Coil whine problem

G-Sharp · 10 May 2012 at 11:54

Hello guys

I am having a frustrating problem with coil whine in my system and I was just wondering if you could help me out.

Well, I know that the 3 possibe sources are PSU, GPU or motherboard. I have now ruled out GPU as being the problem as I have just ordered a new one (HD 7850) that I have recieved today and I still get the coil whine.

My AX850 PSU makes the noise as well as the area around my GPU, but when I use an older PSU that I have laying around, a faint noise (I have to get my ear up to it) only comes from the area around my GPU but no noise comes from the PSU.

I've also noticed that when idle, my AX850 makes a faint noise, while the older PSU hardly makes any.

The noise is loudest when I am running 3D programs like games and 3D benchmark, and stops when I am on 2D, like load screens or desktop.

Does anyone have any idea on what it could be? I don't have an extra motherboard laying around, so I really am stumped.

G-Sharp · 10 May 2012 at 12:07

I'm thinking there must be something wrong with the AX850 atleast, as my other PSU doesn't make the noise. But then, why am I still getting the same noise (although pretty faint) coming from the area around the GPU when using two different GPUs?

Do you think there may be something wrong with the motherboard, or am I just extremely unlucky and both GPUs have the problem as well as my PSU?

wazza300 · 10 May 2012 at 12:11

theres nothing wrong with psu or gpu its just some combinations of gpu/psu and mb produce this noise more than others

thought about rma of psu? tell corsair whats happening? and that youve already rma'd the graphic card ect

Mal X · 10 May 2012 at 12:16

coil whine seems to be quite common, it'll be the loudest when the MOBO/ CARD are under the most strain..... you can cure it, but due to certain reasons i cant tell you how..... just google ``AMD 7970 coil whine``

dont worry about it, only worry if it gets much louder and especially if it's from the PSU :eek:

dont ignore the PSU if the noise is from here, especially if it's noisy at idle as well

Papa Smurf · 10 May 2012 at 12:23

Corsair AX850 is based on Seasonic X-series. Coil whine is common for Seasonic PSUs so I'm not surpised. If you try to RMA, it will be down to luck to get a new one without coil whine, but it doesn't hurt to try.

G-Sharp · 10 May 2012 at 12:42

I think the first step should be to RMA the PSU, as it is making the most noise when on load. It's something I really cannot live with. My older PSU makes no noise what-so-ever.

Then it's between that GPU and Mobo. But if it remains faint, then I may be able to put up with it.

You guys think those are the right steps to take?

Spuj · 10 May 2012 at 13:23

Don't you dip the parts in nail varnish or something?? :rolleyes:

wazza300 · 10 May 2012 at 13:43

i would rma psu first,if still squealing loud with new psu try switching it for another brand?

i get very faint squeal and i mean very faint only heard through side of case not through speakers/headphones and only in certain game menus or while loading up a game so i think very faint coil whine is normal but it shouldnt be loud or annoying

TheGhost · 10 May 2012 at 13:58

Have you tried disabling the various power saving/sleep states of the CPU in the BIOS? Doing this can sometimes reduce or remove the whine that emanates from the MB. My experience of it is that the whine is present when the CPU load is low and goes away once you start an intensive process so it might not work for you, but worth a shot?

Otherwise I'd say PSU as I've heard of a few people with AX850's that have a whine problem.

Mal X · 10 May 2012 at 13:58

Spuj1988 said:
Don't you dip the parts in nail varnish or something??

maybe but deffo do not do this to the the PSU .... the coil windings resonate and vibrate, the varnish acts as a shock absorber, but you need to identify which coils are making a noise and you do this with a cardboard tube held to one ear and go hunt it down !!!!

watch out for the PSU, if its whine gets louder quickly then get rid of it instantly, if the mobo/ card whines but remains at a constant pitch then you're ok.... unless of course you dont like it.

unfortunately you might not be able to replace your card if it whines, because they might not accept this as a good enough reason the replace it... it depends where you brought it from, plus a new one they give you might have coil whine as well.

on the 7970 like mine it is caused simply by overclocking and overvolting