Corsair TX750 fan rattle and RMA craziness

[Unknown-One]

This is getting a bit ridiculous... the fan in my Corsair TX750 power supply has picked up an annoying rattle, so I went ahead and got an advanced replacement from Corsair.

Unbox the shiny new TX750 v2... fan rattles worse than my old TX750 v1.


Call up Corsair again and explain the problem, they happily send out another advanced replacement and go out of their way to cover the shipping on both my original PSU and the bad replacement they had sent me (major kudos to Corsair here). I asked the rep how I would proceed if, for some reason, the next replacement had the same problem; she told me that they would transfer me to technical support and would see about fixing me up with a different type of unit (again, major kudos for working with me like that)

Unboxed another shiny new TX750 v2... and I could swear the fan rattles even worse than the first two units.


So now I'm sitting here with three power supplies with rattling fans, waiting for Corsair's phone lines to open so I can explain the situation again. I can't really complain about Corsair's support at this point, they've been great... but how can three PSUs (one of which is from an entirely different batch) all have the same problem? Is there some kind of known issue with this product line that I'm not aware of?

I'll keep you guys posted as this develops. Last time I had this many bad RMA's in a row I was dealing with Asus LCD monitors. lol

 

[Unknown-One]

Alright, they want both TX750 v2's back before they'll do anything else (so they can see if the noise-output is within specs). Fair enough, I guess... but even if it's within specs, the fans should not be ticking like this. Ticking isn't a normal fan noise as far as I'm aware...I mean, none of my other fans generate a tick that changes frequency in concert with RPM

Means I'm back at square-one with my original TX750 v1 still making the same annoying noise while I wait for them to test the units I'm sending back.

The tech told me that the v2 units are actually known to be louder than the v1 units... I know it's policy to ship an equivalent unit, but it seems like an odd choice to ship a unit that's known to be louder as a replacement when the original complaint was about the original unit being too loud...

 

[[Spectre]]

Well loud and a fan ticking/grinding/rubbing/rattling are different things. One is simply normal for its operation, the other is a real issue. That, and they fact that they probably don't have any of the originals any more, would be why they sent you the v2.

 

[magoo]

So the fan just "ticks" in operation?

Is it hitting the shroud, cover or plastic air thing on the inside?

Did the V1 just start this out of nowhere?

Corsair will take care of you, as they have already demonstrated.

 

[Unknown-One]

So the fan just "ticks" in operation?

Is it hitting the shroud, cover or plastic air thing on the inside?

Yeah, you can hear all three units ticking. There's nothing visibly wrong with the fans, so I'm assuming it some internal issue inside the hub.

The higher the RPM, the quicker the ticking. It's especially obvious during spin-up. It reminds me of a bicycle with a baseball card in its spokes... just on a much smaller scale.

 

[magoo]

Yeah, you can hear all three units ticking. There's nothing visibly wrong with the fans, so I'm assuming it some internal issue inside the hub.

The higher the RPM, the quicker the ticking. It's especially obvious during spin-up. It reminds me of a bicycle with a baseball card in its spokes... just on a much smaller scale.

That's too bad.
In the long run, it will benefit both parties to find the problem though.

 

[Unknown-One]

Ok, both TX750 v2's have been returned to corsair and are being looked at personally by the person I spoke with on the phone to make sure they meet Corsair's tolerances for noise.

Haven't heard anything back from them yet, though (and I'm still stuck with my original rattling TX750 v1 while I wait).

At this rate, my warranty will expire before the RMA process is complete. Not even exaggerating, I'm right on the tail-end of the 5-year warranty right now. I hope that wont effect anything...


Edit: Just as a backup plan, if I want to replace the 140mm fan myself, can anyone recommend a good one? No matter where I look, all 140mm fans seem to have some sort of weird issue associated with them.

 

[LigTasm]

I had the SAME issue with GS600 units. I think it is the fan brand they use in those, because I returned it 3 times to the store and got the same thing each time. A wierd rattle sound that only stopped when the fan stopped. Do the fans on those run 100% all the time? I know on the GS ones they did which may be why it was more audible than say an AX series that ramps up the fan with heat output. The end result was me buying an Antec PSU, some eco-green 650w thing.

 

[digiram]

Durring your tests, are you running the units while it's in your case or out or have you tried both ways? Do you hear the same exact thing when out of the case?

 

[Unknown-One]

I had the SAME issue with GS600 units. I think it is the fan brand they use in those, because I returned it 3 times to the store and got the same thing each time. A wierd rattle sound that only stopped when the fan stopped.

Corsair uses Yate Loon 140mm fans in their power supplies.

Do the fans on those run 100% all the time? I know on the GS ones they did which may be why it was more audible than say an AX series that ramps up the fan with heat output. The end result was me buying an Antec PSU, some eco-green 650w thing.

Nope, the fan in the TX750 is thermally controlled. I've never actually put enough load on the unit to hear it spin up past its regular idle speed.

Durring your tests, are you running the units while it's in your case or out or have you tried both ways? Do you hear the same exact thing when out of the case?

Two units were tested both inside and outside of cases, the exact same fan rattle was heard in both instances. I also tried normal and inverted mounting, didn't help the rattle.

The last unit was only tested outside of a case because I was tired of rewiring my PC (corsair owes me a bag of zip ties ), had the same rattle...

 

[Unknown-One]

Been over two weeks since all this started. So much for getting cross-shipping to expedite the process...

They've received both units, and have only gotten around to looking at the first one. The tech told me that the unit they checked was "making a little noise" but that it "wasn't anything unusual." They said they'd call me back when they've tested the second unit and have some kind of resolution for me. Hopefully that means replacement with a different model that doesn't suffer from these noise issues.

I really hope Corsair doesn't consider the noise these units are making to be "normal." These are the only fans in my possession that tick like a bicycle wheel with a baseball card wedged in its spokes...

 

[Shauni]

Ok, both TX750 v2's have been returned to corsair and are being looked at personally by the person I spoke with on the phone to make sure they meet Corsair's tolerances for noise.

Haven't heard anything back from them yet, though (and I'm still stuck with my original rattling TX750 v1 while I wait).

At this rate, my warranty will expire before the RMA process is complete. Not even exaggerating, I'm right on the tail-end of the 5-year warranty right now. I hope that wont effect anything...


Edit: Just as a backup plan, if I want to replace the 140mm fan myself, can anyone recommend a good one? No matter where I look, all 140mm fans seem to have some sort of weird issue associated with them.

If the RMA thingy doesn't resolve itself well, I guess you could try to get ahold of some Sanyo Denki 140mm fan, they are usually very nice for powersupplies. Just check so it matches the RPM/Voltage of the previous fan relatively well.

 

[Unknown-One]

Well... tomorrow will be 3 full weeks since I started the RMA process, and I'm still stuck with my original unit...

Guess I'll call them tomorrow since they're not calling me.

 

[Jorona]

I had the SAME issue with GS600 units. I think it is the fan brand they use in those, because I returned it 3 times to the store and got the same thing each time. A wierd rattle sound that only stopped when the fan stopped. Do the fans on those run 100% all the time? I know on the GS ones they did which may be why it was more audible than say an AX series that ramps up the fan with heat output. The end result was me buying an Antec PSU, some eco-green 650w thing.

The GS600 fan does ramp with thermal load. Mine also doesn't tick. So its not the line.

 

[Unknown-One]

The GS600 fan does ramp with thermal load. Mine also doesn't tick. So its not the line.

Eh, you don't know that for sure. The tech told me that Corsair sources their fans from multiple manufacturers, and there's no guarantee that two batches will be exactly alike.

It's quite possible that a batch of bad fans got allocated to the GS600 line at some point, causing a bad run of that particular PSU.

 

[Jorona]

... A bad run of fans isn't a bad line.

 

[Unknown-One]

... A bad run of fans isn't a bad line.

A PSU is one thing, the fan isn't a separate entity... I'd call it a bad line of PSUs if it's a crap-shoot as to weather or not the thing will rattle when you order one (which it is).

Just because you happened to get a perfect one doesn't mean it's a good line.

 

[Jorona]

And judging by reviews, I'd say the fan is a minority problem.

But hey, Half a Glass eh?

 

[Unknown-One]

And judging by reviews, I'd say the fan is a minority problem.

But hey, Half a Glass eh?

Not sure what reviews you're reading, but it's VERY hard to find a good 140mm fan. My case has 140mm fan holes, so I poured over a LOT of reviews trying to find a 140mm fan that couldn't be easily outclassed by a 120mm fan. Couldn't find a single one...

All 140mm fans I've looked at (including the Yate Loon fans that Corsair tends to use most of the time) seem to have some kind of weird issue, weather it be ticking, buzzing, high spin-up voltage, or lower CFM at equivalent noise levels to their 120mm counterparts.

From where I'm sitting, seems like any PSU with a 140mm fan should be held suspect... especially the Yate Loon D14BH-12's that Corsair likes to use, which are ball-bearing fans rather than sleeve-bearing fans (ball-bearing fans are known to have issues with rattling). I'm about ready to get a 140mm-to-120mm fan adapter and pop a 120mm Nexus RealSilent into my TX750. The RealSilent maxes out at 36 CFM, but it can do 36 CFM at only 18 dB (and I doubt it'll need to spin up that high). The stock 140mm Yate Loon D14BH-12 is already over 18 dB while idle, and well over 22 dB when it's pushing 36 CFM.

 

[Jorona]

And nearly every PSU company would disagree with you. The silent fans in the tops of my Antec 300s would disagree too.

Ball bearing fans are louder intially, but typically have the same sound profile through their entire lifespan, where sleeve fans will get louder over time. Its a trade off. Hydro-dynamic/twister bearing fans seem to be bucking this trend, and many newer PSUs use them. I know the XFX Platinum 1kw has a hydro bearing fan (even thought its advertised as a ball bearing.)

 

[Unknown-One]

And nearly every PSU company would disagree with you. The silent fans in the tops of my Antec 300s would disagree too.

Disagree with me on what point? That most 140mm fans seem to have issues?

I haven't come across a 140mm fan I'd want to use yet, even the expensive ones...

Edit: Just checked the specs on the "silent" 140mm fans included with the Antec 300's. They're those really crappy 140mm LED Tri-Cools, the absolute quietest they're rated to run is 700 RPM / 19.8 dBA / 47 CFM.
Those 140mm Tri-Cools are worse than a 120mm Noctua NF-P12 running full blast. When running at 12v, the Noctua NF-P12 produces exactly the same amount of noise (19.8 dBA) while moving more air (54 CFM).

If you turn down a 120mm Noctua NF-P12 so that it moves the same amount of air as one of those Tri-Cools (47 CFM) it only produces 16.9 dBA, much quieter than the 140mm fan doing the same job.

Ball bearing fans are louder intially, but typically have the same sound profile through their entire lifespan, where sleeve fans will get louder over time. Its a trade off. Hydro-dynamic/twister bearing fans seem to be bucking this trend, and many newer PSUs use them. I know the XFX Platinum 1kw has a hydro bearing fan (even thought its advertised as a ball bearing.)

You're right about the ball bearing fans sounding the same for their entire lifespan. My TX750 has rattled consistently for 5 years...

Still, I'm not happy with Corsair picking one of the cheapest and loudest 140mm fans available in a high-end PSU like the TX750. I'm not the only one, I can find plenty of people complaining about these units being very loud and/or fan rattle.

 

[Redbeard]

This is getting a bit ridiculous... the fan in my Corsair TX750 power supply has picked up an annoying rattle, so I went ahead and got an advanced replacement from Corsair.

Unbox the shiny new TX750 v2... fan rattles worse than my old TX750 v1.


Call up Corsair again and explain the problem, they happily send out another advanced replacement and go out of their way to cover the shipping on both my original PSU and the bad replacement they had sent me (major kudos to Corsair here). I asked the rep how I would proceed if, for some reason, the next replacement had the same problem; she told me that they would transfer me to technical support and would see about fixing me up with a different type of unit (again, major kudos for working with me like that)

Unboxed another shiny new TX750 v2... and I could swear the fan rattles even worse than the first two units.


So now I'm sitting here with three power supplies with rattling fans, waiting for Corsair's phone lines to open so I can explain the situation again. I can't really complain about Corsair's support at this point, they've been great... but how can three PSUs (one of which is from an entirely different batch) all have the same problem? Is there some kind of known issue with this product line that I'm not aware of?

I'll keep you guys posted as this develops. Last time I had this many bad RMA's in a row I was dealing with Asus LCD monitors. lol

This is ridiculous - please email me directly with your contact info and RMA #s, [email protected]

I'll make sure it gets taken care of.

 

[Unknown-One]

Thank you Redbeard!

They upgraded my replacement to an AX750, which looks like a much nicer unit all-around (and much quieter )

Slightly telling that corsair went with a 120mm fan for the better units instead of a 140mm one, falls in line with what I've experienced from 140mm fans.

 

[Jorona]

Disagree with me on what point? That most 140mm fans seem to have issues?

I haven't come across a 140mm fan I'd want to use yet, even the expensive ones...

Edit: Just checked the specs on the "silent" 140mm fans included with the Antec 300's. They're those really crappy 140mm LED Tri-Cools, the absolute quietest they're rated to run is 700 RPM / 19.8 dBA / 47 CFM.
Those 140mm Tri-Cools are worse than a 120mm Noctua NF-P12 running full blast. When running at 12v, the Noctua NF-P12 produces exactly the same amount of noise (19.8 dBA) while moving more air (54 CFM).

If you turn down a 120mm Noctua NF-P12 so that it moves the same amount of air as one of those Tri-Cools (47 CFM) it only produces 16.9 dBA, much quieter than the 140mm fan doing the same job.


You're right about the ball bearing fans sounding the same for their entire lifespan. My TX750 has rattled consistently for 5 years...

Still, I'm not happy with Corsair picking one of the cheapest and loudest 140mm fans available in a high-end PSU like the TX750. I'm not the only one, I can find plenty of people complaining about these units being very loud and/or fan rattle.

What are you talking about LEDs? I have a stock old, first version 300. No hole in the mobo tray, sketchy power button wiring and no LEDs in the fans. Its a tri-cool, yes. I run it at medium, and its just dandy. Its been just dandy for over 3 years now. Throwing an entire size of fan under the bus because of some cheap Yates is really foolish. You buy a cheap fan, get a cheap fan. You're compairing a 20 dollar fan to a 6-7 dollar fan. Ofcourse its going to work better.

The TX is their mid line. The HX is their high end, and the AX is their enthusiast units. GS and TX are similar, and CX is their base line. They are going to put cheaper parts in cheaper units. If you want top pick, then pay for it.

 

[dccmadams]

I have like 5 corsair PSUs from cv to hx and none tick or ever had a problem. They are the best PSUs I have ever bought.

 

[Unknown-One]

What are you talking about LEDs? I have a stock old, first version 300. No hole in the mobo tray, sketchy power button wiring and no LEDs in the fans. Its a tri-cool, yes. I run it at medium, and its just dandy. Its been just dandy for over 3 years now.

You didn't specify which version of the 300 you had, not that it matters, the non-LED version of those 140mm fans have the same specs.

I've heard the 140mm Tri-Cools, and they aren't what I'd call quiet, even when turned down as low as they'll go without stalling. They also moved very little air for the amount of noise they were making at low RPM. Like I said, 120mm Noctua performs far better.

Throwing an entire size of fan under the bus because of some cheap Yates is really foolish. You buy a cheap fan, get a cheap fan. You're compairing a 20 dollar fan to a 6-7 dollar fan. Ofcourse its going to work better.

No... I told you, I've gone through all kinds of 140mm fans, cheap and expensive. Every single one was a disappointment (unless all I wanted out of them was a lot of CFM with no regard for quiet operation). Even the super-expensive Noctua NH-P14 140mm fan turned out to be worse than its 120mm counterpart...

 

[MaXimus421]

My TX750 V2 has been nothing but a pleasure to have in my system. A shame yours was not. But I disagree, even if you had terrible experiences with 140mm fans in your units does not mean the rest of the world has.

You keep mentioning that you find terrible reviews on this or that. Well, anyone can find reviews stating the negatives on ANY product if they look hard enough. The flip side of that coin is that anyone can also find just as many of positive reviews, as well. Especially on products from high end manufacturers.

You say you have never dealt with a good 140mm fan (more or less). Well, if that were to happen to me I too would be weary of them. So I can't argue with you there, but I refuse to believe that the rest of the world has had the same issues with them and to the degree that you have.

Unless I totally missed my guess here, you've just been very unlucky.

Anyways, I am happy your new unit is in working order, may it serve you well.

 

[OC-Chronic]

What about mag-lev fans? My FSP Kingcraft 1000 is a great PSU but the 80mm-ball bearing fan was loud & rattled too. The ball bearings roll around & make lots of noise & there's nothing wrong with them. That's where you get the 'card in the spokes' noise. As the spindle rotates, the bearings roll & slap together. Ball-bearing fans are designed to last forever at the cost of higher noise & rattling. The long lifespan of bearing fans are what attract PSU makers to use them. I replaced mine with a GELID 80mm magnetic levitation fan & they are whisper quiet & easy to clean. All you have to do is pull on the blades & it pops right out for cleaning. Mag-Lev fans rule.

 

[Unknown-One]

My TX750 V2 has been nothing but a pleasure to have in my system. A shame yours was not. But I disagree, even if you had terrible experiences with 140mm fans in your units does not mean the rest of the world has.

I never said the rest of the world has had terrible experiences with 140mm fans, only that I do not find their noise levels relative to their CFM outputs to be acceptable when compared against 120mm fans (especially when they're compared at low RPM).

You keep mentioning that you find terrible reviews on this or that. Well, anyone can find reviews stating the negatives on ANY product if they look hard enough. The flip side of that coin is that anyone can also find just as many of positive reviews, as well. Especially on products from high end manufacturers.

I'm not cherry-picking poor reviews here, many reviewers had nothing but kind things to say about these 140mm fans... but then I compared them to 120mm fans (from the same reviewer if possible).

At low RPM, in the noise ranges that I find acceptable, the 140mm fans lost to the 120mm fans every single time. This shows up in reviews and I've experienced it in person with every 140mm fan I've had through here. If you know of a 140mm fan that's worth taking a look at, please, link me. I'd love to finally have a 140mm fan I can recommend to people.

You say you have never dealt with a good 140mm fan (more or less). Well, if that were to happen to me I too would be weary of them. So I can't argue with you there, but I refuse to believe that the rest of the world has had the same issues with them and to the degree that you have.

Unless I totally missed my guess here, you've just been very unlucky.

Nothing to do with luck, everything to do with knowing what you're listening for. I'm sure there are plenty of people happily running 140mm fans without realizing they're louder than 120mm fans (or they don't care that they're louder, and just want the additional CFM that a 140mm fan can pump out at high RPM). There might also be some genuinely good and quiet 140mm fans out there that I haven't been able to hunt down yet.

As far as I can tell, the extra diameter works against 140mm fans when they're run at low RPM. Below roughly 1000 RPM, they experience a sharp drop in CFM output, but the noise level continues to drop off only gradually. 120mm fans can be run at much lower RPM and much lower noise levels before they experience this sharp drop in CFM output. This difference creates a "pocket" where 120mm fans outperform 140mm fans at equivalent noise levels.

Anyways, I am happy your new unit is in working order, may it serve you well.

It's not here yet, still waiting on email confirmation. I'll post when it arrives and I've had a chance to test it

 

[Unknown-One]

Well, I was told my request was forwarded to their CSG department and that I'd be contacted with replacement information...

That was 4 days ago, and I haven't gotten any further email from Corsair. Should I wait another day or try and shoot off another email to them?

 

[Jorona]

I personally would start raging at them daily. You are having the worst experiance with their RMA that I've ever heard of.

Also, try the 140mm Xigmateks XAF series. I just replaced my wifes 140 with it and its dead silent and moves alot of air. Might have to get one for me soon.

 

[tinate]

I personally would start raging at them daily. You are having the worst experiance with their RMA that I've ever heard of.

You haven't heard of very many RMA experiences.

Well, I was told my request was forwarded to their CSG department and that I'd be contacted with replacement information...

That was 4 days ago, and I haven't gotten any further email from Corsair. Should I wait another day or try and shoot off another email to them?

Have you contacted Redbeard yet? He can get it done.

 

[Jorona]

You haven't heard of very many RMA experiences.



Have you contacted Redbeard yet? He can get it done.

Corsairs RMA is typically painless. He's been waiting a month. Thats absolutely unacceptable. The reason I buy Corsair is because of their awesome warranty and RMA. I was dissappointed when I started having problemws with corsair ram and had to switch vendors for that. Maybe Corsairs golden years are over?

 

[Unknown-One]

Have you contacted Redbeard yet? He can get it done.

Yeah, I contacted Redbeard at the email address he provided in this thread.

I got a reply from George Makris asking if I'd be ok with an AX750 as a replacement, to which I promptly responded that I'd be very happy with that.

Didn't hear anything back for 5 days so I sent off an email to George again. He got back to me apologizing for being out of the office on Thursday and Friday, and told me that my request had been forwarded to their CSG department and that they would contact me with replacement information.

Haven't heard anything for 4 days... so that's where I'm at now. Guess I'll send off another email.

Corsairs RMA is typically painless. He's been waiting a month. Thats absolutely unacceptable.

I submitted the original RMA on 3/18/2012, the first post in this thread was already an entire month into this ordeal.

So I've been trying to get this one RMA completed for TWO MONTHS now...

 

[Hagrid]

I also have the TX750 and its silent. So yeah, maybe a bad batch of fans.

I have only bought corsair PS's and have good luck so far, no RMA's. (knock on wood)

 

[DougCBJ]

Hope you get this taken care of. I must be the luckiest computer guy in the world, I've never had to RMA anything that was very important. My first RMA was actually a bad part on an NZXT Phantom case. You wanna talk about bad RMA department and terrible customer service, NZXT hasn't responded to my ticket since I put it in 2 weeks ago.

 

[Unknown-One]

Gave them another 24 hours before sending them an email, still received nothing. Shot off another email to George asking what the hold-up is...

Oh, and remember the tech that was supposed to call me after he had tested both TX750 V2's that I sent him? Never heard back from him either...


Edit 1: You know what...does anyone happen to have a phone number where I can reach George Makris directly? I've found time and time again that calling the person I'm dealing with tends to get better and faster results than email.
Edit 2: He just got back to me via email, says he'll get somebody on it.

 

[Unknown-One]

You know... I was just about to jump on here and complain Corsair's CSG department still hasn't contacted me like they said they would, buuuuuuut...

They dropped a tracking number in my inbox at 9:00 AM this morning (an automated email) and this showed up on my doorstep at 11:30 AM. A real live person hasn't actually gotten back to me, so I have no idea if they want the TX750 back, and have no shipping label from Corsair to do it with.

Anyway, going to unbox this guy and throw it on the test bench so I can see how it sounds

 

[Jorona]

It sounds like win to me

 

[mrkazador]

I have a TX750 v2 also, put my ear next to the pc case and could hear what you described, a playing card on a bicycle wheel. I'm not 1000000% sure its the psu as I don't have the time right now to make sure it is but here is a video of the ticking sound.

http://youtu.be/3utBmgi1bBA