Hey guru's whatsup, I need your expertise, since I myself am unable to figure out my problem. I apologize for the long read, but it's all relevant information. Last year I decided that it was time for a new build and I had bought these components. Gigabyte GTX 580 SOC Intel 2600K Corsair hd 650 corsair vengeance ddr3 1600mhz (low profile) Noctua NH-D14 Asrock z68 extreme 3 gen 3. Creative X-fi Titanium HD My dilemma starts there. Ever since I've put together the build. The pc screemed a massive coil whine. I thought it was nothing major since it's just a component being an ass and has to be replaced. Since it was incredibly loud and the sound was being emited thought my micrphone it needed to be fixed. And by through my micrphone I don't mean that it picked up the sound, but it was send throught like a eletric signal, and people on skype or other voice programs could hear it. The problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFqPSaO8mck Here is where my problem continues to get worse. Up until this day (roughly 2 months) I have been unable to figure out, where the hell it comes from. The noise only emerges when I run a heavy 3d app or game such as battlefield 3 and even the windows index test thingy, but it doesn't appear when I play counterstrike 1.6. Also when I'm on the desktop, there is no sound whatsoever. BUT, when I run a cuda stress test, there is NO sound as wel... (note when running the windows performance test, the sound only appears when it tests the gpu, but read on as it gets weirder) Seeing as there is only coil whine when my pc goes into (3d mode) I ran prime95 to rule out my RAM and my processor. Which it did. I moved on to the gpu and there I thought I had found the problem. My GPU screemed coil whine, in every pc I put it in. I put a different gpu in my pc to be sure aaaaaaaand, I still have coil whine... only a little less loud, meaning there is something in there that's also having the problem. I replaced it with 4 different gpu's to be a 100% sure(3 different gts 450, 2 being old and 1 a day old, and a GTX 260). But the coil whine was still there. Since I already knew that my GPU had the problem I had to check what else had the coil whine issue. HERE, is where my problem gets super weird..... I replaced my psu, a coolermaster real power 620, for a ocz 700w and the problem continued. Since I had a problem with the cables on the ocz psu, I replaced it again this time with a corsair hx 650. The coil whine continued. I then suspected my motherboard which I rma'd and received a new sample of and this solved my microphone problem but the coil whine problem continued. I asked my friend to lend me his p67 board, and the coil whine was still there. I removed my sound card and this didn't fix it either. I tried different pci-e slots. Since my story is getting to long I will summarize the rest. To summarize my efforts: (note my bios was at factory settings) Replaced gpu with 4 different ones. Replaced motherboard with 2 different ones. Replaced psu with 4 others. Replaced RAM with different ones, and tried every stick one by one in every slot. Removed sound card Disconnected fans Tried another case...... Ran ALL the fans at 100% while on the desktop. Ran prime95 (no coil whine) Ran cuda test ( no coil whine) Tried higher and lower voltages to no avail. Tried every power setting option in windows Tried different power sockets (grounded and not) Reinstalled windows 7 and different drivers for every component. Disconnected hdd's (except my 3x vertex 3 in raid 0 since it's my OS setup) Tried all different components in all the different slots. Tried different bios firmwares. There might be more which I might have forgotton, but as the thread hopefully continues and suggestions are made, I will be able to tell you if I had already tried it or not. So, guru's since I already have established that my videocard has coil whine, how do I discover what else has it. Open to all suggestions, how weird they may be. Thanks,
Typical sources of coil whine are graphics card and PSU...there really isn't anything else that can cause it. At least not that I can think of off-hand...
Could it be that the mobo is making some kind of contact with the chassis? Have you tried dismounting the whole thing and ran it on a wooden table? Other than that, i can only agree with sykozis.
My thoughts exactly. But I replaced the graphics card with 4 different ones and there was still coil whine. (I already know that my GTX 580 has it, but something else is making the sound as well) I also replaced the psu at every turn to rule it out. All different brands, all different voltages. Yes I have, both the z68 and the p67. Tried a different case and a wooden table. The problem is still there. Something small I forgot to mention. I put my ear against all the psu's and they are not making the sound. The sound comes from the motherboard area. I took a cup with a small hole and see if I could locate it, but it's simply too loud to hear where exactly it's coming from. I also tried it with a mic, but that got me nowhere.
Yep, agreed with sykosis. also, that video does not sound like coil wine.. gotta be something physical hitting against something
I thought about that as well. In order to check, I ran all my case fans, my gpu fan and my processor fans at a 100%. No sound. When the sound was present, I put my finger against all the fans and the sound continued. I also disconnected my case fans to check.
agreed.. coil whine is usually a rather high pitched whining type noise. That almost sounds like something brushing against a fan.... of course, how much of it is distortion introduced by the recording device?
The way you are hearing it, is exactly what it sound like to me when I sit next to the pc. Also the tone height changes constantly depending on what's going on. During the windows performance test, the tone changes with every test. It changes as well during different scenes in battlefield 3.
What I'm hearing is more a clicking noise than any type of defined tone. Which, I'd venture to guess is probably close to what Agent is hearing as well based on his post.
But since my fans are the only thing moving in my case and I ruled them out, I can't help but wonder what else could be physically make contact with something that only happens in 3d mode to boot. Note, the problem does not happen while testing with onboard video. Which made me suspect the psu not being able to deliver the needed power. But I tried 4 different ones that should be able to deliver more than enough power, and the problem is still there.
Try to find what would be considered a "dead spot" in your case. Simply put, a point in your case where there's the least amount of airflow. Try putting a recording device in that spot. That should minimize distortion as a result of airflow and hopefully get the mic central to the noise. The problem with using videos/audio recordings to diagnose noises in a PC, is that the chassis can cause echoing as well as the airflow causing distortion on top of what the recording device is introducing on it's own. Diagnosing noises first hand is hard enough without added distortion caused by a recording device, case echoing, or airflow. About the power delivery..... Gigabyte GTX580 SOC eVGA recommends a minimum of 42A on the 12V rail(s)....Seeing as how Gigabyte is recommending a 750watt PSU, it's possible their card needs more power for whatever reason. So, before continuing, I'd recommend finding a reputable 750watt power supply with a minimum of 48A on the 12v rail(s). PC Power & Cooling MKII is actually what I'd recommend as it's output would be more than sufficient to rule out lack of sufficient power as a cause for the noise.
*I did not read all those posts* I had such issue, it turned out it was the motherboard. Under no load, I had barely none to no whine, while under load it would whine. From what I heard/understand, one or many capacitors are faulty here. Capacitors load and unload at a certain frequency. If they where manufactured with a defect, such as an uncoated portion of the wires. Those wires would touch and the coil efficiency would be greatly reduced as "noise" would be created interfering with the proper signal. This in turn change the frequency from inaudible to audible in the form of a high pitched noise. I am no expert in electronic devices, so I can be wrong, but the faulty component is a defect. Your only "Real" solution is to RMA it! *Edit: About that noise, since the coil is not shielded, it create a magnetic field that disturb the other signals. Sound cards pick them up as noise and it's possible to be audible from the speakers. This is why high end sound cards use a EMS (Electro-Magnetic-Shield).
I recorded that with audacity. I'm running the windows performance index and, hopefully now it should be clear how the tones change. www.ufear.net/pc/1.flac (static 3d program) www.ufear.net/pc/2.flac (no 3d app or game running) www.ufear.net/pc/3.flac (windows performance test) I looked for that as well. But my psu is 52A at the 12. I also tested with a power meter and everthing performed as it should. The pc also never drew anywhere near that wattage. Also, there was still coil whine even without that card in my pc. I hardly think a gts 450 would give any of the psu's any trouble.
@scandalous, You replaced basically every component, and even tried your friend's motherboard. The only thing I could think to try would be to put a quality UPS in the system.
But I replaced the motheboard with a different one (same model) and a different one of a different brand and chipset.
To locate the noise, roll up a piece of paper, put one end to your ear and now move the other end round the PC.
Quick note: It seems I was wrong when I said my mic problem had been fixed. The sound is still emitted via my soundcard (and onboard sound) to skype, ventrilo etc. For whoever is willing to come on teamspeak and take a listen, let me know and I'll post the info.
Just for %$@& and giggles....if you're using the front input jacks on your case, try plugging directly into the sound card. That might clean up the noise your friends are hearing. If you're already plugged directly into the sound card....just ignore this post.
My friend holding the mic. http://www.ufear.net/pc/location.jpg Tried front, back and soundcard connections.
