Noisy Corsair VX550

40974111 · Post by **40974111** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:43 pm

I've managed to reduce most sources of noise from my case. The loudest one currently is my power supply, a corsair VX550. It is not fan noise that is the problem. I guess I can only describe the noise as a faint whistling and a buzz. Are there any solutions for removing this noise, or do I need to look for a new PSU?

aSASa · Post by **aSASa** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:45 pm

New PSU. Every unit I've bought based on recommendations either buzz, squeal, or have bad fans.

Only silent unit I can find it Enermax 535W, and I doubt its made anymore. Fans are slightly louder than some, but that can be fixed.

RoGuE · Post by **RoGuE** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:10 am

yeah I hate to say it, but you're prolly better off looking for a new one if the noise is too annoying to stand.

The good news is, I would recomend staying with corsair..I have a 520W psu from them that is completely inaudible under all conditions including gaming (partly becasue my case has superb airflow). Look for a modular one for easier cable management.

40974111 · Post by **40974111** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:40 pm

Sorry, complete oversight on my part. I assumed the noise was not the fan because it didn't sound like any fan noise I'd ever heard. The buzzing and whining and a clicking is all coming from the PSU fan - I stopped it to double check. Maybe it will be a much cheaper solution of replacing the PSU fan.

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:21 pm

If you're willing to swap the fan then that's likely the best way to solve the problem. Even if you do replace the PSU there's no guarantee that the replacement will be as quiet as you're looking for.

40974111 · Post by **40974111** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 4:04 am

The PSU is quiet enough from 1m with the fan stopped. I, however, am not to comfortable (well, I'm not confident, my girl friend is uncomfortable) with me opening up the power supply to change the fan.

Is anyone in Sydney, Australia (preferably the northern side) who is able to do this for me? All the parts, I just need the labour done and am more than willing to reimburse for labour. If you are PM me.

I may not go ahead with it, may just buy a new one. I'd feel reasonable selling it, cos you can't hear it if you have a normal volume PC.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:58 am

40974111 wrote:The PSU is quiet enough from 1m with the fan stopped. I, however, am not to comfortable (well, I'm not confident, my girl friend is uncomfortable) with me opening up the power supply to change the fan.

Is anyone in Sydney, Australia (preferably the northern side) who is able to do this for me? All the parts, I just need the labour done and am more than willing to reimburse for labour. If you are PM me.

I may not go ahead with it, may just buy a new one. I'd feel reasonable selling it, cos you can't hear it if you have a normal volume PC.

Not to disparage you or anything, but if you follow the guides in these threads:

viewtopic.php?t=21654
viewtopic.php?t=13289
viewtopic.php?t=6123

you should be safe. Just remember to drain the capacitors in your PSU by trying to power on your computer AFTER unplugging the PSU power cord from the back of the PSU. After that, it is a matter of splicing together some fan connectors (not as easy as it sounds).

I have to admit it was pretty daunting for me when I did the fan swap for my gaming PC, as it was the first time I had tried anything like that before. I was prepared to have to replace the PSU if necessary.

I don't know how much you'd be able to sell a second hand VX550 for, so go for the fan swap first. I recommend a Scythe S-Flex 1600rpm fan if you are going to wire the fan to the PSU fan header. Hope you find someone in Sydney willing to help you out if you're not comfortable with doing the fan swap yourself.

Unless your offer includes reimbursement of a return Melbourne to Sydney flight for me ...

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:13 am

JamieG wrote:After that, it is a matter of splicing together some fan connectors (not as easy as it sounds).

Personally, I don't bother with that. I power the fan from a motherboard header or Molex. This is much simpler. It means that you don't get the "benefit" of the PSU fan control circuitry but if you've got a well ventilated case and sensibly specced PC chances are the fan speed won't vary by much anyway using the built-in controller - so use the 5/7V volt trick or a Fan-Mate or similar to set the fan to a fixed speed, as fast as you can without it being audible, then forget about it. Or you could go for automatic control from the motherboard if you feel you really want a variable fan speed.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:11 pm

Definitely a valid option too. I didn't mention it in my post, so my bad on the oversight

.

Callous · Post by **Callous** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 7:44 am

40974111 wrote:The PSU is quiet enough from 1m with the fan stopped. I, however, am not to comfortable (well, I'm not confident, my girl friend is uncomfortable) with me opening up the power supply to change the fan.

Is anyone in Sydney, Australia (preferably the northern side) who is able to do this for me? All the parts, I just need the labour done and am more than willing to reimburse for labour. If you are PM me.

I may not go ahead with it, may just buy a new one. I'd feel reasonable selling it, cos you can't hear it if you have a normal volume PC.

I wouldnt go modding anything that has the potential of causing a fire that could void the house insurance. Some things under $150 are not worth tinkering with.

40974111 · Post by **40974111** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 3:13 pm

I have decided to replace the VX550 with a HX450.

In part, its a desire for a modular cabling. In part, its because the VX550 is too loud.

The VX550 is not too loud if someone has normal fans going. i.e. 1x120mm exhaust at 1200+ rpm with some grill impedance, and so on these grounds I feel comfortable selling it.

I saw a used one go on ebay for $85 about a week ago. The new HX450 (I already ordered it) only cost me $125 (no delivery costs). So I'm out of pocket by $40, but thats fine. Decided the small out of pocket costs were better than getting something wrong when switching the fan.

40974111 · Post by **40974111** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:51 am

Just an update.

I replaced the VX550 with an HX450. It was definantly a fan noise in the VX550. The HX450 has a lovely smooth sound, albeit a little loud. Quite happy with the change in power supply.