What's this odd computer noise.

May 26, 2006 12:49 PM

Help me identify this odd computer noise.

I have a Shuttle XPC SN41G (AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 1.66 GHz, 1G RAM) which has been making vroom-VROOM noises for the past few weeks (imagine someone revving an engine, only inside the computer). This is a similar noise to when the computer first boots up. It will vroom-VROOM once or twice in a row, then quiet down for a minute or two, then do it again. This noise occurs regardless of what I am doing on the computer (even when the system is idling). It's a fairly loud noise coming from my generally quiet-as-a-mouse computer.

1.) What is this noise?
2.) Should I be worried about it?

Note: We thought it may have been the CPU fan caught right at the temperature level at which it turns on (causing it to turn on and off for short periods of time) but using CMOS to adjust the temperature at which the fan kicks in seems to have no effect on the noise.

posted by irregardless to technology (13 comments total)

Is the BIOS up to date? I've noticed a lot of variance between Shuttle BIOSes for my SN25P, especially since I bought v1.0 and went through the rough bits. Speedfan is something you could use to control your fan via an external utility if it's bugging you - it has a DB of motherboards you can use to configure it automatically.
posted by kcm at 12:57 PM on May 26, 2006

BTW, CMOS is just a generic term for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, ITYM "BIOS".
posted by kcm at 12:58 PM on May 26, 2006

Sounds like a CD or DVD spinning in a drive. Try ejecting any discs in the computer.
posted by exogenous at 12:58 PM on May 26, 2006

My computer has a fan that speeds up whenever I download something, or execute a brief compute intensive command.

Maybe your "thermostat" is malfunctioning and triggering random fan bursts.
posted by StickyCarpet at 1:01 PM on May 26, 2006 [1 favorite]

I'm with StickyCarpet on the internal fan.

I experienced a similar sound a few years ago. I removed the computer casing and located an internal fan which was off-kilter. I removed it, went online and found a replacement part. It was easy to fix.
posted by ericb at 1:09 PM on May 26, 2006

Ditto StickyCarpet, the heat sink on your processor could be dirty enough that the fan is working overtime keeping things cool. Pop the case open and have a look. I give my machines a good dusting with some canned air every year or so. Check also the fan on your GPU if you have one.
posted by Mitheral at 1:22 PM on May 26, 2006 [1 favorite]

Some computers come with variable speed fans to cool the case down inside. The motherboard can adjust the speed of the fan on the fly, which gives it a revving sound. I heard similar sounds from my fan just before it died.

I'd recommend you take your computer into a local shop and ask them to give it a cleaning. And while they're at it, check out the fans. You probably won't pay more than $20, and prevent a future problem if your computer overheats.
posted by fcain at 1:30 PM on May 26, 2006

Vroom vroom sounds more like CD/DVD drives to me than fans, so I second exogenous. You'd hear them spinning when the computer turns on. Fans to me sound more like, well, fans than revving engines, which is exactly the sound I've heard from CD-ROM drives.

I'd look at the CD-ROM LED and put my ear to it to try and ascertain if that is the source of the noise. If it is, possibilities are the drive acting wonky, a dirty/poorly made CD, or legitimate access.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:48 PM on May 26, 2006

If it's a fan, don't forget to check the northbridge fan if there is one. They are often small and run at really high RPMs to compensate, and thus, can get very noisy.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 2:16 PM on May 26, 2006

It could be a hardrive failing as well. I've had them do exactly what you describe...

Do you get a clicking sound with it?
posted by Megafly at 2:55 PM on May 26, 2006

+1 on the cd drive looking for a disc on boot. Unplug its power and reboot to test.
posted by wzcx at 3:50 PM on May 26, 2006

Did you solve this?
posted by Mitheral at 8:27 AM on May 29, 2006

Well I'm a little further along but still a little stymied - it's not the CD/DVD drive for sure. I downloaded a program called SensorView Pro that looks at the temperature and fan speed of my system, and the vrooming noise seems to be correlated with my SYS fan vacillating between 2000 and 2500 RPM. My SYS temp seems to be just fine (43 C) during all this, so I'm not sure what the deal is. Any ideas?
posted by irregardless at 8:08 AM on June 8, 2006