Seasonic Prime 750w PSU Fan Noise

[Zac w]

Hey guys,

 

So I have just put together a new build and I purchased a Seasonic Prime series 750 w Titanium power supply. Now the unit itself is fine, no or minimal coil whine and it does it's intended job of well.. powering my computer. What I absolutely cannot stand however is that it's fan is always spinning regardless of if I have the Eco button turned on or off and it makes this horrible grinding sound. As my system is fully water-cooled it is the only sound I can hear coming from my computer and it drives me and my ms absolutely nuts as I can hear it over game sounds. 

 

I have RMA the first unit thinking it must be a product fault but after doing some googling it appears it's due to the fluid dynamic bearings Seasonic has opted for using. 

 

I have messaged the retailer I bought the PSU from requesting a refund however I do not know what alternatives they are. I am powering a single 1080 TI and an overclocked 8700k among a ton of fan accessories a pump among some other things like RGB lighting. I think I like the idea of staying in the 750 - 850 watt range (I know some of you are going to say overkill but it's like $10 more usually between 650-750) 

 

I was wondering if anybody could suggest me a good PSU that is silent I have heard be quiet! are exceptionally good I unfortunately do not have the time right now as work is crazy to do a lot of my own research so any suggestions would be great, also prefer fully modular for cabling purposes. 

 

 

[zombienerd]

Just replace the fan.  It's not that hard.  Most of them use standard 120-140mm mounts, and have a PWM fan connector.  Measure the fan mount hole spacing, pick your preferred fan, open up the PSU, and swap it out.

[Imbellis]

If you haven't taken a look at the PSU Tier list, I'd recommend it.

 

Most brands list the fan that they're using in the PSU (If not, you can ask). You could then narrow it down to ones with good fans.

Here's a list of some of the BeQuiet! PSUs.

As far as fan spinning, I'm pretty sure some Corsair PSUs have fan-off modes.

[Thermosman]

4 minutes ago, zombienerd said:

Just replace the fan.  It's not that hard.  Most of them use standard 120-140mm mounts, and have a PWM fan connector.  Measure the fan mount hole spacing, pick your preferred fan, open up the PSU, and swap it out.

Taking apart a psu is dangerous and not recommended for most users due to high voltages remaining in the capacitors after use.

[Imbellis]

2 minutes ago, zombienerd said:

Just replace the fan.  It's not that hard.  Most of them use standard 120-140mm mounts, and have a PWM fan connector.  Measure the fan mount hole spacing, pick your preferred fan, open up the PSU, and swap it out.

Personally, I'd highly recommend against that. If you don't know what you're doing and make a mistake - a bad one - you can injure yourself.

 

Additionally, he's already requested a refund - so there's no PSU to replace the fan on (unless he buys another one he doesn't like).

[zombienerd]

He didn't say that he got a refund, he said he inquired about one.

 

The likelyhood of zapping yourself in a high end PSU is slim unless you remove the PSU board from the housing and play with it before attempting a manual discharge with a grounded tool, or discharging it before opening by turning off the main switch and pressing the power button on the PC.  If you know the PSU works, and have discharged it while still connected (or discharged with a resistor or grounding probe after) it's usually safe to open to change out a fan, or for any other reason.

 

Opening a failed PSU can be slightly more dangerous, as it may have damaged bleeder resistors which automatically drain the caps over time. 
 

That being said, if you're afraid of getting zapped with up to 360V, then don't open one up.  I've taken as much as 1500vdc across my hand from a AN/SPS-67 Radar System and a little jolt here and there doesn't scare me anymore if I miss something.

 

 

[Imbellis]

3 minutes ago, zombienerd said:

He didn't say that he got a refund, he said he inquired about one.

 

The likelyhood of zapping yourself in a high end PSU is slim unless you remove the PSU board from the housing and play with it before attempting a manual discharge with a grounded tool, or discharging it before opening by turning off the main switch and pressing the power button on the PC.  If you know the PSU works, and have discharged it while still connected (or discharged with a resistor or grounding probe after) it's usually safe to open to change out a fan, or for any other reason.

 

Opening a failed PSU can be slightly more dangerous, as it may have damaged bleeder resistors which automatically drain the caps over time. 
 

That being said, if you're afraid of getting zapped with up to 360V, then don't open one up.  I've taken as much as 1500vdc across my hand from a AN/SPS-67 Radar System and a little jolt here and there doesn't scare me anymore if I miss something.

 

 

3

You're right. I should revise my statement:

If you decide to open your PSU, be careful and follow safety guidelines or some deconstruction guide (for specific PSU if possible)

[STRMfrmXMN]

32 minutes ago, zombienerd said:

Just replace the fan.  It's not that hard.  Most of them use standard 120-140mm mounts, and have a PWM fan connector.  Measure the fan mount hole spacing, pick your preferred fan, open up the PSU, and swap it out.

Lol what? He buys a $200 PSU with a 10-year warranty and you suggest he replace the fan? The problem OP has is the thermal probe detecting that the fan needs to be on all the time because the unit is warm enough. Replacing the fan and potentially having to solder on a new fan connection is not worth the time.

 

31 minutes ago, Imbellis said:

If you haven't taken a look at the PSU Tier list, I'd recommend it.

 

Most brands list the fan that they're using in the PSU (If not, you can ask). You could then narrow it down to ones with good fans.

Here's a list of some of the BeQuiet! PSUs.

As far as fan spinning, I'm pretty sure some Corsair PSUs have fan-off modes.

His unit is at the tippy top of the list sir.

[STRMfrmXMN]

38 minutes ago, Zac w said:

Hey guys,

 

So I have just put together a new build and I purchased a Seasonic Prime series 750 w Titanium power supply. Now the unit itself is fine, no or minimal coil whine and it does it's intended job of well.. powering my computer. What I absolutely cannot stand however is that it's fan is always spinning regardless of if I have the Eco button turned on or off and it makes this horrible grinding sound. As my system is fully water-cooled it is the only sound I can hear coming from my computer and it drives me and my ms absolutely nuts as I can hear it over game sounds. 

 

I have RMA the first unit thinking it must be a product fault but after doing some googling it appears it's due to the fluid dynamic bearings Seasonic has opted for using. 

 

I have messaged the retailer I bought the PSU from requesting a refund however I do not know what alternatives they are. I am powering a single 1080 TI and an overclocked 8700k among a ton of fan accessories a pump among some other things like RGB lighting. I think I like the idea of staying in the 750 - 850 watt range (I know some of you are going to say overkill but it's like $10 more usually between 650-750) 

 

I was wondering if anybody could suggest me a good PSU that is silent I have heard be quiet! are exceptionally good I unfortunately do not have the time right now as work is crazy to do a lot of my own research so any suggestions would be great, also prefer fully modular for cabling purposes. 

 

 

The grinding sound you're hearing is likely the fan being in limbo between being on and off constantly. It might actually make less noise if you leave the fan mode on normal.

[zombienerd]

8 minutes ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

Lol what? He buys a $200 PSU with a 10-year warranty and you suggest he replace the fan? The problem OP has is the thermal probe detecting that the fan needs to be on all the time because the unit is warm enough. Replacing the fan and potentially having to solder on a new fan connection is not worth the time.

I'd disagree, with a caveat.  As I stated, most high end PSU's have a standard 4 pin PWM connector, and a standard dimension fan.  You can pick up a nice quiet PWM airflow case fan for $20 that doesn't have the fluid bearings, and have nice quiet operation in a PSU that otherwise is one of the best on the market.

 

My caveat is the warranty. That's a good point.  I don't know if SeaSonic has a tamper evidence warranty sticker on the casing.

 

If his retailer accepts the refund request, my post is moot, but if they don't, and you can replace it without dicking with a warranty sticker - what's the harm?

On a side note, Thanks for all of your work on the PSU List - you're the reason my machine rocks the Focus Gold

[STRMfrmXMN]

7 minutes ago, zombienerd said:

I'd disagree, with a caveat.  As I stated, most high end PSU's have a standard 4 pin PWM connector, and a standard dimension fan.  You can pick up a nice quiet PWM airflow case fan for $20 that doesn't have the fluid bearings, and have nice quiet operation in a PSU that otherwise is one of the best on the market.

 

My caveat is the warranty. That's a good point.  I don't know if SeaSonic has a tamper evidence warranty sticker on the casing.

 

If his retailer accepts the refund request, my post is moot, but if they don't, and you can replace it without dicking with a warranty sticker - what's the harm?

On a side note, Thanks for all of your work on the PSU List - you're the reason my machine rocks the Focus Gold

This is true, but I'd imagine the fan is probably not a convenient form-factor and replacing it with a PSU that high-end is just not worth it IMO when the warranty is long and yes, by replacing the fan you are voiding the warranty,

[Stefan Payne]

4 hours ago, Zac w said:

I have RMA the first unit thinking it must be a product fault

but after doing some googling it appears it's due to the fluid dynamic bearings Seasonic has opted for using. 

No,its a design/product decision.

And no, its not the bearing, its the motor...

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Zac w said:

I was wondering if anybody could suggest me a good PSU that is silent I have heard be quiet! are exceptionally good I unfortunately do not have the time right now as work is crazy to do a lot of my own research so any suggestions would be great, also prefer fully modular for cabling purposes. 

Yes, they are as they are the only ones who use such good quality fans. And those are expensive as hell....

 

Thats why many companys (=most) cheap out on the fan because most people don't care about the noise...

[Zac w]

Thanks guys for all the responses! been at work all day so I do appreciate you all taking the time to suggest some ideas for me.

 

The company I bought the product from has taken an interest in the matter and would like to get in contact with Seasonic about it on my behalf to try and approve for a return of the product. I think I will be able to get a store credit but the reality is I really carefully chose all the parts for this upcoming build to be of top notch quality. This company doesn't seem to stock any of the be quite! power supplies. If it didn't void my warranty I would probably go for manual fan replacement but I have a couple more ideas.

 

1. The PSU is kind of put on it's side as I have a Lian Li PC-011. So the PSU is on it's side and blows air out the side of the case, not much I can do about it's orientation but could that be contributing to it making a different noise?

 

2. One of you suggested that it could be because the unit is hot and it's motor noise is occurring from spin ups/ down. I wonder once I put my system under water lowering overall component heat if that would in turn also reduce power draw = lower spinning fan.

 

Further to the above problem, if I turn the fan on to be constant the noise it makes is just.. yuckie haha. I recorded the sound on my phone let me know what you guys think. This is the second unit both seem to have had it.

Seasonic Fan Noise.mp3

[Stefan Payne]

9 hours ago, Zac w said:

The company I bought the product from has taken an interest in the matter and would like to get in contact with Seasonic about it on my behalf to try and approve for a return of the product.

In Germany there are some complaints about the fan in the Hardwareluxx forum. One user even had 4 Prime or so and was unhappy with everyone of them. So you should replace them...

 

9 hours ago, Zac w said:

If it didn't void my warranty I would probably go for manual fan replacement but I have a couple more ideas.

 

No, just replace the PSU with one that suits you. There aren't many really quiet units on the market, sadly, but there are a couple.

 

What does the shop you bought it from have?

Silverstone Strider Platinum is OK, Bitfenix Whisper M (450 and 550W are quieter than 650W and above), some Corsair units are also OK...

 

[Benjamin Wettstein]

On 12.12.2017 at 2:40 AM, Zac w said:

Hey guys,

 

So I have just put together a new build and I purchased a Seasonic Prime series 750 w Titanium power supply. Now the unit itself is fine, no or minimal coil whine and it does it's intended job of well.. powering my computer. What I absolutely cannot stand however is that it's fan is always spinning regardless of if I have the Eco button turned on or off and it makes this horrible grinding sound. As my system is fully water-cooled it is the only sound I can hear coming from my computer and it drives me and my ms absolutely nuts as I can hear it over game sounds. 

 

I have RMA the first unit thinking it must be a product fault but after doing some googling it appears it's due to the fluid dynamic bearings Seasonic has opted for using. 

 

I have messaged the retailer I bought the PSU from requesting a refund however I do not know what alternatives they are. I am powering a single 1080 TI and an overclocked 8700k among a ton of fan accessories a pump among some other things like RGB lighting. I think I like the idea of staying in the 750 - 850 watt range (I know some of you are going to say overkill but it's like $10 more usually between 650-750) 

 

I was wondering if anybody could suggest me a good PSU that is silent I have heard be quiet! are exceptionally good I unfortunately do not have the time right now as work is crazy to do a lot of my own research so any suggestions would be great, also prefer fully modular for cabling purposes. 

 

 

Late answer but I have finaly the same problem Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium 1000w. This clicki noise the whole time the fan is running at IDLE(low speed).

And its most obviously not the fan bearing its the motor itselfe. If you switch your pc of the fan will spin until it stops and the noise is goimg away as soon as the PSU switches the fan motor off. 

[mrpetrov]

On ‎8‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 6:16 AM, Benjamin Wettstein said:

Late answer but I have finaly the same problem Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium 1000w. This clicki noise the whole time the fan is running at IDLE(low speed).

And its most obviously not the fan bearing its the motor itselfe. If you switch your pc of the fan will spin until it stops and the noise is goimg away as soon as the PSU switches the fan motor off. 

Yes, me too! I just setup a new system with the Season Prime Ultra Titanium 1000W and the PSU at idle on desktop has this sort of low growling sound, whereas no other fan in my case makes any noise at low rpm, it's really quite annoying.

 

I know it's the PSU fan because if I switch it to hybrid mode (ie fan off at low power) then the low grumbling/clicking goes away. Is this a fault or just how this PSU's fan sounds? Audio file attached (towards the end I switch the PSU to hybrid mode and you can hear the noise stop).

Psu Fan.m4a

[awesomegamer919]

20 minutes ago, mrpetrov said:

Yes, me too! I just setup a new system with the Season Prime Ultra Titanium 1000W and the PSU at idle on desktop has this sort of low growling sound, whereas no other fan in my case makes any noise at low rpm, it's really quite annoying.

 

I know it's the PSU fan because if I switch it to hybrid mode (ie fan off at low power) then the low grumbling/clicking goes away. Is this a fault or just how this PSU's fan sounds? Audio file attached (towards the end I switch the PSU to hybrid mode and you can hear the noise stop).

Psu Fan.m4a

It's a fault with the fan choice/design, if you actually need 1kW I'd return it and get a BeQuiet Straight Power 11 or Corsair RMi/HX/i 1000W

[mrpetrov]

11 minutes ago, awesomegamer919 said:

It's a fault with the fan choice/design, if you actually need 1kW I'd return it and get a BeQuiet Straight Power 11 or Corsair RMi/HX/i 1000W

Got it, thanks mate. So replacing it with another identical unit won't improve matters - that's sad because otherwise it's a great unit. Thanks for letting me know.