does your PSU buzz?

[douglasb]

this is to anyone but especially people with a 525W enermax modu 82+
if the switch on your PSU is off, but the switch on the wall socket is on, does your PSU make a buzzing noise?

i've had 2 of these PSUs now, the first i RMAed with scan, and the replacement they sent is doing the same. just wanted to know if other PSUs buzzed when off too, or weather iv got 2 faulty ones

thanks

[Clunk]

Corsair HX620 - No.
Zalman ZM850HP - No.
Seasonic S12 380w - No.

Are you sure it's coming from the PSU? What kind of buzzing is it? Is it very high pitched? if so, it's likely to be your graphics card.

[SiM]

I get the high ptich buzz coming from the gpu when folding on the gpu... and I also get it coming from the cpu or the pwm when priming... so yeh, check that it is actually your psu

[stevie lee]

could be the wall socket you have plugged it into.. have a look..


and yes my enermax psu does buzz..

mobo buzzzed a bit too then went pop.. was due to faulty wiring in wall socket - absolutely nothing to do with anything in the PC.. other stuff buzzed when i plugged it into the same socket..

[douglasb]

Corsair HX620 - No.
Zalman ZM850HP - No.
Seasonic S12 380w - No.

Are you sure it's coming from the PSU? What kind of buzzing is it? Is it very high pitched? if so, it's likely to be your graphics card.

no, its definetly the PSU. if the PSU is off at the switch on it's back, and therefore the computer is also off, it still buzzes

could be the wall socket you have plugged it into.. have a look..


and yes my enermax psu does buzz..

mobo buzzzed a bit too then went pop.. was due to faulty wiring in wall socket - absolutely nothing to do with anything in the PC.. other stuff buzzed when i plugged it into the same socket..

iv tryed it in other sockets and it still buzzes...
thinking of sending it back to scan for a corsair 520HX, wat do you think?

[staffsMike]

So if the PSU is plugged into nothing on the PC, just standing alone and then into the wall it buzzes?

Sounds a bit odd..

I would go with the 520W HX as I'm very happy with mine (and my 450w VX) and would happily buy another one

It's not the most efficient now but they are super quiet and an all round fantastic product none the less..

[oralpain]

My Seasonic 500w buzzes softly under low loads. It's just a vibrating transformer; quite common and barely noticeable.

[GoNz0]

when the psu is in the off state it is still feeding 5 volts to the motherboard in most cases. its never totally off until its unplugged from the wall.

the buzz may well be the 5v circuit.

the only way to be sure the mobo isnt dragging a load is to remove the motherboard power cables

[2Cold Scorpio]

My Antec 650w NeoBlue doesn't buzz... That's odd; I've never heard of a PSU buzzing uless it was potentially going out... ^_^

[DanceswithUnix]

Cheap coils can buzz. If it is indeed cheap coils, then it is quite safe but can be annoying.

[peterb]

If it is buzzing when the computer is plugged in to a live socket, but the PSU switch at the back is off, then the noise will be coming from an input filter fon the mains side (bit naughty that as it should be on the switched side. These filters are usually low value capacitors across the incoming supply. They can also buzz.

However - if the outlet socket is incorrectly wired (and the switch on the PSU is a single pole switch - which is likely) then that could also be the reason why. But without looking at the wiring of the PSU and checking the mains socket, it is difficult to give a positive diagnosis.

If you have any doubts about the integrity of your mains wiring, you should (unless you are competent yourself to check it) get it checked by a competent person.

[Noxvayl]

I have the Enermax MODU82+ 525W and its perfectly silent... Doesn't even make a noise when the PC is on, not that I can hear with my ear pressed against the PSU anyway

I haven't had the PSU switch turned off while plugged into the mains socket so I might do that tonight when I turn off to check.

[inonefly]

i have both HX520/620 and no buzzing, but the gfx buzzing under load

[Will404]

It could be the wire from the mains plug to the PSU, I once had a faulty wire, and it caused a buzzing noise, so I swapped it with another wire and the buzz went away.

[douglasb]

If it is buzzing when the computer is plugged in to a live socket, but the PSU switch at the back is off, then the noise will be coming from an input filter fon the mains side (bit naughty that as it should be on the switched side. These filters are usually low value capacitors across the incoming supply. They can also buzz.

However - if the outlet socket is incorrectly wired (and the switch on the PSU is a single pole switch - which is likely) then that could also be the reason why. But without looking at the wiring of the PSU and checking the mains socket, it is difficult to give a positive diagnosis.

If you have any doubts about the integrity of your mains wiring, you should (unless you are competent yourself to check it) get it checked by a competent person.

sorry about my slow reply, been away on hols for the past 2 weeks.
we have recently moved house and our new house is quite old but im pretty sure all the electrics were checked before we bought it. iv checked the PSU in different sockets around the house but it still buzzes. im probably going to change it for a 520W Corsair HX...

[Saracen]

Transformers can buzz for all sorts of reasons. It could be a gradual deterioration in the transformer laminations, it can be magnetorestriction, it can be the effect of the transformer's coils on an inadequately tightened case, and it could even be that the PSU itself isn't firmly tightened. There's some pretty strong magnetic fields being thrown about and, due to it being AC, they can set up vibrations in all sorts of places. There are also possibilities that might indicate various forms of component breakdown.

Some of these buzzes may indicate potential failure. Some are just indicators of cheap components or faulty installation, some just indicate age.

And, on at least two individual occasions, in my personal experience, a "buzz" turned out to be nothing more sinister than an accumulation of dust on the blades of the fan, which unbalanced the blades leading to a sort-of thrumming buzz. A couple of minutes with a vacuum cleaner could well sort it if that's all it is.

An on another occasion, it indicated that the cheap sleeve bearing in a cheap fan was failing. Spending a whole £1.50 on a replacement fan (though be careful with the insides of a PSU if you don't know what you're doing, because you can get a nasty wallop from the main caps) sorted that one and it is still, several years later, working perfectly.

In other words, a PSU buzz can be onerous or not, and can indicate a need for anything from replacing the unit to cleaning the fan blades.

Sorry if that doesn't help you much, Douglas. But without hearing it, it's hard to be sure.