HX620w Humming Noise

[Hazardz]

System specs to start with.

Q6600 @3ghz
Abit IP35 pro
4x1gb OCZ DDR2
Samsung 500g HD
Corsair HX620w psu
Vista HP 64bit SP1

Hello there,

I have just recently upgraded from a 1950pro to a HD4870 and straight away i started to get a really annoying humming noise which appears to be coming from the psu. I had been using the system for 11 months with no discernible noise coming from the psu so i at first assumed it was the new gfx card, i changed the heatsink and fan with no change to the sound and i have now replaced the 1950pro back in the system. At first with the old card there was no noise but after running prime95 with 3dmark06 for 30 mins the noise is once again apparent.

The noise sounds a little like a ZX spectrum loading a game and appears to my ears to be coming from inside the psu, not the most accurate recording device i know. At other times it is a more regular hum that is on for 1 sec stops for 1/2 sec then on again for 1 sec etc etc etc. The decibel level of the sound is very very low but due to its high pitch it actually hurts my ears and working at the computer for long periods makes it unbearable.

What i am asking is , how likely is it that the psu is making this annoying sound ? can it be fixed or should i rma the psu?
Unfortunately i do not have another pc that i can use the psu in to check if it also makes the noise in there as well.

I ordered the psu on Aug 27th 2007 so if an rma is the correct choice should i contact my etailer about this matter?

Any help or suggestions are much appreciated.

[Yellowbeard]

We are getting some reports of the newer GPUs from both Nvidia and ATI making some high pitched noises. Have you opened your case to see if any of the sound is coming from your GPU or possibly the MOBO?

[TAKTAK]

i thnik what your are encountering is what is known as 'coil whine' OR 'coil hum', which is where the coils on the motherboard/GFX card/PSU reverberate and make the sound that you are hearing...

some people stop the whine by putting a material onto the coil to stop the rerverberation (such as a resin) but most things come supplied with something allready on the coils (will look like hot melt glue)

but coil whine can occur in anything that has coils... ever heard a TV emmitting a high pitched noise? thats would be coil whine aswell...

the newer ATi cards are actually buggers for having the problem...

but to pinpoint where the noise is coming from exactly, use a rolled up newspaper on your ear and use the other end like a stethascope (i.e. take the side panel off and listen to the various components)... (sounds weird but it works) and this will allow you to determine whether it is the PSU or another component that is whining.

[Yellowbeard]

i thnik what your are encountering is what is known as 'coil whine' OR 'coil hum', which is
but to pinpoint where the noise is coming from exactly, use a rolled up newspaper on your ear and use the other end like a stethascope (i.e. take the side panel off and listen to the various components)... (sounds weird but it works) and this will allow you to determine whether it is the PSU or another component that is whining.

Excellent advice and troubleshooting method!

[Hazardz]

Tx for the advice guys. I will get a newspaper and try to isolate exactly where the noise is coming from, most certainly not the gpu because i swapped the old 1950pro back in and the noise was still there but only once the system had been loaded by running 3dmark and Prime95. It may be the mobo but i have taken the side panel off and the noise does sound to be coming directly from the psu.

The sound is recordable on my digital cameras video settings so i will try to capture it using my pc mic and host it somewhere.