[SOLVED] mwe 550w v2 ticking noise

[maverick5252]

hello everyone. my new mwe 550w v2 makes a strange ticking noise like a quartz clock .This only happens when the fan is still, under <10% load. at higher loads the fan starts spinning and the ticking noise is gone. Any help?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Power supplies don't normally "click" loudly enough to be noticeable unless something is wrong. Since the fan is not moving at the time the noise is happening, then it's not a blade hitting something or a bearing noise. I would contact Cooler master about a replacement unit OR simply replace it, since it is not a very good unit to begin with.

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[jonnyguru]

hello everyone. my new mwe 550w v2 makes a strange ticking noise like a quartz clock .This only happens when the fan is still, under <10% load. at higher loads the fan starts spinning and the ticking noise is gone. Any help?

That's normal for the V2. At loads < 10%, the LLC controller goes from a resonant mode to a burst mode in order to achieve 70%+ efficiency at loads as low as 2%. Unfortunately, the side effect of this is a ticking noise.

 

[Nemesia]

A PSU making a clicking noise is NOT bad if the clicking noise is not every 5 seconds. Most PSU's will do a click when your shutdown your system and some of them will even do one when you start the system and like jonnyguru said in your case this is normal.

 

[jonnyguru]

A PSU making a clicking noise is NOT bad if the clicking noise is not every 5 seconds. Most PSU's will do a click when your shutdown your system and some of them will even do one when you start the system and like jonnyguru said in your case this is normal.

Darkbreeze was wrong in saying that if a PSU does any clicking there is something wrong. Only if the PSU does click non stop every 5 seconds.

If it's a constant "tick tick tick tick tick" like "a quartz clock" as the OP suggested and it only happens at very low loads, it's the burst mode.

 

[Nemesia]

If it's a constant "tick tick tick tick tick" like "a quartz clock" as the OP suggested and it only happens at very low loads, it's the burst mode.

Yeah I know. I'm agreeing with you from the start. I'm just saying that a PSU doing clicking noise is not because of a faulty PSU unless the PSU does clicking noise all the time for no reasons and every 5 seconds at all time.

 

[refillable]

That's normal for the V2. At loads < 10%, the LLC controller goes from a resonant mode to a burst mode in order to achieve 70%+ efficiency at loads as low as 2%. Unfortunately, the side effect of this is a ticking noise.

Wait, it has LLC AND DC-DC as well? Wow. Why haven't I heard about this PSU earlier? People should stop saying "Avoid CM PSUs" nowadays. They have changed.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's normal for the V2. At loads < 10%, the LLC controller goes from a resonant mode to a burst mode in order to achieve 70%+ efficiency at loads as low as 2%. Unfortunately, the side effect of this is a ticking noise.

I've never heard of this. I'm not saying this isn't something that is known in your circles, but it's the first I've heard of it. Is this a limited scenario for a small number of models or is this something more widespread. Just wondering, because it's the first I've heard of anybody with this issue in all these years, and I've never seen or heard it on the bench.

I haven't come across any threads remarking on that either, and that seems weird. Not even seeing anything on the JG forum. This is good to know though.

 

[refillable]

I've never heard of this. I'm not saying this isn't something that is known in your circles, but it's the first I've heard of it. Is this a limited scenario for a small number of models or is this something more widespread. Just wondering, because it's the first I've heard of anybody with this issue in all these years, and I've never seen or heard it on the bench.

I haven't come across any threads remarking on that either, and that seems weird. Not even seeing anything on the JG forum.

I believe this is because in most cases people aren't going to notice it. It's way, way, fainter than something such as fan blades touching cables. Like JG said, it's comparable to a quartz clock ticking, which isn't much.

You should update your "what to buy" guide, this PSU isn't a slouch. I would place it on the same tier as Corsair CX and BQ SP U9.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I wouldn't. And in general, most of their units are mediocre at best, but they have (In my experience) seriously poor customer service so "in general", my advice remains the same and that is to avoid them under normal circumstances.

And by the way, LLC and DC-DC are neither new nor mutually exclusive. This is an old conversation.

DC-DC refers to the secondary side. LLC is on the primary. As far as I know the ripple on that V2 unit is pretty bad and it has some other issues as discussed in a JG thread you can read if you care to find it. Funny thing is, for all the three people in that thread that claimed to have had one of these units, none of them made any mention of ticking, so I guess the majority of people are probably not running their systems at less than 10% load or as mentioned it is such a light noise that normal people would never hear it.

Regardless, I think we can say case closed and give Jon the win here.

 

[jonnyguru]

Wait, it has LLC AND DC-DC as well? Wow. Why haven't I heard about this PSU earlier? People should stop saying "Avoid CM PSUs" nowadays. They have changed.

I know, right? The MWE V2 was a FANTASTIC PSU for a white or Bronze unit. It was an experiment with using Gospower as an OEM. But now that Gospower has realized that they couldn't make money on this model, they're getting rid of it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

every 5 seconds at all time.

No idea what this is even supposed to be related to, or mean.

 

[jonnyguru]

I've never heard of this. I'm not saying this isn't something that is known in your circles, but it's the first I've heard of it. Is this a limited scenario for a small number of models or is this something more widespread. Just wondering, because it's the first I've heard of anybody with this issue in all these years, and I've never seen or heard it on the bench.

I haven't come across any threads remarking on that either, and that seems weird. Not even seeing anything on the JG forum. This is good to know though.

It's very new. I think only the MWE V2 (white and Bronze) and the Corsair RM (non X) are the only mainstream ATX PSUs using this right now. But come 2021 I'm sure we'll see a lot more.

 

[jonnyguru]

I wouldn't. And in general, most of their units are mediocre at best, but they have (In my experience) seriously poor customer service so "in general", my advice remains the same and that is to avoid them under normal circumstances.

And by the way, LLC and DC-DC are neither new nor mutually exclusive. This is an old conversation.

DC-DC refers to the secondary side. LLC is on the primary. As far as I know the ripple on that V2 unit is pretty bad and it has some other issues as discussed in a JG thread you can read if you care to find it.

Another side effect of burst mode is not just the ticking noise, but also high ripple while in burst mode. We see it with the RM units as well.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I know, right? The MWE V2 was a FANTASTIC PSU for a white or Bronze unit. It was an experiment with using Gospower as an OEM. But now that Gospower has realized that they couldn't make money on this model, they're getting rid of it.

Really? Because on the JG forum both you, Mask and Orion seem to indicate agreement that this unit has poor airflow, high ripple and some other problems as well.

Not just this unit, but Gospower in general. Solid cap? Falling over. Whoops? Other references. To be honest, there isn't a "reputable" review out there of this unit that I can see, and just having good "bones" ain't good enough to earn a recommendation when you have such a horrific track record historically. When I see a review of one of these units that is both reputable and favorable, that's when I'll recommend it. Doesn't matter if it "might" be decent. It's an assumption, not backed by test data.

What test data there IS, from a reviewer that most seem to agree is questionable, indicates high ripple and a few other issues, so either it's bad based on the one available review or it's an unknown.

None of which changes the fact that if the tick is a known thing, and is normal behavior for low load, then that is what it is.

 

[Karadjgne]

I can't see the point. Of 'burst mode' bumping up efficiency above 70%. The only time a psu should be seeing less than 10% loads is during idle.

And if you are that concerned about efficiency and power drawn from the wall for extended periods of time at idle, just shut the thing off. Set wake timers.

And stop using 700w+ psus on a pc that only draws 200 ish watts to begin with.

 

[refillable]

As far as I know the ripple on that V2 unit is pretty bad and it has some other issues as discussed in a JG thread you can read if you care to find it.

This article?

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/sho...-Master-MWE-V2-and-MWE-Bronze-V2-LLC-SR-DC-DC

I see only one guy having problems. His explanations that it is the PSU to blame didn't make any sense. SSDs and USB runs on 5V, so there isn't any reason why the high ripple on low loads on the 12V rail makes any difference. I don't see JG and Mask saying there's any issue other than high ripple at low loads. The airflow "issue" does not refer to the PSU itself, rather how the PSU affects the airflow of the whole case (asking too much IMO). And of course, the video joke. It's more of an antic rather than something that we can take conclusions from.

LLC and DC-DC topology is not new. But LLC and DC-DC on a Bronze/White PSU that costs below $50 (at least here in Indonesia) is astonishing. This is why the PSU is getting results akin to the gray CX and BQ SP 9 (despite the price) on Cybernetics aside from ripple. Cybernetics IS one reputable reviewer, and I'm impressed by the results. On the other hand, the Dutch site's questionable. It doesn't show the same results as Cybernetics. By far Cybernetics is the more reputable one. To me that's enough data that is supported by the topology it is using.

Masterwattmaker MIJ, MWE gold, this MWE, etc. are recent launches that indicate CM is way more serious than they were before. For now, I still won't disagree with you on your position, but keep an eye on them. It seems that they're going to get better and better.

Another side effect of burst mode is not just the ticking noise, but also high ripple while in burst mode. We see it with the RM units as well.

But it isn't as ridiculous as the one found in MWE. Could the CU6901V be improperly configured on the MWE?

I know, right? The MWE V2 was a FANTASTIC PSU for a white or Bronze unit. It was an experiment with using Gospower as an OEM. But now that Gospower has realized that they couldn't make money on this model, they're getting rid of it.

That's sad to hear, but I see 500 MWE V2s selling around $50 here in Indonesia. They seem to be in stock, so buy them while they last, I guess?

 

[jonnyguru]

Really? Because on the JG forum both you, Mask and Orion seem to indicate agreement that this unit has poor airflow, high ripple and some other problems as well.

Seems those "opinions" were taken out of context.

I made the comment about the poor fan motor used because of Gospower's lack of experience. At the time, I thought the noise was from them using the off the shelf Hong Hua solution, same as used in Seasonic units, which is known to have a "click and grind" at low RPM before even realizing that it was actually the burst mode, and not the fan, making the noise.

I can't see the point. Of 'burst mode' bumping up efficiency above 70%. The only time a psu should be seeing less than 10% loads is during idle.

This was all brought on by the "CEC". They mandated efficiency requirements without knowing anything about computers or power supplies. They hired Intel to help, and they came up with the 2% efficiency requirement. The only way it could be achieved is to use a burst mode. Now, why Gospower implemented this in a PSU that otherwise only has Bronze efficiency makes zero sense. Because beyond the 2% load efficiency requirement, the PSU has to otherwise meet Gold efficiency. Which is why Corsair did it on the RM Series. But at the end of the day, I think the whole "V2" was an experiment. CoolerMaster wanted to "test" Gospower to see if they were capable of a multitude of current technologies and not just another DF+group reg vendor like every other OEM in China. To prove this, Gospower used LLC, DC to DC and burst mode to hit certain bullet points. They shipped the V2, proved their point and now they're moving on to the next Cooler Master project... which isn't nearly as good as what the V2 is/was.

 

[jonnyguru]

But it isn't as ridiculous as the one found in MWE. Could the CU6901V be improperly configured on the MWE?

No. It's the IC. Not the design. Corsair runs into the same problem using different ICs from different vendors. The problem is having the same circuitry in front of the IC that is engineered for resonant, but not burst mode. That said, I have found that the IC manufacturers know how to address the issue, but since their main customer (not PC PSU) hasn't complained, they're not compelled to correct it for PC PSU's relatively "low volume".

 

[Darkbreeze]

Still not recommending their products. And it's not just their power supplies I dislike. It's the company and their sheisty practices. But your insights are always welcome in this manner because it's one of the few ways poor schmucks like me get the chance to get some inside scoop on many lesser well known units or platforms.

 

[maverick5252]

If it's a constant "tick tick tick tick tick" like "a quartz clock" as the OP suggested and it only happens at very low loads, it's the burst mode.

yes it,s just like that,constant tick tack tick tack like a" clock"

 

[Karadjgne]

Well that shouldn't be hard to fix, disable sleep modes below C-3 and get rid of hibernation. Pc will still sleep, just not in the uber deep sleep that'll drop you below @ 10w.

 

[maverick5252]

I can't see the point. Of 'burst mode' bumping up efficiency above 70%. The only time a psu should be seeing less than 10% loads is during idle.

And if you are that concerned about efficiency and power drawn from the wall for extended periods of time at idle, just shut the thing off. Set wake timers.

And stop using 700w+ psus on a pc that only draws 200 ish watts to begin with.

it.s a 550w psu!

 

[jonnyguru]

Still not recommending their products. And it's not just their power supplies I dislike. It's the company and their sheisty practices. But your insights are always welcome in this manner because it's one of the few ways poor schmucks like me get the chance to get some inside scoop on many lesser well known units or platforms.

I'm not going to disagree/argue with that. I mean, "Thermal Master". Come on.

It's like the guy here that wouldn't buy a Gigabyte motherboard after their false advertising of having an 8+3 VRM.

Once a company crosses a line, they've created some damage that people will never forgive.

Well that shouldn't be hard to fix, disable sleep modes below C-3 and get rid of hibernation. Pc will still sleep, just not in the uber deep sleep that'll drop you below @ 10w.

It's not just sleep state though. If it's almost a potato system sitting at desktop, the low is still low enough to cause the clicking in some cases.

 

[Karadjgne]

it.s a 550w psu!

Exactly. It's an appropriate sized psu for the pc load. But far too many are under the belief that bigger = better, therefore geniuses hoping to capitalize on that idiocy will take a 350w platform and add it all up to equal a 700w pos psu that sells for $39.99 and they'll label it SuperPower Plus Gold with 10 molex connectors and 1 6pin pcie and a 4pin EPS. That weighs @ 3 oz.

With a 550w psu, your 2% load requirement to kick in the 'tick' is @ 11w, which can usually be soaked up by fans, keyboard, mouse, gpu, cpu, motherboard in a high sleep mode, not the C-4 and lower sleep modes which really start shutting everything down fully, and not keeping it in a 'ready' state.

If you can add to the psu required output, it'll not see a load low enough to trip the burst mode and tick. With a better class 700w psu, or higher, that 2% would be set at @ 14w or more and just make it all the harder to bypass. In this case, the lower wattage psu is a benefit.

Ppl have been doing this for years, ever since Haswell release, disabling the lower sleep modes, because the psu created issues with waking from sleep at C-4 or lower. Dc-dc fixed that, but not everyone immediately went out and swapped out their somewhat new, group regulated psu.