OCZ ZT-Series 750w PSU - Suddenly a loud fan

[TheFaddler12]

After owning the OCZ ZT 750w for about a year and a half, it suddenly is getting extremely loud, like the fan is ramping up under a huge load. I'm running a i7-2600k @4.0 GHz with no voltage increase, and an ASUS Direct CUII GTX 560. I had a GTX 260 SLI on this power supply before and it never had a problem like this. I already tried cleaning my power supply out, also cleaning the filtered intake on my case. I do not have access to a power meter. I know power supplies age over time, but my system through about 5 different PSU calculators and the wisdom of many computer building friends like myself say that a 500w should power my system. Is this a known defect or is it my error?

The PSU - http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=8888100015&vpn=OCZ-ZT750W&manufacture=OCZ

[christoi]

That is strange, given the load level the fans shouldn't be ramping up so high, age shouldn't really be affecting it too much either. May be a defect of some sort, is it under warranty?

Also this is just a warning, but do not open up the power supply itself to clean it out. Capacitor discharging can be very, very dangerous, especially with a high wattage unit like that.

[Chipset]

Capacitor discharging can be very' date=' very dangerous, especially with a high wattage unit like that.[/quote']

No it's not.

Unless you're over 80 or you have a pacemaker all that happens is you get a nasty burn mark and a numb finger.

And that's completely ignoring the fact that the capacitors are always connected to a bleeder resistor that drains the charge in a matter of seconds/minutes.

And considering the only way to short the capacitors with a body part is on the underside of the board, you'd literally have to race to take the cover off and unscrew the board and then place your finger on exactly the right spot.

If you actually managed to kill yourself by opening a computer powersupply I'd personally nominate you for a darwin award.

[christoi]

Capacitor discharging can be very' date=' very dangerous, especially with a high wattage unit like that.[/quote']

No it's not.

Unless you're over 80 or you have a pacemaker all that happens is you get a nasty burn mark and a numb finger.

And that's completely ignoring the fact that the capacitors are always connected to a bleeder resistor that drains the charge in a matter of seconds/minutes.

And considering the only way to short the capacitors with a body part is on the underside of the board, you'd literally have to race to take the cover off and unscrew the board and then place your finger on exactly the right spot.

If you actually managed to kill yourself by opening a computer powersupply I'd personally nominate you for a darwin award.

That unit has a 420v, 560μF primary capacitor. That thing alone can kill a man, I would stay way from opening that unit altogether.

[Chipset]

That unit has a 420v' date=' 560μF primary capacitor. That thing alone can kill a man, I would stay way from opening that unit altogether.[/quote']

Oooo, I'm scared.

Any electrician can tell you that a zap of mains AC hurts and numbs but is far from lethal. To actually kill someone you need to supply a continuous current of a few dozen milliamps across the heart.

Touching a dinky little 560uF cap will indeed put many amps through your body, maybe even up to several amps (depending on skin resistance, charge voltage etc) but only for all of a few microseconds.

As I said, if you actually managed to kill yourself on a piece of consumer electronics that isn't plugged in to mains (or that doesn't generate HV) I will personally nominate you for a darwin award.

[christoi]

That unit has a 420v' date=' 560μF primary capacitor. That thing alone can kill a man, I would stay way from opening that unit altogether.[/quote'] Oooo, I'm scared. Any electrician can tell you that a zap of mains AC hurts and numbs but is far from lethal. To actually kill someone you need to supply a continuous current of a few dozen milliamps across the heart. Touching a dinky little 560uF cap will indeed put many amps through your body, maybe even up to several amps (depending on skin resistance, charge voltage etc) but only for all of a few microseconds. As I said, if you actually managed to kill yourself on a piece of consumer electronics that isn't plugged in to mains (or that doesn't generate HV) I will personally nominate you for a darwin award.

My bad, after looking into it a bit further it does indeed seem like that capacitor isn't going to be lethal. Having said that, it would still result in a current of several milliamps flowing through the body for a second or two though, so I still wouldn't advise it.

[Chipset]

That unit has a 420v' date=' 560μF primary capacitor. That thing alone can kill a man, I would stay way from opening that unit altogether.[/quote'] Oooo, I'm scared. Any electrician can tell you that a zap of mains AC hurts and numbs but is far from lethal. To actually kill someone you need to supply a continuous current of a few dozen milliamps across the heart. Touching a dinky little 560uF cap will indeed put many amps through your body, maybe even up to several amps (depending on skin resistance, charge voltage etc) but only for all of a few microseconds. As I said, if you actually managed to kill yourself on a piece of consumer electronics that isn't plugged in to mains (or that doesn't generate HV) I will personally nominate you for a darwin award.

My bad, after looking into it a bit further it does indeed seem like that capacitor isn't going to be lethal. Having said that, it would still result in a current of several milliamps flowing through the body for a second or two though, so I still wouldn't advise it.

Milliseconds to microseconds depending on charge voltage, capacitor ESR and skin resistance, not seconds.

[mightytech]

how did this turn into a debate on whether or not a cap can kill a man?

[TheFaddler12]

Yeah, I'm going to send them an email and maybe a video clip or something and see if its eligible for an RMA.