Hi guys,

I had a SilentNight (Kingwin STR-500/Super Flower Golden Silent rebadge) for about 4 months. It was working fine with no noise for 3 months then started buzzing. It started off where it would do it once in awhile then increased to always buzzing. Someones it goes away after my PC has been on for a couple hours. I got fed up and RMAed it. While installing the new one, I re-tightened all the screws in my case and it was quiet for the first day. It came back the second day and went away after a couple hours again. I don't want to keep RMAing these and I doubt I could have gotten duds twice. I'm starting to think something is causing the PSU to buzz.

I have no mechanical drives and only use 4 very quiet fans which are on a different part in my testbench/case so it's obvious the PSU is buzzing.

Please help!

Are you sure of the source of the noise? The motherboard and possibly the video card can buzz and it can be an interaction between these; or it may be that with some heat and on/off cycles can change the dampening (hot glue?) on various components, letting the noise become audible.

I'm almost completely sure the noise is coming from the PSU. My mobo and GPU are on the top level of my testbench and the PSU is on the bottom. When I'm at the same level as the PSU, I can hear the buzzing, but once I move above the PSU to my mobo and GPU the noise almost disappears.

During my RMA, I used an Antec NEO ECO 430W for a few days and experienced no buzzing.

Someone on OCN suggested I open up the PSU and locate the component that is causing the buzz and caulk it.

Anyone?

Here's what Seasonic recommends when you encounter electronic noise with their supplies:

Have you found the source of the buzzing? If not, have you tried seeing if there is maybe a label or something or wire hitting the fan? I only suggest this because I had something similar happen and my graphics card was making a terrible buzzing noise but when i took it out of my pc it seemed there was nothing - when i replaced it, happened again. It turned out to be a label on one of the wires that moved out of the way when i turned the case to take out the card, but fell back into place when i stood it back up. Just a suggestion. Good luck.

I always have onboard audio disabled. I was only able to find ErP in BIOS while it doesn't look like S4/S5 don't exist for Haswell. Again it still seems to buzz, then goes away a couple hours later.



I've suspected this, but I've peeled off the sticker on my GPU already. From how my rig is setup, it's hard to confuse location of noises:


If my PSU buzzes today, I'll disconnect all my fans just to make sure today.

Okay I disconnected my GPU and all my fans. There are absolutely no moving parts now. IT STILL BUZZES!

I think maybe the PSU just needs a warm up period. Almost buzzes every time I turn on my PC for the first time that day, then miraculously goes away after 2-3 hours.

An update on my PSU:

My PSU is no longer limited to random buzzing. It will occasionally squeal/whine. The noise is just piercing.

I'm thinking about just ditching this unit all together with something better. I was looking at the Antec HCP-850W Plat which had the best measurement to date. The only thing that worries me is noise of the fan since there is almost no mention of it in reviews. I think [H] measures ambient noise at 30dB

It would be a huge help if someone has experience with the HCP-850W Plat.

Thanks in advanced!

What about the Corsair RM series?

That looks like a good choice too. I'm just very tempted by how well the HCP-850W performs. Maybe switching out the fan could be a decent solution?

Browsing around a bit more, it looks like Antec will be releasing a 650W and 750W version of the HCP Platinum. It's scheduled for Q3 2013 but it's nowhere to be found!

Got any additional info on these? I hope you guys get your hands on a unit for review.

HCP-850 Platinum uses a 13.5cm, so I think for most people that presents a significant challenge when it comes to swapping the fan.

Paul @ [H] doesn't measure noise for his PSU reviews, because all he would be able to record is his load testing equipment.

Two reviews which do mention something about noise for the HCP-850 Platinum:
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-and- ... ncy-Differ
http://www.legitreviews.com/antec-high- ... w_123894/7

The old HCP-850's fan, according to reviews, seemed to idle at 500RPM and only go above 1000RPM after roughly 500W load.
The HCP-1000 Platinum's fan, according to reviews, seems to idle at 600RPM and spins quicker once 70% load is reached.
So, whether you want to take that info on board to make your decision or not is up to you.

I would have thought that if you could afford an Antec HCP Platinum, then you could afford something from Enermax, and Mike gave a positive review to the Enermax Platimax 600W.