My power supply fan has been emitting intermittent whirs every 3-5
seconds or so. I check the PSU to find that the fan was slowing and
almost stopping every time it would make a noise. I used compressed air
to clean dust out of the unit but when I turned the computer back on
the fan didn't work. Fortunately the power supply has two fans (one
inside the case mounted on the outside of the supply which is working
and blows air into the supply, and one on the inside of the supply unit
facing out the back of the CPU). The power supply is 500W, which I know
is an egregious amount of power for what I actually need. Currently I'm
running the computer with just one of the fans working and it seems to
be working fine (it has over-temperature shutoff). I also have another
330 W power supply unit that should work. Should I replace the current
power supply with the 330W or just run the computer like i'm already
doing with the 500W?
Any suggestions are duly appreciated.
-Alex

Previously mrpeepers05 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com wrote:
You should either go to the 330W PSU (preferred, also better for the
environment) or replace the defective fan. The problem is that the
airflow with just one fan may leave out some areas in the PSU and the
over-temperature monitoring may not detect that when the load is
relatively low. Thermal design for good airflow can be pretty tricky,
as I found out when I did measurements for the design of a cluster
node from standard components.

Arno

Arno Wagner wrote:
Since I made this computer almost 2 years ago, and I doubt I remember
much of what I learned from them. If I replace the power supply, is it
as simple as turning the computer off, pulling all the cables from the
drives and motherboards, and then replacing them in the same way with
the new one? Or is it a bit more difficult than that?

<mrpeepers05 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

for your system. Best to only use well known brand of PSU. Beware of unknown
names made in China. Weigh your two PSUs and use the heavier, its the better
quality. Cheap PSUs skimp on transformers and heat sinks, hence are very
light. Yes, you just replace PSU.
Mike.