G476 "Processing" Noise

greggerm

The subject line is the best description I have for an unexpected type of noise coming from my PowerSpec G476.

When opening almost every application (browsers, Office, games, etc) I hear a gentle but noticeable sound coming from the computer which sounds exactly like the seeking of a traditional hard drive head. Unfortunately, the computer only has NVe SSD’s and the only moving parts in the unit are related to cooling.

It doesn’t seem to be AIO pump or bubble related, as the noise occurs during low intensity activity being performed on the computer in real time. I don’t think it’s GPU related, because it will happen when I’m loading completely non-graphical productivity apps. It also doesn’t sound like coil whine, which I’ve heard in the past and is rather distinctive and continuous.

It’s not terribly obtrusive and doesn’t sound like an actual problem, but I am just really curious about what this hard disk drive seeking sound might be in an all solid state storage machine.

Any ideas? Thanks!

PowerSpec_MikeW

@greggerm

Has to be either the fan or AIO pump. Only real way to diagnose it is by eliminating devices one at a time. You're saying if the system is idle you don't hear it? But if you start actually doing something you hear it? If that's the case, my first thought would be it's the fan in the PSU. It has a Zero-RPM fan mode with no toggle switch. It'll shutdown at idle, you may be hearing the noise when you put a little load on the system and the fan engages. You might just be able to tell by listening hear the bottom rear of the unit.

It's certainly a warranty issue though. We'll diagnose it and replace the part.

greggerm

Thanks for the ideas. Again, it's certainly not a critical issue by any stretch - my prior homebuilt made a heck of a lot more noise than this and when I put the machine under the loads it's designed for, the copious fans drown out the subject noise entirely. (*this machine has more airflow capability than my entire house)

I didn't think it'd be the PSU fan or a pump, as the noise "clicks" very much in step with what seems to be processing - such as the loading of a webpage with individual elements loading in with a muted HDD seeking sound as it builds in... only to silence once it's all up. It seems like both of those sources wouldn't be as instantly reactive as the sound I'm hearing.

I'll get the system re-positioned this weekend and run a few isolation attempts to see what's up.

alva360

I have the same issue and seems to be that the top cool master fan is rattling when at certain speed and the chassis makes the noise. I can only describe the sound as you said it hehe like the old pc hard disk.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@alva360

Fans are covered under the manufacturer warranty, we'll certainly replace it.