capacitor noise?

mogli1990(OcUK) · 7 Jul 2008 at 02:18

erm... my computer's pretty quiet right, but when i launch folding (GPU client on my 8800GT) for example, i hear "capacitor squealing" im sure some of you know what that sounds like

it's not constant, it's very fast eeeeeek eeeeeek eeeeek... sounds like a good beat

no seriously though, im thinking it might be my PSU (QTec 300W) cause I've had this PSU for more than 5 years now, and I never noticed this when I was using an Antec 430W earthwatts (came with my case), even though the computer was almost completely silent then because that PSU was a lot quieter than the QTec.

anyone got any ideas what it could be? if it's the graphics card, should i replace it? it's a new graphics card as well, only 6-7 months old (but only ever worked at stock speeds because my nephew had the computer most of this time... i only just got it back about a week ago)

thanks guys

mogli1990(OcUK) · 7 Jul 2008 at 02:23

had a brainwave... just turned off folding, capacitor noise went... put prime95 on all 4 cores (Q6600) and noticed no capacitor noise... strange... maybe my GPU puts more load on the PSU?

closed prime, opened this folding thing... watched the status carefully, AS SOON as the status said it was working this capacitor thing also started again...

done another test... had 3 threads on prime, and the folding on the gpu, and the sound is slightly different... it's more constantly on instead of alternating on and off quickly... still alternates though

any ideas anyone? i know computers have capacitor squeal by standard... it's something capacitors do isnt it? but the fact that my gpu does it and none of my other components, isn't that a bad thing?

benjo · 7 Jul 2008 at 02:30

My GTS does similar things sometimes, i'm using a corsair 450w. I googled around a while back and apparently it's the capacitors squeeling for more power? Not sure if theres any truth in that though. Most probably PSU related either way.

mogli1990(OcUK) · 7 Jul 2008 at 02:32

got some more info

http://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=3212&start=45&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
seems like loads of folders are quite annoyed about this too... people are going to be knocking on graphics-card manufacturer's doors with torches and pitchforks

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=162863
Asus P5K used to have a problem like this... apparently it was silenced using a gluegun to glue the capacitor? wouldn't wanna do that to my new card!

i'll try to be a man and live with it...

mogli1990(OcUK) · 7 Jul 2008 at 02:33

benjo said:
I googled around a while back and apparently it's the capacitors squeeling for more power? Not sure if theres any truth in that though.

LOL that's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard!!!
I would'a thought they were being fed too much power

lol ok well we'll see what happens when I get my new PSU soon, I'll be sure to post results here

benjo · 7 Jul 2008 at 02:34

I did raise my eyebrow when i read it!

I think it was on the hardocp forums. I'll try and find it.

mogli1990(OcUK) · 7 Jul 2008 at 02:36

HardOCP forums eh? i dont think any more needs to be said

Aod · 7 Jul 2008 at 03:20

hangon, you're running a Q6600 and an 8800GT on a 300W Q-tec? Good Gods man WHY?!?!?!

edit, however, regarding your "problem", i think you'll be interested to learn that Loaded GPU's often squeal in some way. it was very noticable when i had a Radeon 9800Pro, but all GFX cards that i've had, including my current 8800GTX squeal quite audibly when loaded with static/regular/repetetive tests (which folding counts as)

mogli1990(OcUK) · 7 Jul 2008 at 03:47

oh i consider myself lucky so far then

lol

yep it's on that 300W QTec, lol! long story cut short... here goes
1) buy this rig with 430W Antec Earthwatts (part of case) back in Nov/Dec 2007
2) Nephew's computer with 520W Powersteam (my old PC i sold him) breaks, PSU failure... I fit him a QTec 300W i have lying around, and take his 520W OCZ Powerstream to RMA
3) Nephew's X800XT wont work with it, so I fit him a Ti500
4) OCZ offer a 700W GamerXStream replacement... I got ready to sent it, but never was bothered to go to the post office
5) Nephew complains about games being bad on the Ti500... He's right... I swap my PC (yes, my Q6600 8800GT) for his computer
6) a few months pass... nephew is complaining about (by the way this nephew is 8 years old, my sister's son) how my Q6600 rig isn't as good as his 3700+ X800XT rig was...
7) still getting earfull from nephew about my rig not being as good as his was... he's very upset at this point
8) I was talking to my sister about it and suddenly get a brainwave... swap my PSU 430W Earthwatts with that QTec, get his rig working, and give it back to him
9) Carried that out, now I have my Quad Core rig back, but running on a 300W PSU... that wont do for me!
10) Email OCZ etc etc and posted it back on monday (6-7 days ago)... Didn't want that crappy GamerXStream but saw the lovely EliteXStream... yapped on to them about having chosen my 520W Powerstream because it had 1 big 12v rail instead of 2 rails like the 600W Powerstream (that was actually a purchase decision, I wasn't lying to them)... oh and I prayed a hell of a lot for them to offer me the EliteXStream 800W... I asked "what would you recommend to replace it with?"
11) They email offering me the EliteXSteam 800W

so yea... that's the story lol

EYEREX · 7 Jul 2008 at 10:48

I had this on a asrock motherboard 478 P4 setup the other week and found out my noise was down to the thermal protection on the motherboard so turned off in the bios and the noise was gone

Still have protection set for the CPU just that there was one built into the motherboard as well

mogli1990(OcUK) · 7 Jul 2008 at 15:19

yea... i think we're seeing a trend of the problem being due to power regulation... last night after i made that post, the noise somehow got into my speakers too! if i find anything out i'll post

Teaf · 7 Jul 2008 at 16:17

mogli1990(OcUK) said:
no seriously though, im thinking it might be my PSU (QTec 300W)

mogli1990(OcUK) said:
anyone got any ideas what it could be? if it's the graphics card, should i replace it? it's a new graphics card as well, only 6-7 months old (but only ever worked at stock speeds because my nephew had the computer most of this time... i only just got it back about a week ago)

thanks guys

Most likely capacitor squealing, which is more common than most people think. It's less common on more expensive components, and more frequent on budget components but it's not anything to worry about other than providing you with a rather irritating noise.

6) a few months pass... nephew is complaining about (by the way this nephew is 8 years old, my sister's son) how my Q6600 rig isn't as good as his 3700+ X800XT rig was...

Good lord

mogli1990(OcUK) · 9 Jul 2008 at 06:19

LOL @ the nuke pic

yep... well at the moment I'm using my pc as a heater in my room because it's a bit chilly... turned on prime on 2 cores, a gpu-client of folding, and left the other core for my other "tasks" that my computer does... i cant wait to get that new PSU and overclock this thing, get the room a bit warmer

my dad's a bit sensitive about us guys using the heater during the summer (i dont think he realises there's no such thing as summer in the uk lol)