My PSU is suddenly noisier?

[ekard]

Here's my spec (had this for just over a year):

- Win 7, 64-bit Home
- Intel Core i5-4690K @ 3.5 ghz
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- Samsung 250 GB SSD
- Western Digital 1TB HD
- Seasonic M12II-620 PSU
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 GPU

For the past few days my comp has been louder than usual, even when idle. It's not dangerously loud but it's definitely more audible than usual. Like a "chugging" sound. I'm saying it's the PSU but I don't know that for a fact. It's hard to narrow down the source of the noise but that's where it sounds like it's coming from to me. I've opened it up, cleaned it out, looked for any overhanging cables, etc. Temps seem normal, and I haven't experienced any slowdown in performance but I'm still concerned.

 

[Faux_Grey]

Try turning your pc on without having the hard drives plugged in.

Wouldn't be surprised if it is the hard drive making the noise.

 

[InvalidError]

Remove the side panel and use a cardboard to channel sound from suspected sources to your ear. That should make finding the source easy enough. You could do this with a long screwdriver too but then there is the risk of slipping and shorting something out or scratching/breaking stuff.

 

[br00n0]

Maybe check all your fans as they might get dirty and gunky, causing them to make more noise. My 2 cents.

Or maybe it's some extra vibration: a cable touching a fan, vibrating on a disk, loose screws, etc.

 

[ekard]

Remove the side panel and use a cardboard to channel sound from suspected sources to your ear. That should make finding the source easy enough. You could do this with a long screwdriver too but then there is the risk of slipping and shorting something out or scratching/breaking stuff.

I did the cardboard trick (albeit with a rolled up notebook), it's coming from the PSU. Definitely not the HDD, they're at the opposite end of the case.

The sound is similar to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVkmLoGrOQk but not as loud (same model, too).

 

[InvalidError]

That clearly sounds like a bad fan bearing or something rubbing against the fan to me.

 

[ekard]

That clearly sounds like a bad fan bearing or something rubbing against the fan to me.

Yup, it's looking like it's RMA time.

I bought it via Amazon, but when I click refund/return it says: "This item is no longer eligible for return". It comes with a five year warranty, so I will have contact Seasonic directly? What are they like for this sort of thing? Sadly my comp is pretty much my life, so is it worth the hassle or should I just buy a new PSU?

 

[InvalidError]

Fans are easy enough to replace: remove a few screws to open the PSU's housing, disconnect the fan wires or cut them, remove the fan from the cover, put in a new fan (if the original fan had two wires, try to get one with two wires. If it has three, get one with three), splice the wires, out everything back together, done.

Another option is if the fan has a removable bearing cover (usually under the sticker), remove it, stuff some silicone grease (brake slide pin lube) in there and the fan will hopefully quiet down when the grease gets inside the bearings and shaft. Why silicone? Because oil-based lubes eat regular plastics.