Loud Electrical Spark Noise From PC

ray · 5 Jul 2008 at 08:14

Hi everyone,

A loud noise, which sounded just like an electrical spark, came from my PC last night but everything is working fine. Should I be worried? It's the first, and only, time it's happened. Will it have come from the PSU? It's a Seasonic S12 600W model and it's around 1-2 years old.

Thanks in advance!

dousland70 · 5 Jul 2008 at 10:37

1st thing i would do is unplug the pc from the power supply , earth your self to side of the case or radiator etc to release any built up static and remove the side casing .

Thoroughly check all the connections and wires for any damage or loose wires. Also check for any damage or loose connections on the input socket at the rear of the power supply ( outside of case ) also check mains lead.

If you dont already make sure you have a good quality surge protector connected to your pc

Also make sure everything is secure inside your case and screwed down securely.

Are your pc components dust free ?

malcolm · 5 Jul 2008 at 17:03

dousland70 said:
If you dont already make sure you have a good quality surge protector connected to your pc

A surge protector will not protect you against a discharge you can hear, forget it!

Your PSU is definitely the likely source of the discharge,

Monkeynut · 5 Jul 2008 at 17:17

If it was just a loose cable you should be fine, if it starts doing it regular (every less than 6 months) get a new PSU.

dss · 5 Jul 2008 at 17:47

malcolm said:
Your PSU is definitely the likely source of the discharge,

Im not going to go there

Deaco · 5 Jul 2008 at 18:26

Could it not be a speaker setup that caused the noise?

The amount of time my girfriend has turned my setup off at the wall before turning them off properly I wonder why it hasn't done damage as a huge pop/sparky sound occurs..

Wayne~ · 5 Jul 2008 at 18:35

My speakers make a weird noise now and again but thats just interfereance

malcolm · 5 Jul 2008 at 19:06

dss said:
Im not going to go there

Quite right too!!!!!!!

dousland70 · 5 Jul 2008 at 20:18

I merely pointed out the surge protector as a protective measure for future protection of the PSU

ray · 6 Jul 2008 at 06:48

Thanks for all the helpful tips, everyone!

The machine is receiving power from an APC UPS, I've not found any loose connections and there isn't much dust inside. If the noise did come from the PSU, does it mean it's about to die? I've not heard that noise since.

rxmac · 6 Jul 2008 at 10:33

If the pc is still working fine then a loose mains cable into the psu would be my bet, power down and make sure it is firmly pushed into the psu, if using a ups double check the cables at the ups too. I get this all the time from testing equipment at work.