Annoying hum after installing Scythe Andy Samurai Master

Hardtailed · Post by **Hardtailed** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:27 am

System detail:
Antec SLK3000B
Antec SmartPower 2.0 350W
Asus P5P800 (100% passive)
Intel P4 3.0 (630)
Stock tri-coll 120mm rear fan
No front fan
2 HD (1 Samsung 7200.7, and onw WD Caviar)
Passive ATI video card

I've had this setup running for over a year.
Lately, after visiting this site, I switched the tri-cool to L (instead of M) and was surprised how much the noise level went down. But then all I could hear was the noisy motor on the stock CPU cooler.
So on a whim, I picked up the only Scythe they had at my local shop: the Andy Samurai Master
I was happy to read on the SPCR review that it had one of the quietest stock fan among HSFs

But ever since installing it, I'm getting a low-picthed hum which resonates through the computer and is driving me nuts.
At first it was powered through the mobo, but switching from PWM to DC in the Bios, or changing the speed didn't change the sound at all.
So I installed a fan controller (some Enermax piece which has temp monitoring, looks like the generic controller review on SPCR) which is powered off an IDE/Floppy 4-pin header.
Still the same problem, and again changing speed does not affect the sound at all (no change in pitch or intensity). Yet, I do see the fan changing speed, and the RPM monitoring confirms that.
Cool thing is, wind noise is still inaudible even at 1200RPM! Pretty nice.
(And yet, temperature does go down!)

This is driving me nuts.

When my girlfriend's computer is running beside it (with its noisy fans), you can still hear the hum over it, so it's definitely not something that was there before.

I'm a bit scared of turning the fan off to confirm it is the cause. The Andy is quite a hefty piece at 608g, but it was not designed as a passive heatsink...
However, the tri-cool fan sits just beside it and basically sucks air through it.

Anybody can help me get rid of this noise?
Is it safe to run my Andy fanless for testing purpose? Will the 630 throttle down if too hot?
If the fan is the cause, can I consider it defective?

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:07 am

Hello & welcome to SPCR,

Is the fan on the Andy vibrating? Or, is the HS itself vibrating due to something else (like a HD)? Can you stop it from vibrating by pressing your hand on the side panel, of the front bezel?

If it is the Andy's fan, then you could try slowing it down a little -- where is it plugged in?

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:32 am

It is very likely that this is just a coincidence. I have the SLK3000B, and I must say that it's one of the worst cases I've ever seen and worked with. You just need to look at it wrong, and it throws a tantrum and starts resonating.

The hum is probably coming from the drives (the drive cage is awful and needs to be decoupled from the case), or from the rear TriCool, which also likes to vibrate. My case is currently humming because of the TC, and I can't do anything about it (apart from throwing more heavy lithium grease inside and slowing it down further, but then there is no airflow).

BTW, I've had four SmartPowers go dead on me. Luckily, no equipment was damaged, but they are far from reliable. If you start hearing a high-pitched noise from the PSU, it probably won't be long until the capacitors inside become akin to pufferfish and the PSU goes to visit the Great Case in the Sky.

J. Sparrow · Post by **J. Sparrow** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:01 am

Hardtailed wrote:I'm a bit scared of turning the fan off to confirm it is the cause.

Don't worry, just boot your system and ensure it's running idle (~0% CPU usage in Task Manager).

All recent Intel CPUs have throttling but it won't kick in if it's idle and the heatsink is properly installed.

Felger Carbon · Post by **Felger Carbon** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:07 am

If the hum does not change when you change the fan's RPM, then the fan is definitely not at fault. However, it is undoubtedly a rotating piece of machinery whose vibration is coupling into the sheet metal of the case (confirming the above post). To find which component is vibrating the case, apply a weight to the case sheet metal adjacent to the various pieces of rotating machinery. The weight I have in mind is your hand, pressed firmly to the case sheet metal at various spots near the possibly offending device.

If it turns out to be a fan, there are ways to soft-mount fans. Use SPCR search to find them.

If it turns out to be an HDD, well, suspension is best but search "Ralf Hutter" and "sorbuthane". Good luck!

Hardtailed · Post by **Hardtailed** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:28 am

Thanks for the info, I'll try unconnecting both the Tri-Cool and the Scythe one at a time to see the difference. It would make sense that it would be something else than the Scythe that's making the hum since it is not affected by the fan speed.
But why did it start at the same time as I installed the Scythe?!
Hmmm, just a thought: maybe the Andy pulling on the motherboard (it is over 600g) is creating some additionnal tension on the case that makes it resonate differently?
(Actually, that makes a lot of sense, why did I think about it before???)

I may just ditch the Andy altogether, the plastic pin retention system is definitely too weak. I've had it come apart a couple times while hooking up wires. Since I'll be moving this computer around a lot (occasional "on location" audio recording) this is a risk I cannot take. I'll just order a Thermalright with the backplate instead... Or go along with the Intel unit for now, until I can afford a laptop computer and leave this one at home.

As for the PSU, well it has started doing some kind of crackling noise recently. It's now the noisiest part of my system (even though the 2nd fan has yet to kick in...). I was about to replace the main fan, but if you say this might indicate that it's about to die, I may just retire it.
The place I bought the Andy from carries both Corsair and Seasonic. I can always exchange the Andy for a S12-430, but the modular cables of the Corsair HX520 is REALLY appealing (I hate unused cables taking up space in my computer).

Hardtailed · Post by **Hardtailed** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:23 pm

THE SCYTHE IS NOT AT FAULT

That is right

Thanks for all the great advice.

Turns out, I didn't have to be concerned about running fanless, opening the case revealed that I had been running this way for the last couple of days...
Any, got rid of the fan controller, the mobo gets it slow enough for my needs.

So the offender is quite clearly my WD 250Gb hard drive. The noise went away when I disconnected it.

Why did it change? I don't know...

Know I gotta find a way to suspend my drives that is safe enough for frequent transportation...

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:20 pm

Just take the cage out, put a piece of foam (the one frequently found in boxes of hardware will do fine) on the bottom holder, and place the cage on it, but rotated sidewise. When you transport the computer, reverse the process. It's only a few seconds of work, and it's going to solve most of your problems.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 4:36 am

Hardtailed wrote: Why did it change? I don't know...

When you elimante loud system noises like HSF into more silent and redice generally sound, then HDD's that were before inaudiable come audiable. Its natural. Even quiet components come loud when you reduce general noise level enough.

Hardtailed · Post by **Hardtailed** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:47 am

thejamppa wrote:
Hardtailed wrote: Why did it change? I don't know...
When you elimante loud system noises like HSF into more silent and redice generally sound, then HDD's that were before inaudiable come audiable. Its natural. Even quiet components come loud when you reduce general noise level enough.

It is too loud to be masked by loud fans (and the stock Intel cooler wasn't that noisy, it only became apparent when I switched the tri-cool to L instead of M).

I removed the HD cage and I redid the wiring while installing the HSF, maybe I changed something... Or maybe I knocked the HD slightly and affected the bearing... who knows?

Hardtailed · Post by **Hardtailed** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:49 am

Matija wrote:Just take the cage out, put a piece of foam (the one frequently found in boxes of hardware will do fine) on the bottom holder, and place the cage on it, but rotated sidewise. When you transport the computer, reverse the process. It's only a few seconds of work, and it's going to solve most of your problems.

Do you mean rotated as in: the wires will now be coming off the side?

Any picture?

Annoying hum after installing Scythe Andy Samurai Master

Annoying hum after installing Scythe Andy Samurai Master

Re: Annoying hum after installing Scythe Andy Samurai Master