fan, and they operate in slightly different speed ranges:

It could be caused by the AIO and rear fan competing for the same air, could try lowering the rear fan so there is more of a gap between it and AIO fans. Your photo shows its at the top of the bracket so space outside to move, and space below inside as well.

I did that on my rear fan as both my exhaust fans are close to one another - added bonus being its closer to nvme there and might help draw heat away, nvme often hottest part of my PC. Its not really there to cool cpu since its got its own 360mm AIO.

I also run them at different speeds to reduce competition. Still can happen when I game but I just ignore it then.

I hate how photos always see dust I didn't before, but i had guessed fans need a clean. I just keep forgetting

I have 4 fans, one on the side that rattles (pull) two liquid on my roof (push), and one on the other side of my case (push).

I assume the one that is push on one side is pushing air into the case or you don't have any intakes. As it stands, if its 3 exhausts and one intake, its negative pressure... it doesn't really matter on a system with an AIO but it can lead to dust build up as air tries to get in the non filtered gaps.

mine was negative for two years as my original AIO was only 2 x 120mm and I had 3 x 140mm exhausts. only dust I would find would be on exhaust fans since i never took top filter off case. Things have changed and now I have 3 x 120mm intakes and 2 x 140mm exhausts, and its less clear. Dust no longer appears on exhaust fans (unless i don't clean PC for a while), instead its on the front where it belongs. None of the fans run at full speed unless I let them.

 

[kaitofiles]

While the actual rattle is produced by the fan, the actual noise is not tied to speed, but temperature. Setting fans to 100% is okay if temperature is regulated. It seems to be general case temperature rather than specific parts too. That being said, its going to be difficult to keep my room cool during summer, so I'm open to testing new ideas until then.

It could be caused by the AIO and rear fan competing for the same air, could try lowering the rear fan so there is more of a gap between it and AIO fans. Your photo shows its at the top of the bracket so space outside to move, and space below inside as well.

I might give that a try. Today I'm going to try and retighten as many screws as I can, in case thats the issue. I found one "loose" screw on my pump. Loose in quotes because it was still secure, but tightened easily. The issue might be stemming from more of those, so I'm going to tighten as many of those as I can.

As it stands, if its 3 exhausts and one intake, its negative pressure...

I was aware it would produce negative pressure. I'm going to put an image below of my fan set up. Red squares are fans, arrows denote where the air is going.

Sorry that I can't get an actual image, my case has a black tinted glass pane which kills all light and it's very difficult to get a good angle due to where my furniture is placed. The left wall with the pull fan is where it rattles for reference.

My PC sits on the floor to the side of my desk. I could change the right push fan to pull to create balanced pressure, if that helps. This would pull from the air space its pulling now, and the opposite space under my desk, which could help? If that's not a large issue because of my AIO, I would prefer to not do it as most entrances have dust filters on my PC. That being said, I value longevity, so if creating balanced pressure would be better instead of negative I'll absolutely do it.

Is there anything else to know about negative pressure?

As for my fan speed, in order to keep temperatures low I keep them on 100% RPM whenever I'm playing something. My software allows me to control fan speed based on temperature, so anything above resting temp is set to 100%.

 

[Colif]

wait, so the air is coming in the rear and exiting out the front? location of pump in picture makes me think that
its the opposite to what is normal as the rear is normally exhaust and the front is intake. most cases designed with that in mind. The front isn't the glass side. the side with all the brackets and the rattling fan is the rear in most cases.

have you tried them in the normal direction? Rear as exhaust and front as intake?

did you take the filters out of the front? if its acting as an exhaust the filters aren't helping, they slowing down air getting out of case.

• using rear as intake means there are no filters on the intakes, more dust gets into PC...
• using rear as intake means all the air coming into case is probably being sucked out again as soon as it enters by the AIO fans on roof...

I have dark tinted glass as well, had to take it off for that photo. My rgb is a duller red than in photos.

 

[kaitofiles]

wait, so the air is coming in the rear and exiting out the front? location of pump in picture makes me think that
its the opposite to what is normal as the rear is normally exhaust and the front is intake.

My bad, I just realised that its an exhaust fan. I also just swapped the other over, so I now have 0 intakes. I'm going to swap it back. With that in mind, the location of my exhaust will be the back and the in take the front like normal. There isn't an arrow on my fans so I didn't know, sorry!

Edit: Okay, swapped it back now.

I've also lowered the position of the fan on my back plate, as you suggested. My representation of it was a bit wrong before, as the cooler fans (on the top) were overlapping with the exhaust fan. I've lowered it now, so the full face of it is open to the inside now.

The only thing I can think of is it being screws loose or something like that.

I can see that you've been helping people for a while so I want to ask, does this sound like a serious issue I should be worried about? I still want to get it sorted, but I don't see how it can be anything too major after checking all of my important parts, and finding almost no errors.

 

[Colif]

There isn't an arrow on my fans so I didn't know, sorry!

one way to tell with fans is which way the label is facing. Its normally on the exhaust side, and where the supports for motor are.

Front:

Rear:

i had to figure that out myself a few years back

also possible its a bad fan. It can happen. If its always been like it... replacing it might fix noise.

Not having read the entire thread, my guess is that more than one of his fans is poorly balanced and the case is rattling at the beat frequency. One way to tell if a fan is unbalanced is to hold it in your hand, while it's spinning. If you can feel it shaking, then that's the issue and it should be replaced.

Have you tried running with 2 intake fans (I am assuming front and rear fans are same size) on the front, and no rear exhaust... since your AIO is exhaust anyway. It might resolve noise too. another idea is to add a 2nd front and keep rear exhaust where it is, and adjust fan speeds to remove noise.

 

[Colif]

strange putting static pressure fans in as default in as case fans. Might explain part of the air flow patterns

CORSAIR AirGuide Technology Explained

With the launch of our 4000 Series and 5000 Series cases, many of you may have noticed the addition of new case fans with something we call CORSAIR AirGuide Technology. Fans with CORSAIR AirGuide Technology, such as the newly released SP RGB ELITE series, feature anti-vortex vanes which help to c...

forum.corsair.com

they don't distribute the air as much as typical fans. they good at directed air, so GPU probably gets good air but rest of components are left to their own.

 

[kaitofiles]

Right now after my changes the noise hasn’t returned. I’m going to wait until it comes back, and then I’m going to try having two intake fans. I don’t have much else to report right now. You’ll be hearing from me again when the noise returns.

Thank you so much for helping though, I had honestly expected to get nothing and struggle to fix it. You’ve been a huge help to fixing this issue, and also understanding my PC better!

 

[beyondlogic]

Right now after my changes the noise hasn’t returned. I’m going to wait until it comes back, and then I’m going to try having two intake fans. I don’t have much else to report right now. You’ll be hearing from me again when the noise returns.

Thank you so much for helping though, I had honestly expected to get nothing and struggle to fix it. You’ve been a huge help to fixing this issue, and also understanding my PC better!

it should be noted that you havent screwed down your power supply properly either in picture you provided of the rear it could be the power supply vibrating the case cause its loose.