chair position and psu noise!!
OK, this one has stumped me.
My pc occasionally made noises like a lawn mower- seriously- that loud.
I had basically isolates the sound to the psu.
With the pc being old (6-7 yrs) and a dell, I thought that finding a new psu may be tricky.
I was advised by a friend that I could carefully remove the cover from the psu and get to the fan - and drip a drop of sweing machine oil on to the spindle.
Well, I did that, but now- the pc sounds ok, but seems very semsitive to where I sit!
As I roll past the tower in my chair to get up, the noise increases, then stops when I go away.
It is even so sensitive that now- if i sit upright or rock back the noise changes tone!!
Has anyone encountered this before??!
My pc occasionally made noises like a lawn mower- seriously- that loud.
I had basically isolates the sound to the psu.
With the pc being old (6-7 yrs) and a dell, I thought that finding a new psu may be tricky.
I was advised by a friend that I could carefully remove the cover from the psu and get to the fan - and drip a drop of sweing machine oil on to the spindle.
Well, I did that, but now- the pc sounds ok, but seems very semsitive to where I sit!
As I roll past the tower in my chair to get up, the noise increases, then stops when I go away.
It is even so sensitive that now- if i sit upright or rock back the noise changes tone!!
Has anyone encountered this before??!
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Comments
If not...... well, geesh, ..... are any of the fan vents blocked? or blocked only when you move, change positions, etc? The power supply fan could be wobbling but beats me how that would have anything to do w/ where you are relative to the tower......
BTW, the sewing machine oil is an old standby. It'll give you some more time w/ the fan but eventually its bearings will completely wear out. I've replaced fans inside power supplies in the past. It's a pain - requires soldering and such - finding the right size and form factor (or close) fan...but it can be done if you can't replace the power supply.
I've installed standard ATX form factor power supplies in Dell systems. Of the computer mfgrs out there, Dells are the least proprietary in my experience.
Is it a full or mid ATX tower? If it's not too proprietary you may get away w/ fitting a standard ATX power supply in the case. If it's AT or no rocker switch on the PSU (at the back of the case), then the story is different. Now you're looking at finding a power supply whose power switch (routed internally to the front of the case) will work w/ the case. If it's the old Micron-style case (white) then I don't think you'll find a PSU to fit in it. You'll have to replace the fan.
Incidentally I seem to have solved it - I butted the side of the tower up against a wooden cabinet - like real close, and it seems to have stopped it - before it was a few cm away, now its as close as it can be and it sounds pretty quiet!
On the psu front - just spoke to my brother on a totally unrelated issue and he asked if i had cured the noise - long story cut short he too has a beige dell - purchase about a year or so before mine, sitting in his loft doing nothing... so I might nab the psu from that if i get desperate...
Just wanna hold out long enuf to get a new pc with vista! Seems bonkers to get a new pc with xp at this time in its product life!
Bracing your computer tower against the cabinet makes sense. The tower was probably rocking slightly when you moved in your chair - causing the failing & unstable PSU fan to go off balance and start making a racket.
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At the time your and your brother's computers were manufactured, Micron (now defunct) and Dell were shipping their systems in nearly identical narrow white plastic towers. An off-the-shelf PSU wouldn't work in that case. It's too narrow and a non-standard form factor.
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That's great! If you can cannibalize the parts you need from another PSU, or swap out the PSU if the other one is working ok, you're in business (assuming the fan is ok in your brother's PSU). Now you can wait it out for a new Vista system.
I guess I'd have to check it was the same wattage, as I say, there was a year or two between the pc's
This is a staggering p3 750mhz, his was like a 400mhz or something, so I guess theres a chance it could be different
I'm still deciding if i should build my own pc or go for another dell, the price probably wont be a huge amount different, and the dell machine will be a whole lot simpler... however, upgrades are likely to be more costly and require more specific parts.... depends on how much upgrading I intend to do i guess...
As for Dell, their quality has waned over the years - esp. since your current system was built. But they're still definetly in the running. If you want to go w/ a manufacturer-built PC, Dell's mid and full towers are the least proprietary of the bunch. I've never had any trouble installing industry-standard hardware in a Dell.
Thats what i keep telling my dad who pays the electric bill lol
Yeah, I kinda think it would be good to build my own pc so I have more of a feel of the components and the internal workings of the pc, I'm just not sure I have the time to research it all - if I was gonna do it I'd like to research it well and get the best components for my situation.
Yes- I work with the new dell's at work - fixing them etc- they most definitly are not built to such a high quality as they used to be, and use quite cheep components these days
this time i think i knocked the case with the chair - after sitting down a little heavy.
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dkub/techovu.htm
Is the technical overview of my system - can anyone tell me if this is a generic psu of if its specific to dell
(The other pc is available - but as with all things family orientated, arranging a time to collect it could be a nightmare - think easter lol)
The short answer to your question is "NO". Your computer was built in a non-standard (proprietary) AT form factor case. IOW, the case is not only the obsolete AT form factor (as opposed to the current industry standard ATX form factor), it is a proprietary AT form factor to boot. That means the same holds true for its PSU.
How 'bout posting a thread in our Deal Depot and Trading Post forum. Be sure to include the pic, model number, etc. Someone may just have one of these critters squireled away in their attic. Or they may have good ideas re: where you might be able to find a PSU for it.
I think my best bet is trying to get my brothers old pc and seeing whats going on inside that.
There seems to be a few lurking around on ebay too, which might just work.
But - as i understand it - something might fit and seem to work - but then fry the mobo!!
Exercise caution i guess!
Really, though. Check out our Deal Depot and Trading Post forum. Someone might be able to help you out there. It's worth a shot.
I defo need to get hold of my bro and get that pc (I think it has a couple of hdd's in it too - which i could use
He's bloody skiing atm in France
I thought you might be interested to know - I took the psu out of the case and snapped the sticker so I knew exactally what part number it was.
Then I saw a 200w dell psu for sale on ebay - asked for pics of the label - the seller had 2 for sale - as luck would have it - one was an identical part number!!!
A couple of other things like the 'date code' <- guessing thats like a batch number and some other number, but the part number was identical to the letter!
Won it for just under £10 - so perhaps a good alternative till I can speak to my brother!
Good thinkin', too, pullin' the p/n off of the psu.
PS!!! Don't forget about the voltage setting on the back. (115 vs 220) Set it to the appropriate voltage before you fire it up!
And yeah - chasing this non standard psu has got me thinking about dell - do they still ship stuff with non standard parts?
Makes me wanna sway more towards a new dell...
We shall see... If a cracking deal for £500 quid turns up - I may be tempted!
Dell sometimes cut the price of a machine by like 200 quid...
If I didn't get a special deal and had to by one tomorrow then I could prolly justify spending around 750-800 quid - at a push.
I'd only want base unit thou -