During normal use, all PCs make noise to a greater or lesser extent, and this is normal and we have to live with it. There are fans, storage units, and generally some moving parts that make noise. The problem is when strange noises occur in the PC that you cannot identify, and that are usually synonymous with something wrong. In this article we are going to teach you to identify the most common noises that you can find on a PC so that you can solve and eliminate them.
If you have been with your PC for a while, you are probably more than used to the usual noise it makes, to the point that your brain practically ignores it. But it may be the case that, with the passage of time, it is no longer that the PC makes more noise than necessary, but that strange noises begin to be produced that, unfortunately, are usually the harbinger that something bad is happening.
How to identify your PC’s noises
As this is a written article, it can be a bit tricky to describe some of the noise a PC can make, so let’s try to be as descriptive as possible.
Clicking or “scratching” noises on the PC
Hard drives were once the storage standard in PCs, and even though SSDs are today, many people still use traditional mechanical hard drives. As you know, these discs have inside plates that rotate and a head that moves, so we usually say that they have moving parts. It is not uncommon for hard drives to start making clicking or “scratching” sounds, and this is often a problem that the head is not moving properly.
If in your case the PC has started to make noises of this type, we recommend you remove the side cover, turn on the PC and bring your ear a little closer to the place where you have the hard drives to make sure that one of these is the cause.
Coil whine
The coil whine, also called “whine”, “cry” or just electrical noise, is quite common especially in graphics cards. This electrical noise is produced by the coils of some PC components, generally those that consume the most electricity (or through which more electricity passes, since it also affects the VRMs of the motherboard for example).
This noise is a normal phenomenon and does not necessarily mean that the component is failing. Now, if the noise bothers you too much then maybe you should check to see what you can do to eliminate it or alleviate it. For example, if the coil whine comes from the graphics card and the graphics card has multiple PCI-Express power connectors, try using different cables, using two cables if both connectors were on one, or plugging it into another connector on the source.
Buzzing or humming
The fans help us keep the hardware at a good operating temperature. Both the PC case and the processor heatsink, the graphics card or the power supply have fans, and since these also have moving parts they can start to make undesirable noises.
As such, a buzzing or humming noise doesn’t have to be bad, it can simply mean that one of the fans is too dusty and unbalanced, or that there is some wire just in the airflow causing it to move, producing vibrations. We recommend that if this is the case, you do a good cleaning of your fans and dust filters, and that you check that the air flow is not obstructed or has cables through that may be vibrating due to the passage of air itself.
Rattles and vibrations
Of course, it’s also possible that your PC is vibrating and making rattling noise. If this is your case, also check the fans because they are generally the component that causes this type of noise (basically, review what we have said in the previous section), but we also recommend you check that all the internal cables of the box are okay. tied up.
Secondly, we recommend that you do not put any objects on top of the PC case and, in fact, it should not have anything too close to it (it is not that you have to isolate it, but if you have this type of noise on your PC maybe you should do it to make sure what is causing it). Also, check the feet of the PC case, as their rubbers may have deteriorated and do not absorb vibrations as they should. If none of this works, it is possible that the problem is with a fan that is damaged and you need to change it.
Beeps
Of course, another noise a PC can make are beeps. If you have a piezoelectric speaker installed on your motherboard, when you turn on the equipment it will always make a beep which is the one that indicates that the POST (power-on self-test) is being carried out and it is perfectly normal, but if everything is going well your equipment it should not beep any more. Of course, if the POST fails you will hear a specific combination of beeps that serves to indicate what is failing, and you should consult the manual of your motherboard to identify it.
Now, if your PC emits any beep during its normal operation, it means that something is wrong, and most likely you have a blue screen or hang the system next. If this is your case, you should carry out a more exhaustive investigation of the equipment because almost certainly you have a hardware problem.