Weird buzzing sound from fans with NZXT Sentry 2 fan controller :(

Hi

I was pondering awhile ago on which fan controller to get and i eventually opted to get the NZXR sentry 2 touch screen fan controller.

However to my dissappointment, when i first start up my machine from cold some of the fans make a buzzing sound which eventually die out after a few minutes. It's not a huge problem because it all works and the buzzing sound isnt permanent but it is a damn annoyance!


Has anyone else had troubles with their fan controllers with this issue? I'm contemplating taking it back but im not sure if i'd be able to get a refund but the unit does work... just makes the fans buzz!

Some fans will buzz/hum at lower rpms so this may be the cause of it.

So far i've tried my Coolermaster LED fans and Corsair fans which both buzz regardless of rpm. The only ones that dont is the Enermax Magma fans which i bought yesterday.

I rather puzzled :S

So the cheap ones buzz and the decent fans don't. I suppose they could be picking up something from the fan controller.

Do the fans buzz when undervolted by some other means?

Have you tried oiling the bearings. Sometimes fans buzz because they are running without any lubricant which means the metal slowly wears away.

The fans don't buzz when I plug it into the motherboard sockets or by molex they run fine. It only buzzes when I use the fan controller :/. The corsair and coolermaster fans are pretty much new tho.

Hmm I wonder if there is something indeed wrong with the fan controller then.

After a quick search I found this. http://www.nzxt.com/forum/showthread.php?7146-NZXT-Sentry-2-fans-strange-noice/page2

and this which even has a video http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/air-cooling/31345-nzxt-sentry-2-widespread-bug.html

Looks like they cheaped out on components and didn't filter the way they drop the voltage which intoruduces noise to the fans. The Enermax fans must cope better with the noise than your other fans.

If you bought online then you can return under the distance selling thingy within 7 days with no questions asked and no charges should be levied, apart from postage.

Shame as after watching a video about that unit I quite fancied one myself. Touch screens are just so mega aren't they!

Unfortunately I didn't buy from here, it was from a competitor store. I doubt I will get a refund especially if the unit is working but just doesn't work well with certain fans. I guess the inky real solution is to get another 2 magma fans and go from there. The touch screen itself is very good I have to say, just a shame it does that with certain fans.


Thinking about it, I think it might be doing this with high speed fans as the magma fans I have are low rpm fans at 1500rpm.

Doesn't matter where yuou bought it. If it's under 7 days since you received it can go back under the thingy mentioned above, or at least that's what I understand.

I didn't buy it online though, i bought it from the store. I did this with OCUK shop and because i bought in store the distance selling regulation thing did not apply and therefore any working products that you're not happy with are not refundable! Makes me sick tbh.

I have not got the Sentry touch screen but the other version.
Basically on start up the fans do sound more basically because the fans are on full speed until PC boots up and the Sentry kicks in and regulates the various speeds.
Cheers
mrix

So its normal to have the buzzing noise then on some fans? Because its not doing it to my low RPM enermax magma fans, just everything else i've got at the moment.