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2008 Mac Pro PSU Chirping noise

D

digiegg

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 23, 2007
117
0
Hey guys,
So my 2008 8 core Macpro is acting up again.
This time is the power supply making chirping sounds and I know for SURE it's from the power supply because I removed all the harddrives and even the graphics card and it's coming from there.
I cleaned air dusted the PSU and vacumed it out after taking out the part but it still chirps. It's not the fan either. Some component inside the PSU is making the noise.
Do I need to get a new power supply? if so, where could I get one and can I replace it myself without blowing up the computer?
Thanks for the help!
 
How loud is the chirp?

Is it extremely noticable? Or do you need to put your ear to the machine to hear it?

Is it intermittent? Or is it constant and steady? How frequent is it?

My 2009 MP emits something that resembles a chirp. It isn't loud, though. And it is almost certainly coming from the fan that sits between the optical drive & the PSU. I don't think the PSU has a fan inside of it. Does it?

I'd be curious to know if anyone else has a 'chirpy' fan noise coming from that area. Just put your ear to the DVD drive area to hear it. Very different sound than the other fans.
 
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It is extremely noticeable, to a point where it sounds like i have a cricket that doesn't stop living inside my psu. It really is loud and constant.
It happens every time I start the computer till I turn it off.
I know there's a fan infront of the PSU, so when I turned it on, I put my finger on it to stop the fan, but the noise kept happening.
So it's actually something inside the psu that keeps making the chirping noise.
I guess I have to dish out 300$ for a new power unit. =(


Studio K said:
How loud is the chirp?

Is it extremely noticable? Or do you need to put your ear to the machine to hear it?

Is it intermittent? Or is it constant and steady? How frequent is it?

My 2009 MP emits something that resembles a chirp. It isn't loud, though. And it is almost certainly coming from the fan that sits between the optical drive & the PSU. I don't think the PSU has a fan inside of it. Does it?

I'd be curious to know if anyone else has a 'chirpy' fan noise coming from that area. Just put your ear to the DVD drive area to hear it. Very different sound than the other fans.
Click to expand...
 
If you've checked & eliminated all the fans etc and it's definitely from the psu, it's likely to be the coils vibrating caused by the main capacitors aging and breaking down. Some folks put silicone glue etc. on the coils but that won't solve what's making them chirp and will cause more problems in the long run. Re-capping is an easy job for someone competent at soldering (remember these capacitors hold a high voltage for a while so they must be discharged/checked by someone who knows what they are doing!) It could be worth getting a quote from a repair tech, or you may be able to get a part exchange unit. New/used mac PSUs are sooooo over priced!
 
In the UK £200 - £300 for a used one, the only "new" ones I can find are apple reconditioned faulty units. A comparable quality new Delta 1000w psu for a pc is approx £50-90 or for higher build quality than in my mac pro OCZ/Corsair are £190ish. The parts to re-cap my 2008 psu are approx £30 :)
 
Jooshtin, I recently replaced my faulty Mac Pro 2008 power supply because it was making fairly constant "clicking sounds". Do you know any UK firms that would repair the power supply so that I have a spare? I'm guessing that repairing it would work out cheaper than buying a refurb?
 
Nalp2010 - Scrumpymacs do repairs, I've only ever bought macs from them but their service has always been great. Google will bring up other mac repair places. Reflowing solder joints (don't try and bake the psu in the oven!) and replacing capacitors isn't difficult if you know someone handy with a soldering iron, or if there's a local repair place that repairs guitar amps/synths etc... I don't know what it would cost, if the mac PSUs weren't so overpriced I'd buy a new one too and keep the old one for spares.
 
It keeps chirping louder as I play videogames, which requires a lot more power than just idle mode.
And yeah... I'll probably just have to replace the whole PSU since I'm not that great with eletricity stuff. Oh well... It's been 5 years and I still don't feel the need for a new computer. I'll end up getting a new PSU and replacing it when I can.
 
PSU replacement on 2008 MP was pretty easy for me.
There are videos on youtube.

I was afraid, but found it to be a fun and rewarding task.
Local shop was asking $600.
Back when I did it, I found a PSU for $220.

Worked great and fixed the problems.
 
I wouldn't wait too awfully long either. When it does go, who knows what spikes or wrong voltages it'll send... :p
 
Tesselator said:
I wouldn't wait too awfully long either. When it does go, who knows what spikes or wrong voltages it'll send... :p
Click to expand...

Around the same time my 2008 power supply started acting oddly 4GB of RAM chips failed, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a connection.
 
Nalp2010 said:
Around the same time my 2008 power supply started acting oddly 4GB of RAM chips failed, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a connection.
Click to expand...

It's certainly possible. As it typically goes the PSU supplies reasonably correct power levels. From there the various subcomponents further regulate and condition it before feeding it to the important bits like CPU, RAM, Audio and so on. If the supply becomes unreasonable upstream then the regulation and conditioning may fail and/or deliver inappropriate levels downstream - which can indeed break things like DIMM modules, CPUs, and so forth. Often the components receiving unconditioned power are the 1st to go - like HDDs and GPUs (depending).
 
I had to replace the power supply in my '08 a few months ago and it was actually cheaper to have Apple do it than to buy the part and put it in myself.

I don't have the receipt right in front of me, but it was about $200.
 
Chirping sound from Mac Pro power supply

I had a very loud chirping coming from the power supply on my 2007 8-core, especially when taxing the CPU.
I removed it for a few hours to look up replacements (using instructions found on YouTube) and when I put it back in, it was quiet again! Its been weeks and its still quiet!
Perhaps there was some static charge building up in the capacitors that needed to dissipate. Anyway, try removing it and putting it back in after some delay, before buying a replacement... it seems to have worked for me.
 
What model of MP do you have as a Late 2008 is not listed anywhere.

There are 3,1 PSU on ebay at around $240 used and $330 "new". A 4,1 PSU seems to be around the same price but has different cables from the 3,1 so check your model.
 
It was the first Mac Pro with 8 cores which came out in 2008.
I don't know the model...
 
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