Clicking Noise/Flickering Lights

[Lude2Envy]

I recently upgraded my PC with the Thor 1600 Platinum and the Asus TUF RTX 5090 OC. I went to run MSFS 2024 and I started hearing a clicking noise and the lights in the room would flicker. My computer is plugged into a CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS. It sounded like the clicking was coming from the UPS. I switched my PC from a UPS outlet to a surge protector outlet on the unit. The UPS is no longer making the clicking noise, but a very faint clicking sound is coming from my PC and the lights are still flickering. I tried plugging it straight into the wall and still get the same result. It happens once every 15-20 seconds or so. I'm also using custom cables from Cablemod. The cables are specifically for the Asus Thor. I triple checked all of the connectors on the GPU and PSU. Everything seems to be plugged in correctly. So far it only happens under heavy load with MSFS 2024. Any ideas? Thanks.

[Aureliannn_ROG]

Hi @Lude2Envy ,

thank you for contacting us. Regarding the issue you are experiencing, please verify the following steps in order:

1. Please ensure that all connection cables for your ASUS Thor 1600 Platinum power supply are correctly and fully inserted, and that there are no loose or damaged connections.
2. We recommend testing with the original cables provided with the power supply first to rule out any compatibility issues with non-original cables.
3. When running high-load applications such as MSFS 2024, your power supply may be operating at or near its maximum load. Please confirm that your ASUS Thor 1600 Platinum power supply is capable of providing sufficient and stable power to support your current system configuration.
4. Try connecting your PC directly to a wall outlet instead of using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or surge protector to eliminate potential issues with external power devices.
5. During high-load operation, the cooling efficiency of the graphics card and power supply can affect their stability. Please ensure that the cooling fans are working properly and that the heatsinks are free of dust or obstructions. You can use monitoring software (such as GPU-Z or HWMonitor) to monitor the temperatures of your graphics card and power supply to ensure they are within safe operating ranges.
6. You can try adjusting the graphics settings in MSFS 2024 to reduce the system load and see if this improves the issue.
7. Please ensure that your graphics card drivers and power supply firmware are updated to the latest versions.

Thank you for your cooperation and assistance. Please check the above items step by step and inform us of the test results so that we can provide further assistance.

[Lude2Envy]

1. Everything is fully and properly inserted. I triple checked everything.

2. I highly doubt this is the issue, but I'll keep it in mind.

3. My PC is drawing a little over 800 watts under load with MSFS, so the PSU is more than capable of powering my system. I specifically upgraded from a 1000 watt PSU to make sure I had plenty of headroom for the 5090.

4. I did try plugging directly into a wall outlet. I was having the same issue in my office. I plugged it into the wall on a different circuit in my house and I could still hear some faint clicking, but it wasn't making the lights flicker.

5. Everything is within normal temperature limits in my system, and all 7 of my case fans, the GPU fans, and the PSU fan are working. I don't overclock my CPU.

6. No offense, but I didn't buy a RTX 5090 to reduce any graphics settings. Everything else in my system is top tier premium hardware. I had the graphics maxed already with my old GPU and I want to keep it that way.

7. I'm running the latest drivers from Nvidia and Asus Armoury crate installed an update for the 5090. I don't see any firmware updates on the Asus website for the 5090 or the PSU - not even sure how you would update PSU firmware anyway.

From what I can gather through my own research, the faint clicking in the PSU is normal as power demands change and the capacitors/relays are doing their thing inside the PSU (perhaps you can speak to your engineers and confirm this?) As far as the lights in the room flickering, I believe the circuit providing power to my office is at or near it's capacity with the 5090 under load. I'm having an electrician install a dedicated 20 amp outlet in my office specifically for my computer so it's not sharing the load with everything else in the room. I'll let you know what happens. If you can confirm in the meantime that the faint random clicking noises in the PSU while its under load are normal, I'd appreciate it.