6700XT ... Is this a normal noise?

SPARC · 9 Apr 2022 at 15:13

Just installed a Powercolour 6700XT Hellhound, started a game and the screaming noise coming from the card is ridiculous.
I've never heard coil whine before, so I'm quite shocked. It sounds like I have screaming mouse in my case.

Is this normal? Is the card broken in some way?

It only happens when the card is under load. The noise also changes in pitch as the frame rate goes up and down. This can't be right? is it?

I'm also getting the noise through my IEM's using an external dac/amp. Never experienced this before.

This is horrible!

LtMatt · 9 Apr 2022 at 15:29

SPARC said:
Just installed a Powercolour 6700XT Hellhound, started a game and the screaming noise coming from the card is ridiculous.
I've never heard coil whine before, so I'm quite shocked. It sounds like I have screaming mouse in my case.

Is this normal? Is the card broken in some way?

It only happens when the card is under load. The noise also changes in pitch as the frame rate goes up and down. This can't be right? is it?

I'm also getting the noise through my IEM's using an external dac/amp. Never experienced this before.

This is horrible!

You've never experienced coil whine before? Lucky man!

It's normal, but some cards have it worse than others. It really is luck of the draw if your card has it or not.

In menu screens where FPS can go into the hundreds or even thousands, all GPUs will exhibit some coil whine.

What card did you have before? What PSU are you using?

Sometimes PSUs can cause the coil whine when paired with certain GPUs, or it can be the GPU itself.

Few things you can try:

Make sure you are using independent power cables from the PSU to the GPU.

[*]
Try setting a FPS cap/use Radeon Chill/Vsync. Lower FPS should give lower coil whine.
Reduce voltage on the GPU, this should help reduce coil whine.
Try a different PSU.
Return it and try your luck again with another sample.

SPARC · 9 Apr 2022 at 16:06

Cheers LtMatt,

LtMatt said:
You've never experienced coil whine before? Lucky man!

I've never had a GPU this good/new before.

I used a 2nd powercable as per your suggestion #1 but no change.
Tried limiting the FPS but this only changed the pitch of the noise.
Unfortunately I don't have another power supply I could try.

I tried out a few games but they all have it. Grim Dawn was the worst. Possibly because in the main menu the FPS is in the several hundreds. Applying v/sync only turned it from squealing mouse to angry wasp.

Awk! I feel a bit deflated now.

This is typical of what happens when I treat myself to new things hahaha.

I think I'll contact customer service and see what they can do for me because I'm really unhappy with this.

LtMatt · 9 Apr 2022 at 16:21

SPARC said:
Cheers LtMatt,

I've never had a GPU this good/new before.

I used a 2nd powercable as per your suggestion #1 but no change.
Tried limiting the FPS but this only changed the pitch of the noise.
Unfortunately I don't have another power supply I could try.

I tried out a few games but they all have it. Grim Dawn was the worst. Possibly because in the main menu the FPS is in the several hundreds. Applying v/sync only turned it from squealing mouse to angry wasp.

Awk! I feel a bit deflated now.

This is typical of what happens when I treat myself to new things hahaha.

I think I'll contact customer service and see what they can do for me because I'm really unhappy with this.

Do a recording for them. If it's bad I'm sure you can get it replaced.

Tetras · 9 Apr 2022 at 17:47

If you'd like a bigger explanation / ramble on the issue, buildzoid made one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D6PKusyvUU

Your card sounds like it's pretty bad. Did you try the suggestion to change the card's voltage?

gpuerrilla · 9 Apr 2022 at 17:58

As Matt said, cap the fps and see if the scream reduces. If its not tolerable just RMA it.

Alan McFall · 9 Apr 2022 at 19:02

Card I have atm had worst coil whine i've ever experienced, have it undervolted and it's synched at 60hz for the most part.. only really hear it in menu's now. Even when it's flat out it doesn't seem as bad as when I first got it or perhaps i've just grown more accustomed to it.

SkeeterUK · 9 Apr 2022 at 19:33

Can be weak psu or can be its doing too many fps, if so try vsync or cap fps in drivers based on monitor refresh rate.

SPARC · 9 Apr 2022 at 22:13

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I played around with undervolting after watching a few videos on it. Taking my time and starting with 1180mV and working my way down in 20mV steps to 1100mV Played Battlefield V for over an hour earlier and it was fine. Seems like a pretty good idea all around to reduce temps a little bit as well. I have stuck with 120fps limit where I can in game, reduced the monitor to 120hz as well. This and the undervolt has taken some of the sting off it. I think my next step tomorrow will be to put the PC under the desk. A little bit further away from my ear hole.

The other issue of the whine affecting my dac/amp (SMSL SH-6 and SU-6) has been completely solved. Just connected it via SPDIF rather than USB. I had no idea that an electrically noisy card could interfere with devices nowhere near it.

gpuerrilla · 9 Apr 2022 at 22:54

Its not often the case but does happen where the PSU just doesnt suit the GPU. Its not worth swapping it out in your situation unless it was ruining your experience but something to try out if you one day can borrow or test with another unit.

SkeeterUK · 10 Apr 2022 at 03:41

btw are u running separate pci-e cables from psu to gpu or using one cable with 2 pcie ends on the gpu?

RatmanGB · 10 Apr 2022 at 12:48

I'm glad you managed to mitigate the problem. I had a Powercolor Vega 64 Red Devil and "screaming mouse" is a good description of what it sounded like.

I couldn't get an RMA and I stupidly held on to it instead of sending it back under DSR in the hope that I would get used to it or it would get better over time... neither of those things happened.

If you can fix it to your satisfaction great, if you think it's going to annoy you long term I'd send it back.

Tetras · 10 Apr 2022 at 13:51

RatmanGB said:
I'm glad you managed to mitigate the problem. I had a Powercolor Vega 64 Red Devil and "screaming mouse" is a good description of what it sounded like.

I couldn't get an RMA and I stupidly held on to it instead of sending it back under DSR in the hope that I would get used to it or it would get better over time... neither of those things happened.

If you can fix it to your satisfaction great, if you think it's going to annoy you long term I'd send it back.

Mmm, another Powercolor. Curiously, I have a motherboard that screams and a 6000 Powercolor graphics card, which does not, in the same system.

Wing-Man · 10 Apr 2022 at 15:32

I remember my first time experience with coil whine. 7950 I started a bench mark and jump out of my skin with it started.

Kirby Wurm · 11 Apr 2022 at 00:09

Coil whine can be atrocious. I've had a couple of cards with mild whine (my 6800 XT has very mild whine at high FPS that seems to have abated a little over time). The lowest was using a GTX 680 while playing Dead Space 2, in the menu FPS would rocket up to several hundred and the screeching was indeed like a tortured rodent!

xPETEZx · 11 Apr 2022 at 11:21

Tetras said:
If you'd like a bigger explanation / ramble on the issue, buildzoid made one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D6PKusyvUU

Your card sounds like it's pretty bad. Did you try the suggestion to change the card's voltage?

This is a great video. What I still cant get my head round is why coil-whine is so variable. Like surely every card using the same coils should or should not whine?

Further what I cant get my head round is why it seems to be such a "fringe" problem in that it rarely gets much mention in reviews. Usually a passing note.

Especially when you consider, what's the point in spending dev time making a quiet cooler, if your just going to pair it to a PCB full of coil-whiney parts?

You wouldn't get a car manufacture putting a bunch of sound deadening in to reduce engine noise, only to then have really squeaky suspension.

I feel your pain OP. I have been through 3 GPUs this generation, and all of them whine. Drives me crazy. I have tried all the tricks, and tbh it feels about as useful as trying to cast a spell.
While undervolting has made my Coil-whine 'better', after a while its still just as annoying. If I take the UV off, hear the stock whine, then re-apply ill again go "oh yea thats much better", but after a few weeks gaming... the whine is just as irritating!

My solution is hopefully going to be putting my computer into the under-stairs cupboard. ITs on the other side of my desk, so wont even need very long cables.

Its one thing that makes me prefer playing on my PS5 currently. That thing is silent! Barely any fan noise ever, and no whine!!

Wing-Man · 11 Apr 2022 at 23:17

xPETEZx said:
This is a great video. What I still cant get my head round is why coil-whine is so variable. Like surely every card using the same coils should or should not whine?

that like saying every CPU should should hit 5Ghz because there all made the same

xPETEZx said:
Further what I cant get my head round is why it seems to be such a "fringe" problem in that it rarely gets much mention in reviews. Usually a passing note.

its not that common, I've had one bad card 10 years ago. and you can RMA for coil whine.

xPETEZx · 12 Apr 2022 at 11:37

Wing-Man said:
that like saying every CPU should should hit 5Ghz because there all made the same

its not that common, I've had one bad card 10 years ago. and you can RMA for coil whine.

No its not. Thats like saying every CPU should hit its advertised clock-speed. Which they do.

How many current gen GPUs have you had? In the 15+ yrs I have been building PCs, this is the first generation I have had serious coil-whine issues.
Had 3 cards this generation, and all coil-whine.
RMA'ed one, and the return is just slightly better.

Also... how old are you? It seems the older you get less likely you are to even be able to hear it.

Wing-Man · 12 Apr 2022 at 11:42

xPETEZx said:
No its not. Thats like saying every CPU should hit its advertised clock-speed. Which they do.

How many current gen GPUs have you had? In the 15+ yrs I have been building PCs, this is the first generation I have had serious coil-whine issues.
Had 3 cards this generation, and all coil-whine.
RMA'ed one, and the return is just slightly better.

Also... how old are you? It seems the older you get less likely you are to even be able to hear it.

im 40 and had pc’s from the age of 12 I’ve have 1 bad card in that time 7950. I have 2 in crossfire and the only game it was bad in was battlefield. But I use Vsync in every game for ever.
It normally happens when the fps run away. In battlefield Vsync had the game at 100hz, in game lobby’s the FPS would rocket to over 300.
If you buy a card with bad whine RMA it

xPETEZx · 12 Apr 2022 at 12:38

Wing-Man said:
im 40 and had pc’s from the age of 12 I’ve have 1 bad card in that time 7950. I have 2 in crossfire and the only game it was bad in was battlefield. But I use Vsync in every game for ever.
It normally happens when the fps run away. In battlefield Vsync had the game at 100hz, in game lobby’s the FPS would rocket to over 300.
If you buy a card with bad whine RMA it

Did you not read my post? I did RMA it. The replacement has coil-whine too, but slightly less.
Do you have a current gen card? Again, as I said... in previous generations it seems much less common.
And again, in the past cards I had would do exactly like you said... coil-whine a bit at like 300+ FPS in a menu. So a non-issue.
The 3 current gen cards I have tried (3080, and 2x 3090) all whine as soon as the load on the GPU gets to 60%+, regardless of FPS.

Either way, glad that coil-whine hasn't bothered you.