Help! My system is ticking... literally

Got a shopping cart of parts that you want opinions on? Get advice from members on your planned or existing system (or upgrade).

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
ProjectNXS
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:04 pm

Help! My system is ticking... literally

Post by ProjectNXS » Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:01 am

Okay, so I have finished building (modifying?) my computer to be quite silent. The only component that is not silent is my power supply, but I will change it soon. But generally, with AAM-modified Samsung drive, fans on Fanmate 2, and with Zalman heatsink on my graphic card, I would never have guessed that something weird would happen... :shock:

That is... somewhere, something is making a ticking noise. It's like the ticking noise that an analog clock makes when the second hand moves (and, weirdly enough, it goes off at almost a second intervals :roll: ) I really can't figure out where the noise is coming from, though. At first I thought it was the hard drive, since the sound was somewhat similar to a (very short) seek noise. Well, I removed the hard drive from the case, and the noise is still about. I have no idea where the noise is coming from, and it's driving me nuts! Help!
Top
kevinc
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 2:54 am

Post by kevinc » Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:40 am

If one of the fans is blocked it will shut down and after a short delay, try to restart. If the fan is still blocked, it will keep trying to restart, with a delay between attempts. Are any of your fans physically blocked, or do any of them have sticky or worn bearings? When you look inside the case with the power turned on, look at all of the fans. The CPU fan, the chipset fan (if you have one), the video-card fan (if you have one), and the case fan(s) too, and the power-supply fan. Are they all spinning?

Kevin
Top
scaryduck
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2005 10:31 am
Location: London, UK

Post by scaryduck » Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:09 am

I'd expect that the ticking is coming from one of the fans. Put your finger on the hub of each fan (not the blades!) to stop it for a few seconds. Undervolting is the usual culprit. If you want to stop the CPU fan, you'll probably need to temporarily disable CPU fan monitoring in the BIOS: the computer will turn itself off as a precautionary measure if it thinks the CPU fan has stopped working.

Of course, it may be that the fan has developed a fault, or is badly designed. I have a Nexus 80mm fan that developed an awful ticking noise after 12 months.
Top
Baker
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2004 9:44 pm
Location: Orlando, FL, USA

Post by Baker » Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:23 am

Hmm, my UPS ticks like a clock. Pretty annoying but if I place it behind my desk just the right way I can't hear it...
Top
swivelguy2
Posts: 404
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 9:18 pm
Location: Illinois, USA

Post by swivelguy2 » Thu Apr 28, 2005 6:08 am

Also keep in mind that your computer might now be quiet enough that you're hearing the clock on the wall ticking :)
Top
ProjectNXS
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:04 pm

Post by ProjectNXS » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:45 am

I have checked for the fans by stopping each one of them (even the PSU one, with some difficulty). Even after that it still made some noise. After rearranging the wires in my case, though, things seem to be fine for now. I'll keep you updated as to whether the ticking noise comes back again.

Thanks for your help! :D
Top
ProjectNXS
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:04 pm

Post by ProjectNXS » Sat Apr 30, 2005 2:01 am

no... i think i jinxed myself... the noise is back. :(

Strange as it sounds, but I think the noise is coming from the modem.

It sounds like a buzz with a "spiked" series of loud buzzes about every minute or so.

Taking the fans out of power does not help, so it's not the fans.

Any other suggestions?
Top
Post Reply

Return to “System Advice / Troubleshooting”