The power supply is emitting a buzzing and whining sound.
The power supply is emitting a buzzing and whining sound.
I just bought an Apevia Warlock 750W after the last one (from 2008, no less) lost over 50% of its power. Couldn't even run Skyrim past the loading screen before overpower protection kicked in.
So I bought a newer one, seems to be a newer revision because instead of four standard 8-pins and two six-pins it's only got two six-pins and two 8-pins for PCI devices.
It's a little noisy but I don't mind because it's gonna be in my case and my games/music will overloud it anyway.
It runs my PC at idle fine, but when I boot up Fallout 4, it starts buzzing. I have a short video of it:
https://youtu.be/z10S3LSO8JY
Any insight? Stick with my Corsair CX600?
My perspective aligns quite a bit, thank you for your energy and dedication to all the customization efforts—that’s a significant amount of work and really attractive for people who care about technology and gadgets. Choosing a PSU like that is similar to climbing mountains with premium gear but using low-quality ropes. Even some green-labeled CX series aren’t great, but they’re still much better than Apevia.
Is this the correct product? It appears to be a poorly made PSU with bad quality and design. The input selector switch is for 115/230 volts, but in 2006 that was unusual. Combined 48 amps on 12V equals 576W, which would be considered 600-650W at the highest standards today. Run fast, run far!
Is this the correct product? The design and build quality seem poor. The input selector switch supports 115/230 volts, but it's from 2006. It delivers a combined 48 amps at 12V, which is about 576W. By today’s standards, it would be considered a 600-650W unit. This is outdated compared to modern specifications. Run fast, run far! My Corsair CX600 has a 115/225 input selector. A 576W output is sufficient for a single 1070 and an 80W Xeon. I’ll continue using the Corsair for testing motherboards and other parts.
Some might have thought it was too much but that was an outdated design and current good units rarely include that. That 576W is sufficient as long as it maintains a steady clean output of 576W under load and if temperatures increase slightly inside the case. It's a solid option, after all, since the performance of everything inside the case relies heavily on the power supply unit.
Satan-IR :
Others might have tried too, but that was an old design and modern units usually don't include it. That 576W is sufficient as long as it maintains a steady clean output under load and if temperatures rise slightly inside the case. That's a solid option; of course, everything inside the case relies heavily on the PSU. It could work for a few years without issues, but it might fail after a short time and cause other components to fail too. I'm currently using my Corsair power supply, but if Apevia proves reliable during testing, I might switch. The buzzing is really concerning, especially since I've overclocked my Xeon, so I don't want to risk damaging anything by using a weak PSU until I'm sure the power supply can handle it.
EquineHero:
Satan-IR:
Others might have tried before, but that was an outdated design. Modern units usually don't include that. The 576W is sufficient as long as it maintains a steady 576W output under load and if temperatures rise slightly inside the case. That's a solid option; everything inside the case relies heavily on the power supply unit.
It could work for a few years without issues, but it might fail after a short time and also affect other components. I'm currently using a Corsair power supply, but if Apevia proves to be stable during testing, I might switch. The buzzing is really unsettling, especially since I've overclocked my Xeon. I don't want to risk damaging anything by using a faulty PSU.
Typically I have three screens, but I upgraded my motherboard and added a water-cooled 1070. Here it is inside my case with my new configuration (yes, I secured the 120mm AI-O with a zip tie onto my GTX 1070—definitely a mistake!).
How will you know if this unit is reliable? Even if it functions, it doesn't guarantee it won't fail sooner than a properly designed PSU. My experience suggests that if a PSU makes unusual sounds while working under load, it's best to discard it. On another note, why choose something that causes anxiety? It would make me anxious too, hearing it constantly make noises.
The cooling setup is interesting—what are the temperatures for the GPU and VRAM, along with VRMS? Have you taken any measurements besides those from the card sensors? What model is your graphics card?
Satan-IR is asking about ways to assess reliability. Even if something can stand on its own, it doesn't guarantee it would fail sooner than a properly engineered and robust PSU. My observations suggest that if a PSU produces sounds while operating and under load, it should be discarded. On a different note, using something that causes discomfort is not ideal—it would make me anxious too.
The cooling system seems intriguing; what are the temperatures for the GPU, VRAM, VRMS, etc.? Have you taken any readings other than those from the card sensors? What model is the card?
I own an nVidia GTX 1070 Founder's Edition with Samsung memory. I really like it—it performs well. With a CPU cooler like this, I reach around 55°C when overclocked to 2125MHz on Unigine Superposition. I plan to upgrade the radiator eventually, but for now, I’ll monitor how the pump holds up over a few months.
On air, it hit 60°C with full fan speed during Unigine runs, and it couldn’t reach even 2100MHz.
Regarding VRAM... I won’t overclock the RAM further until I get full copper minisinks for each chip. It’s currently at +400MHz, and each chip stays stable around 45-50°C under load.
As for the VRMs... they definitely need a fan. I’m planning to buy a Noctual 80mm PWM fan and mount it directly on the card’s PWM header with a custom acrylic bracket, avoiding the issue of not having a proper mounting solution. I already have an 80mm non-PWM fan connected via a 5V USB header.
They get quite hot during overclocking, and the power shunt bypass is still in place. This unit draws about 275W on its own.
My Xeon model generates significantly more heat than the 1070, likely due to its IHS design and larger die size.
With my 240mm radiator when boosted to 3.9GHz (stock at 3.7), I haven’t measured load temperatures—just checked Reddit, Imgur, Facebook, and some Unigine forums. Under normal conditions with Unigine, temps stay below 65°C, though I’ve turned off thermal throttling in my BIOS to avoid that threshold.
My RAM, thanks to the BCLK OC, runs at 1410MHz, and the capacitors warm up a bit, but it’s not a problem.
Haha, my whole system is overclocked except for the drives and SSD—even the fans are running at 110%...
This setup lives comfortably on its own in its old grandma-style desk. Here’s a closer look at the pump for the 120mm radiator. Many people enjoy RGB lighting and brands like Thermaltake or Corsair, but I prefer a solid color design.