Brand new PSU periodically making faint buzzing electric noise

KUR0KO

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even when switched off (but still plugged to the wall).

Does this mean that the problem is from the house's power sockets/cable/strip, not the Cooler Master PSU?

Thanx

There's no grounding or surge protector BTW, I wanted to get a Smart UPS but it's too expensive :(
 

socialfox

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I highly recommend you RMA the unit asap, what your probably hearing is called coil squeal. Sometimes the caps while charging and discharging noises but it is not normal for a brand new power supply that is not even pushed to its max capacity. Considering it occurs even when switched off urges me to tell you to rip that thing out of your computer right now before something bad happens to one of the components or that power supply bursts into flames or tons of smokes starts to show up :pt1cable:
 

KUR0KO

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So it's the PSU, not wall socket or power strip's fault?

I've read somewhere while searching on the web that a guy fixed this problem by getting a new power strip
 

socialfox

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You can try to buy a power strip but the noise is definitely because of the coil squeal, technically its okay to hear some squealing noise when its on and near full power usage but you claim when its off its making that noise leads me to believe you have defective caps. Of course even though your computer is off your computer still uses electricity, this is called phantom load, your computer still needs electricity in it to respond to your touching of the power button. As a suggestion let me know if you hear the noise when you turn off the power strip itself (should have a red switch on the power strip to turn it off from where I am from).

Also this is a common issue for low end power supplies including cooler master, they are made so cheaply that they fail real easily and die out within a year or two. This does not apply if you have one of those high end cooler master power supplies. Technically from now on I suggest buying from well known brands such as Antec, Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, Pc power and cooling, Enermax, Kingwin and maybe Raidmax. Point is these brands may not be all available to you based on your geographic area. If your in North America then you will find all these brands. What all these brands have in common is that they use quality parts in the power supplies and they ACCURATELY label their power supplies and so it provides just about the same amount of watts labelled.
 

KUR0KO

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It's more like a mid-end PSU, not low end. It's bronze rated and modular :D

The noises often last for only a few minutes. Earlier today, the PSU made buzzing noise before I turn it on, and stopped when unplugged. Didn't make any noises during a long gaming period later though
 

socialfox

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Ok if it does stop buzzing when you unplug the power cord from it then your culprit is the power supply. Anyways what is the exact model of the power supply?

Even the best of power supplies can have issues but its those good companies that allow you to RMA it for another product. If you power supply is actually bronze rated and modular I presume you just got that one lemon out of an entire branch which is unfortunate.
 

socialfox

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Okay that power supply is a really good one since it is one of Cooler Master's high end ones, what I mean by high end refers to the quality of their power supply and the watts it actually provides. Is there by any change you know how much amps your using on the 12v rail? Once again if your near 100% load your experiencing noise from your coils which is okay to hear but since it occurs even when its off that leads to a defective power supply.

Hope you all the best in your RMA,

Socialfox :)
 
Sounds like a coil whine. Yea I would recommend like others have mentioned to return the power supply. Also I would suggest perhaps going with a different power supply. The one you have is good I just have a easier time buying from a seasonic based psu maker they tend to have more favorable reviews/results.

CORSAIR: 109.99 then 20 dollar MIR brings it to 89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021&Tpk=corsair%20tx750

Where as
Coolermaster: 114.99 with MIR 99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171067
 

socialfox

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+1^ if you can when you get the RMA perhaps sell it? Use the money to buy a quality power supply as I stated above " Antec, Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, Pc power and cooling, Enermax, Kingwin and maybe Raidmax." Though I highly doubt the chances of you getting a defective power supply twice in a row.
 

socialfox

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I would recommend it on the new replacement power supply he gets but not on the current one, wouldn't surprise me if he did stress out his current power supply and heap loads of smoke comes out or even possible fire or sparks occur :pt1cable:
 

KUR0KO

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I got a new one today.

They switched the main unit, not the cables, and after installing, it made an extreme buzzing noise before I even hit the power switch... :fou:

Then I asked them to gimme a new power cable too, and now it's not making any noises, so maybe only the power cable is defective, but who knows? :pt1cable:
 

socialfox

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Wait your problem was in the power cord? As in the cord that connects the power supply to the wall socket or extension? Are there any tears in the power cable?

Interesting, never thought there could be defective power cables. I still have 10 year old power supply power cables that still work to this very day :lol:
 

KUR0KO

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Yes, the PSU's power cord. But I still don't know for sure.

When it's making noise, it buzzes even when switched off

When it's not making noise, it stays quiet even after 6 hours of playing Sleeping Dogs...

So maybe it's just not buzzing time yet :sarcastic:

The 12v rail is now 12.096v, not 12.192v like the old PSU BTW :??:
 

socialfox

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The voltage on the 12v rail is fine, you have a problem if its below 12v. I guess there you should try another wall socket. Generally, the power supply is still giving off minimal power to the motherboard (phantom load) so the power button responds but it should not be buzzing. Also try taking your power supply out and re-mounting it and screwing it in tight (but not to the point you strip the screws). The power supply should not be wiggling.
 

InvalidError

Titan
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"Coil whine" comes from inductor/transformer windings or a loose transformer core, not capacitors. Depending on the exact cause, it can happen at any load level and may not necessarily be a problem aside from the annoyance factor.

Since the noise happens even when the PC is off, the noise must be coming from the 5VSB supply.

I have an 8 years old PSU with 'coil whine' while in standby. The whine's pitch changes in sync with the blinking standby LED. Aside from the slight annoyance, I haven't had any (other) problems with it.