Something making a buzzing noise.
Something making a buzzing noise.
I'm writing this post because I'm uncertain if it's a fan, since it sounds way too soft for that. I've experienced several fans failing and they're not as quiet as this one. I'll share a video below—it's quite subtle, beginning around the 5-second mark, so please increase the volume. Seriously, it's very quiet but also has some bass. This issue occurs roughly every 35 seconds and lasts about 5 seconds before everything returns to normal. During these moments, nothing affects my PC directly. I had multiple monitoring apps open at once, and as soon as that noise starts, everything remains stable. The sound is much louder and persists longer if the PC has been off for a while, particularly during winter. This has been happening for a few years, but it only became bothersome recently since I've moved into a smaller space. It's especially noticeable late at night when I'm trying to sleep and everything is quiet enough for this noise to be audible. I don't hear it during the day because of gaming or noise-cancelling headphones, but there are several possible reasons why I sleep with my PC on—whether it's a dying fan or an issue with my AIO Liquid Cooler. Thanks in advance.
Roll up a sheet of A4 paper into a cylinder, then place one end to your ear while holding the other to locate the noise source. When sharing a troubleshooting thread, provide complete system details in the following format:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
Include the PSU age along with its make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this time.
I'll definitely try this out and thank you. My main goal is to find the original source. If it's the PSU, I can swap the fan easily. The AIO part seems different. Here’s what I have to share:
CPU: i5 10400 @ 2.90Ghz
Cooler: Corsair H150 RGB 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler (purchased June 3 2022)
Motherboard: Gigabyte H510M-H -- Version F7 (updated April 27 2021)
RAM: 32GB (2x16GB)
Storage: 250GB ADATA SX8200 M.2, 2TB Hitachi SSD, 2TB Seagate ST2000 HDD
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Power Supply: I’m not sure about this
Case: Antec NX600
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
Display: Samsung Odyssey 27" 165hz + Samsung Curve 24" 144hz
I don’t know the age, model or brand of the PSU. But I’m certain it’s quite old—less than 10 years but more than 5 years.
It could stem from various sources like wire or tie-down contacting fan blades due to airflow changes, or faulty fan bearings which might produce noise or cause blade-housing contact. You should inspect not just case fans but also GPU, CPU, PSU, and HDD fans. I personally don't like Seagate drives; I'm a firm WD supporter.
This might be true, but I've experienced a Seagate drive failure before and know others who have faced similar issues. The newest version of my gaming setup includes three WD Blue M.2 drives, two WD Black HDDs, and one Crucial MX500. Coming from an MS-DOS era, I've never encountered a WD drive malfunction. Of course, individual outcomes could differ.