Hyper Threaded Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 If you have voltage problems, you're far better off to replace the PSU and not risk damaging your hardware. I personally wouldn't trust a Thermaltake PSU to anything other than some cheap budget rig. By looking at the specs, it seems pretty weak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fire_storm Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 Btw, I use a surge protector strip between my computer and the wall socket if that makes any difference. Having a surge protector won't protect your computer if something goes bad in the PSU. Since it is still under warranty I would RMA it because PSUs are not suppose to make high pitch winning noises. Its just too risky to leave it in there its possible that your PSU will be fine until the day you stop using it but its also possible that it could go and take the rest of the system with it there's just no way of telling what could happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kollapse Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 Well someone from the Thermaltake forums says that all TT PSUs are fully protected and will not damage any component in case of failure. Anyway, he also suggested that the strange sound that stops at boot splash might not be the PSU after all, but the CPU's voltage regulator. Should I try to jump-start the PSU to make sure the sound is coming from the PSU and not elsewhere ? Also, do I need any load like an optical drive in order to jump-start a modern PSU or not? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 It's either the caps or inductors in the PSU screaming or it could be the power circuitry on the board singing. Neither are necessarily bad. My 2900XT would whine under load. I only have a single rail ~400 W unit that can't even hope to hold a GTX. A good 400W PSU would be more than enough to hold your rig. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kollapse Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 I tried to jump start the PSU, it still made that noise with nothing connected to it / no components / no load. So it does this sound regardless of load... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulktreg Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 (edited) I tried to jump start the PSU, it still made that noise with nothing connected to it / no components / no load.So it does this sound regardless of load... Is the sound very high pitched, bordering on inaudible. It sounds like a coil or transformer in the switch mode oscillator. The frequency is usually set above human hearing range (>20kHz) but it can sometimes sneak down over time. It sounds like you have a good case for RMA if it's only 8 months old. What make is the 400W power supply. If it's a cheaper generic one you probably won't get 400W out of it once it warms up so I wouldn't risk using it. If it's a good quality supply and you can resist any heavy gaming for a while it should run your rig until you get the Thermaltake replaced. Hope this helps. Regards Paul Edited October 31, 2008 by paulktreg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kollapse Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 I was thinking of buying one of those Thermaltake PSU Testers, that supposedly show if a PSU is working well or failing. What do you think? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulktreg Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 I was thinking of buying one of those Thermaltake PSU Testers, that supposedly show if a PSU is working well or failing. What do you think? The only problem with the Thermaltake PSU Tester and others like it is it only tells you whether the voltages are present and within range. The load it puts on the power supply is minute compared against what the power supply is actually capable of supplying. If you need a tool to quickly tell you whether a power supply is "basically" operating then they are fine but don't take the results as a definate indication of correct operation. Just as a side note, my power supply tester looks like this: This is just to load the power supplies up so I can then use a DMM, oscilloscope, thermometer, etc., to actually make sure they operate to their respective specification. Cheers Paul Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARandomOWL Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 Wow, thats a pretty impressive load tester there paul :thumbs-up: What u got in there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulktreg Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 Wow, thats a pretty impressive load tester there paul :thumbs-up: What u got in there? There is a posting in the power supply section but all the photograph links have failed. Its a couple of large finned aluminium heatsinks fixed together to form a tube with the fins internal. A fan fixed either end to force air through. Aluminium clad wirewound resistors in various configurations to load up the PSU power rails. I can take a power supply safely up to approximately 800W, above that things get a little warm! Cheers Paul Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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