Question Weird sound from PSU + yellow LED blinking only on restart

[C_S_Smith1892]

Hello,

I was on my PC just browsing as usual and decided to install all the Windows updates that piled up. I clicked on "Update and restart" and went into the adjacent room, from where I heard this unusual clicking sound I've never heard in over a year of owning this PC. It sounded like a fan hitting something sturdier than wire and then stopping. When I entered the room, I was confused to see my PC booting up normally, with all the fans turning and everything else seeming fine. It took me a few moments to figure out that sound happens only on restart, and it has nothing to do with my case fans. Turns out the sound is coming from PSU (Corsair HX1000i) with a yellow LED blinking briefly on the motherboard (MSI Z790 PRO-A Wi-Fi). The motherboard manual says yellow light - indicates DRAM is not detected or fail. I have a few things in mind on how to go about failing RAM, but the sound is more worrying to me. I'm afraid my PSU will die and damage other components every time I turn on my PC. Is it normal that failing RAM is accompanied by other weird behavior like a loud clicking sound that only happens on restart? Any things I have to keep in mind before troubleshooting?

 

[Darkbreeze]

How old is that HX1000i? Memory doesn't make noises, so whatever is happening is a lot more likely to be the issue, and is triggering a memory debug because of a lack of adequate power, than for the memory to be at fault.

Does it make this sound EVERY time you cold boot or restart and once it has booted into Windows have you noticed any problems at all?

 

[C_S_Smith1892]

How old is that HX1000i? Memory doesn't make noises, so whatever is happening is a lot more likely to be the issue, and is triggering a memory debug because of a lack of adequate power, than for the memory to be at fault.

Does it make this sound EVERY time you cold boot or restart and once it has booted into Windows have you noticed any problems at all?

It's a year and a half old, same as other components. If there is something really wrong with it wouldn't it just turn off to prevent damage?

It happens only if I click on "Restart". When I press the button to power it on it powers on normally without any weird sounds and no problems whatsoever. It's really confusing to me.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think I'd make absolutely certain the sound IS coming from the PSU. Pull the whole thing apart and put it back together if necessary. Make certain every connector is fully seated. Graphics card. Memory, all of it. It's very unusual for a noise during restart only.