Rattling/humming noise from PSU, any way to safely fix it?

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aekkusu

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Aug 21, 2014
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So I bought this POS noisy Corsair CX500 a year and a half ago, and on the 2nd day of using it, it started making mildly loud humming noises after leaving the PC on overnight for a memtest. At that time I wasn't sure what was making the noises, since it was a new build (all new components, except the HDDs) but I knew it had to be a mechanical cause. So after briefly holding the CPU and case fans, I found out the culprit was the PSU (and specifically it's fans). I've found out afterwards that if I knock on top of it (bottom mounting case), it stopped, until it started humming next time. This humming noise was always assisted by some annoying (but not so loud) rattling sound, like the fan blades are hitting something that's in the way. So, since it was a new PSU, I obviously sent it back for RMA.

After a few weeks the arseholes from the place I bought the thing said that the PSU was working "as expected, with no issues", so they sent me back the PSU. After refusing the packet and sending it back to them, demanding they would replace the PSU or refund, and also calling the consumer protection on them, they took a "second look" at it, and concluded the same thing again, and they sent it back... again. Luckly after the 2nd attempt, I was exempt from paying the fees (shipping costs and to pay for their shitty fee for checking the product).

So, after receiving the PSU back, I put it back in the build, and lo and behold, it made no more of those annoying sounds (so I'm guessing the shipping caused it to stop making the noises)... until two weeks ago. It started making those annoying rattling sounds again. While it's not so loud that it disrupts my workflow or to prevent me from working at night for disturbing the people I live with, it can drag me up the wall at night, when things are silent.
Unfortunately it does not go away if I tilt the case (while searching for this problem, I've seen a few people suggest this), or if I shake it, or if I knock on the PSU (it has come as far to slam it hard for how much it pisses me off). Sometimes when I knock it, it starts making the humming sound again, which doesn't surprise me.

Since I don't plan on repeating the same experience with the crap vendor, and also being strapped for cash at the moment, I can't afford to buy a new PSU. So my question to you is: is there any way to fix the problem (safely, if I'm required to open the PSU, I don't want to zap myself), without any expenditures (or if it's a must, at least with as little money as possible)?

I plan on replacing this POS (preferably by dropping it from the top of a 20 story building afterwards, or throwing it in a river) ASAP, but that might be months away, so I don't want to be sitting here, hearing constant rattling while I work...

Note to self: never buy PSUs from Corsair, EVER again.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post/ranty bits!
 
Solution
Karadjgne
That'll work. Look on the back of your current fan, it'll have the 12vDC and 0.?A rating. If your current fan is anywhere close to 0.16A you'll be golden.
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Sounds like a loose mount on the fan itself. Tilting it won't necessarily alleviate the issue because the fan is moving, creating vibrations that'll still bounce the fan shroud around.

It's a CX. Personally I agree with the 20 story drop, or even 10 minutes with a sledgehammer, the toss it in the river option just seems far less satisfying.

Just be warned though, opening the case voids any and all warranty once you pop that screw loose, but at this point I'm not entirely sure you care, so have at it!
 
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What do you mean by that exactly? You mean the screws might not be properly fitted in? I've now opened the PSU, and nothing seemed to be off, and nothing seemed to be off. Also nothing was getting in the way of the fan blades.
I blew on the fan hard to make it spin itself, and while it was spinning, it was making the same annoying rattling sounds, so I'm guessing it's the bearings in the fan... I've also tried oiling the shaft of the blade piece (it was properly oiled already, there didn't seem to be any obvious problems with it. And besides that, I've removed the plastic shield inside, in case that was rattling, but it still makes the noise, now that I've put the source back.



Unfortunately, it was all that I could've afforded at the time... Next time, I hope to be able to afford a more high-quality PSU and definitely NOT Corsair.



Yeah, I don't really care, since even if I send it back with the warranty, the shitheads won't do anything, as the either PSU will be quiet as a mouse, or they won't admit they've found any problems with it.
And also, since I moved to a different country, sending RMA would be a pain in the backside.

Though, what should I do once I opened the PSU? What is there for me to fix...? That's the answer I was looking for.

 
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The most likely issue is that it's got loose windings on a coil. If you can figure out which coil, it should be pretty easy to get a replacement via Mouser or a similar electronics supplier. If it were a fan bearing, it would have died by now, and it's very rare for wires to get into a fan inside a PSU, even in low-end units. (they have a PCB, and don't generally use wire much)

I can give more specific info if you can record the sound that it's making.

UPDATE: I should mention that the higher end Corsair PSUs are some of the best on the market, just not the old CX line or the VS line. The CXm line is decent, but not great. The RMx and RMi lines are very high quality, and the HXi and AXi are among the best PSUs around, bar none.

All manufacturers (or brands, in this case) have crappy PSUs. Some have nice PSUs. It's got more to do with the product line than it does with the name on the box.
 
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Ok. So. You've isolated the issue, you know it's the bearings in the fan. Replace the fan. I've done this in the past, on a CoolerMaster psu, it's easy enough to do, it's just a fan. I went to (at the time) RadioShack and bought a $5 Thermaltake fan. It has to be a regular 3pin fan, not a 4pin PWM. cut the 3pin connector off and toss it. On the Corsair fan, cut the 2 pin connector off, several inches away from the connector, toss the old fan (I slammed mine in the trash can, followed by a good single finger salute lol). So now what's left is just the new fan and the old connector. The fan has 3 wires, Red (12v hot), Black (ground) and yellow (rpm lead). You will not need the yellow, cap it off with a chunk of tape, wirenuts anything really. Connect the 2x reds of the connector/fan and the 2x blacks (again using whatever, solder, twisted with tape wrap, crimp connectors etc) and mount the fan back to the case. Plug the connector back in, put the casing back together. Fixed. Just how fixed depends on your skill, the fan used and your attention to detail.

You could probably skip most of the above if you got ahold of a busted psu, burned out psu etc and just stole the fan out of it, as long as it's the right size, I believe the CX uses a 120mm fan, pretty standard.
 
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Putting in any old fan is not a good idea, though. PSU fans are often very specific when it comes to working with the fan controller and a different type of fan might not push enough air or spin fast enough to properly cool the power supply. Additionally, different fans will have different start-up voltages.
 
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The CX uses a basic Yate-Loon 120x25mm fan. Nothing special or specific. It'll require @ 60% power to start up, same as any other non-specific 3pin voltage controlled fan. I don't see it as being an issue unless you plan on using some exotic type fan. OP is already fed-up and will replace the unit as budget allows, and right now anything would be better than nothing.

If in doubt, you can get an exact replacement on ebay, either the 0.7A or the 0.3A (depending on model) 2pin fan for $10 or less.
 
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Unfortunately there's no electronics store in the area where I live...



I can't seem to get a reliable recording of the rattling. I've tried recording with my phone, but the sound doesn't match the rattling produced.



Well for me, if they can allow such poor quality fans to be placed in their PSUs and not do anything about it then I have an additional reason not to buy even their higher end PSUs. Even for the price I paid for this POS PSU, it's still too expensive to warrant such components. Fuck Corsair, and every other crappy PC component producer.



I'm guessing this will also be good? https://amazon.co.uk/Neuftech-blades-cooler-radiator-airflow/dp/B00ZW15B6U
It has only two pins, which is a plus, I guess, no need to fiddle with wires. Also, I've seen it being listed somewhere as a fan for PSUs specifically.
 
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