Noisy PSU

[Jsplinter]

First two days my i7-2600k system was almost silent, but today I started noticing a little bit of a whirring. It's gotten louder and it's like a high pitched electrical sound coming from my Corsair 850 HX. I don't think I can live with this noise for the next two years.

Is there any type of mod I can try on the PSU to make it quieter?
If/when I RMA, should I go with the same model or is there one that is especially respected for being quiet. Most of the reviews for this PSU indicated it would be quiet, and for the first couple days it really was. I wish I knew what happened.

 

[phaedrus2129]

First two days my i7-2600k system was almost silent, but today I started noticing a little bit of a whirring. It's gotten louder and it's like a high pitched electrical sound coming from my Corsair 850 HX. I don't think I can live with this noise for the next two years.

Is there any type of mod I can try on the PSU to make it quieter?
If/when I RMA, should I go with the same model or is there one that is especially respected for being quiet. Most of the reviews for this PSU indicated it would be quiet, and for the first couple days it really was. I wish I knew what happened.

One of three things:

Capacitor squeal (unlikely)
Inductor whine
Transformer whine

The latter two are the same thing really (a transformer being two inductors sharing the same core), but is much more difficult to fix.

The only real mod you can do is open up the power supply and use some kind of lacquer (make sure it's non-conductive) (non-metallic nail polish is confirmed to work) to coat every inductor you see:

The lacquer will lock the coils of the inductor in place and stop them from vibrating (that's what's making the noise).

However, if the whining doesn't stop after that mod, then that means the sound is probably coming from one of the transformers, which means the fix is much more difficult. Transformers are usually wrapped in tape and have multiple layers of coils. It usually isn't practical to try the lacquer method on them.

Opening up your power supply to do this mod will void you warranty in a big way and isn't guaranteed to work.



Your choice; that or an RMA.

 

[Joshwaa]

Deffinatly RMA it. I have 2 HX850 one I have owned since 2009. They are both Quiet and Flawless. Never had a problem.

 

[Jsplinter]

Best answer selected by Jsplinter.