Help me quieten my ageing PSU

phr4n

phr4n

phr4n

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My PSU is loud, can I safely open it up without risking damage to clean out the dust. Furthermore can I replace the fans in there with a quieter alternative.

I have this power supply "Enermax Galaxy EGA1000EW". It is a 1000w PSU and now 5 years old. I bought it with full intention of running it till the day it died and I stand by that, however..

It is getting awfully noisy nowadays with the 135 and 80mm fans often spinning up on boot and not dropping to their quieter RPM (at their low operating RPM still the loudest part of my PC).

Ive done the usual, blown it out when it was off and when it was operational with compressed air. No progress, the fans are still kicking out full RPM regardless. (This hasn't always been the case, although its been much more noticable recently since I relocated to quieter surroundings).

I have the PSU mounted sideways in my case and the intake fan gets the freshest air possible (I have a TT Mozart TX monster case).

I can see from the outside that the PSU has some "matted" dust across some of the heatsinks inside. I plan on opening the sucker up and giving it a good dust out with canned air and cotton buds.

If this doesnt silence the fans once again to their original (still loud) spin I would look at a way to replace the fans with a quieter alternative, has anyone undertaken this and what were your results / reccomendations?

Appreciate any help.
 
There isn't any issue with this really.

Normally you'd void your warranty, but as it's 5 years old I'm guessing it's getting close to the end of it anyway?

Just whatever you do. DO NOT touch the electrics itself - think it's the transistors that are lethal...

kd
 
King Damager said:
There isn't any issue with this really.

Normally you'd void your warranty, but as it's 5 years old I'm guessing it's getting close to the end of it anyway?

Just whatever you do. DO NOT touch the electrics itself - think it's the transistors that are lethal...

kd
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As above. Carefully open it and clean the internals with compressed air and a wooden handle painting brush...If that doen't do the trick I would recommend going for a good reputable and silent one.
 
I replaced a noisy fan on a PSU not so long ago, it was only a cheapy PSU, I had to wire it up to a 12v feed though as the start-up voltage from the PSU fan header wasn't enough to get it going.

Xilince fan fitted
DSCF4074.jpg
 
Easy, just discharge as much power as possible by switching it off at the wall and pressing the on button a few times. Take it out, unscrew the lid, DO NOT touch any capacitors (the cylindrical things), check the fan has a header and is not soldered directly onto the board and replace.

If the fan is soldered on, you could just get a fan that is quiet at 100% and power it with a molex connector.
 
Thanks for the tips guys, I look forward to attempting this and praying that it doesn't die over the weekend

Levirginien said:
As above. Carefully open it and clean the internals with compressed air and a wooden handle painting brush...If that doen't do the trick I would recommend going for a good reputable and silent one.
Click to expand...

I can't afford another one, is why I'm keen to make this one fit my needs. But I'm sure I have some brushes in the garage.
 
Changing the fans should be no problem at all, but ...as the other chaps said, do please be careful of the capacitors (transistors aren't dangerous, they just switch electrical signals, capacitors store charge though, so watch those) ...and as already stated they are the cylindrical devices that stick up ..sometime they can be bent sideways though.

A computer power supply can hold enough charge for a while to give you a really nasty belt, so before you touch anything I suggest you check it first with an electrical test screw driver (one of those insulated screwdrivers with a bulb in). However best not to touch anything you don't need to, having said that your knuckles or a stray finger could touch a capacitor if you aren't mindful of them. I will also repeat the advice to discharge the psu as much as possible by unplugging it from the mains and then trying to turn the computer on ...but don't think this means it's safe, it probably isn't ...just less dangerous.
 
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Try lubricating the bearings. Lil bit of 3in1 oil may do wonders, the hole is usually hidden under a sticker.

If your other case fans are loud maybe give them a drop or two aswell.
 
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