Corsair HX520 buzz/whine issues (other PSUs discussed too)

[Das_Saunamies]

Thanks, but doubt that would work. The noise will escape through the rear with the exhaust, only ducting might help. And it's faint enough not to notice most of the time, HDDs in a Sonata will block it out easy.

[jaldridge6]

And WHY ON EARTH would I try take out every fan and leave only one disk JUST to be able to hear that "buzz" I do not use my comp in that way. And if you don't have any fans and only using 1 HD why would you need 520W PSU to begin with ? ?? There is NO buzz in my 2 PSUs, my room is silent (very silent) and I use PSU the way there are intended to be used, in a computer system with fans, HDs and stuff. Why ? Becouse ppl buy PSU to run there comps not to listen to it alone...
Try music instead...

Not to slam you, but this response is exactly why I don't believe people who claim their hx520 has no buzz. You've completely discredited your claim that it is buzz free with this response. Some people, myself included, and others, are sensitive to the buzz. I personally have had problems with being overly sensitive to sound my entire life. I found the hx520 is a silent environment to be "unbearable". The original poster, who wound up buying the power supply against the recommendations of others, ALSO found it the same and returned it.

If you can't be scientific and methodical about your claims, then why bother. You're just leading people astray that might actually care about the subject matter you're so carelessly throwing around.

I found the buzz to be louder than the fan and could hear things like electrical sounds when moving my mouse from 5 feet away.

[Redzo]

Sorry to dissapoint you but I still don't hear any buzz from my 2 units. Did it ever occur to you that you might have had bad exemples ? Or that maybe you are overly sensitive to noise ? If any of above is true than it is you that are missleading ppl.
When I responded in my first post you questioned mine hearing and/or my room ONLY becouse I don't agree with you....Whats that about ?

[jaldridge6]

Redzo:

Oh, I defintely believe its possible that I had bad uints, but you stated two things which make me feel that's not the case. One, you don't think its a big deal to begin with and that we should have better things do worry about [in life?]. Two, you would be unwilling to silence your other components [a variable which could infact, drown any any said coil buzz] for the sake of finding out the truth. Like I said, I didnt notice the buzz til I removed my 1200rpm antec fans and replaced them with 800rpm scythe. That and I didn't notice it because it was in a P180 [your case too I would presume?].

It should also be noted, that, buzz varied immensely based on wattage being used. Unplugging a harddrive halved the noise at idle with my hx520, for example. Undervolting the CPU eliminated it entirely. However, adding load to the CPU [say running Orthos] brought it back. I have spent hours with this power supply with its fans turned off. Anyone that tells me theres no buzz and I should be doing better things with my [our] time is naturally not going to be well received.

Besides, the very nature of this site, and how it was setup, was to put the notion of silent computing to objective data. No more fancy packaging bullshit, real data on parts. And, also, that has come into question with this power supply and others. Why it tops the recommended list is beyond my understanding. If I were alone, perhaps I'd feel crazy, but, as many others have stated in this very thread.

The fact that you think its a waste of time probably means yours is buzzing and you're too wrapped up in all the other things in your life to give a damn. That's fine, I commend you, go have fun. We'll be here, worrying about our computers which make little ticking noises while you go climb Everest.

[Redzo]

Redzo:
Oh, I defintely believe its possible that I had bad uints, but you stated two things which make me feel that's not the case. One, you don't think its a big deal to begin with and that we should have better things do worry about [in life?]

Well "big deal" thing was not stated by me but by poster called Das_Saunamies. I think he/she should answer for it. Not me.

And no I still don't see any reason for me to pull out 80% of my hardware just to be able to hear the buzzing.
The way I am using my computer (video editing, surfing,some programming and games) don't make it buzz.

You missed my point again. If there is no buzz when I am using computer (or when it's idle for that matter) why should I rip out everything just to make it buzz ? And what if I did that ? It would still be quiet (no buzzing) when I put back rest of hardware in it.
Problem solved.
For me it looks like you are pissed at Corsair for some reason (2 faulty units?) and are badmouthing them. Now thats fine with me but I can't say that MY PSU's are buzzing since they aren't.

[Ryan Norton]

-USA (FL)
-Basic power strip plugged into wall outlet
-HX620
-P5B Deluxe
-E6400
-2GB DDR2800
-7900GTX
-2 HDs
-Audigy 2
-4 DS12SL-12 case fans

no whine or buzz from PSU, in fact I don't think I've ever heard the PSU at all.

[jaldridge6]

-USA (FL)
-Basic power strip plugged into wall outlet
-HX620
-P5B Deluxe
-E6400
-2GB DDR2800
-7900GTX
-2 HDs
-Audigy 2
-4 DS12SL-12 case fans

no whine or buzz from PSU, in fact I don't think I've ever heard the PSU at all.

if your yate loons are at 12v, and you have loud harddrives, and you ahve the stock fan on your 7900gtx, i'd say you probably just can't hear it because its being drowned out.

I'll say it again because its important. I did not notice the buzz til I changed my heatsink and case fans out. I had an asus silent square at 1400rpms and 3 antec 120mm case fans at 1200rpms. Once I swapped a ninja in, put 800rpm fans in, and took out one noisy seagate drive and left just my 501LJ, I noticed the buzz. I also have a passive video card

You will not notice the buzzing if you have a moderately quiet PC. You will only notice it if you have a silent or near silent PC.

[nick705]

Why it tops the recommended list is beyond my understanding. If I were alone, perhaps I'd feel crazy, but, as many others have stated in this very thread.

The review by JonnyGURU makes specific mention of a buzzing, so you're certainly not alone. He didn't appear to have any similar problem with the HX620W though.

Like I said, I didnt notice the buzz til I removed my 1200rpm antec fans and replaced them with 800rpm scythe. That and I didn't notice it because it was in a P180 [your case too I would presume?].

Do you mean you couldn't notice it (or at least it wasn't annoying) in the P180 once the other sound sources were removed? I suppose the layout and construction of the P180/182 would be better for masking PSU noise, all other things being equal...

Redzo: I guess the point would be to try and find out if it is in fact a QC issue which only affects some samples, or if it's fairly universal and will always be audible *provided* the rest of the system is quiet enough. If it's the former, you could presumably keep RMAing them until you get a good one, if the latter it might be better to look elsewhere...

[jaldridge6]

To be honest I had the hx520 for about 2 months before I started noticing that it was the culprit of the weird electrical noises I was barely hearing out of my p180 at the time. I went to the store and traded it that same day and the new one exhibited the same stuff. You might find it strange because most places have a 30 day return policy. The microcenter by my house is pretty cool about late returns, so thats why that was the case. At the time I didn't really notice it because I had 3 tricool fans set on medium. I wasn't into silence as much as I am now, about 4 months later. I think anyone that says their hx520 is buzz free is probably telling the truth, but I can say for myself that I have extensively tested both hx520s in dead quiet situations. I have doubts that others would go to the lengths that I went to isolate this issue and really listen for it.

I am in the US by the way on 120V. I dont use a UPS.

--------------------

Redzo: what are you system specs, fan types, heatsinks, video card, # and type of harddrives, etc?

--------------------

nick795: several people in this thread, including the original author, have already confirmed the fact. I am just trying to point out that these naysayers have what I would consider to be a loud system to start with and are claiming that the power supply doesn't buzz. Obviously if their system is louder than the buzz to begin with they're going to believe theres no such buzz. However, that is an ill fated way of giving advice to others that may be more concerned with silence. It is essentially UNTESTED advice, hence, misleading. The original author of this thread purchased and returned the power supply because it was not suitable for a silent environment. It would be nice if he came along and gave his two cents on the matter.

Also Nick, I am saying exactly that [your question]. I didnt notice it until I went the near silent route instead of just quiet computer. I noticed it immediately after changing to a ninja and some quieter case fans in a p180. Ryan [above] has what I would personally consider a "not very quiet" computer.

Anyone wanting to run a silent system with one harddrive in an enclosre and 1 or 2 inaudible 120mm fans will hear this power supply buzz. We are talking about SILENCERS, not just people who have quieter than average components. I think a good start would be, for people that aren't hearing this, to say "I can't hear any buzz" versus "there is no buzz".

[dhanson865]

The thread so far is about 15 corsairs without buzz to 4 with. I didn't list every duplicate but here is a recap:

The buzz is just slightly louder than the PSU fan at its lowest RPM (Corsair PSU fans idle at 3.84 volts). You will not notice the buzzing if you have a moderately quiet PC. You will only notice it if you have a silent or near silent PC.

Buzzing/clicking/whining
mastabog, UK, Buzz, Fanless Ninja, fanless video card, one 120mm intake and 120mm exhaust
mastabog, UK, Whine, Fanless Ninja, fanless video card, one 120mm intake and 120mm exhaust
jaldridge6, US, Buzz, (unkown specs)
canceled, US, Buzz/Whine/tick, Solo 8800gts 320 tricool fan on low 120mm cpu fan @ 700rpm 2 WD RE16 320gig

No Buzz in a quiet system
Phlebas, UK, No Buzz, Noctua fans running at either 5v or 7v (quieter than a nexus) says the HX520 is quieter than his S12-430

elpibe10, , No Buzz, Scythe Andy, ZM-MFC2 fan controller, 2 Noctua 120mm 800 rpm fans @ 750 rpm & 580 rpm & 1 Scythe Minebea 120mm 1,100 rpm fan @ ~950 rpm

No buzz in systems that may be loud enough to drown it out
Plissken, US, No Buzz, 3 systems in P180Bs one system has Noctua NH-U12F 8800GTS 2x Samsung HD501LJ
Redzo, Sweden, No Buzz, 2 systems
Derfel, UK, No Buzz, P180 five different motherboard/video card combos, no mention of fans or hard drives
AndeeG, , No Buzz, x1950 pro graphics
panda-R, , No Buzz, two systems 7900GTO and 8800GTS graphics, on 120v AC
Hardtailed , No Buzz, SLK3000B with stock Tri-cool on low, Passive video, two hard drives
LuckyNV, UK, No Buzz, mid tower with four 120mm fans at 7V (no mention of brand or rpms)
Delta_42, UK, No Buzz, P180B 2x 72Gb Raptors three tri-cool fans and a Noctua fan
Ryan Norton, , No Buzz, 7900GTX 2HDs 4 120mm Yate Loon case fans


FYI here is a list of idle fan voltages culled from the SPCR reviews

Voltage at idle Brand/Model
4.5 Seasonic S12 rev 1
4.3 Seasonic S12 rev 2 (note this is the sleeved version not the roman numeral II version that is newer)
4.2 Antec Earth Watts
4.1 Antec Neo HE
3.9 Seasonic M12
3.84 Corsair HX
3.8 Seasonic E+ and the old 500/600 watt S12

[Das_Saunamies]

Redzo:
Oh, I defintely believe its possible that I had bad uints, but you stated two things which make me feel that's not the case. One, you don't think its a big deal to begin with and that we should have better things do worry about [in life?]

Well "big deal" thing was not stated by me but by poster called Das_Saunamies. I think he/she should answer for it. Not me.

Care to elaborate?

Just for comparison:

And WHY ON EARTH would I try take out every fan and leave only one disk JUST to be able to hear that "buzz" I do not use my comp in that way. And if you don't have any fans and only using 1 HD why would you need 520W PSU to begin with ? ?? There is NO buzz in my 2 PSUs, my room is silent (very silent) and I use PSU the way there are intended to be used, in a computer system with fans, HDs and stuff. Why ? Becouse ppl buy PSU to run there comps not to listen to it alone...
Try music instead...

Minimum stress on PSU to make it buzz(and it will) sounds like trying to hear noise for just the sake of it. There are better ways to spend time.

I've started to notice the buzz from my S12II-430 which I initially thought was inaudible; there was some, but only at point blank range. I try not to pay attention to it, I've got better things to worry about! ...chief among which a chirp that could be the fan controller display(never before) or a HDD going.

Much less verbal arm-flailing in the latter, as I'm sure you'll find.

[rpsgc]

Would the non-buzzing Corsairs be old models and the ones buzzing newer models? (Manufacturing dates).

[jaldridge6]

probably, that's how it worked with the S12 then S12II .... the originals had no buzz. new generation... all of them buzz.

[rpsgc]

If I bought one right now I'd probably end up with a buzzing one anyways As such, I don't know If I should take the plunge.

[jaganath]

If I bought one right now I'd probably end up with a buzzing one anyways As such, I don't know If I should take the plunge.

do you really need ~500W? otherwise go with ST30NF, no buzzing reported ever.

[rpsgc]

do you really need ~500W? otherwise go with ST30NF, no buzzing reported ever.

No, not really. But looking at the price of 400W PSUs... why the hell not. Plus it's modular

And although it would (probably) handle my system pretty well, I don't think it'd allow for that 8800GTS upgrade down the road but most importantly, it's not available here :/

[nick705]

do you really need ~500W? otherwise go with ST30NF, no buzzing reported ever.

well, almost never... (does a whine count as a buzz?)

[LuckyNV]

To people that are claiming no buzz. Have you tried listening to it in a silent room, with only one harddrive and no fans running in the computer? Try loading the CPU as well. I believe that people claiming no buzz haven't actually taken the time, in a silent environment with zero other distractions, to validate that claim. .........It's not an earthshattering buzz, its actually just slightly louder than the fan at its lowest RPM. However, if you have exceptional ears, its easily audible if the rest of the system is dead silent. For me it was such a petty complaint. A tiny little buzz drove me insane with irritation. Most people wouldn't even pay attention to it. I know I didnt even notice it for the first 3 months with the power supply.

I'd almost say that apart of the experience is feeling that the power supply is behaving in a funny way intuitively. Some people have weird connections with their electronics.

Finally, I'd like to point out that I had the power supply for 3 months before I noticed that it was buzzing. I thought maybe it was a time lapsed thing. To test that, I went to the store and bought another one. SUre enough it buzzed out the box.

The fact is you might just not be noticing it. And if you want to stay happy, i'd suggest forgetting about this thread all together

I've put my ear right at the back and side, under several loads, my HDDs are mounted outside of the case in a box, i have no side panel and three 120mm YateLoon-S@7V, I sleep about 1.5 metres away so it has to be silent.

I'm telling you now that there is absolutely ZERO buzzing or whining emitted from the PSU (HX620W). I'm only mid-20s in age, my hearing is very good, I can tell if a CRT TV is on standby in a room by the high pitched whining. PSU is bought since Jan 07, its been in use almost 24/7, hardly ever been idle, my computer is either gaming or Folding with SMP client.

Specs
[email protected]
X1900XTX (HR-03, no fan)
4 HDDs
4x1GB

I've recommended both Corsair PSUs on many occasions and a few have purchased it, always been noted on the silence, never been any complaints, I do not know each persons full specs though.

I am inclined to believe that there is actually nothing particularly wrong with the Corsair brand, if you have used Seasonics with the same or similar issue, well Corsair is a very similar spec internally to the current Seasonic range. So may be its something on your end causing the problems, what that might be I have no idea.
All I know is my unit is perfect.

[jaldridge6]

well, it must be a series of unlucky experiences with seasonic power supplies. I purchased 7 or 8 Seasonic PSUs in a row that all buzzed and whined. I wish this awful memory would get out of my brain. they were...

HX520 x2
antec neoHE 430 x2
earthwatts 380 x2 or x3 [i think i may have had 3 of them!]
seasonic s12-II 380 x1

I would have to hear it to believe it at this point. Its possible that maybe the first batch or something like that is buzzfree. I bought my first hx520 in December I think.

[nick705]

I'm telling you now that there is absolutely ZERO buzzing or whining emitted from the PSU (HX620W).

It's interesting you mention you have an HX620W - the complaints about buzzing seem to centre around the HX520W (although some 520s apparently don't buzz). JonnyGURU's reviews of both PSUs also mention a buzzing with the HX520W, but not the HX620W.

I don't know if there's enough difference between the internal designs to possibly account for it, or simply that the 520W model is more popular (especially here), so there's statistically more chance of duff samples being reported.

jaldridge6, do you have any personal experience with the HX620W?

[rpsgc]

Over at the Corsair support forums most of the people complaining about buzzing in their PSU have a UPS. For those people that was the culprit.

[JoeWPgh]

I just installed a 520 into a Sonata II case running a MSI P6N SLI Platinum and an C2D e6600. The first thing I noticed was how quiet this PSU is compared with the stock Antec. The 2nd thing I noticed was a barely audible, but steady high pitched ringing, which I assumed to be from the PSU, as it was a 'new noise'. It turns out this noise is coming from one (or more?) of my 4 WD 160 HDDs. At the same time I installed the Corsair, I swapped out the Antec tricool for a Nexus 120, so I don't think this is a new noise, so much as an newly unmasked one. (It's also directional - much more noticeable from the front of the case than it's mobo side. Turning the box a few degrees reduced it's annoyance by almost 1/2)

The HDDs are now the dominant noise from this machine. Will addressing that noise unmask an as yet unnoticed noise from the Corsair? It's possible, but if so, it's still going to be very, very quiet.

Other details for those keeping score: Passively cooled x1950 pro, 120v straight from the wall.

[jaldridge6]

I'm telling you now that there is absolutely ZERO buzzing or whining emitted from the PSU (HX620W).

It's interesting you mention you have an HX620W - the complaints about buzzing seem to centre around the HX520W (although some 520s apparently don't buzz). JonnyGURU's reviews of both PSUs also mention a buzzing with the HX520W, but not the HX620W.

I don't know if there's enough difference between the internal designs to possibly account for it, or simply that the 520W model is more popular (especially here), so there's statistically more chance of duff samples being reported.

jaldridge6, do you have any personal experience with the HX620W?

Actually, I do. I purchased the hx620 before purchasing the hx520. I downgraded to the hx520 because I wanted $50 in my pocket and I realized I overshot my wattage by a long shot. I didn't become aware that my hx520 was buzzing for about 2 months, so, I dont have any experience with listening intently for any buzzing with the hx620, but I have owned one at one time.

I think this theory is probably true. I have to wonder now.

[nick705]

Over at the Corsair support forums most of the people complaining about buzzing in their PSU have a UPS. For those people that was the culprit.

I don't think it's simply down to using a UPS (although it certainly seems to be a common factor), there are also buzzing PSUs where no UPS is present. Just too many variables to draw any conclusions...

I just visited the Corsair forums and the first threads I saw related to the HX620W buzzing and squealing, even "whistling". So much for my theory.

[Das_Saunamies]

An UPS has the potential to alter the input signal(the sine wave as I understand it), so there's potential for it to affect things. I'm on an UPS, but haven't tried without because cord length is inadequate. I'm also not sure if my UPS is manipulating the wave constantly or just on backup power, but it's not a pure sine wave it outputs.

Today I can't hear the buzz beyond point blank range, but I'm sure it'll crank up once the PC warms up and stays on for an extended period of time. I'll have a chance to test it without the UPS some time next week, I'll get back to you on that.

[rpsgc]

My new HX520W just arrived *crosses fingers* It says Rev. B2W on the sticker (top of PSU). And guess what... I got a British power cable with it! Dude, we don't use them three plugs cables!

For all the "buzzers", what rev is yours?


spcr review sample was a Rev. B1W and JonnyGuru's was a Rev B0W. This doesn't bode well for me I think I might have a buzzer.


EDIT: Well, it's quiet alright, not quite silent but quiet... much quieter than my old LC-Power No buzz/whine thus far *knocks on wood* Now the noisiest component on my PC is the WD, only during seeks of course

EDIT 2: All of the sudden my computer got noisier Either the PSU is buzzing or its fan is faulty (noisy)... :/ It was fine for a couple of minutes...

EDIT 3: I think that was just my speakers' white noise

[Jason W]

This thread really has cause me much concern, as I was planning to get the HX520 PSU until I read this thread. I live in the U.S. and do not plan on having a UPS. Is it a crap-shoot as to whether the brand-new one I get will have the problem or not? That's what it feels like.

Are there any modern PSUs that are quiet and have cabling long enough to use in a P182 case? I don't think I would need more than a 380W PSU, but figured more wouldn't hurt.

Let's keep this thread going...

[pputer]

I'll be using a UPS for sure.

Has anyone looked at the OCZ Modstream power supplies? Are they an alternative? They're modular, similar price and have 450 and 520 watt versions.

[mastabog]

Oy! Some activity since I last posted . I read all the new posts, thanks to everyone who posted. I believe some things are worth mentioning to clear out some confusion, although not entirely since all this is quite subjective.

A claim of "no whine/buzz" will look more credible if the claimer specifies the system specs so the reader will have a better idea, this includes:

- fans model
- number of fans
- voltage/rpm of fans
- hdds
- video card (or video card cooler if it was replaced)
- distance to the unit for normal usage
- unit position (e.g. under the desk)

... basically, all components that make some noise and items of interest that affect sound propagation/anplitude.

Some users are very picky and sensitive to buzz/whining sounds, like myself, and could hear it in a silent system (e.g. passive everything except PSU, and inaudible fans at <600rpm like my system).

Another point is that some whine/buzz sounds are on a different frequency than that of the fans (<3khz) and hdds (~7.2khz) and with a sensitive ear and a picky nature you will hear it regardless of how many and loud fans you have.

Of course, a claim of "no buzz/whine" PSU can really mean there is no buzz/whine and you were lucky to get one that is silent. But since we're all posting in a forum, any other info about the system helps a lot!

There is no point in eliminating your fans and hdds just to hear the PSU whine. If you can't hear it in your system then I'm very happy for you. However, if you want to provide a more accurate opinion to someone looking for such subjective information and who has a (much) quiter system than yours then you might want to do all that and then be able to say: well, i can't hear it with all my fans and hdds on but if i remove or downvolt my fans to inaudble and remove 2 of my hdds and if i sit 50cm away from it then i can hear it ... of course, I don't expect anyone to do that just to help a poor old bastard in a forum . Would be nice though.

Nevertheless, placing your ear next to the PSU vent just to see if there is a buzz/whine is not that irrelevant as it sounds (see above). Even if you can't hear it because you sit far away and/or your pc is under the desk and/or your fans/hdds make more noise, someone that is a silent-freak with the pc sitting on his desk might be annoyed by that sound.

It is all very subjective. i believe that any other bit of info you can provide helps.

Lastly, the 2nd HX520 has arrived today and ... and it still buzzes, the exact same characteristic (a bit chirping, high pitch) but not that loud as the 1st one, I might even get used to it. I'll see if I can get used to it without it getting on my nerves in a few days. If not, I'll RMA it for good and keep the S12-430 ... at least that one only buzzes/whines when I do something - mouse scrolls don't last for too long and 3D load is usually are accompanied by sound (when gaming).

It is definitely a newer model since the 6-pin PCIE cables have a 2-pin extension to them so they can be used as 8-pin PCIE cables. Revision is B2W (I forgot what revision the first one was).

Thanks again for posting to everyone. It has turned into a quite informative thread.

[rpsgc]

• fans model : Nexus 120mm & Noiseblocker XL2 120mm
  number of fans : 2
  voltage/rpm of fans : Nexus @ 800rpm, Noiseblocker @ 5V
  hdds : WD Caviar SE16 320GB
  video card : X1950Pro passive
  distance to the unit for normal usage : +/- 40cm (a little over a foot)
  unit position : under the desk, right side

I'm not sure yet if I have a buzzer/whiner.