Why is my SB51G the noisiest PC in the world!?

[DavidH]

HELP!

OK, so maybe a slight exaggeration but my poor old Shuttle SB51G makes such a racket I have to leave the room. I can't have it on for long periods of time as I start getting crazy tinnitus in my ears!

So guys - is it true that Shuttle PSUs are notoriously noisy? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to resolve.

The noises are FAN noises, not HD. It's not my the fan on my graphics cards as I've tried running using the on-board adapter and it's just as noisy!

Would appreciate any help or advice you can give, it's like working at Heathrow here!

Thanks

David

[Alan]

The solution (http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1761.html)

[Sharky]

Try teh fan in the ICE first, if its still the same then try the Silent X PSU :)

[creeky]

Hello,

Have you tried stopping the graphics card fan for a few seconds to see if that's causing problems?

[DavidH]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the super fast replies!

I've rolled up a piece of paper and used it to stop the PSU fan for a couple of seconds and it makes all the difference, so I'm certain that's the culprit.

Thanks for the link Allan - I got a bit of a shock when I saw the price :eek:. Does anyone know of a cheaper solution or perhaps anyone got a silent shuttle PSU for sale a bit cheaper than £43.00?

I'm almost half tempted to upgrade if the PSU alone is going to cost me that much. Do you know if the new shuttle models use this quiet PSU or is this a special retro-fit job?

Thanks

David

[[M]uuhh]

some newer shuttles have them prefitted.

[kimandsally]

In my opinion generic psu's are made as cheaply as possible it might be worth fitting a new fan to the psu here is a link you might find usefull http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=9&page=1

Obviously this is not your psu but I hope it might give you some idea's, a good look around this site will almost certainly help you make your choice ;)

[Alan]

If you want to and are handy enough, try replacing the fan in the PSU. Don't pick one with any sort of speed control but look at whatever fans without speed control show the lowest noise levels. Don't pick the really quiet SilenX ones because they are probably too slow for the PSU.

Working on a PSU is potentially dangerous because of the high voltages stored (even when switched off) in the capacitors. Recommendations are to switch the PSU off and don't open it until THREE DAYS have passed.

[DavidH]

Again, many thanks for all the responses.

The thought of frying on some crazy capacitors doesn't sound too tempting, however, I'll have a peek at the PSU with a big isulated screwdriver, some rubber gloves and wellies and see if it's something I could manage. If anyone has done this before and knows of a fan that fits (and is powerful enough) without chopping the PSU case to bits I would appreciate a link.

If I get a fan that isn't powerful enough what is the worse that can happen? PSU explodes or can it mess up my entire system? (I'm guessing it's the latter).

Damn shuttle and their cheap PSU fans! Great PCs tho :)

[pdf27]

Probably funny burning smells followed by the PSU dying. I'd doubt it would take anything with it though.
If you disconnect the PSU from the mains, turn the computer on a couple of times then treat all metal parts that you can't normally touch as live (i.e. don't touch them) you should be perfectly safe. I've changed my PSU fan in the past, then had to open it up again as it was blowing the wrong way (oops!). It's no big deal, you just need to be careful.
There's also often a fair bit you can do to the PSU case to improve airflow. Mine had the horrible stamped grilles, which I twisted 90 degrees with a pair of pliers. That probably added about 50% to the airflow.