Mysterious noise coming from the PC
Mysterious noise coming from the PC
I've recently noticed an odd noise my PC makes every once in a while. Sometimes when doing light work like browsing the internet, and more often when gaming (not constant, maybe once every few minutes), I'll hear what sounds like a pop coming from my PC. It's hard to describe, but it's somewhat similar to the sound you hear when you push and then release on a plastic bottle, or the sound of a switch being flicked. To me it sounds more mechanical than electrical. I tried locating the noise, it seems to originate somewhere around the PSU. Nothing weird occurs aside from the sound, nothing crashes, no smoke or burning smell of any sort. I'm aware that PSU's can make a noise similar to this when the PC is turned off, but this happens during regular operation. Troubleshooting this is also pretty difficult, as it's irregular and seemingly happens at random. I've had a similar issue in the past where my PC would randomly make deep vibrating noises, but I managed to fix that by tightening the screws that held the motherboard. I thought this might be a similar issue, so I tightened the PSU screws slightly, but it didn't make the sounds go away. I attached a recording of the noise that I managed to get on my phone, the sound occurs at the 3 second mark. For context, the PSU is the MSI MAG A750GL 750W 80 Plus Gold PCIe5.0. Does anyone here have any idea what this could be? Is it cause for concern? noise.mp3
I experimented with several games without headphones to track the audio, and I notice it tends to happen more often while playing. I checked during relaxed play, the latest DOOM title, and a customized Minecraft server. It seemed most frequent during the modded Minecraft testing, with DOOM making a delayed noise after entering a level—this ceased once I restarted the game. I’m uncertain if it’s coil whine; my GPU does produce this noise in some titles, but it varies and isn’t always present. I’m also not aware of PSU coil whine, but if it matches the GPU pattern, it would likely be a steady tone rather than a brief sound. I began hearing the issue a few days after a power failure, but I’m unsure if it started only then or if I’ve been extra vigilant about potential damage.
The tapping noise you're hearing isn't caused by any contact during recording or testing. It occurs spontaneously, without any external influence. I've thought about it as a fan speed variation—based on what I read, this PSU's fan operates continuously rather than only under load. However, I'd expect it to produce several taps in a short time instead of just occasional ones. Since everything functions normally except for this noise, it seems the PSU might not be getting enough airflow. I'm planning to remove the PSU from the case today to see if it resolves the issue or if the sound is localized.
I examined all the fans, but none were causing any issues. I removed the PSU and discovered something intriguing—the noise remained inside the case, indicating the PSU wasn’t the problem. When I moved it out, the noise shifted to another part of the PC. I also repositioned everything, yet the sound persisted. It’s not a steady hum like a cable rubbing against a fan; it’s sporadic, happening occasionally. I suspect it might occur when the CPU is active, especially during intense tasks like playing Minecraft.
PSU, GPU and motherboard VRMs may produce noticeable whine, though it's typically a steady sound. To check for GPU coil whine, use a program that runs at maximum performance with full GPU usage, such as Heaven benchmark. For testing CPU noise, try Cinebench R24/R23 under heavy load.
It seems the issue isn't coil whine, as you noticed from testing. Most people report a steady electrical hum, especially under load, but it can vary. Some sounds appear when the system is busy, while others don’t. A friend suggested a different cause—heat from the PC heating up the metal parts in the case, which might produce noise. This idea hasn’t been encountered before with computers.
The PC features internal components such as the motherboard, processor, RAM slots, storage drives, and power supply unit.