My power supply fan is making a slight shrieking noise.

[SF2MJ]

My power supply fan is making a slight shrieking noise.Can this harm my pc?

 

What is weird is that if i tilt my pc forward abit the fan stops making the noise.It's only when it's sitting flat on my pc desk that it starts to shriek.

 

Should i just go and buy another power supply?

 

Or is it ok to use it the way it is for now?

 

I found that it's still blowing heat out of my chassis like normal.It's just that noise.

[VT-Vincent]

As long as the fan is still spinning normally and it's still cooling the PSU, you should be fine - for now. If it's making that type of noise though, the fan is on it's way out and you should start looking into a new PSU. I would also keep an eye on it and not run the computer unsupervised. If the fan stops, it can cause your PSU to overheat and worst-case scenario it could be a fire hazard.

 

Out of curiosity, is it a custom-built or a name brand PC?

[SF2MJ]

Custom built.And it still is keeping my MB and everything else in the chassis cool.And the fan is spinning fine.It's just the slight screeching noise that is a little annoying.

 

I heard that it's recommended that when you purchase a PSU you should always go for one with a little more power than you need.Is that true?

[VT-Vincent]

It's always a good idea to choose a PSU that has a bit more power than you need, thus allowing for future expansion. Picking a PSU can be a bit of science though - the raw wattage of the PSU isn't the only factor to take into account. The two primary factors are the total amperage of and configuration of the 12v rails as well as the reliability of the power it's distributing. It's a sad fact that the majority of PSUs on the market are of relatively poor quality, carry a high risk of early failure, don't provide the power they're rated for and can potentially damage other components when they finally do die.

 

If your computer is a entry to mid-range computer, I wouldn't worry to much about the particulars. Generally, any quality 450-600w PSU should suffice for a computer in this range. If you have anything like SLI, a high-end processor or a lot of hard drives, then you will want to do a bit of research and determine what your power needs are. Regardless of the PSU you do end up choosing, I would highly recommend reading as many reviews as you can find. One resource I would recommend is JonnyGuru's site. He does some of the most reliable and thorough PSU reviews on the internet.

[SF2MJ]

It's always a good idea to choose a PSU that has a bit more power than you need, thus allowing for future expansion. Picking a PSU can be a bit of science though - the raw wattage of the PSU isn't the only factor to take into account. The two primary factors are the total amperage of and configuration of the 12v rails as well as the reliability of the power it's distributing. It's a sad fact that the majority of PSUs on the market are of relatively poor quality, carry a high risk of early failure, don't provide the power they're rated for and can potentially damage other components when they finally do die.

 

If your computer is a entry to mid-range computer, I wouldn't worry to much about the particulars. Generally, any quality 450-600w PSU should suffice for a computer in this range. If you have anything like SLI, a high-end processor or a lot of hard drives, then you will want to do a bit of research and determine what your power needs are. Regardless of the PSU you do end up choosing, I would highly recommend reading as many reviews as you can find. One resource I would recommend is JonnyGuru's site. He does some of the most reliable and thorough PSU reviews on the internet.

 

Thank you very much for all your help.My custom made PC is pretty average.Low range.Only 1.8 gig processor.An Athlon xp cpu on an Asus motherboard.I think i got that right??

[VT-Vincent]

Yeah, you should be fine with any decent 350w to 400w PSU on those specs. It doesn't hurt to go higher, but at the same time it also wouldn't provide any benefit unless you plan to move the PSU over to a newer computer at some point. Good luck with your PC!