Psu Weird noise

[Chingy]

For a few months now only in the middle of the night from around 11:30pm-4am my power supply will make a very loud buzzing noise throughout the entire time on and off of 11:30-4am. This only happens when the pc is off and it will still occur even after the psu is switched off and unplugged. Doesn’t seem like a problem but is just unsettling to wake up to it in the middle of the night. (Evga 750 gt supernova fully modular)

 

[Frick]

For a few months now only in the middle of the night from around 11:30pm-4am my power supply will make a very loud buzzing noise throughout the entire time on and off of 11:30-4am. This only happens when the pc is off and it will still occur even after the psu is switched off and unplugged. Doesn’t seem like a problem but is just unsettling to wake up to it in the middle of the night. (Evga 750 gt supernova fully modular)

Bugs inside it?

 

[Hyderz]

i guess you can call it a possessed spooky unit now, jokes aside
if it is under warranty go get it replaced and if its not still buy a new psu so that your expensive components are safe

 

[P4-630]

Bees or wasp nest living in the PSU....

 

[LabRat 891]

it will still occur even after the psu is switched off and unplugged

Also 'discharged'? Especially high-wattage PSUs can have massive amounts of capacitance.

Besides that....

Prolly need more to go on, but this sounds like a job for the FCC.
They apparently take reports decently seriously: Years-ago a bunch of HAMs got (the FCC to get) Linksys to stop making WRT54s and related routers+switches. The consumer cost-engineered design was radiating a massive amount of RFI, even the units w/o WiFi; the ethernet ports alone were 'noisy AF'.

It sounds like there's *something* nearby ya that, on a regular interval is likely breaking a ton of regulations for radiated emissions. Which, could be inducted by the coils/inductors/transformers in your PSU, vibrating them.
If you can get an audio recording of it, someone can load it into Audacity(etc.) and get some idea of what frequency it might be. From there, you can get a rough idea of potential causes, and where they might be emanating from. Considering that this is happening "in the middle of the night" I'd suspect a pirate transmitter or someone that's got something very high voltage (DIY plasma device, DIY arcfurnace, etc.) running @ home w/o shielding their workspace (Ex: Styropyro on youtube is smart enough to have had his 'shed' decently well shielded for his HV and Plasma fun.)

Any industry or laundromats nearby? I suppose extreme current use of multi-phase power (alone) might explain it.
I remember walking through some wooded area and feeling a literal buzz, which was also extremely noticeable on video/audio recordings.
Turned out there was a glass manufacturing plant JUST on the other side of the wooded area, and when their inductive furnaces were in use, it was LOUD on audio recordings*.
*If a microphone is picking up something louder than what's audible w/ one's ears, it's usually EMI.

 

[Chingy]

Also 'discharged'? Especially high-wattage PSUs can have massive amounts of capacitance.

Besides that....

Prolly need more to go on, but this sounds like a job for the FCC.
They apparently take reports decently seriously: Years-ago a bunch of HAMs got (the FCC to get) Linksys to stop making WRT54s and related routers+switches. The consumer cost-engineered design was radiating a massive amount of RFI, even the units w/o WiFi; the ethernet ports alone were 'noisy AF'.

It sounds like there's *something* nearby ya that, on a regular interval is likely breaking a ton of regulations for radiated emissions. Which, could be inducted by the coils/inductors/transformers in your PSU, vibrating them.
If you can get an audio recording of it, someone can load it into Audacity(etc.) and get some idea of what frequency it might be. From there, you can get a rough idea of potential causes, and where they might be emanating from. Considering that this is happening "in the middle of the night" I'd suspect a pirate transmitter or someone that's got something very high voltage (DIY plasma device, DIY arcfurnace, etc.) running @ home w/o shielding their workspace (Ex: Styropyro on youtube is smart enough to have had his 'shed' decently well shielded for his HV and Plasma fun.)

Any industry or laundromats nearby? I suppose extreme current use of multi-phase power (alone) might explain it.
I remember walking through some wooded area and feeling a literal buzz, which was also extremely noticeable on video/audio recordings.
Turned out there was a glass manufacturing plant JUST on the other side of the wooded area, and when their inductive furnaces were in use, it was LOUD on audio recordings*.
*If a microphone is picking up something louder than what's audible w/ one's ears, it's usually EMI.

Yeah I have a video recording but I don’t know how to send it on here since it only lets me send pictures

Yeah I have a video recording but I don’t know how to send it on here since it only lets me send pictures

Also I’m not near any industrial places or anything like that

I uploaded the vid as an unlisted YouTube video to send here it is

My power supply wants to kill me.

My PSU makes this sound but only in the middle of the night for some reason even when unplugged.

youtube.com

 

[droid-I]

weird indeed. After you power off the PSU, drain the PC & PSU circuitry by pressing power. No way the unit itself would be make that "snoring" sound in he middle of the night.

 

[Chingy]

weird indeed. After you power off the PSU, drain the PC & PSU circuitry by pressing power. No way the unit itself would be make that "snoring" sound in he middle of the night.

I have tried that it still made the noise.

I have tried that it still made the noise

 

[oldwalltree]

Have you disconnected everything from the PC aswell? Also, i would remove the PSU from the system, put it in a different location , and wait for nightfall.....

 

[Bill_Bright]

and it will still occur even after the psu is switched off and unplugged

I can understand how this "might" be plausible if switched off because it could have a faulty switch. But unplugged? No! That would be impossible.

While true, PSU capacitors are capable of retaining a charge for extended periods, power supplies are specifically designed to "bleed off" that charge quickly (within a few seconds) after powered off.

Even if it was a faulty PSU and it is the source of the buzz, whatever is causing the buzz would consume that stored voltage. The voltage potentials would quickly decay, meaning it would not keep buzzing on and off for hours.

Also, the PSU does not know what time it is. There is no way the PSU would know to do this at the same time each night.

Doesn’t seem like a problem

"IF" the sound is actually coming from within the power supply itself, it definitely IS a problem.

Are you 100% sure it is coming from the PSU and not the computer speakers?

I would put it in another room today and see (listen) for the buzz. If the source of the buzz is in your room, you know it is not the computer.

 

[Solaris17]

It sounds like there's *something* nearby ya that, on a regular interval is likely breaking a ton of regulations for radiated emissions. Which, could be inducted by the coils/inductors/transformers in your PSU, vibrating them.

This is the most sane explanation iv seen in the thread. Maybe something in your house or power grid is causing the odd issue as well.

 

[Norton]

Are you using powered speakers and are they plugged into PC and the wall when you unplug the PC?

 

[izy]

The power for the noise must come from somewhere or something unless you have PSU Ghosts and you need to call Ghost Hunters, if you disconnect it from the motherboard does it stop? Is your case touching anything metallic?

 

[Chingy]

B

Are you using powered speakers and are they plugged into PC and the wall when you unplug the PC

No I don’t have speakers for that computer

The power for the noise must come from somewhere or something unless you have PSU Ghosts and you need to call Ghost Hunters, if you disconnect it from the motherboard does it stop? Is your case touching anything metallic?

Still makes the noise I have tried also no the case isn’t touching anything metallic

Also I don’t notice any vibration happening when the noise is occurring

 

[Bill_Bright]

There's no need to disconnect it from the motherboard. Unplugging it from the wall is enough to prove it is not the power supply, or the computer. Therefore, it must be something else. The monitor? Other nearby electronics? A noise in the HVAC vents?

 

[Chingy]

B

No I don’t have speakers for that computer


Still makes the noise I have tried also no the case isn’t touching anything metallic

Also I don’t notice any vibration happening when the noise is occurring

I will be bathing my pc in holy water hopefully it fixes the issue.

There's no need to disconnect it from the motherboard. Unplugging it from the wall is enough to prove it is not the power supply, or the computer. Therefore, it must be something else. The monitor? Other nearby electronics? A noise in the HVAC vents?

I moved the pc into a different place and it was still making the noise

 

[Bill_Bright]

I moved the pc into a different place and it was still making the noise

And was it plugged in or unplugged?

Have you opened it up and looked inside?

Get yourself the inner tube of a paper towel roll and use that as a stethoscope and pinpoint the source of the sound to make sure it is, or is not the power supply.

I see in your video the master power switch is set to 0 or off. It clearly should NOT be making any noise. Very odd.

 

[izy]

The only thing i can think of is EMI , do you have any power plants or factory near you?

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is unwanted noise or interference in an electrical path or circuit caused by an outside source. It is also known as radio frequency interference. EMI can cause electronics to operate poorly, malfunction or stop working completely. EMI can be caused by natural or human-made sources.

 

[Lei]

I uploaded the vid as an unlisted YouTube video to send here it is

My power supply wants to kill me.

My PSU makes this sound but only in the middle of the night for some reason even when unplugged.

youtube.com

If I'd heard a sound like this from an unplugged appliance, I'd leave the town.
It's like a semitranslucent ghost with a chainsaw is forming to haunt you.

btw, what could be inside a psu to make this noise? Even if it's been triggered by some external radiation. Sounds like someone's snoring.

 

[maxx2575]

did the psu ever act strange while it made these noises? like did it work as a normal psu?

 

[Bill_Bright]

did the psu ever act strange while it made these noises? like did it work as a normal psu?

It made the noises when unplugged so not sure what sort of strange acts it could do - even with a mind of its own.

 

[Frick]

I moved the pc into a different place and it was still making the noise

Remove the PSU from the case and see if it still makes the noise.

 

[Chingy]

The only thing i can think of is EMI , do you have any power plants or factory near you?

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is unwanted noise or interference in an electrical path or circuit caused by an outside source. It is also known as radio frequency interference. EMI can cause electronics to operate poorly, malfunction or stop working completely. EMI can be caused by natural or human-made sources.

A couple miles away there is a nuclear plant but it doesn’t happen with any other computer I have running

did the psu ever act strange while it made these noises? like did it work as a normal psu?

The psu works fine but it will not make the noises if the computer is on

I’m just waiting for the day my psu starts making coherent words.

 

[Bill_Bright]

No way it is the power plant or else your whole community would be complaining about interference.

I personally think more investigation and isolation, trial and error would sort this out.

In my old radio maintenance day, we might have blamed this on FM - not for frequency modulation but for a certain kind of magic. But I don't think this is magic, or gremlins - or the power supply.

 

[xtreemchaos]

could be a cap making noise as it discharges, i fixed a cap in a amp years ago which would make popping sounds when turned off some times hours later.