PSU Fan Clicking

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Snipergod87

Snipergod87

Splendid
May 26, 2009
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I recently purchased an Antec Minuet 350 case and it comes with a 350 watt Antec PSU (Model MT-352). After setting my this system up (which is supposed to be as quiet as possible) When I turned it on the PSU Fan is making a clicking noise, when you stop the fan it stops too. So I RMAed the PSU and got a second one. This one has the exact same issue, when the PSU fan spins it making a clicking noise. There are no wires hitting the blades and I tested this with a no load on the PSU also.

Is this "normal" I have contacted Antec again and am waiting on a response but what would cause this? After some point it doesnt make sense paying about 10 bucks to keep on RMAing a 50 dollar PSU.

TL;DR

What causes a PSU fan to make clicking noises when nothing is hitting it.
 
Solution
thechief73
Well at least it was a Seasonic manufactured PSU, then you know the rest of it should be made of top quality parts, and that you can rely on it for good clean power. Someone must have dropped the ball when it came to fan choice for that model.
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Hi Snipergod87,

No that is not normal and should be considered faulty.

Also, a fan clicking without anything hitting it is a sign of a bad bearing or the fan cannot handle being under-volted by a fan controller in the PSU.

I know you said nothing is hitting the fan, but my last Antec PSU, the one I am still using now, when I took it out of the box brand new, it had a small wire-tie just rattling around inside the PSU. I am glad I found it and was able to pull it out through the back with a pair of tweezers. But check for lose objects inside the PSU.

 
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I have looks around shaken the PSU, looked in it with a flash light the postive and negative wires are are securly attached I cant visibly see anything hitting it. I can shake it around some more and look inside but i havent heard it rattle.

When you said that the fan cannot handle being udner volted by the fan controller in the PSU, that could make sense, as the fan controller will ramp of the speed when there is a higher temperature = higher load, the this system pulls 40 watts (from the wall) idle. Could it be the fan controller is freaking out?

I could try dropping in a dedicated VGA to see what happens..
 
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you could try that. if you change how the psu is orientated (is that a word?), does the fan clicking change? it definitely sounds like a design flaw and antec should rma it for you. i know it sucks having to pay shipping.
 
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When you contacted Antec on the first PSU they didn't offer any type of resolution or cause? They just had you send it back to be replaced?

I think the fan/fan controller is the best bet for the cause of the problem. At 40w idle I would imagine that the fan should be turned completely off, but I am not sure if they are design to shut of in Antec PSU's or not.
 
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I have tried it both sideways (as it sits in the case) and witht he fan mounted vertically.

When I contacted Antec the first time they told me to check to see if stuff it hitting it etc which I did. The new PSU and the older RMAed one are different (at least the serial numbers are different).

I guess I will have to grab my passivly cooled X800 XT (if it still works) to load the system to check for noise.

What I worry about is if the fan controller is the problem then the next RMA would be the same issue, and the one after, unless they change something in the design.
 
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That is something that you will have to talk about with Antec and see what they can do for you. If I were you I would try to get free return shipping from them and maybe a different model PSU if you can. also if you continue to get bad replacement PSU's check into your states Lemon Laws,
 
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So I did some further testing. Added my X800 XT which brought the load to ~100 watts noise was still there. I dont have a video cards more power hungry than that I can fit in there, considering I have to use molex to PCI-Express 6 pin, and my 2900 XT requires a 8pin and 6pin and it simply physically to damn large to fit, in a slim mATX case.

I got a response from Antec saying that their PSU engineer is out of the office and will be back tomorrow (12/1/10) and if it is a fan issue they will issue me a UPS shipping label to return it.

I guess I will have to wait another week until I recieve the replacement. I still want to know what is causing this though.
 
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Well I guess you are heading in the right direction at least. If you ask me its is either a fault in the design/manufacturing of the PSU, fan, or the fan controller. Maybe you just were really unlucky to get two faulty parts.
 
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I am really hoping I got two faulty parts (which I doubt), if it a fault in the design this will be a real PITA. I really doubt they would change the design (and do it quickly for that matter)
 
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I heard back from Antec and this is kind of suprising.

"While there is a very slight clicking noise that you can hear if you put your ear against the PSU itself, it is normal for a double ball barring fan."

Personally I would say more than slight, as in my quiet room I can hear it from several feet away. Do double ball bearing fans do this? A google search seems like yes, and I am inclined to believe Antec. (they have good customer service)
 
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I don't think that Antec is fully in the right here, a double ball-bearing fan shouldn't click that loudly if at all, only some model fans do with when they are under-volted.

You could attempt to replace the fan your self but I can tell you it will void your warranty and can be VERY dangerous to open up a PSU as I know shovenose will also tell you that. But thats just if its bothering you so much that something needs to be done about it. And your good at working with electrical components.
 
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Well at least it was a Seasonic manufactured PSU, then you know the rest of it should be made of top quality parts, and that you can rely on it for good clean power. Someone must have dropped the ball when it came to fan choice for that model.
 
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