Pc case vibrating and noisy.

Sep 7, 2015
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i decided to upgrade my pc. so i built a new one but with some older components from my old pc.
here are my specs and i labeled each of them weather it is a new or old item:

g3258 oc 4.5ghz (NEW)
msi z97 gaming 3 (NEW)
deepcool maelstrom 240T (NEW)
sapphire r9 290 vapor x "non-oc" (NEW)
aerocool KCAS 750W PSU 80+ B (NEW)
NZXT Phantom 410 (NEW)

WD BLUE 500GB (OLD 2011)
Kingston DDR3 Value Ram 1333 2x4gb (OLD 2012)

here is the question. my pc case is making this weird vibration sound sometime. usually when i open a program like dota or movies. i thought it was because of my old chassis which is dirt cheap. but it happens even when i have a new case.

is it because of my HDD? cuz whenever it vibrates, it usually goes away whenever i apply some pressure on the case surface near the HDD drive cage. im not sure.. and i dont wanna invest some money on a new HDD or even SSD until someone can clarify this to me.

im still a new pc builder. this is my 1st time built since my previous pc was a ready made.
help. please dont hesitate to ask me anything for further info. thx
 
Solution
If the sound seems to be coming from the hdd tray area and stops when you put your hand on the case (dampening it), and it's happening when you're opening files or other disk intensive activity it's probably a slight vibration from the drive resonating through the case. All mechanical drives have a very slight/subtle vibration. It doesn't mean they're dying unless the drive is vibrating badly, but even on new drives if you lightly rest your fingertips on the metal housing you can feel the seek/head activity ever so slightly. If there are two pieces like the hdd tray and the slot where the sled slides into which have even a small gap and slight amount of play tiny vibrations can be magnified to sound much worse than they are.

I would...

galeener

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Do you have any case fans that me be vibrating? You could unplug one case fan at a time to see if that maybe the issue. Usually if a hdd is making enough noise to vibrate you whole system it may be on its way to dieing. Hopefully its not that I would try the fans first then maybe try you video card your proccessor has built in graphics so you could start your system with it removed also to see if it may be vibrating. I see you also overclocking maybe you fans are cranked up to max rpm this could cause vibration also . Its best to try to boot with minimum parts in system and add 1 at a time to see when the vibration starts.
 

jbseven

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Dec 2, 2011
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start by disconnecting the side case fan. Those are the ones most likely to cause your case to vibrate. If it is the side fan, you will need to use rubber fan mounts and keep the side panel as tightly secured as possible.
 
Sep 7, 2015
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4,530


i dont have a side case fan. however i have 5 chassis fans excluding the PSU fan. 2x 120mm for the radiator at top, 1x140mm for the front panel. 1x120mm rear exhaust and 1x120mm bottom exhaust(next to the PSU).

which would likely be the cause. maybe i can unplug that one 1st. :)
 
Sep 7, 2015
36
0
4,530


my gpu is new and has an LED which shows me the temperature on it. using it at stock so temps are very low and the smart fan system is working. i dont think its my gpu. i will try out jbseven's method of unplugging fans 1st.
but here is the thing, is it safe to disconnect my radiator fan? wouldnt my cpu be overheating too much later?
i will still do the gpu check as a last resort before buying a new HDD or even an SSD to try fix the issue. i need the extra storage anyways. :3
 

galeener

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try all but the fans for the cpu first even though you gpu is new i was just trying to make sure you tried everything even though something is new doesn't mean it cant make noise. thats why I said try to have just the basics in your system then add 1 thing each time till you find the noise.
 
Sep 7, 2015
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4,530


Alright i will get to it as soon as i had the time. Thx for the advice :)
 
If the sound seems to be coming from the hdd tray area and stops when you put your hand on the case (dampening it), and it's happening when you're opening files or other disk intensive activity it's probably a slight vibration from the drive resonating through the case. All mechanical drives have a very slight/subtle vibration. It doesn't mean they're dying unless the drive is vibrating badly, but even on new drives if you lightly rest your fingertips on the metal housing you can feel the seek/head activity ever so slightly. If there are two pieces like the hdd tray and the slot where the sled slides into which have even a small gap and slight amount of play tiny vibrations can be magnified to sound much worse than they are.

I would try opening the side panel and using a finger or two put some pressure on the drive/drive sled while opening a game or movie and see if it quiets the sound. If so you've found the culprit and you'll need to find a way to tighten the fitment of the drive sled into the case. Maybe a small piece of paper folded once or twice, anything small enough to make it fit tight and kill the transfer of vibration. Many times drive trays 'click' into place so they have to be released to remove them but that only keep the drive tray from sliding out freely. It doesn't mean a snug fit to the channel that it slides into and can still 'rattle' around a bit. It's one of the key areas people concentrate on using mechanical drives with a system they wish to quiet down and have gone so far as to use rubber bands, elastic straps, cordage etc in place of drive trays - called 'drive suspension'. It eliminates that vibration transfer.
 
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Solution
Sep 7, 2015
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omg it worked... i just put a folded piece of paper between the HDD and the mount.. it solves it.. been running for a day no noise at all. thx for the help. thx to all that help. really saved my wallet there. :D now i can finally buy the SSD ive been dying to get. cheers~
 

galeener

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Nice fix if you don't like how stylish the paper fix is a piece of foam rubber or a oring would work or even some silicone liquid gasket the silicone you could also get in various colors to match so you cant actually see it in your system any hardware store or online. All these would be easy to remove also. I never even though about the hdd vibrating that much but mine are on rubber mounts so i quess i wouldnt notice.