Help identifying source of strange noise

[Kusuri]

Hello,

Recently I've been hearing an annoying strange random high pitch noise coming somewhere from my PC. It's so random that i's being hard to make sure what's causing it. It's one of those annoying sounds that seem to go away when you put your ear next to the case and comes back when you back off and start using the PC. I did manage to record it by placing a microphone right behind the PC case and removing background noise.

It feels like it's coming from the PSU, but I decided to use a stethoscope (yeah lol it's like I'm playing doctors with the PC...) and placed it on top of the PSU fan grill and haven't heard anything special from the fan itself when the high pitch noise was present.

Anyone find the type of sound familiar and could help me identify if the source is really a fan or something else? Link is above right in my first phrase. Thanks.

 

[A Cheese Danish]

Depending on how I sit around my pc will determine what noises I hear. Sometimes I hear a high pitch noise but, like you,
haven't been able to find the source. For instance, I can not hear it right now, but if I were to be on the floor, I might be able to hear it.

 

[MRCL]

Sounds like the fan bearings.
I haven't yet heard any capacitors that would whine this way.
So yeah i'm guessing fan bearings, but doesn't necessarily be the ones from the CPU fan.

 

[m4gicfour]

You could also be getting VRM whine, or high-pitched transformer buzz. Both could be coming from the PSU. VRM whine could also be coming from the MOBO, GPU, basically anything that converts DC-to-DC.

I'm hoping this isn't your issue, as neither of those things are easy (or possible, in some cases) to fix.

Edit: upon listening to the file, it doesn't sound like either of these, but it still could be; since you said you removed background noise... It could also be the HDD chirping, but since you've located it to the PSU that's very very unlikely.

 

[Kusuri]

Many thanks for all the tips and informative posts!

I've just had an idea to make 100% sure it was the PSU and nothing else, since before I was almost sure this noise was coming from my tiny Northbridge fan, which I replaced due to a grinding noise...

Since my graphics card is right above the PSU it was the one I focused on this time. Opened Rivatuner and started manually changing the fan's speed. I've started noticing the squeeking came in full force each time I lowered from 100% to 25%, so now hopefully it's definitely the GPU.

I'll try setting a higher duty cicle min and if it doesn't help I can always try to clean the fan (and maybe even oil? or is it like in PSU's in which it voids your warranty?).

Thanks

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

if you mean oil as in wd 40 then dont use it as it actually strips grease out you could use silicone oil or grease as it works best or just fit a new fan as i have a fair few times, sometimes diregarding the yellow rpm sense wire as necessary though on gfx fans this is not so possible deffinately clean it out if you havent its amazing how much that can help.

 

[m4gicfour]

Many thanks for all the tips and informative posts!

I've just had an idea to make 100% sure it was the PSU and nothing else, since before I was almost sure this noise was coming from my tiny Northbridge fan, which I replaced due to a grinding noise...

Since my graphics card is right above the PSU it was the one I focused on this time. Opened Rivatuner and started manually changing the fan's speed. I've started noticing the squeeking came in full force each time I lowered from 100% to 25%, so now hopefully it's definitely the GPU.

I'll try setting a higher duty cicle min and if it doesn't help I can always try to clean the fan (and maybe even oil? or is it like in PSU's in which it voids your warranty?).

Thanks

Cleaning the fan without removing it from the card should not void the warranty, unless you break a blade or something... if you have to remove it from the graphics card, technically the warranty is _probably_ void, but you'd likely get away with it since you haven't damaged or modified the card in any way, and as long as everything gets put back the way it was and it's impossible to tell you took it off. Lubricating the fan would definitely void the warranty, since you'd need to get at the bearing.

Depending on which company made your card, they may be good enough to send you a new fan under warranty, if you can provide evidence that it is the problem. Though they'll likely want you to return the whole card, which I wouldn't reccommend. They usually send refurbished cards back from warranty, and if the card you have is working properly apart from a noisy fan, I'd try to keep it.

 

[Kusuri]

Thanks. I'll probably carefully just open the front case like in this video, just so I get better access to clean the dust off the fan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWZ6glFMc8&t=1m00s
But if the bearings are the ones making the noise I somehow doubt it'll help? They are hidden underneath the fan's sticker right?

 

[MRCL]

Do you have any experience in dismanteling/putting back together a card like the 295? Its that sandwiched one, right? So its not gonna be as easy. Maybe ask evga what you could do?

 

[Eric_On_Web]

The only time I heard that noise was a grinding metal disk inside my hard disk drive thats it ...for the rest i cant help.

 

[Kusuri]

Do you have any experience in dismanteling/putting back together a card like the 295? Its that sandwiched one, right? So its not gonna be as easy. Maybe ask evga what you could do?

Not really, but from the video it doesn't look very hard (it's the single PCB one).