MEPIS Community Forum

Not sure just what part of this system is so loud but, it sure makes some racket and can get annoying at times.
Here is what the components are:
Asus M4A79XTD EVO Mobo,
AMD Phenom II X4 965 CPU,
Corsair 4GB DDR3 RAM,
Seagate 1TB HDD,
Ultra LSP550 550W Power Supply
Could it be the motherboard, the hard drive or the fan in the power supply. Has been like this from new so, I don't think its wear but there is a whine much like a fan noise (hard to describe). Any one care to guess? If I can find the component that is noisy I could maybe swap out for a different model or type that would run quieter. Thanks

Does it have a case fan? If so, power down, disconnect it, reboot, and see if it's responsible for the noise.

Does it have a graphics card with a fan? If so, power down, hold the fan stationary using a ball-point pen or similar in the blades, reboot and see if it's that.

Does it have a chipset fan on the motherboard? Repeat the test procedure as for the graphics fan.

Still noisy? Try again with the CPU fan held stationary.

In all the above, only stall the fan for as short a time as is needed in order to see if the noise stops; it will be OK for 20 or 30 seconds, but no longer!

I doubt it's the HD from your description, but you can always disconnect the power cable, and reboot it.

All that's left is the PSU. (Be aware that lethal voltages are present inside, even possibly for some time after disconnection, so if you are unsure, don't do this.) You can use something that you know is insulated to stall the PSU fan(s), then reboot. Only stall these for the absolute minimum time as components tend to overheat quite quickly.

Best guess? Chipset fan or graphics card. It's bound to be one or the other as they have the most difficult replacements to source!

When you find the culprit, it may be possible to carefully peel back the sticker, and lubricate the bearings with some thin oil. Bicycle or sewing machine oil is ideal. This might buy you some silence for a while whilst looking for a replacement.

Chris

When I powered up my computer for the first time, there was a loud buzzing sound, which was quite alarming. It turned out to be the fan blade hitting a wire that had gotten in the way. Pushing the wire away from the fan fixed the problem.

Take the side panel off and use a short piece of tubing from your ear to the different fans to listen to each one. If you don't have any tubing then maybe the center cardboard tube from a paper towel roll will do the job.

Lemme guess. You're an old auto mechanic, aren't you?

Definitely the fan right on top of the CPU that cools that down. I did as Chrispop suggested and that is one noisy devil. Does not seem to be dragging or anything so, no apparent bearing problem. I think it just spins so fast it's noisy. What would a new quieter fan cost for there? Thanks

That depends on whether the fan on your CPU heatsink can be replaced (most can) & what size it is.
If it's a 92mm size, then then look for the Nexus 92 fan which the folks at SilentPC prefer. It's often marked as a case fan, but it works well as a CPU heatsink replacement fan. Very quiet and only about $10

If your fan cannot be replaced separately or uses a fan much smaller than 92mm, then you're looking at $30 and up. Do your research & look at the sound levels. Below 20db is good (That Nexus 92 fan is only 16db).

Measure the size; common CPU ones from that era are 70mm, 80mm or 92mm square, and 25mm thick. Note how many wires go to the connector. Most likely 3 for that age of machine.

There will be loads on eBay for a tiny amount of money.

I can't advise on any quality suppliers your side of the pond, but good makes to look out for are Papst and Zalman.

Although this:

http://www.quietpc.com/home

is UK-based, it might give you an idea of what is available.

Chris

IIRC, you built that system not long ago using a retail CPU, meaning the heat sink and fan assembly came with the processor. In my experience, those fans are very quiet out of the box. Before condemning the fan, I'd look very closely for wires or cables or anything else that might be close to the fan or heat sink that could be setting up a vibration. You might want to go as far as re-seating the heat sink, or at least giving it a good twisting and making sure the hold-downs are in their slots fully and everything is positioned properly.

While you have the case open, check the screws holding the motherboard. If they're not tight enough, motherboard, fan and everything can vibrate heavily. And if they haven't unscrewed yet, they will because of the fan.
Henry