Sonata's PSU gone bad?

PSUs: The source of DC power for all components in the PC & often a big noise source.

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gevorg
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: California

Sonata's PSU gone bad?

Post by gevorg » Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:04 pm

Hi all,

Its been over a year since I've build a comp. with a Sonata case, and recently its power fan started to spin-up loudly and then down, every 3-4 sec. If I'll game, it will restart after 15-20 min. When there is very cold in the room, its fine, but it was never like this, even during summer. The PSU is Antec TruePower380 Sonata version. Idle CPU temp is 42C, MB is 36C.

Whats wrong? Do I need to change it?

Thanks.

ReDx
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:25 pm

Post by ReDx » Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:27 pm

you know, ive got the same problem with my psu but it eventually stops making the loud sounds. im guessing the fan, not the psu is breaking down. if it doesnt affect computer usage, then it shouldnt be a problem. you can however, change the fan or clean it out.

Badger
Posts: 228
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 8:57 am
Location: West Michigan, USA

Post by Badger » Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:59 pm

It sounds like your fan is dead, causing your PSU to overheat when you game and restart. You can do a fan swap or just buy a new PSU.

gevorg
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: California

Post by gevorg » Sun Dec 25, 2005 11:02 pm

Thank you for the replies, I will try to vacuum it.

How can I swap the fan inside PSU, is it easy, or there some sort of soldering involved? Which fan should I swap into this PSU? (Antec TruePower 380 Sonata version - 1 fan )

Aleksi
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Post by Aleksi » Mon Dec 26, 2005 12:15 am

Hi gevorg,

please check the PSU forum's PSU modding stickies. It even has a picture of two from your (well not yours, but someone else's :lol:) Antec TP380S.

I'd recommend Panaflo/NMB or Papst (long life in higher temps) for a PSU.

Just post if something troubles your mind after reading the sticky!

Tibors
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Location: Houten, The Netherlands, Europe

Post by Tibors » Mon Dec 26, 2005 12:18 am

See the sticky thread: PSU modding tutorials/pictorials.

The fourth post has some info about the Sonata PSU, but be sure to read the first three posts too. I used a Nexus fan to mod my Sonata PSU (System 2 in my sig), but that one is not used in a hot gaming rig. So you might want a fan that moves a little more air, like the Panaflo M1A or the Papst 8412N/2GL.

If you don't want to mess with the tiny 2-pin connector inside the PSU, then you can use a fan with a 4-pin molex connector and plug it into one of the FAN ONLY connectors. Both the internal and the external connectors are kept at the same voltage.

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