PSU intermittent buzzing noise.

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kol12

kol12

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Jan 26, 2015
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I have an intermittent buzzing noise that I suspect is coming from my PSU. The noise seems to get amplified throughout the case making it sound like it's coming from anywhere in the case. I've just recently replaced my two top case fans with Corsair AF140's thinking it was one of the fans buzzing but evidently it wasn't.

The buzzing will sometimes go for hours and then just suddenly stop becoming absolutely silent (the way it should be!) and then will start again.

The Seasonic X-750 I have is only a few months old, it was a replacement for the X-650 I had that had turning on issues.

Is it some sort of coil buzz or something? Could it be a hardware/electrical conflict of some sort?

Whatever it is, it is not acceptable in my opinion, this is meant to be a silent PC!
 
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UPS unit is a battery back up. Good stuff. By all means, pick up one. It does more than just stabilize the current going from the wall to the computer. It immediately prevents voltage spikes and low voltage brown outs. Both can fry up electronics. In an event of a power failure, they're made to shut off your computer right, when you can't be there. Pretty handy stuff. I think APC, Belkin and Trip-lite are a few good brands. I've been using APC brands for a while now but my first one was a Belkin model. Trip-Lite products are used a lot in hospitals.

 
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Not sure, is there a test for that? My computer is plugged into a surge protected power board but I don't think any surges have anything to do with what's going on...
 
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Sorry. I mean is the electricity in your home steady judging from appliances. Do you see much stuff like light bulb dim or blink, radio flicker or pause, router and modem needing to be reset often or a break in the steady humming of house fans and digital clocks resetting themselves. Does that happen very often? Do you have short blackouts in your home, short being a second or two? Is it often or longer? Depending on sharp the pause or break in the electricity is, can determine if your home has steady electrical current or is suffering from electrical drops.
The more serious drops are called brownouts. It occurs when the voltage drops 30 volts or more from a moment to seconds to minutes. In an instance where the voltage drops too far and too long, may mean electrical current has to arch across contact points to keep a connection. When that happens, the connections in the computer or appliance become weaker (burns) and eventually dies. Happens faster depending on the frequency of the drops.
In IC circuitry you can never see the burns but sometimes you can smell it when it happens. You can say it has the same effect as a voltage spike. Fries the circuitry. Same carbonized burning smell. Current that's not a clean, steady flow is called 'dirty' electricity.
The electricity in my home is dirty. I keep my computer, router, modem, monitor and printer on a UPS unit. House lighting such are lamps are on a surge protector. Sometimes brownouts destroy battery chargers on surge protectors.
Where do brownouts come from? A weakness in the city power grid, under power or bad generator, a bad transformer on the telephone pole, Somebody in the neighborhood using power equipment (like compressors, small cement mixers, large electric motors, etc)

 
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@Rexer,

I would say the electricity seems quite stable, really just the occasional blown light bulbs. It's possible that I have minor dirty electricity that isn't majorly obvious...

If this was the issue how or why would this cause buzzing in my PSU? It definitely sounds like a little coil buzzing or something. A Seasonic rep I spoke to some time ago regarding the issue said something about filters:

"It's also possible that the MB or VGA does not have the right filters at the DC power connectors and signal noise is returning to the PSU and the coils in the PSU is amplifying it."

I have no idea what he means by "right filters at the DC power connectors" Any ideas?
 
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? Hmm. In the psu, there's a filter capacitor(s) after the rectifiers, going to outputs. I trust you didn't modify or alter the motherboard bios (probably doesn't have nothing to do with that at all). Hmm.
Got a computer in the closet? Well, you can take the PSU out and put it in another computer. See if it buzzes away in the other computer. If it buzzes, the psu would be suspect. If it doesn't, then he may be right. It's a motherboard thing.
But before we discredit the motherboard, see if you can find other pcie motherboard cables laying around and change them first. Borrow them out of a good computer. helpstar did recommend changing the power cable but now replace all pcie and motherboard connectors. One at time is a good idea. And if that doesn't remedy the buzz, video card switch (I think you already did that). So, it may come down to the motherboard. Are there any updates to the board's bios? (Drawing straws, here because I don't want to say the buzz is in the motherboard's without turning over every stone).
Sometimes you can actually see physical damage on the motherboard. In this case, rectifiers, diodes, chips and capacitors. You're looking for uniformity, too. If you have a good eye, look at the tops of all the capacitors on the motherboard. Sometimes you can spot a bulge or a split top on a bad one. With rectifiers, the ends would show burns. Any wired connections to diodes or chips show burns.
 
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I actually moved house almost a year ago now and the buzzing has been present at both residencies on both the X-660 and the X-750KM3.
 
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I can revert the cpu back to stock for a day. What disabled energy options are you referring to?
 
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Overclocking draws more amps and wattage into the picture. It can put a strain on the psu.
 
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I believe the Seasonic X-750 should be more than capable in the handling of my current overclocks...

Also as stated earlier the buzzing is actually most noticeable while the computer is idling with very low power draw...

 
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It´s not about the capability of the PSU.
The PSU will have to provide at minimum rate in idle about 10% of it´s power. It´s not very efficient while in this mode and this can result in buzzing / coil whining,....

Try switching between the Seasonic S2FC (fan control without Fanless Mode) and the S3FC (fan control including Fanless Mode)

Hybrid -> Fanless, Silent and Cooling Mode.
Normal -> Silent and Cooling Mode.

https://seasonic.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/0025.jpg
 
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Currently using Hybrid I think. The fan always runs in normal mode doesn't it? You really can't lose with Hybrid, less fan usage = more fan life right?
 
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