PSU making a cricket-like noise

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orkweh

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Hi.
I needed more outlets and was going to buy a new power strip, I saw they had some cheap ones with surge protection, so I bought one of those.
I've never had one before and never experienced and problems, when there's thunder I always unplug all the electronics. Are they still necessary, a cheap one for around $30?

Anyway, I noticed a ticking sound from my pc after using the new power strip, I wasn't sure if this started after installing the new power strip or if I had just never heard it before. My pc has been standing under the table, but at the same time that I bought the new power strip I also placed my PC on a height adjustable desk, so I sit closer to it now.

After a while I found that the sound was coming from the PSU, a Corsair AX860, I tried setting it to hybrid mode so that the fan would turn off and the sound was still there.
You can hear the ticking around once every second, and it sounds similar to an electrical fence I guess you could say.

Currently I have plugged it in to an old power strip with three outlets an I have yet to hear any noise from the PSU.

So I would assume something is wrong with it. If I return it to the store I'm thinking about getting a very cheap and simple one with 6 outlets and no power switch and surge protection.
Do you think that's a bad idea? Would you say surge protection is necessary to have?

Edit: It is not caused by the new power strip


 
Solution
makkem
Hi
Most good power supplies of which yours is one have inbuilt surge protection so you can get away with not having a protected power strip.
I have not come across a surge protected strip affecting the PSU in this way,perhaps the one you bought was faulty.
When you stated that the PSU was ticking like an electric fence my first thought was a capacitor in the PSU but if it is now working ok then that is not the case.
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westom

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Surge protection is necessary because a potentially destructive surge may happen once every seven years.

Meanwhile protectors adjacent to appliances do not claim to protect from the other and typically desdtructive surge. Those only claim to protect from near zero surges typically made irrelevant by protection already inside all electronics.

The most important feature on a power strip is its circuit breaker so that an overload does not cause a fire. Best power strips have no protector parts which (being so undersized) can also cause a fire. Best protector is located where utility wires enter the bulding with (and this is most important) a low impedance (ie 'less than 3 meter) connection to the earthing electrode.


 
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makkem

makkem

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Hi
Most good power supplies of which yours is one have inbuilt surge protection so you can get away with not having a protected power strip.
I have not come across a surge protected strip affecting the PSU in this way,perhaps the one you bought was faulty.
When you stated that the PSU was ticking like an electric fence my first thought was a capacitor in the PSU but if it is now working ok then that is not the case.
 
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Solution
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orkweh

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Thanks for the replies guys. I have ruled out the power strip as I tried with my old power strip as well as having the pc plugged in directly to the wall and I still heard the noise.

The noise isn't always there, but I started hearing it right now and decided to write here again. I said in my first post that it sounds like an electrical fence almost, but a better way to explain it is what I've updated the title with, it sounds like a cricket chirping. I can hear it once every second. It isn't very loud.
And as I've also mentioned, it is not the fan that is making the noise, I've tried setting the PSU to hybrid mode where the fan turned off and the sound was still there.

Do you think it's anything to be worried about? I've had it for almost a year now and it's been working without any problems.
 
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orkweh

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Yes I'm sure.

 
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orkweh

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Okay thank you, I'll either do that or contact the store where I bought it.
I recorded a video where you should be able to hear it, at least in the first half. Does that sound like a failing capacitor?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7qjpr7hcbkg65mp/20150629_230019.mp4?dl=0
 
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makkem

makkem

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I can't really hear that unfortunately but I will say that any noise from a PSU is not good so probably want to get it replaced while it is under warranty rather than risk a failure that may take out other components.
 
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