GTX 280 "Squealing" in games...

MystaEB · 2 Sep 2008 at 22:31

Hi all, I got my replacement GTX 280 today; my previous one was a Gainward which had obviously been opened. (Cables missing, box damaged) Incidentely, that one also made the squealing noise which is one of the reasons I sent it back.

I got my lovely new Leadtek one today, and it does the same bloody thing! When running any game or even the Vista Aero test, it makes an annoying squeal, all the time.

I'm pretty sure it isn't faulty as it's not crashing, nor is it artifacting or even getting that warm. (Not seen it above 80'c yet, which isn't really that warm in my books)

I've done some Googling and it seems it's not entirely uncommon..

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1217575
http://warriornation.net/Forum/showthread.php?t=445254

This bit caught my eye..

You're dealing with harmonic vibrations from a poorly insulated inductor (coil).

This definately sounds about right, and I had this problem with my old 8800 GTS, just no where near as bad. I just really don't know how to fix this! Like i said, I'm pretty sure it's not faulty and I'd hate to go through another RMA process just to get another card that does the same thing!

Is there someway to locate and isolate a problem like this? I really doubt I can live with this, I've spent a lot of time making my system quiet and this just ruins it. I run a mATX system, and my GPU is nestled right next to my soundcard and also my PSU, so it could be anything interfering. I've been thinking about moving back to a standard ATX system, but that seems a bit extreme.

I'm going to try it in an entirely different system tommorow, but if anyone has experienced this problem and has any tips I'd be grateful!

EDIT: I've seen a couple of people say it also happens when scrolling in a browser, which also happens to me, although it's very faint. No where near as loud as when I'm in a game.
EDIT: In the reviews section for the card (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-143-LT&tool=3), a user also states something similar, and RMA'd it. He doesn't say whether the new one didn't make the squealing. I'd really hate to have to RMA another 280.

OrphanBoy · 2 Sep 2008 at 23:18

Are you sure the noise is coming from the card? My housemate's brother's motherboard squeals when he's got a phat card in there and it's doing some heavy work! Maybe it's a power regulator thing?

Senture · 2 Sep 2008 at 23:24

My Leadtek 280, my M1730 and my old 8800 GTS 512 all make/made that same squeeling sound. Takes a few days to get used to, I fold overnight with my GTX 280 making that squeeling sound.

MystaEB · 2 Sep 2008 at 23:27

Yes, I suppose it could be the motherboard, or any component really. It's coming from the general area of the video card though, and it wasn't making this noise with my old card. (8800 GTS)

Just wish I could figure out how to stop it, and while I don't think it's harmful, it's very very annoying.

Funnily enough, I've just been playing CnC3, and it was no where near as loud as say, Crysis or Age of Empires 3 which I have also tested. Now I know CnC3 is capped to 30 FPS which is funny. It's like the higher the FPS, the more it squeals.

EDIT: It's really bad in NWN2, too. I've uploaded a video of what it is doing here: http://www.ebproductions.co.uk/files/starocean/P9020131.MOV (About 16mb). I know this is just in the menus, which is sometimes normal, and I could live with, but it carries on when you load into the actual game.

Montegue · 2 Sep 2008 at 23:48

I've only heard it during the start of some game or benchmark programs. Vista test thing i did hear it though. Mine is a Leadtek also. Not crashed, nor do I get any artifacts, from the default furmark test the temp got to 71c *stock.

funksteruk2 · 3 Sep 2008 at 00:01

maybe a compressor on the mobo, they do that high pitch squeel if you have a faulty one

MystaEB · 3 Sep 2008 at 00:09

funksteruk2 said:
maybe a compressor on the mobo, they do that high pitch squeel if you have a faulty one

Why would it only do it with my new video card though? It doesn't do it with my old 8800 GTS. I suppose this new GTX 280 could also be faulty, but that would mean two in a row that I have received that are faulty, and that seems a little unlikely.

I can only assume that the new card is using that much more power that it is causing some inductor/capacitor/whatever somewhere squeal. Going to try the card in an entirely different system tommorow hopefully.

GoRedwings19 · 3 Sep 2008 at 00:17

I have the leadtek 280. It squeals sometimes but only every now and again. it works perfectly okay and it reminds me of the 8800gtx I use to have.

It seems to produce this squeal when it really under load. I fold overnight with mine as well but I don't hear the squealing.

It was even worse when I had my seasonic 600w psu running it. Even though it was up to the task of running it and it was a great psu it made my psu capacitors squeal like a bitch.

thegoonden · 3 Sep 2008 at 07:50

Could be coils, or could be capacitors.
Could be GPU itself, mobo or PSU.
I've head squealing as far back as my Voodoo Banshee.

It's reasonably common for high powered electronics to shriek a bit, I've even had synthesizers which did it.....and you'd think they'd be quiet!

If you're pushing your PSU to the limit, it may be it letting you know it objects and might be about to "resign from it's position", if not, I'd not worry about it.

wombraider · 3 Sep 2008 at 08:14

This bit caught my eye..

Quote:
You're dealing with harmonic vibrations from a poorly insulated inductor (coil).

Highly unlikely ( I am an Electronics Engineer by trade )

I also got a new GTX280 ( last week - gainward ) , and it is by far the loudest thing in the case. Fine on desktop etc , but when game starts the fan really kicks in.

750 rpm @ idle on dekstop @ about 56deg ( not too bad )
1600 rpm @ full load @ 85deg , and its really loud. ( get ear muffs time)

I dont see anywhere in your post were you say what wattage / brand your PSU is , from your posts it looks like the sound is proportional to the load the card is under. I wonder if its your PSU struggling to deliver the power required?

I to had a very silent PC until the arrival of my 280 , I just turn up my speakers more when Iam gaming to drown it out. The fans on this things
are way too loud for my liking.

On another note you a better of with a leadtek card , check this out from gainward warranty info:

http://www.gainward.com/support/support_uk_warrranty.htm

A bit picky about warranty stuff.

The Asgard · 3 Sep 2008 at 08:23

Its just cap/inductor squeal. Very, very common with cards that draw lots of power. Every card I have owned has done this to some degree. This problem can occur with power supplies and motherboards and because of the omnidirectional nature of the squeal its difficult to pinpoint the exact source. I would imagine its a combination of the card and PSU. If it is changing the PSU can sometimes help.

Its certainly nothing to worry about.

mike gunnz · 3 Sep 2008 at 08:36

Echo what Asgard said. My 280 induced this issue on my previous P5K-e board and does it on my current board. Im certain the 'high-pitched squeal' is coming from the capacitators on the mobo. I certainly dont worry about it and wouldnt bother RMAing a card over it, as performance isnt affected in the slightest.

I also remember a previous GTX doing the same thing although its definitely more pronounced with the 280.

MystaEB · 3 Sep 2008 at 09:55

Thanks guys - it's at least good to know that it's not a fault or anything. I didn't think it was, as the card wasn't causing crashing or low performance.

Unfortunately I'm still going to have to figure out a way to sort it out, the noise really is driving me insane, it's literally the only thing I can hear during gaming unless I turn my speakers right up, because the rest of my system is virtually silent.

Going to try another PSU tonight, the OCZ 900w I currently have doesn't seem like the highest quality, and if I have to replace it, so be it.

ACESHIGH · 3 Sep 2008 at 10:03

The Asgard said:
Its just cap/inductor squeal. Very, very common with cards that draw lots of power. Every card I have owned has done this to some degree. This problem can occur with power supplies and motherboards and because of the omnidirectional nature of the squeal its difficult to pinpoint the exact source. I would imagine its a combination of the card and PSU. If it is changing the PSU can sometimes help.

Its certainly nothing to worry about.

Im with this guy.

OP do you have another high power draw card you could borrow from a mate. 4870 or somthing. Swap cards and if it goes away its the card so likely time for another RMA. If the squeel continues then look at PSU (maybe mobo),

MystaEB · 3 Sep 2008 at 11:07

ACESHIGH said:
Im with this guy.

OP do you have another high power draw card you could borrow from a mate. 4870 or somthing. Swap cards and if it goes away its the card so likely time for another RMA. If the squeel continues then look at PSU (maybe mobo),

I don't unfortunately, the next most powerful card is my old GTS 512, but I'm going to do some troubleshooting tonight with some other system(s) and hopefully find out whether it's just the PSU being a git. I don't mind buying a new one if it comes to that, it's better than having to buy a new motherboard or whatever.

MystaEB · 3 Sep 2008 at 22:32

Ok! So after an entire day of annoying testing with various different setups and power supplies, it looks like the noise is actually coming from the PSU! Problem is it's just so deceptive it sounds like it's coming from another component, which is why I assumed it was the video card. My PSU is an OCZ ModXStream 900w, and a friend of mine has the 700w version which makes the same noise, albeit slightly quieter. I eventually discovered this by sitting the PSU as far as possible from the case itself to locate the precise origin of the sound.

So anyway it looks like I'm going to have to get a new PSU because I cannot stand this noise, it's seriously off putting. The only problem is I need to find a good PSU thatI can be sure won't do the same thing. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Price isn't too much of an issue, but under £100 would be nice, as I don't mind spending on a good PSU that will last a long time. I'm looking at the Corsair range, as those seem quite good and OcUK use them in their Ultima systems and stuff. I need a modular PSU, too, since I can't really have extra cables sitting around due to the SFF setup I have.

So does anyone have a similar setup and/or recommened a good PSU that wouldn't suffer from any electrical squealing under load? I'm guessing simply a high quality PSU would do the trick, but I'm unsure what is good these days and suggestions from actual owners are always good!

EDIT: Oh yeah, and one that comes with an 8pin PCI-E plug would be nice, I have to use adapters at the moment which I'm sure isn't helping the situation.

silversurfer · 3 Sep 2008 at 22:37

Capacitors do wear with time and load, leave it on occt over night see if the tone changes at all

http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download

Or overclock your computer permanently and see if it sounds any better

The Asgard · 3 Sep 2008 at 22:47

MystaEB said:
So does anyone have a similar setup and/or recommened a good PSU that wouldn't suffer from any electrical squealing under load? I'm guessing simply a high quality PSU would do the trick, but I'm unsure what is good these days and suggestions from actual owners are always good!

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. All PSU's will react differently to load and squeal to different degree's. If your lucky it will be outside your hearing range.

Luck of the draw mate.

MystaEB · 3 Sep 2008 at 22:53

The Asgard said:
Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. All PSU's will react differently to load and squeal to different degree's. If your lucky it will be outside your hearing range.

Luck of the draw mate.

Surely the fact that this is such an isolated incident would mean that another PSU would likely solve this issue?

I mean this is something I've never come across before with computers, and a friend of mine who has a very similar setup, with the exact same video card and a different PSU has no such issue. The majority of other people I have spoken to with similar setups also don't have this problem. Surely this must be down to the PSU having a fault or being of poor quality? I mean this squealing is ridiculously loud, like I can hear it over everything else in the room, including my speakers on a fairly high setting.

I just find it hard to believe replacing the PSU with a better one wouldn't solve anything because this can't be a common issue, because people would surely complain. It's not a healthy sound at all.

The Asgard · 3 Sep 2008 at 23:04

MystaEB said:
Surely the fact that this is such an isolated incident would mean that another PSU would likely solve this issue?

I mean this is something I've never come across before with computers, and a friend of mine who has a very similar setup, with the exact same video card and a different PSU has no such issue. The majority of other people I have spoken to with similar setups also don't have this problem. Surely this must be down to the PSU having a fault or being of poor quality? I mean this squealing is ridiculously loud, like I can hear it over everything else in the room, including my speakers on a fairly high setting.

I just find it hard to believe replacing the PSU with a better one wouldn't solve anything because this can't be a common issue, because people would surely complain. It's not a healthy sound at all.

Obviously I can't comment on the noise your rig makes but I do know both my PSU's squeal along with the card. All you can do is try it.