Question My PSU is producing arch-like noises
Question My PSU is producing arch-like noises
My 7 month PSU (sesonic) is producing an arching noise suddenly, beginning today after I turned it on. It pauses for about 20 to 30 seconds and this occurs repeatedly.
My specifications:
CPU Ryzen 3600
NVMe add
GPU Nvidia 1660s
Motherboard MSI mpg b550
Sesonic 750w
16gb ram
This isn<|pad|>, this has happened before. I have a TV set up as a monitor and it uses three prongs, the middle one being plastic. It doesn’t have a proper ground connection, and it shocks when you touch the HDMI cable. I’m unsure if this is the cause, but any help would be appreciated.
Happy New Year!
Sesonic 750w is the model in question, with 750W being the claimed power output.
My 7-month-old PSU from Sesonic has been producing unusual noises, starting today after I turned it on—it pauses for about 20 to 30 seconds repeatedly.
In the recording, I also hear a chirping sound and some buzzing. Have you considered moving it to a different power outlet? I saw a power strip nearby, but have you tried using a higher-quality one?
Just a note: you don’t really need a 750W unit to run a system with a Ryzen 5 3600+GTX1660 Super. A solid 550W unit would have been sufficient.
This isn’t the first time this has happened—I own a TV that functions as a monitor, and it has three-prong connectors; the middle one is plastic and isn’t properly grounded. Touching its metal part can cause shocks. It might help if you address the grounding issue.
Contact a certified electrician to check your wiring, ensuring all outlets powering your PC and TV/monitor are properly grounded. Doing this soon could prevent damage to your components.
The wall outlet is grounded. I contacted an electrician at the beginning of 2024 about the issue, and what I explained was that the TV isn't grounded because it has only two metal prongs—one live and one neutral—and the supposed ground prong is made of plastic, which causes it to shock when touched.
This is typical for Class II Double Isolated equipment that doesn't need a ground connection.
Scroll down halfway to learn more about Class II devices without earth requirements.
Since your television isn't grounded, the metal casings of rear panel connectors, such as HDMI inputs, won't automatically match ground potential unless you link them to a grounded device like a PC with a standard earthed ATX power supply.
It's possible a voltage difference could form between the HDMI cable's shell and the mains earth in the AC outlet, which might explain the occasional shock you feel when handling the HDMI plug while touching the exposed metal chassis of your PC during connection.
Even though leakage currents from Class II devices should not pose a serious safety risk, they can still cause mild shocks that are unsettling.
In such cases, it's not advisable to connect the HDMI cable directly from the TV to your PC while the TV is powered on or in standby mode.
The safest approach is to disconnect the HDMI cable from the TV and plug it into your PC when the TV is off or in standby.
This ensures neither device is powered, eliminating any potential difference and preventing shocks when handling the HDMI connection.
With a standard UK 13A mains extension, your home wiring is likely adequate (assuming you live in the UK).
The 17th Edition Wiring Regulations require a mains safety earth connection for all 30A ring main circuits feeding the 13A sockets in your home. This earth is usually linked to a metal water or gas pipe near your main distribution unit.
However, this isn't always guaranteed with cheaper 13A mains extensions; the earth connection in your extension strip could be faulty.
Although I've heard about this topic, aside from the PSU fan noise, I only noticed a few clicks at first.
Many ATX power supplies include a relay that makes a clicking sound when mains is applied to the PC. This temporarily bypasses surge protection components, and the click is normal. You might also hear a click when disconnecting the PSU or toggling the rear panel switch.
Any audible arcing indicates a problem. A likely cause is the small mains switch on the back of your ATX power supply, which can fail after daily use.
Even with surge protection via a varistor, brief spikes up to 100A can pass through the switch contacts each time they close. In the example provided, it reached 87.6A at 230V AC.
Many ATX power supplies have relays rated for only 6A or 10A, and repeated arcing can wear them down quickly, requiring replacement after prolonged use.
If your PSU is only seven months old, it's surprising if the switch has failed so soon—but a friend had an arcing switch in his ATX PSU, which he flipped the rear panel on/off four to five times daily. After five years, the switch was completely damaged, with blackened contacts and molten metal inside.
If you frequently toggle the switch on the back of your ATX power supply, it could be contributing to arcing issues. The noise is usually an intermittent fizzing or crackling sound, occurring most often when the PC is powered on and the computer runs.
The only safe fix if the switch is damaged is to replace the PSU and avoid using the built-in on/off switch too often.
Alternatively, another component in your PSU might be failing, or something else in the computer could be the issue. It's hard to pinpoint without further testing.
Try using a cardboard tube as a makeshift stethoscope to pinpoint the source of the sound.