When I first read the title I was thinking "PSU". If it's like a louder version of the sound old CRT TVs/monitors can make (that's kind of a universal way to describe the nose), then as Kamira said, it's likely coming from the transformer inside. Since this sounds like a new issue (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), I'm going to assume that it's not likely an impenitence issue on the line. Also it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong at all with the hardware... it's one of those things that some people hear and some don't (I've always been very sensitive to EM waves and have had to come up with sound dampening solutions when no one else in the dorm/workplace/etc felt there was an issue). I'm not sure where you are located, but I've actually see this issue more in 110 - 120volt PSUs (rarely used outside of North America and Japan) than 220 - 240volt PSUs (most everywhere else). Just curious though, is it plugged into any type of UPS or voltage regulator?
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Usually happens if it draws too much power.
It could also be a bad cooling fan...
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Most likely a fan. Could be the cpu fan, the gpu fan, or a case fan. just open it us and put your ear next to each. Case fan is super easy to replace. CPU fan is also fairly easy to replace. but a gpu fan can be a hassle depending on the GPU itself.
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Might just be dust clogging something up causing it to overheat. Or something is loose.
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Happened to me once, I totally panicked and forced a shutdown. It was this really loud screeching sound that made me think something there fell on the fan and was being destroyed or something. After opening the case everything seemed normal, except for one lose cable that seemed slightly out of place, and was probably hitting the fan. No idea how, since the case wasn't moved in a long time, but after pushing the cable somewhere else the noise stopped.
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Your description does not sound like coil whine, but just in case, this is what it sounds like
It sounds to me more like a faulty fan. Either going off-tilt or spinning too fast.
Record the sound, I might recognise it.
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Definitely doesn't sound like that, lol. But I just switched off my pc, switched the power button off as well, left it like that for 5 minutes. Then I turned it back on and now it's gone. Any idea why that worked? I'm thinking it might have something to do with my PSU.
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Usually these sounds occur through power draw. Sometimes the power draw is uneven and can be caused just by certain combinations. For example a buddy has coil whine right now with his motherboard. Put in my PSU and it is gone. It doesn't always make sense. It has something to do with how the PSU distributes power and how the components pull. Sometimes it is just bad components. I exchanged my GPU for coil whine.
The best thing you can do is get the cardboard from a toilet paper roll, hold it to your ear, case open, point it in different directions, to narrow down where the sound is coming from, the next time it happens.
This will sound dumb, but it could be case vibrations too.
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Maybe, it is a high pitch ringing in your ear :O Id say its one of your fans, did you build the computer?
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Could be a fan, could also be a cooling problem of some sort like dust buildup causing your PC to overheat. If it's overheating, it could be a temperature alarm coming from the PC speaker on the motherboard. Open it up, check all your fans are working, check for buildup of dust and clean out etc. If all the fans are spinning and you can't tell which one is noisy, I just lightly press on the center of the fan to slow it a bit, if the noise stops, that's the problem fan.
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Mabye a wire is hitting a fan? Just a wild guess.
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PSU capacitors? or any bulging capacitor in the whole system?
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Capacitors are those round tube-like components (normally black with the metal top exposed, but not always). When they fail (or start to fail), due to the chemical inside they tend to expand - most noticeably at the top. Example: http://www.eventsentry.com/blog/Bad.jpg
I'm not sure if removing the casing on your PSU would void the warranty; but if you do end up taking off the casing, do so in a "stealth-like" fashion in case you need to invoke a RMA.
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My computer makes a weird noise every so often, I just give it a few hearty taps to make it go away, its been doing this for four years and still going strong (knocks on wood). You should try to identify where the sound is coming from, which I know can be hard to do (since I ave never been able to figure out mine). Some psu's make high pitched noises after a while, I believe it is called "coil whine" mine started doing it only when the pc is powered off, so now I just never turn it off, I don't think that there is any way of fixing it, but I haven't really tried either. Wow maybe its time for me to get a new pc with all these noises I am having...
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I just got home from work and was on my PC for maybe 10 minutes and all of a sudden there's a high pitch ringing noise coming from my PC. Anybody know some potential reasons for what it's doing this? When I turn it off the noise goes away.
Edit: I just shut down my PC and switched the power switch at the back off. I left it off for 5 minutes and turned it back on. The sound is gone. For now. Hoping it doesn't return. :(
Edit 2: Sound came back for 5 minutes then went away.
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