Question PSU Fan clicking noise?

[willopenatclose]

Hi there,

I recently noticed that my PC was doing a constant clicking noise:

View: https://youtu.be/RPsjMMYBYqU


The noise does not happen immediately, but rather starts like five to ten minutes into usage.

I quickly opened it up to see if there was any cable interfering with any of the fans, but everything seemed very normal.

From listening closely, I'm relatively sure it's coming from the PSU. What could this be? Is this a faulty PSU fan?
(PSU is "Corsair VS550 (Active PFC, 80 Plus White, 550W)", about two years old)

Thanks for any input!

 

[DSzymborski]

If the sound is coming from within the PSU, then it can only be the fan; there simply aren't other moving parts to make such a sound. You can test while the PC is running by temporarily stopping the fan with the erase end of a pencil and seeing if it stops the sound.

What are the rest of the specs? If this is an inappropriate PSU -- it's a basic PSU that's only justifiable for office builds and GPUs that don't need supplementary power -- the necessity of a replacement anyway would also take care of the PSU issue.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Most of the time , if it is a constant ticking , it's a sign of an upcoming failure. With a low end CORSAIR i'm not surprised.

 

[Karadjgne]

Wait for clicking to start. Turn the pc on its side so the bottom of the pc is facing you, and stick your head up next to the psu grate. If the clicking is from the fan, it'll be obvious. If the bearings are shot, the fan will wobble and most likely the click will be plasticcy sounding as one blade hits the side of the shroud. If it's more metallic sounding click, the bearings have lost lubricant. Either way, psu is toast.