# PC makes buzzing noise and restarts randomly



## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

This happens usually when i get a Skype call, play games like civ 5 or diablo 3, run benchmarks, or just randomly. When it happens my screen starts freaking out then shortly after a buzzing sound starts... then my PC restarts. Any ideas?


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

What is your PSU's (power supply unit) make and model. There is a sticker on the side of it if you open the case. 

Can you tell me the what it says for the 12v rail?

You'll need to restart your PC and press the "del" button to get into your bios. The section you should look for is the "PC health" or something similar.


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

sure ill just send you a pic of it instead because I have no idea what im looking for heh...










oh and I did the bios thing and right next to the 12v it had 12.240v I think


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

Can you tell where the buzzing sound is coming from? It could be the graphics card fan, speakers built into the monitor, something vibrating against the side of the case, the power supply, etc.

What happens when the screen freaks out? Do you get flickering vertical lines, random characters all over the screen, strange looking textures in games? Do you ever get this while the computer is booting, before Windows has started to load?

Please post your system specs and the full set of temperatures/voltages from BIOS.


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

koala said:


> Can you tell where the buzzing sound is coming from? It could be the graphics card fan, speakers built into the monitor, something vibrating against the side of the case, the power supply, etc.
> 
> What happens when the screen freaks out? Do you get flickering vertical lines, random characters all over the screen, strange looking textures in games? Do you ever get this while the computer is booting, before Windows has started to load?
> 
> Please post your system specs and the full set of temperatures/voltages from BIOS.


yea its the flickering horizontal, not vertical lines that happen for about 2-3 seconds then the pc restarts. the buzz happens right as the screen is flickering and it only happens about 50% of the time. I used CPUID for the system specs and HWmontor for the temps. tell me if you need anything else. Edit: the buzz comes from my speakers. And also I want to mention that sometimes when the screen flickers like that it doesn't allways restart my pc, and will fade to a black screen instead for about 2 seconds then come back to normal.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

What graphics card do you have? Your report is just generalizing with "R9 200 series".


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

Masterchiefxx17 said:


> What graphics card do you have? Your report is just generalizing with "R9 200 series".


 I believe its a R7 270


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

I can tell right away that's crap PSU. The 12v rail's amperage should equal the advertised wattage of the PSU.

If it's 500w it should have around 42 amps. 42amps * 12volts = 504watts.

amperage multiplied by voltage equals wattage.

Your PSU has two rails with a combined wattage of 31 amps. It's a 375 wattage PSU not a 500w PSU. Here's an example of a quality PSU.

EVGA 600 B 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified 600W Active PFC ATX12V v2.31/EPS 12V v2.91 3 Year Warranty 100-B1-0600-KR Power Supply - Newegg.ca

Can you tell me what it says in the bios for 12v rail?


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

McNinja said:


> I can tell right away that's crap PSU. The 12v rail's amperage should equal the advertised wattage of the PSU.
> 
> If it's 500w it should have around 42 amps. 42amps * 12volts = 504watts.
> 
> ...


 Yes it says 12.240V


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

It's safe within the 5% margin of tight tolerance. 

What's your GPU? 

I'd recommend you getting a 650w PSU. Your current PSU is probably at its limit and tripping it's safety so it turns off when it gets too overloaded.


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

McNinja said:


> It's safe within the 5% margin of tight tolerance.
> 
> What's your GPU?
> 
> I'd recommend you getting a 650w PSU. Your current PSU is probably at its limit and tripping it's safety so it turns off when it gets too overloaded.


pretty sure is a R7 270... not the best but def not the worst either haha


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

Referring to this review here with power consumption. 
Power, Temperature, & Noise - The AMD Radeon R9 270X & R9 270 Review: Feat. Asus & HIS

Your GPU is using about 244 watts combined with the system. It doesn't sound like much but then again you have to remember your PSU is not 500 watts. Your PSU is 375 watts with two rails. Maybe if you changed the PCI-E 6-8 pin cables so the rails were balanced you might not get restarts. 

Your PSU is at around 65% total load all the time. It does not take into account that is 65% efficient. 

APEX COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

Look at the efficiency of that PSU. Any good PSU should be at least 80%+ efficient. I 

I bet that PSU is at 80% load and is failing. It's not a 375 it's probably closer to 300watts. 

My recommendation stands, get a new PSU that has at least a:

80% efficiency
3 year warranty
amperage that is close to wattage in one 12v rail


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

McNinja said:


> Referring to this review here with power consumption.
> Power, Temperature, & Noise - The AMD Radeon R9 270X & R9 270 Review: Feat. Asus & HIS
> 
> Your GPU is using about 244 watts combined with the system. It doesn't sound like much but then again you have to remember your PSU is not 500 watts. Your PSU is 375 watts with two rails. Maybe if you changed the PCI-E 6-8 pin cables so the rails were balanced you might not get restarts.
> ...


 is there anything else I can do without having to buy a new PSU?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

No that psu needs to be replaced with a quality 80+ psu. Most of us agree Seasonic or XFX are the best and also Antec HCG.


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

Yeah I know it's a financial burden but I'm sure you don't want your computer dying with parts that could fry. Here's the two scenarios that can happen.


Your PSU dies and takes no other parts with it. 
Your PSU dies and does take parts with it.

Either way your PSU will die, it's just a matter of time. 

That PSU is really really bad. Most bad PSU's I've seen have 70% efficiency and they lie about the 12v and wattage. This one has 65% and lies about the wattage.


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

McNinja said:


> Yeah I know it's a financial burden but I'm sure you don't want your computer dying with parts that could fry. Here's the two scenarios that can happen.
> 
> 
> Your PSU dies and takes no other parts with it.
> ...


 Are you confident that this will fix my problem? I don't want to waste money you know? And if you do think so, could you recommend a good PSU that's relatively cheap and will do well for me? i'd appreciate that


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Seasonic, XFX, or Antec HGC series PSUs will be the best bet. 

With an R7 270 and no plans on upgrading it, you'd be fine with a 550W. Otherwise go for the 650W.

Your current PSU is low quality and would benefit of an upgrade.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Unfortunately good psu and cheap, can't go in the same sentence but when you realize how important a psu really is to a system, you will forget about "cheap".
No one can guaranty that will fix your problem but we can guaranty if you run with that poor quality much longer, you will have a lot worse and way more problems as all the other components are now on a "slow burn" from power starvation from that psu underperforming. And psus do degrade so what was poor quality on day 1 I find it hard to describe at 3 years.


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## SickNate (Jun 27, 2015)

Just wanted to jump back in for people who read this in the future. My problem was 100% resolved by purchasing a new video card.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Glad to hear it was solved!


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