Hearing a rattling sound, how can I find out what's causing it?

[i486]

Hey folks, I usually have my desktop computer sitting on the floor & I wear headphones most of the time, so noise doesn't really bother me, but today I put my head near my computer while it was running and noticed a weird rattling sort of noise. It's not too loud, it's barely audible at normal sitting distance but if I put my head near my computer I can definitely hear it.

My mind immediately started thinking if it's caused by the GPU, probably because it's the most expensive part in my computer and possibly the hardest fan to service. It's definitely more audible when the GPU is at low load (my card doesn't have a fan stop feature). I tried messing around with the fan speed on Linux and it stops being audible at higher fan speeds, either because it's not there or because it's covered by the much louder fan noise. I also tried setting the GPU fan speed to a value of "0" but predictably this didn't actually turn the fan off but rather set it to the lowest speed, with no effect on the rattling.

I tried stressing the CPU & GPU but I didn't see any noticeable change in temperature. I don't really think it's the CPU fan as the sound barely changed at all while running prime95 (just a slightly louder "whoosh" sound). It's definitely not the HDD as spinning it down didn't make a difference. So right now I'm thinking it's either the GPU or my shitty system fan that came with my case.

I tried checking the options for this fan in the BIOS but annoyingly there is no option to turn it off, just a "Silent" mode that doesn't do much or "Full Speed" which sure makes the fan louder, but didn't seem to affect the pitch of the sound.

I know opening up the computer and disconnecting the fan is the simplest & probably only way to know for sure, but it's getting late and the fan header on my board is located in the most unfortunate spot that is really hard to reach. Is there anything else I could do to try and diagnose this? Is there a chance that this is caused by my PSU fan? How worried should I be about this?

 

[freeagent]

Pull the GPU and jam a screwdriver in there and give those fan screws a twist. Probably a good time to blow it all out and check on other screws.

 

[nomdeplume]

Don't forget PSU fan as a possible culprit.

 

[Remeca]

When I suspect a fan of noise, I always just touch the possible fans in the center just enough to slow them down a little, and see if that produces a change in the sound. When it does, I know what to replace.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I had a GPU power cable bumping up against my gpu fans once. You might look for that or a similar condition.

 

[Bill_Bright]

As Remeca suggests, gently, and momentarily touch the center hub of each fan one at a time. If that fan is the culprit, the noise it makes will change slightly as the rotation speed slows then returns to normal.

For hard to reach fans such as inside the PSU, use a wooden glue/Popsicle stick.

If you still cannot find the source of the noise, use the inner cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels like a stethoscope to see (hear) if you can zero in on the noise.

The bearings in hard drive motors can go bad too. With the drives directly mounted to the metal chassis of the case, often the failing bearing noise, and the vibrations they causes reverberate throughout the case, making pinpointing the source nearly impossible. Sometimes, you can "feel" if a particular hard drive is making the noise by gently pressing your thumb on the hard drive's case and feel for vibrations that correspond to the noise. If still uncertain, it may be necessary to unmount the drive from the case and let it "hang" outside the case where any noise it makes will easily be noted as coming from the drive, and not from inside the computer case.

Sadly, there is no fix for bad hard drive motor bearings. The only thing you can do is immediately ensure you have a current backup of everything you want on that drive (before the motor seizes! ), then start shopping around for a replacement - preferably a decent SSD.

 

[i486]

I had a GPU power cable bumping up against my gpu fans once. You might look for that or a similar condition.

Nah, that was the first thing I checked. All fans are clear of any cables.

I removed the case fan and I can confirm it is NOT the source of the noise, so that leaves the three other fans in my system. When I have some more time I'll remove the GPU and see if the noise stops.

The bearings in hard drive motors can go bad too. With the drives directly mounted to the metal chassis of the case, often the failing bearing noise, and the vibrations they causes reverberate throughout the case, making pinpointing the source nearly impossible. Sometimes, you can "feel" if a particular hard drive is making the noise by gently pressing your thumb on the hard drive's case and feel for vibrations that correspond to the noise. If still uncertain, it may be necessary to unmount the drive from the case and let it "hang" outside the case where any noise it makes will easily be noted as coming from the drive, and not from inside the computer case.

I tried powering down the hard drive while the computer was on, I clearly heard the drive spin down but no change in the noise. At this point I'm suspecting the PSU given how the noise seems to be unaffected by changing fan speeds on the CPU/GPU but it's hard to prove without removing everything.

 

[Bill_Bright]

but it's hard to prove without removing everything

Shouldn't be hard. You can plant your ear on the back of the PSU, or use the paper towel tube. Or by removing just 4 screws, CAREFULLY flip the PSU out of the case, leaving all the cables in place. If the sound is coming from the PSU, that should be easy to tell.

 

[AMF]

Hey folks, I usually have my desktop computer sitting on the floor & I wear headphones most of the time, so noise doesn't really bother me, but today I put my head near my computer while it was running and noticed a weird rattling sort of noise. It's not too loud, it's barely audible at normal sitting distance but if I put my head near my computer I can definitely hear it.

My mind immediately started thinking if it's caused by the GPU, probably because it's the most expensive part in my computer and possibly the hardest fan to service. It's definitely more audible when the GPU is at low load (my card doesn't have a fan stop feature). I tried messing around with the fan speed on Linux and it stops being audible at higher fan speeds, either because it's not there or because it's covered by the much louder fan noise. I also tried setting the GPU fan speed to a value of "0" but predictably this didn't actually turn the fan off but rather set it to the lowest speed, with no effect on the rattling.

I tried stressing the CPU & GPU but I didn't see any noticeable change in temperature. I don't really think it's the CPU fan as the sound barely changed at all while running prime95 (just a slightly louder "whoosh" sound). It's definitely not the HDD as spinning it down didn't make a difference. So right now I'm thinking it's either the GPU or my shitty system fan that came with my case.

I tried checking the options for this fan in the BIOS but annoyingly there is no option to turn it off, just a "Silent" mode that doesn't do much or "Full Speed" which sure makes the fan louder, but didn't seem to affect the pitch of the sound.

I know opening up the computer and disconnecting the fan is the simplest & probably only way to know for sure, but it's getting late and the fan header on my board is located in the most unfortunate spot that is really hard to reach. Is there anything else I could do to try and diagnose this? Is there a chance that this is caused by my PSU fan? How worried should I be about this?

a small wooden dowel stick with rounded ends makes a great stethascope

 

[i486]

I have good news and bad news. The good is that I managed to find to find what causes the noise. The bad is that it is the GPU. I started blowing compressed air into every fan in an attempt to make them spin, and I noticed that the GPU fan was making a noise identical to the one I was hearing. I took it out, but unfortunately it seems that to get to the fan I need to disassemble the whole thing, and I don't have any thermal paste/pads right now. I also don't know what to do with the fan, or even if it needs fixing!

It is entirely possible that the GPU has been making this noise for the 4 months I've owned it and I simply didn't notice because I leave my window open during the summer, masking any noise coming from my computer. I think I'll leave it in my system for now and monitor temps & noise closely. It would be nice if someone also running a reference 5700 XT could check theirs for any noise at low RPM, but that's probably a question for a different forum.

 

[Remeca]

That's unfortunate. That's something I really liked about my Sapphire cards, it was one screw fan replacement. Never had to use it but was glad it was available.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

My pump was causing a vibration in the top plate at the bottom psu cover in the case, took me ages to figure out where the noise was coming from. The noise could be a vibration in some part of the case.

 

[i486]

My pump was causing a vibration in the top plate at the bottom psu cover in the case, took me ages to figure out where the noise was coming from. The noise could be a vibration in some part of the case.

I don't think that's the case (pun not intended), I spun the GPU fan with compressed air while it was out of the case and it made the noise.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I don't think that's the case (pun not intended), I spun the GPU fan with compressed air while it was out of the case and it made the noise.

Well sounds like you might need a fan replacement. Is it a blower style cooler on the card?

 

[i486]

Well sounds like you might need a fan replacement. Is it a blower style cooler on the card?

Yeah, it's this model.

 

[unwind-protect]

If you have musician friends borrow a directional microphone (any live vocals mic will do such as the SM58), put on headphones and connect the mic to the headphones with a portable recorder or small mixer.

Then move the mic around "interviewing" all suspects. You'll find the culprit in no time. I use this for de-rattling cars.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

If you have musician friends borrow a directional microphone (any live vocals mic will do such as the SM58), put on headphones and connect the mic to the headphones with a portable recorder or small mixer.

Then move the mic around "interviewing" all suspects. You'll find the culprit in no time. I use this for de-rattling cars.

you dont need to have a musician friend for that.

You can use any sort of flexible rubber hose or tubing. Cup one end over your ear and poke around with the other end around areas where youre suspecting the noise is coming from.

If you dont have have any rubber tubing/hose then you can still do the same with an empty roll of kitchen foil/parchment paper. It wont be as flexible to get in all the small nooks and crannies but it will so work without requiring a musician friend and an expensive microphone.

 

[Bill_Bright]

and I don't have any thermal paste/pads right now

Depending on how the fan is mounted to the heatsink, you may not need to remove the heatsink - just the fan itself. And in that case, you won't need to remove and replace the TIM (thermal interface material). You can avoid the risks that procedure presents.

Oh, and for future reference and for all reading who are not aware, take care when blasting fans with compressed air. That can easily cause the fans to spin faster than designed and that can damage the bearings. The damage may be too subtle to immediately notice, but it will increase the wear and tear on the bearings (or the bearing channels) and thus shorten their life span.

In your case, you spun the fans for troubleshooting purposes, which makes sense. But when cleaning out heat-trapping dust, it is best to hold the fans stationary. I use a wood glue/Popsicle stick for that.

 

[unwind-protect]

you dont need to have a musician friend for that.

You can use any sort of flexible rubber hose or tubing. Cup one end over your ear and poke around with the other end around areas where youre suspecting the noise is coming from.

If you dont have have any rubber tubing/hose then you can still do the same with an empty roll of kitchen foil/parchment paper. It wont be as flexible to get in all the small nooks and crannies but it will so work without requiring a musician friend and an expensive microphone.

But that you lose an opportunity for gearslutt^H^H^H I mean gear acquisition