I have a Powermac “wind tunnel” machine and I just received my new replacement power supply kit from Apple. Actually, I got two kits, they double-shipped. I called Apple, and of course they double billed too. It’s not so bad since it’s only a $20 overcharge I’ll get back, but these new quiet power supplies and fan kits are rather scarce, and someone is waiting for one of these kits. And I want my $20 back.
This replacement is about as deep as you can go into the guts of the machine, I have to strip everything out to get at the power supply and fan brackets. What a pain. I hope the noise reduction is worth it. I’m thinking of getting one of the Verax fan kits for further noise reduction, but I’ll see how this swapout goes first. At least I will have the case completely stripped so I can see where I could do further sound dampening.
But the big question is, will this fix my floating ground problems? I’ve totally rewired my office numerous times and I’ve never been able to get the electrical interference out of my computer/TV system. I get big white bands across my TV every time I try to capture video. I’ve tried to get rid of this problem for months.
Update: I’ve got the new power supply installed, and it’s definitely quieter. It seems to have a low throbbing sound at medium fan speed, it’s a beating sound of the two different size fans running at a harmonic. Yep, I think I’ll get the Verax fan kit, and maybe some Dynamat dampening panels too. And I’ve solved the floating ground problems by putting my CPUs on cheater plugs (only 29 cents each). Now everything in my “MacTiVo” rig is working together without interference, maybe I can keep it all working once I get everything back in the cabinets. I had it all working once before, and the grounding failed the moment I got it back in the cabinet.