My boyfriend gave me his old pc but im worried about it and need help!!
Posted by vawchiikss@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 101 comments
So my boyfriend gave me his old pc which can run games well and stuff but what im worried about is that i dont have the panel to cover the wires. He said its because it will always blue screen when it was on. His brother built it for him but recently ive been hearing weird buzzing noises and need some help because I am no expert on this and dont know what to do. Is that noise normal? Should I give it to someone that can assemble it properly so I can aactually put the metal panel thing on? Because since its not on the pc gets dirty FAST and I sometimes cant keep up with it since I am a student for games design so i have projects upon projects to do on this pc and i dont want it to die in the next week.
HairyArrivalTheSuper@reddit
My PSU at some point just started making noises, I was confused why it started out of nowhere. I think it lasted for less than a month and I haven’t heard to doing anything abnormal since then. Also it should be normal as I have heard some laptop changers make noise (or they are also broken)
Gopal903@reddit
JEEZ I GET IT, YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND, did you really have to mention that, especially in the title?
Niallion742@reddit
Buzzing noise in my experience was a failed Power supply. Also keep the side off it, I did it for years not an issue and excellent airflow. Great if you don't mind the look of it, just don't touch inside
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
Yeah thankfully I don’t touch my pc unless I need to clean it I sit in such a weird way I have more of a chance touching my keyboard than the pc XD
cury41@reddit
Are you referring to a side-panel of your PC case?
Bluescreen indicates hardware failures. Maybe the case panel touches some metal part which shorts a circuit. Only a matter of time until critical failure occurs. If it works without the panel but doesn't work with the panel, then the only thing I can think of is either
Usually that's a sound made by cheap (case) fans. Especially if they're not properly alligned/off centre, they can make rediculous amounts of noise. But that's completely harmless.
If the PC works without the panel then yes, let someone dis- and reassemble it. Shouldn't be too hard of a job.
Mild-Panic@reddit
Heat. The issue is heat.
Buzzing sound can either be the fans failing/bearings wearing out or what ever PSU capacitor buzzing.
Stokehall@reddit
Could be a cable rubbing on a fan, can make one hell of a noise
colin-java@reddit
Buzzing can be coil whine from PSU/motherboard/graphics card, which is normal I think, but not nice to hear.
ewwthatskindagay@reddit
I get some insane buzzing from my 6800, but it having 3 fans definitely doesn't help. With a 3060 or my cousin's 4070 I can barely hear anything.
To OP: That also doesn't always mean hardware failure. Mine has actually gotten a little better since I got it brand new. Bearings might not have been fully broken in but it's still pretty bad compared to other cards I've had. That alone makes me want to get something else even though I like the performance.
arguing_with_trauma@reddit
Could be hornets or bees as well. Which is also normal but not nice to hear
colin-java@reddit
I donno why they can't fix coil whine, people have sent robots to mars, it can't be that difficult.
Collide125@reddit
Could also be a mini neighbour drilling his wall. Which is also normal but not nice to hear
l3ane@reddit
You can't assume ANYTHING when it comes to what they mean by "buzzing sound", that could mean literally anything. Source: been in IT for over a decade.
cowbutt6@reddit
Or also a BIOS alarm (e.g. for over temperature, or fan stall) using the PC beeper, if one is connected.
Mild-Panic@reddit
Oh a beeper. I had one in my very first build back like 15 years ago. Shit was annoying and I removed it promptly.
Freakshow85@reddit
But at least they have us a tiny speaker and the option :-p
I haven't seen one in probably that long or longer, too, though. Now it's like "Which of the four lights are on" and then.. "DRAM". Like.. dead stick? Incompatible stick? Bad timings?
Oh, my gpu was loose.. but you'll never see the VGA light without an actual very troubled GPU.
I remember the "thrill" of counting beeps haha. But it's no biggie, we don't need beeps and lights, anyways :-p
I remember taking a tiny speaker from an old Asus K8V s754 AMD64 mobo and using it for years, though, on Asus P5B motherboards (Core 2). I just like.. the option. And I did grow up hearing a post beep that was kind of soothing to me. It registered more as "all is good" with me. My heart always skipped a beat when it didn't beep lol.
StankyNugz@reddit
I couldn’t deduce why my PC has been buzzing randomly for nearly 3 years.
Turns out it was the 10 year old HDD that I forgot I plugged in and never used. Shit sounded like a jet engine.
Mild-Panic@reddit
I just built a new scrap pc and I had completely forgotten how lowd HDDs can be XD. I just assumed according the OPs description of parts, that its not gonna have a HDD.
cury41@reddit
Not neccesarily heat. I have had similar issues before that were not caused by heat buildup.
GapStock9843@reddit
If I had to guess, the side panel is probably messing with some screwed up cable. Like how old busted iphone chargers have to be held at the right angle to get power all the way through. Its probably putting pressure on it and bending it to an unfavorable angle
Aberracus@reddit
Tu side panel is off to gave more ventilation to the computer. So it needs new fans and coolers, (the sound will go with that) changing them is relatively easy. If you feel that can’t follow a YouTube video to do that, yes give it to a honorable person who will ONLY change the coolers and fans.
Trananasaurus@reddit
I agree with this assessment. I would say this would be a good opportunity to learn about building a PC and buy a new case and transfer the components over. You already know the components work, you can see how they all go together, buy a case that is more inline with your own style, transfer the components and add some new fans.
Prudent-Mushroom-415@reddit
I agree it could also be a faulty power supply
Blunt552@reddit
Could also be coilwhine from the GPU.
kaleperq@reddit
Or even psu. An old desktop of mine whines and the only thing that could do that in there is the psu, no fans, just a cpu and ram. It's an office pc.
Most_Silver4068@reddit
Buzz can be allso whinecoil from powersupply or graphic card . My friend had rtx 2070super and corsairs 750w powersupply what mde graphiccard to have whinecoil.
I bet that psu on that case is old aswell and some cables are broken so it bluescreens "grounds on the case" . Fans allso might buzz it is easy fix
Freakshow85@reddit
I also first thought of case fans.. lord knows I had to learn to block out a bit of rattling and buzzing and chattering.
I will say that it should come and go or, at the very least, have some change in "frequency". Maybe. Technically it would depend if the noise making fans were connected to the motherboard and picking their speed based off of CPU temp.
But I know that's not a guarantee, my case has a very cheap, simple fan controller with low/off/max. Which I only have my top fans on it.. but still.. dang that's a long way to add to that. I feel like I have to be detailed if she's not feeling "expert" with PC's.
And then, like mentioned, there's coil wine on some models of certain hardware. Can come from the GPU, PSU, motherboard.
Usually, though, I've only seen GPUs make coil whine under a load.
I guess all I'm trying to either find out or help be realized for further diagnosis is: Does a load on the PC ever change this noise?
And I tend to push in the center of each fan to stop it and figure out which fan is being noisy. But you'll have to spin it back up, most likely. And the CPU fan could set off a weird alarm noise, so I'd do that last.
It would be nice if it was a bad CPU fan, as that's an easy, cheap fix and lines right up with the overheating issue.
Ooh.. HWiNFO64 may be helpful. A) you can see your temperatures and B) also see any fans plugged into the motherboard.
I just keep thinking but don't forget to look in the event viewer and see if it's throwing any errors up for these BSODs. There SHOULD be a recorded error for any BSOD. Shouldn't have to worry about adding WHEA Errors IF it isn't overclocked/ boosted/PBO'd/ whatever.
cury41@reddit
I mean it could be many many things. I just wrote down what I thought would be the most likely explanation. I don't make any guarantees on whether I am right or not. The only way to find it is to disassemble the PC and reassemble it.
Freakshow85@reddit
Absolutely. I just felt a little chatty. Didn't want to come off in a "but you left out this.." way. I just kept thinking of tips and couldn't resist.
cury41@reddit
All good man don't worry about it. Always nice to hear someone else's thoughts.
Paweron@reddit
The sidepanel could be bending pressing on / bending a cable and cause power issues
yakuzakid3k@reddit
Before learning to make games you should really learn to build PCs. It's very easy these days, everything can only go in one way and CPUs no longer have pins.
Siliconfrustration@reddit
Check out some reviews of local PC repair shops - not Best Buy - and when you find a good one let them take a look at it. My rough guesses are the PSU is sketchy, a cable is being clipped by fan blades, and the cooling is inadequate. A properly built PC will run with the panels installed.
Wiesshund-@reddit
So, is no one else wondering why the hell BF didn't fix up the PC before giving it to her?
BSOD with case closed sounds a lot like it overheats
Buzzing could be many things, but possibly it has crap for fans, which may be part of the overheating issue.
Pics (of the PC) and specs of the pc would help immensely
A video would be stellar, so we can hear the noises etc.
Frequent_Coffee_1161@reddit
Pathetic
Water_bolt@reddit
Are any cables in contact with any fans? buzzing could be that.
Outrageous-Tune-6410@reddit
Go to a pc repair shop to have an absolute answer if that pc is really important. If you have barely knowledge on pc hardware i recommend you to not touch any of the hardware inside. You just might damage it even further.
chilisass@reddit
it's old so dont worry about it
averagechino@reddit
There are two main actions that you need to take.
First is to get your boyfriend to fix the problem for you as he has knowingly given you a defective electrical product. It can be assumed that money is not the biggest issue as he just upgraded. It can also be assumed that he cares about you, as you are a couple. You can then use this response to help you with the next part.
Second is to figure out why he thought it was alright to give it to you with a sketchy workaround. If he doesnt have the knowledge or capability, then great, maybe you two could figure it out as a couples activity. If he doesnt care about it, then it would seem youve been given scraps or its beyond his capacity to manage.
Hope all goes well
Geesle@reddit
If it's an "old pc" I doubt it's a coil whine because coil whine usually comes from graphics card that draw much power. If he gave you his secondary alternative pc im betting it does not have a graphic card capable of a coil whine.
What i think is far more likely is that the buzzing noise may be a fan crapping out, which might explain why he thinks he has to remove the side panel, for it lowers the temperature of the case, preventing the bluescreen.
Start there, try to figure exactly where the buzzing comes from.
arrowsmith20@reddit
Could be the processor is overheating seen this a few times usually full of dust
Wooden-Taste3742@reddit
The random crashing could be from a slow boot drive. My PC was running on a spinning disk for many years and would occasionally crash. I eventually swapped it for solid state and it hasnt blue screened since
aVarangian@reddit
Slow hardware doesn't cause bluescreens. Faulty hardware does.
Wooden-Taste3742@reddit
To be fair I was running 2018 windows without ever being reinstalled that may have been part of it but a drive can be perfectly fine and full house issues. I never had the issue with windows 7 so I would blame it on windows being bloatware
aVarangian@reddit
None of my windows systems have ever had bluescreen problems. Not even that garbage win7starter 1-core 1Gb Ram 5400rpm piece of crap.
Downtown_Number_2306@reddit
Best advice would be a couple of photos to see what’s actually happening. With the buzzing noise it could possibly be coil whine, which isn’t the worst, just annoying to hear. And the other possibility could be fans itself. If they’re cheap there’s a possibility you’ll be able to hear a buzz. But a photo will help out the most to see if it’s an interior problem rather than a component problem
dolly_9628@reddit
oh that’s concerning
HYP3R_N0V4_@reddit
lol yea we need pics girl! It sounds like that side panel of the chassis???? Which in that case, no you don’t HAVE to have it ON. They make some open chassis’s (cases) so it’s not a must. If your hearing noises it could be a fan going out or something else. It’s hard to tell without pics and or videos.
Palancia@reddit
From the description alone looks like overheating, that's why it bluescreens with the panel on. Having it professionally disassembled, cleaned, thermal grease renewed, and rebuilt will surely help. I've repaired many systems in the past doing exactly that. Maybe also an extra case fan, and the tech might find some hidden fault on the system, but overall I'm 100% sure it's worth it.
laffer1@reddit
It might even have the fans installed improperly. (Direction)
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
Do you think buying a new case would also help? Since this one seems too small for this PC as to why it blue screens
Freakshow85@reddit
It's always good because moar fans = moar flow.
But it shouldn't be shutting down even if it was in a case with no fans, honestly.
I mean, a CPU will throttle down at 90-100C, depending on model, and generally hold there. But if it's unable to throttle and shuts down.. it's a cause for concern. Not necessarily any damage, it's saving itself IF that's why it shuts down. Just that it's more like "sticker on heatsink base plate/ no thermal paste/ no working fans on heatsink" kind of overheating.
Ok ok.. I'm done throwing darts blindfolded. It could be dozens of things. Likely simple, pointless to keep typing down everything that pops up in my brain as I type lol.
Palancia@reddit
Help, yes, but be worth the cost, not so sure. I've seen pretty bad cases handle pretty hot components without much trouble. A good assembly, with cleanly organized cables, plus cleaning the dust and renewing the thermal paste can work wonders.
Automatic-Sprinkles8@reddit
Buying a new case is a good idea, i can recommend the endorfy ventum 200 air, its very cheap and has 4 preinstalled (good)fans
SlimAndy95@reddit
A bigger case is nearly always a good option
Inanition02@reddit
A bigger case with more and better fans would likely help the buzzing too, unless it’s a power supply fan / capacitor noise
SlimAndy95@reddit
True, the noise might easily be the power supply, in which case, at least in most cases, not a good sign.
PerfectAct2675@reddit
Have it cleaned and checked by honorable technicians. I would raise my eyebrows for your bf tho, he didn’t repair it or even clean the fans before he gave it to you??
SuperZapper_Recharge@reddit
OP - I just had a crazy thought....
(looks at calender.... hey wait... Feb 14th...)
Look. He needs a new case. I suggested you spend some bucks on a nice case and don't go cheap.
Buy a nice case, reasemble inside the case, get to the root of the problems and give it back to him on... (glances at calender...)....
SuperZapper_Recharge@reddit
This sub is close to worthless. All these people acting like they know what is going on, and what do we have - we have no good information.
OP:
Buzzing noises are often caused by wires rubbing against fans, but they can also be caused by fans going bad. You need to let the buzzing happen and carefully observe the inerds of the case, looking for something pushing into a fan. If you truly can't find anything, just start neatly tying back cabling so that it is impossible to be pushed against a fan. If all else fails, try to identify the fan that is causing it (cause now it is a bad fan).
Buzzing can also be caused by electronics going bad. The fan is 100X more likely though. I wouldn't consider electronics without evidence of electronics.
The blu screens.
Can be caused by so, so, so, so much.
This isn't easy, you are gonna have to start with a Google Deep dive. If you can work it out it may shortcut everything, if you can't work it out then move on to the next bit.
Do a google search on: "read minidump windows 11"
A blu screen generates a 'minidump' and to read the minidump you need a viewer. Nothing about it is easy, but if you can find your way to the bottom of it it can pin down the cause of the dumps.
If you can't read the dump, or the dump tells you nothing-
The blu screens can be caused by heat, shorts, bad components and loose connections or bad connections.
The case - that panel - does the following: it helps with cooling by keeping the air contained and flowing from the input fans to the output fans. It keeps things out of the case. And it helps to route static discharges away from compenents to the ground route that the PSU supplies.
So when you run without a side panel... um... there. All that can happen.
Start with lose connections. I would very, very carefully reseat EVERYTHING.
Move onto shorts. Look for debris on the motherboard, also you may want to remove the motherboard and check how it is seated onto the standoffs.
The standoffs provide support to the back of the case AND NOTHING ELSE.
Again, look for something that has worked under the case.
And having said all that, JUST BUY A NEW CASE.
Listen to my advice. I have been doing this for decades.
The difference between working inside a shitty, cheap case and an expensive well designed case is light years. You got this thing that has almost no electronics in it, you have manufacturers offering stuff that looks all right and is cheap as shit.
Don't bite. Spend some bucks on something that is designed with good airflow, has plenty of room for cabling and is well crafted enough that you are not slicing your hands open.
Worth every penny.
Traditional_Front637@reddit
BRO
Routine-Lawfulness24@reddit
What noise? Can you locate it? Is it constant? Does it randomly start? is it constant pitch?
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
I can’t locate it tho it seems near the fans
counters14@reddit
If the fans are running while the computer is on and you stop them, does the noise stop? As long as you're careful to not get anything caught in the blades and stop the fans using the center bearing this is not unsafe, and my guess is that they're probably toast anyway. Check the case fans and the CPU cooler fan as well. Could possibly be the GPU fans but it is less likely they would cause hardware failure that would result in blue screens.
They're very simple to replace and quite cheap as well.
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
It stays the same pitch and randomly starts and stops. It would happen at least once a week
LJMLogan@reddit
Do you know the specs? My old PC has some low buzzing because my power supply had a really cheap/poorly installed fan.
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
I mean my CPU is an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and my GPU is NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 if thats what ur wondering
Mild-Panic@reddit
That is by all regards a Good PC. But it needs air. Your PC is heating up too much. The buzzing is most likely due to fans wearing out or touching something so physically making the noise.
Witch_King_@reddit
Do we really know that for sure though? I think we need to see some pictures, and some more details on when blue screen is happening (instantly or only after heating up)
counters14@reddit
No way of knowing without further information, but my instinct tells me that it is bluescreening from overheating, and the noise is most likely the dying bearings inside either the case fans, or my guess is the CPU cooler fan.
LandFun6781@reddit
A young girl talking about components by their proper names IS PURE HIGH POETRY.
buildapc-ModTeam@reddit
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Brisrascal@reddit
When was the unit last given a vacuum and dusting?
dulun18@reddit
a video of the issues would be ideal
RIP_GerlonTwoFingers@reddit
The buzzing noise could be many things from the power supply to worn fan bearings.
Proof_Programmer@reddit
I've got a rtx 2060 as well, mine makes a buzzing noise when playing games that will noticeably change depending on workload (alt tabbing out of a windowed full screen game changes it) I've been gaming on it like this for years
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
Ok this makes me a little bit less worried
Bangchucker@reddit
It's also possible there might be a fan screw not tightened down properly or a wire bumping the fan or vibrating against the case.
If you are running the pc and start to hear the vibrating you can stick you ear near the pc to try and figure out what part or location it's coming from specifically. Or if it's in a spot that's hard to put you head near try using a microphone.
Loudlevin@reddit
How does that make you less worried when you have no assurance/verification that what that person described to you is exactly what your experiencing?
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
It’s a temporary like solution for my brain not to be worried until my tech friend is finally free that’s what I meant sorry for the confusion!cause I rather sleep well at night XD
Witch_King_@reddit
Yeah the buzzing COULD be something called "coil whine" if it only happens under heavy load (i.e. playing a game). This could be from the GPU or PSU or motherboard. It is annoying but completely harmless
cannavacciuolo420@reddit
Really tough to say without seeing the pc. We need some pics and videos. Upload them to imgur and link them in an edit perhaps.
Loudlevin@reddit
What troubleshooting have you done, it kind of seems like you gave up pretty quick. "weird buzzing noises" with no context is not an acceptable description.
Lazer_beak@reddit
theres no need to worry it wont go up in flames just stop working
Lefthandpath_@reddit
Not much we can tell you without a recording of the sound and where its coming from. Having the side panel off is odd but it shouldn't cause any harm in itself unless you touch something in there while its on.
Lefthandpath_@reddit
Not much we can tell you without a recording of the sound and where its coming from. Having the side panel off is odd but it shouldn't cause any harm in itself unless you touch something in there while its on.
AstarothSquirrel@reddit
1) find the source of the buzzing. If it's coming from your psu, it might be time to get a new psu. They shouldn't be buzzing. Your fans will have a hum or whirring and possibly a clicking if something is getting caught in them. If you have autism, you might be hearing the electricity that nobody else can hear so get someone else (someone young) to listen too (there are frequencies that I can no longer hear)
2) You need to look at what is causing the the side panel to cause issues. As others have said, it's either shorting something or is putting pressure on cables due to poor cable management which in turn puts pressure on the cable plugs causing loose connections. You might need to get yourself a roll of 10mm double sided velcro and do the cable management (it's quite therapeutic) As you have identified, without that panel on, your pc is collecting more dust than it should.
3) check that your fans are all in the correct direction so that you have intakes and exhausts
4) check if any filters need cleaning
5) considering that it was poorly built, check that ram and gpu are in the correct slots and check to see if the cpu heatsink needs cleaning.
Mild-Panic@reddit
Others have already commented on this but here is the info you need: Take it to someone who can actually build PCs or learn yourself, it fun but requires a few Youtube videos.
Your issue is Heat. Machine not getting enough cool air from front to cool down CPU and GPU. Also check fan orientation. Airflow is in from the "open side" and out from the side that has the support arms and wires going to the fan motor.
So now you have someone who can tackle this building. If the case you have is in good shape, turn off the PSU from the back, press the power button a few times (to clear charge), then start by cleaning off all the dust in the machine. Don't be too rough near the components, but all mesh surfaces can be blased with canned air or what ever. Clean Especially the front panel, underside and pretty much anything with holes and intake. Check that you have fans in front. I suspect the buzzing noise comes from those and the bearings which make the fan spin smoothly are worn out. Change the fans. Put as many fans in front as you can. Only intake from front and depending on the machine, from bottom aswell. Push air out from back (or no fans at all, its fine also).
Reapply thermal paste for CPU. Cleaning off thermal paste is easy, just take it slow. A LOT of info about this on youtube aswell.
Now even if it has the original AMD branded cooler on the CPU then this fix would be enough for it to not bluescreen and have the sidepanel on. If it has some other cooler on the CPU, there is a 95% chance it is better than the AMD branded one that comes with the CPU.
I also recommend googling how to set fan settings in BIOS. also you can monitor your machine's temps with free software Speccy.
Throok_loktar@reddit
Buzzing is probably coil whine from the gpu. Very common, can’t really do much about it. Everything else sounds like over heating. I’d repaste the cpu and probably cable manage a bit if it’s messy. Plenty of videos out there to help ya out. Just give everything a solid once over.
Crazy_Specialist_580@reddit
OP, if you’re in college for game design, take it to IT and see what they suggest
Penguins83@reddit
Buzzing sounds? Could be PSU overheating.
LordBaal19@reddit
Hello, you'll need to share more information, like the model of the case and maybe pictures of it from each side, as cases usualy have two side panels.
As someone else mentions is likely it has some short circuit or bad airflow when the panel was on. In either case you'll probably end up needing a local tech to take a look/fix it.
GameManiac365@reddit
if your that worried just take a listen and see where it's coming from, could be vrms or psu causing the buzzing and if it's under load gaming could be the gpu. i'd download hwinfo and check temps if there's been little maintenance for a long time
zanas1000@reddit
wtf am I reading, what metal panel
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
The thing on the side idk how to call it I don’t assemble pcs I just play games on them xD
zanas1000@reddit
the buzzing noise might be coming from your graphics card, its called coile whine. Usually undervolting it to .975 elimates the noise, but this is quantum physics for yourself (no offense). Try to locate with your ear where it is coming from and attach a picture of the location
vawchiikss@reddit (OP)
Hahaha yeah this is quantum physics for me I understood chemistry in high school better than how to build a pc XD but I will try and see where the noise is coming from since it comes and goes
Key-Pace2960@reddit
The buzzing noise could just be cool whine, which albeit annoying is nothing to worry about.
The blue screening seems odd. If you're compressing a bundle of wires with it on it could potentially put pressure on a connector causing it to become loose, which should be a relatively easy fix if the case has room for cable management, if you feel confident enough you should be able to do it yourself. If the side panel isn't putting pressure on anything I don't know what could be causing the issue.
nagarz@reddit
Are the buzzing noises sound like electrical buzzing? if it is then maybe some parts are causing it and could be replaced, if not, it could be just all the dust gathering. Large dust buildups can create insulation, which prevents the heat from the components to disipate, causing the fans to run faster hence making the sound, and if it's a heat issue, the CPU overheating could cause the blue screens as well.
All in all I'd look for someone to clean it up, reapply thermal paste and then close the PC to prevent future issues as long as no part is faulty.
RyRocks101@reddit
Can you send some pictures? Like the other commenter said there’s a few possible culprits of the buzzing. Also the blue screening when the side panel is on could mean a bad fan is screwing things up.
tomgun41@reddit
I'm almost scared to ask for photos, but I'm going to anyway.
Electronics can make buzzing noises, that's fairly normal. Fans can make similar noises if something is catching the blades or the bearings are worn for example.