I just installed the GPU3 client to test my GTX 560 CUDA capability and perhaps set my computer up for some minor folding duty as well. However, whenever the client is actually doing work, my graphics card makes a high pitched whirring noise, it's not the fan it's some other part of the card. I'm certain the noise does not come from the PSU, I have the side of the case open and it's coming straight from the middle. If I configure the client to use 100% of processing capability and then watch the viewer, I see the bar sliding all the time and I also hear the noise all the time. However, if I set the client at anything below 100%, say, 50%, then I see the slider move some of the time, and exactly at the moment that it moves, I hear the whirring sound, and as soon as the slider pauses, I don't hear the sound. This does not happen with any other application I've tested, i.e. games, Heaven 2.1, Kombustor. And it doesn't sound like an amplified version of another identifiable noise the card makes in those applications. Any help? Is my card faulty? Or is it normal for a card to make a weird noise in GPU3?
weird it looks like capacitor squeal,.. Im saying weird because it suppose to have all solid capacitors, ultra durable 2copper base, etc.. and it shouldn't have done that.
I have an eVGA GTX460 SC EE card that makes a noise similar to that, but only when I run OCScanner. Furmark, Heaven, Kombustor, any other heavy GPU load and it does not do it. Strange. So it is capacitor squeal, then?
i did get capacitor squeal on a 260 once but it went away after a while, how bad is it, is it very loud or just noticeable?
It's easily noticeable, about as loud as the fan at 60-70%, hard to judge though since it's a completely different frequency. But for the type of sound that it is, it seems pretty loud. It's certainly loud enough to prevent me from folding.
mine does that too on OCScanner and only OCscanner which is weird ..So I stopped using OCScanner :wanker:
I would just take some artist eraser and put a paper thin layer over the offending area. easy to remove unlike nail polish or something. it may not be a cap anyway,might be choke my 460 does that so thats what i done just use it spareingly as to not smother and trap heat. If all is ok with the card temp's and no errors other wise you should be ok.
Capacitors don't really make a whirring noise, it's more of a squeal or whine. Perhaps we just have different ideas of what a whirring noise is though. Inductors produce a similar noise, it could be that as well. Ceramic capacitors still whine all the time and having 2 oz copper doesn't really affect whether it will whine or not.
i was implying about higher quality parts vs std gpu parts, since its ultra durable and all.. nvm. @ OP Try what Cowie suggested, that with nail polish.. someone said he used it around gpu pcix connectors area and it stopped.
No, I'm not going to start messing around with the card just to remove the noise while Folding. I'm just not going to be using folding@home.
than whats the point of this thread in the first place lol, you dont even have to open the card to put a small coat of polish around pcix area. lol nvm
yeah but if he coats it and they see any traces left giga might refuse the rma if he ever needs it. thats why i said artist eracer it works better too. maybe someone else will use the info?? lol nvm
Yes, that would be the solution, I suppose. Interestingly, my other card does not make the noise when using OCScanner. Anyway, it is coil whine or capacitor whine? It almost sounds like the fan rubbing against something, although it is not touching anything.
Its annoying but its normal. I'm sorry to inform you that this is a documented phenomenon with F@H on the GPUs including GF100 and your GF101 GTX 560 Ti. You see, a typical benchmark stresses the GPU in different ways using a dynamic algorithm, now, even if that benchmark stresses the GPU to full load (98-99%) as can be seen with a program called GPUz you'll notice the voltage fluctuates. However with the GPU3 F@H client, the GPU is stressed at a static voltage level at a static full load causing a sound I have personally dubbed "Static Frequency Load Whine" or SFLW. Modern GPU's and the PCB's sit on are designed to perform under dynamic stress which is why you do not hear this noise even during the most intense gaming sequences as the voltage to is currently changing. Conversely with F@H, the PCB's capacitor's are always in a static state of full load. Due to the complexity of the PCB it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the high-pitched electrical whine but suspect it is in fact the capacitors unable to operate under dynamic stresses. But you'll be happy to know that your card is fine and you'll be happier to know that this issue was more intense with the 400 series cards and still quite intense with the GTX 570 and GTX 580. It seems, there's a correlation with the card's maximum wattage specification and the frequency and magnitude of the whine. Good luck! If its too annoying to bear, just remember to Fold at Home when you're not at home!
Not that my post helps, but my 560 Ti does not make such a noise when I fold. My 285 used to make a high pitch sound when my FPS was through the roof. Such as being in a in-game menu without vsync on hitting 1500-2000 FPS. However, it too made no such noise while folding. From what I hear (no pun intended) the sound is harmless.
The noise is from the PWM section on the card. Capacitors do not make any noise. An inductor can vibrate and LRC circuits can resonate. Dirty power can also be a cause. It won't damage your card. If it is too annoying, the no warranty voiding solution is to RMA the card (barring the PSU causing it). It's not that uncommon of an issue.
