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Growling start up noise on Dell Inspiron 530
Hi
I have a Dell Inspiron 530. For the last 10 days or so I have been getting what I can only describe as a "growling" noise when I start up my PC. Its a complex sound hard to describe, it fairly low - to middle pitch, but in some ways resembles what you used to get when reading and writing lots of data to a disk, so obvious I assumed it was the hard drive.
It starts within about 5 seconds of switching on the machine and can last for up to 5 minutes.
The pitch of the noise is not constant but varies within a small range.
Just before the noise disappears it's pitch increases.
It only happens from a cold start. If I have been using my PC for a while and then restart, or even switch off, unplug and start back up then I don't get the problem
As I said, at first I assumed it was my Hard Drive, but I don't think it is. I have run the Utilities diagnostics and there appears no problems with the drive from that point of view, though of course it won't test its motor.
When I take the side panel off to try and locate the sound, it does not sound like its coming from the hard drive, but more from the power supply unit, though it is hard to pinpoint. When I listen at the back of the PSU, the PSU fan itself does not sound unduly loud. I don't know what other components within the PSU could possibly make the noise. It does not appear to be coming from the other 2 fans outside the PSU.
I am getting no light or audio beeb warnings when I start up, just the solid blue light.
Currently there seems to be no other impact on the performance of the PC either in the time it takes to start up or any other operation. I just get the noise, but obviously I am concerned that there is a component that is about to fail.
Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks in advance
fireberd
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November 4th, 2011 09:00
There is only one fan in the power supply and no other moving parts. For isolation, the next time you want to "cold" start the PC, open the case and disconnect the hard drive's power connector then power on and see if you stil get the noise again. If not, that would indicate the problem is the hard drive and you should start looking for a new hard drive as it will fail completely at some point.
If you do get the noise, and based on you hearing the noise from the power supply, it is most likely the fan in the power supply that will do that until it gets warmed up. If it is the fan, I wouid consider replacing the power supply (and get a higher wattage rating, a 500 watt - in case you ever decide to do any upgrading such as a video card).
elldrob
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January 28th, 2014 15:00
I have a dell 545s purchased 2010, in dec 2013 i heard a kind of whining noise at start up...thought it could be the hard drive but on opening the box i see it is emminating from the power suppy...I vacuumed the fan the best i could but noise is still there (albeit a bit quieter) for about 40 sec on start-up only. any ideas? Do i need a new power suppy? is it just the fan? or is the power supply a one piece replacement? what could happen if I just wait?
rdunnill
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January 28th, 2014 21:00
It may be due to worn fan bearings, in which case you replace the fan or the whole power supply. The power supply is a one-piece replacement; Seasonic makes a nice 300-watt 80 Plus Gold TFX with a thermostatically-controlled fan for quiet operation.
I think if you leave it, the fan noise will slowly increase.