Comp gets really noisy

[alphaz2kool]

Hey everyone, heres my problem. When I first built my comp, it was relatively silent; i mean you could barely tell when it was on. This was about a year ago. Now in the past several months the idle noise has really increased. When I am rendering, the noise gets really loud. I have cleaned all of the case filters regulary so I know they are not clogged with dust. Also, I know that when rendering you generate a lot of heat; but im just not sure what component is generating the noise. At first I thought it was the the heatsink, but the other day when it got really loud I felt near the back and it seemed like the PSU was putting out a lot of heat. I just want to make sure that nothing is going to die on me. Oh yeah, here are my specs...

P4 3.0 GHZ HT Processor
Sparkle PSU 400 Watts
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256 MB, 256 Bit
(2x) 512 MB Kingston DDR PC-3200
200 GB Maxtor 7200 RPM HD
ASUS P4P800 E Deluxe Mobo

Could it be the video card? I have heard that the 9800's can get rather loud, but since it happens when rendering i dont think that could be it because, unless im mistaken, the video card is not used during rendering. (At least not yet anyway.)

[Cricket]

Sparkle Power power supplies aren't the most quiet power supplies around and it very well be the power supply fan making all that noise.

Have you opened the case and listened for the noise to pinpoint what's making it?

:) Cricket

[alphaz2kool]

I have opened the case to check for the source of the noise, but it is very hard to tell whether it is coming from the PSU or the Heatsink because they are very close together. It seemed as though it was coming from the heatsink, but i cant be sure.

[Cricket]

Turn the computer off and disconnect it from the wall outlet. Disconnect the hard drive so the computer doesn't try to boot to Windows. Put a straw or similar in the power supply fan to keep the blades from spinning. Turn on the computer and see if the noise level is the same. If the noise level is less, it's the PSU fan making the noise. If the noise is the same, it's the CPU heatsink fan.

:) Cricket

[ror_b211]

If its the PSU, get one with a big 120mm fan underneath instead of an 80mm one at the back, they're much quieter.

[alphaz2kool]

Ok, I had decided to just leave it be for a while as it was not causing any real problems. Until tonight of course. So here it is. I was rendering out an image and suddenly my computer just gives me the blue screen of death and makes me restart. The only time that I usually have blue screens is when I insert a DVD or mount a DVD ISO. (More on that on a previous thread here http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=121178 , still unresolved by the way) This has me kind of worried. It was a bit hot in my room when it happened. Maybe my CPU overheated and shut down? That doesnt sound too likely though because I dont think that the temps got above 40 C or so (best guess). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

[alphaz2kool]

Well, I finally had time to look at it again, and it seems as if it is the heatsink that is making the extra noise, especially when the computer is under load. Should I be worried about this?

[Jaggannath]

Try leaving the side of the computer off and using an external fan to blow into the case... see if this has any effect. If it does, then I'd suggest it may be a problem

[Cricket]

How many case fans do you have installed? And how are they oriented?

:) Cricket

[alphaz2kool]

Well, my case came with a lot of fans, like 5 or some crazy number. Anyway, there are intake fans on the front, top and side; and outtake fans on the side and back. I think thats how they are set up. My case is a Thermaltake Xaser V Damier V5000D if that helps any. You can find it here.... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133128

[David M]

Are you sure? The intake fans are generally on the front and low and on the side as well. The exhaust fans are generally on the back and top. If they are not, this is how they should be.

[alphaz2kool]

Im sorry, I had it wrong. I looked it up and it turns out that the intake fans are on the side and the front; and the exhaust fans are on the back and top. Sorry.

[mummer43]

I am having the same problem. I am pretty sure it's your CPU fan. I just ordered a Thermalright XP-90 heatsink with a 92 mm fan. If I were you, I'd do the same.