Noises coming from my PC case

Ran into a weird issue with my PC today. I was mid-game when this noise started coming from the tower—about five minutes in. It’s hard to describe...
First thought was a loose connection near the HDMI port, but I swapped out the cable and nothing changed.
The sound only kicks in during gaming; everything stays dead quiet while I'm just browsing or sitting on the desktop. I doubt it's the power supply fan since it's only a year old, but the noise definitely seems to be coming from the rear of the case. The whole rig is seven years old, and honestly, it's been bulletproof until now despite heavy gaming sessions.
I'd really appreciate some insight on this. 😁

Honestly? Get it to a repair shop ASAP. If you actually think your monitor cables are capable of producing sound, then we’re beyond help at this point because anything could happen next... 😬

Since the noise only kicks in when you're pushing the system (like when you're gaming), it means either your CPU fan or—more likely—your GPU fan is acting up. Your rig needs a deep clean, and you might need to swap out one of those fans entirely. Hurry up and get it looked at, because this isn't going to fix itself; it’ll just keep getting worse until something actually snaps...

Maybe something along these lines?

darkowl72 said:Honestly? Get it to a repair shop ASAP. If you actually think your monitor cables are capable of producing sound, then we’re beyond help at this point because anything could happen next... 😬

Since the noise only kicks in when you're pushing the system (like when you're gaming), it means either your CPU fan or—more likely—your GPU fan is acting up. Your rig needs a deep clean, and you might need to swap out one of those fans entirely. Hurry up and get it looked at, because this isn't going to fix itself; it’ll just keep getting worse until something actually snaps...

Exactly.

It could also be the PSU fan. It doesn't matter if Paul Kern3 bought it recently; it could just be a lemon, or perhaps it's simply too weak for your specific build, causing it to struggle and whine whenever you push it.

Angela Flores4 said:Maybe something along these lines?

Not even close.

darkowl72 said:Honestly? Get it to a repair shop ASAP. If you actually think your monitor cables are capable of producing sound, then we’re beyond help at this point because anything could happen next... 😬

Since the noise only kicks in when you're pushing the system (like when you're gaming), it means either your CPU fan or—more likely—your GPU fan is acting up. Your rig needs a deep clean, and you might need to swap out one of those fans entirely. Hurry up and get it looked at, because this isn't going to fix itself; it’ll just keep getting worse until something actually snaps...

It felt like it was coming from the back of the case. Yesterday, I was running FIFA 14 on max settings and it was silent. But then I switch to League of Legends, and five minutes in, the noise starts. Maybe it's because League is online while FIFA is single-player, though I couldn't say for sure. Either way, my first move is cleaning the rig. I don't know much about PC components, and I'm hoping I won't need a repair shop—those bills can get ugly. If it's just the fans, it's fine, but the expensive ones are usually the quiet ones.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Exactly.

It could also be the PSU fan. It doesn't matter if Paul Kern3 bought it recently; it could just be a lemon, or perhaps it's simply too weak for your specific build, causing it to struggle and whine whenever you push it.

I don't know. My setup isn't exactly high-end—dual core 2.7 GHz, Nvidia 8600 GT, 2 GB of RAM. I didn't have this problem before, so maybe it's just the heatwave. My GPU is sitting at 60 degrees right now, but everything else seems fine.

Look, just because the power supply is faulty doesn't mean that's the only possible culprit.

60°C while idling? That’s way too high.
Which CPU are you running exactly?

You should probably run some stress tests on both your CPU and GPU using OCCT to see how they handle the heat. It might be time for a deep cleaning to get rid of the dust, or maybe a fresh application of thermal paste—honestly, your fans could be totally shot. I'm not sure who you'd even call to fix it, though.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Look, just because the power supply is faulty doesn't mean that's the only possible culprit.

60°C while idling? That’s way too high.
Which CPU are you running exactly?

You should probably run some stress tests on both your CPU and GPU using OCCT to see how they handle the heat. It might be time for a deep cleaning to get rid of the dust, or maybe a fresh application of thermal paste—honestly, your fans could be totally shot. I'm not sure who you'd even call to fix it, though.

I did a quick cleaning and it seemed fine. Played League for about 20 minutes without an issue—everything was quiet. But since my PC is on the same desk as my monitor, I accidentally bumped the desk with my foot. Even a light hit triggered it again. It started off very quietly, then ramped up. It isn't a clicking sound; it's more like something inside the case came loose or unscrewed. I'm currently testing the Hard Disk Drive with CrystalDiskInfo.