Case hum.

[Astral85]

I have a medium pitched hum from my case that is quite prominent. The hum will instantly disappear when I remove the case's side panel. I wonder whether this hum could be the H80i pump noise resonating in the fully enclosed case? Has this been heard of? Applying pressure to the side panel doesn't alleviate the hum, it seems the side panel has to be fully removed. Would appreciate any ideas!

[c-attack]

Unfortunately, this is a possibility and I have jumped through many hoops before trying to isolate and/or neutralize those kinds of vibrations. I used neoprene gaskets, weighted tube wraps, rubber isolation feet, and most effectively --- a 25 lbs glass pyramid that previously had little value, even as a professional award. Ultimately, it was all in vain and the source was the pump. If true, you can dress everything else up all you want, but the problem will still be there.

 

I am not sure if it is good or bad the sound does not change when you put your hand on the door. Something has to be resonating and it is probably the motherboard. It is also possible your hand is not big enough to be a full dampener on the large side panel. Try with two hands, your body, whatever. Try to feel around and see where you can feel the vibrations. On the pump cap should be slight and the hoses as well. Strong vibrations on the pump itself or the outflow hose might indicate a developing problem. Also check the top and rear panels to see if they are part of the chain. This is a bit subjective, but the most direct path is to disconnect the cooler's power connector and see if it stops. Shutdown the whole system before attempting to reconnect it.

[Astral85]

Hey sorry for the late reply, I didn't seem to get an email notification.

 

Anyway, maybe my ears were really sensitive this day but I could hear the hum from another room. I'm not sure what this would indicate, but I'm almost certain that the hum is most noticeable when first booting the computer, and then after opening Corsair Link control panel for the first time the hum almost instantly disappears. Is there a driver that's only initiated once Corsair Link is first opened related to the pump?

[c-attack]

It is likely running on the firmware setting saved to device memory during the boot process, then runs the LINK set parameters once that program loads up. If it is running at the high setting and then dropping down to low (Quiet) with the software, that might explain it. However, it should not hum from 15ft away in either mode. It is also possible it is not related to this at all. I don't have enough knowledge of how the software interacts with the hardware during the boot process to offer more than that. You could try uninstalling Link and see if the behavior changes.

 

I find the loud hum to really irritating and have to live with it now on my GPU cooler, that at this point is a unique product with no replacement. If it is the pump, you can look to replace it but this is also a common complaint. I am not sure how much guarantee there is on a new one.

[Astral85]

I think it's humming again now. You have the same hum? I'll have to poke my head around a bit and see if I can work it out. Put your head to a certain part of the case and it's actually quite hard to pinpoint. It's possible our ears are more sensitive to this sound than other times...

[Astral85]

It's definitely a humming. Just flicked it into sleep mode and the hum "cut off". The thing is I don't think it always hums this loud, maybe it's intermittent? Then again my hearing could be very sensitive today. Will keep an eye on it.

[c-attack]

My hum is from a different non-Corsair product, but the same OEM. Unfortunately, mine is constant and consistent to every unit.

 

Interesting it is intermittent. There are other things that can cause electrical "hum". Sleep turns everything off. It would be interesting to know if it goes away when just the pump is shut off. Is there any correlation between the Quiet/Performance pump speed setting in Link?

[Astral85]

I think the pump makes a more pulsating hum when in performance mode but no louder than the original hum. How safe and how long can I disconnect the pump for? The power source to the pump is the usb plug right? Do I disconnect before powering up?

[c-attack]

You can go hours with the pump off, as long as their is no load. Yes, the water will continue to heat up over time, but for a 30-60 second period when the cores are stepped down, there may be little or no change. The only thing I recommend is you then shutdown the PC before re-connecting the power cable. It should not matter, but it is still a sensible precaution. This will also shutdown the fans too, which is part of the noise spectrum. The fans can be unplugged while you are up and running, if you need to differentiate between the two sounds. The "pulsing" and variable nature of this is a little concerning in relation to the health of the unit. It should not do that.

[Astral85]

The hum goes from a constant hum in quiet mode to a more faster pulsing hum in performance, like dum dum dum dum dum etc rather than a huuuuuuuummm. Does this not sound good? The h80i v2 is quite new and temps are really good but I'm almost certain the pump in performance mode has no effect over temperatures.

[c-attack]

You won't see short term benefits from using the faster pump speed. There might be a slight improvement over long periods of time. You can use the Quiet setting all the time with minimal impact on performance.

 

I don't really like the pulsing. It does not mean failure is imminent, but is more indicative of the general quality of the assembly. I remember this is a new unit and that is why it is even more unfortunate. Given the hassle of exchanging it, I would give it a go in Quiet mode and see if that is acceptable. If not...

[Astral85]

It's possible I do get longer term benefit from the pump in performance mode I just haven't taken any data. I'm quite certain a fixed fan speed results in a 2-3C difference.

 

Yeah, this is the replacement H80i v2 I got a couple of months ago. Temps are great but I'm noticing this hum more and more. I don't know if it's something worth going to the hassle of replacing again considering apart from this it's performing well, I'll just keep an eye on it.

 

I'll try disconnecting the pump and investigate things a bit further.

 

What's the cooler that your using?

[c-attack]

The irritating one is an EVGA Hybrid Kit for the GPU. Previously, the rig was so quiet a bug's wings would make noise. That little pump on the 120mm radiator is louder than than my 6 case fans and the pump on the CPU combined. I went through three of them to find one that didn't cause literal headaches. All three units had completely different sound profiles. This one has a lower tone, something like an old percolator coffee machine heating up. The others were closer to the buzz you get from industrial lighting. Those OEM's are going to kill this market segment if they keep rolling garbage off the line and slamming it in a box.

 

The trick is to increase your noise floor to cover over it. As Spring hits here, opening the windows and letting the city noise in does the trick. But on cold mornings like today, it is a clear irritant. Over the Winter, I used one of those sound box/white noise machines to create local noise. How sad is that? I needed to play sound to cover over the computer's mechanicals.

[Astral85]

Hmm so that's not a recommendation for the EVGA Hybrid kit then? Is the H110 your main cooler?

 

I had a good look in the case today an I'm not so sure the hum is from the pump after all. It also turns out that the 3 pin CPU header connection is the power source for the H80i v2 and not a sata connection. That's why I was confused when you said sata as I couldn't recall seeing one...

 

I disconnected the pump/fans and the hum remained. The hum is in a really weird place up by the power switch/dvd drive. I'm starting to think this could just be inherent to the 450D or to my setup for whatever reason. I disconnected the two front fans, two top fans, the dvd drive and hdd and the hum is still there! I didn't unplug the GPU. The side panel still seems to enhance it and when removing it the hum almost disappears.

 

I think the pump does hum as well as I'm certain I've heard a change when changing from quiet to performance, so maybe I have to hums?

 

I only really notice these noises when it's dead silent ie: no fan or AC etc. Even in winter a heater will override case noise.

 

I'm quite certain I've had this hum for as long as I've the 450 D, I've also had H80i's as long. I dunno maybe it's just a nuisance when it's dead silent and your ears are more sensitive...

 

[c-attack]

I dunno maybe it's just a nuisance when it's dead silent and your ears are more sensitive...

 

That is the essence of the problem. In an anechoic chamber, a mosquito would sound like fighter plane. It's always relative to your noise floor. It is likely its the case the rattles/hums, but of course something has to be causing the vibrations. If not the pump, PSU fan? If you can find the source, you might be able to dampen it by more simple means --- rubber washers, matting, etc.

 

I don't know why I had the H80i v2 linked to SATA in my mind. I'll have to go back and wipe that out. So the hum is still there with the cooler off? Hmm... that would have explained both sides vibrating since the motherboard is secured to both ends. When my first H110 was doing this, I was convinced it was the case at first. I couldn't see how that little pump could make so much of the case vibrate. I guess in the short run, try to cover over it while looking for the cause.

[snapper69]

I had a difficult to find vibration that turned out to be an HDD vibrating with the vibration being carried to the HDD cage and then into the case. After much "messing around" I solved it by removing the top left screw from the HDD cage. Go figure.

[Astral85]

I had a difficult to find vibration that turned out to be an HDD vibrating with the vibration being carried to the HDD cage and then into the case. After much "messing around" I solved it by removing the top left screw from the HDD cage. Go figure.

 

Interesting, was that more of low pitched vibration/buzzing noise than a hum? The hum I get is medium pitched, sort of like a vacuum cleaner in the distance?

 

The other day I pretty much had it to the point where just the PSU was powering the motherboard. It's quite weird, at the point where it hums, up around the optical drive bays is also a grinding mechanical noise (if you put your ear really close) I've got no idea what's making that noise.

[Astral85]

That is the essence of the problem. In an anechoic chamber, a mosquito would sound like fighter plane. It's always relative to your noise floor. It is likely its the case the rattles/hums, but of course something has to be causing the vibrations. If not the pump, PSU fan? If you can find the source, you might be able to dampen it by more simple means --- rubber washers, matting, etc.

 

I don't know why I had the H80i v2 linked to SATA in my mind. I'll have to go back and wipe that out. So the hum is still there with the cooler off? Hmm... that would have explained both sides vibrating since the motherboard is secured to both ends. When my first H110 was doing this, I was convinced it was the case at first. I couldn't see how that little pump could make so much of the case vibrate. I guess in the short run, try to cover over it while looking for the cause.

 

Your right, something has to be causing it. Yes, pretty sure the hum was there after I disconnected the cooler. All that was running was the PSU, Mobo and GPU (no fans) and no case fans. I would like to investigate it again though, it was humid day and I started getting frustrated.

 

The first H80i I had had a very definite hum to it, especially in performance mode but as far as I can remember the hum on that unit actually vanished over time?? I would know if the current cooler's pump was making that hum.

 

Could anything in the PSU resonate through the case? Like a coil or cap or something?

[snapper69]

Could it be the phenomenon known as coil noise or coil whine? That seems to occur in the psu and gpu.

[Astral85]

Hmm, well I think it could be the H80i pump after all. It was very noticeable this morning. When first booting the machine the hum starts as a fast pulsing hum and then gradually slows to a slower pulsing hum. Switching the pump to performance makes it a fast pulsed hum again. Bare with me here though, I'm not 100% sure about this but almost.

 

I disconnected the pump again this time with the monitor connected and noted a quick rise to 70-80C via HWiNFO. Is it not as safe as you thought to run with the pump disconnected?

 

I couldn't conclude as to whether pump noise went with disconnection as heavy rain as set in but brief indication was that it had. Will need to re-run test in more quiet conditions.

 

Is this not a good sign if it is the pump being so noisy? Temps are still very good.

[c-attack]

Nobody likes a noisy pump. You may want to make contact with Corsair through the technical support site and see what they say. It would at least lay the ground work for future action. When I had this problem the first time with an AIO cooler, it took me a long time to figure it out. That little pump couldn't possibly cause so much trouble. It was a massive relief when it was gone. If this is in your mind every time you are at the desk, I would suggest doing something about it.

 

When you disconnected the last time, your CPU was doing something and not truly at idle. With the normal configuration of C-States on in some form, the voltage is stepped down when your cores are at rest. They will be about the same temp as your coolant, which certainly did not get to 70C+. It can take the PC several minutes to run through all its required (and not required) operations after boot. So many programs tack stuff on to the Event Scheduler. Let it sit for 5 minutes after a restart or do it any other time when you can clearly see the CPU frequency is at rest. Also, you don't need to let it sit for minutes. The hum should stop the moment you pull the plug and resume when you plug it back in.

[Astral85]

Here is my observation. When first booting the computer the pump hums but as soon as I open Corsair Link for the first time the hum goes. I can then put the computer to sleep (as test) and it will hum again right on waking but stops almost as the desktop is visible. (or something as initiated??)

 

It seems to be like an initialization of the pump and maybe a driver that Corsair Link loads? What I mean is it seems to hum as it first gets powered but is also linked to Corsair software somehow. I have no idea what this indicates. As long as Corsair Link has been opened after a boot the hum seems to become non audible.

 

I have all C-State features enabled, I just noticed the 70C+ temps with the pump disconnected. I didn't take note of Cpu frequency or usage but it should have been in an idle state...