Question PSU goes tickety-tickety-tick-tick-tickety...

[Frooby]

Hello again.

I fitted an XFX PRO450W PSU to my PC a couple of years ago, and as far as I can recall it has made a tickety-tick sound from day one - please have a gander at the clip below, especially from 10 seconds on. It's not a major issue for me - I barely hear it and have gotten quite used to it anyways...

I am pretty sure it's electrical in origin as opposed to mechanical (like a touching fan blade) as the exact sound is picked up by my geetarrr amp when it's on in the same room.

Any thoughts as to its cause? Cause for concern?!

Thanks.

View: https://youtu.be/xiO7KRSywgw

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS.

You may have gotten accustomed to the ticking but the ticking has gotten louder and you are again noticing it.

What is the total wattage requirement of your PC? Add up the required component wattages and add 25% more. If a component lists a wattage power range use the high value.

How close is the end total wattage to 450?

If the PSU has been heavily used at or near rated wattage, the PSU may be nearing EOL (End of Life).

The louder ticking may be a warning.....

 

[Frooby]

Thanks.

It's an i5 3470 CPU on an MSI B75MA-E33 MOBO, 16 GB RAM. 2 HDDs and one 5" DVD drive. It had a GeForce GTX 750Ti graphics card in for much of its life, and this had it own 6-pin supply from the PSU (the 750 was never driven hard, and hasn't had to do anything for the past year). None of this should bring it anywhere near the 450W capability of the PSU.

To clarify a point, the ticking hasn't become louder recently - it has always been the same. It's something that doesn't interfere with the use of the PC and needs to be listened for over the sound of the case fans. It's always been a source of curiosity, tho', and I'm just wondering if it's a 'known' sound - is it a 'quirk' or a known symptom of something amiss?

Cheers.

 

[rounakr94]

Thats either a relay or the fan blade hitting a wire or something. Either way I will switch it out before it goes boom.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

VERY OLD PSU , time for a replacement.

 

[mangaman]

That PSU model is around 8 years old. I would replace it with something more modern, as other have stated that it may be near its end of life.

If money is your main concern, the newer Corsair CX series are a great choice. Until you swap your old XFX PSU for something newer, it's a good idea not to use your computer until then.

 

[Frooby]

Thanks all.

Hey, it ain't that old - just as old as the rest of the parts

Rounakr, I'm pretty certain it isn't mechanical since it emits a matching electromagnet noise to my guitar amp. It does sound a bit 'relayish' right enough, but are there any relays inside PSUs?

DLoT and Manga, thanks - yes, that's the sensible thing to do. Since it doesn't really matter if this PC blows up, I'm just going to let it run. Had this noise started recently, then - yes - I'd definitely replace the PSU, but the weird thing is that it's done it from day one (or for the few years I've owned the PC).

I'm just curious about it, that's all - hoping someone would say "Ah, yes, that's the transponder podule", even if it was followed by "it'll take yer roof off when it blows."

I'll report back if I survive the inevitable.

 

[Mezoxin]

i envy your chill , we got people here worrying about coil whine while your PSU has been ticking like a bomb for the last couple of years and it didnt bother you