DELL ALIENWARE AW2523HF COIL WHINE NOISE.

[Xerequinha123]

Hello everyone!

I recently purchased the Dell Alienware AW2523HF monitor, and I couldn’t be more excited! Without a doubt, it’s the best monitor I’ve ever used. Issues like IPS brightness and backlight bleeding didn’t bother me at all. However, I did notice the dreaded coil whine, which made me wonder: is it just bad luck on my part, or is this a common issue with all AW2523HF units? I would really appreciate it if other owners could clarify this.

In my case, the noise seemed to come from the lower left corner of the monitor, and that area was visibly hot — almost uncomfortable to the touch. The unit I bought is the Rev A08 version, manufactured in September 2024, and I purchased it in January 2025. I’ve tested all available drivers and firmware, tried different outlets, and experimented with various grounding configurations, but the issue persists. Any help would be much appreciated, thank you in advance!

As for the noise, I noticed it was quite noticeable at 360 Hz, a bit quieter at 300 Hz, and it gradually decreased as I lowered the refresh rate, becoming almost inaudible around 165 Hz during regular PC use. However, it never completely went away. Interestingly, the monitor was completely silent at 60Hz. Any refresh rate above that seemed to trigger the infamous coil whine.

The sound seems to be directly related to the monitor’s refresh rate. What intrigues me is that some people can clearly hear it, while others cannot. I want to understand if those who report not having this issue simply cannot hear the frequency of the sound, or if their unit genuinely doesn’t have the coil whine.

The monitor didn’t make any sound when it was powered on. The coil whine only appeared once the Windows desktop appeared. If I power on the monitor with the PC turned off, no sound is noticeable. However, if I power on the monitor, let the Windows desktop appear (set to 360 Hz), and then turn off the PC while keeping the monitor on, the sound persists.

In the first image, the arrow points to the part of the monitor that gets very hot. In the second image, I’ve highlighted the back area of the monitor where the noise seems to come from.

Additional information: While I know that coil whine doesn’t affect the product’s longevity, the noise is so annoying that I can’t use the monitor without headphones. Additionally, I had a dead pixel in less than 24 hours of use, and Dell Brazil refused to replace or repair it. Because of this, I decided to return the product. However, I’m considering purchasing it again, as it was the only IPS monitor I’ve tested where the IPS brightness and backlight bleeding didn’t bother me.

I would greatly appreciate any information on this, as I’ve heard reports from people who didn’t experience the problem, while others have encountered the coil whine. However, I’m not sure if those who didn’t notice the noise simply cannot hear that frequency, which leads them to believe their unit doesn’t have the issue.

So, can anyone who has the same monitor or has experienced coil whine in monitors help me with this?

 

[Deleted member 242843]

You sure it is coils and not capacitors? Excess heat and bad caps go hand in hand. Bad caps in a monitor have a distinct sound all their own, and tend to change pitch at different frequencies.

Return for sure.

 

[Xerequinha123]

You sure it is coils and not capacitors? Excess heat and bad caps go hand in hand. Bad caps in a monitor have a distinct sound all their own, and tend to change pitch at different frequencies.

Return for sure.

I believe it is Coil Whine, as the noise occurs instantly in relation to the monitor's frequency. The temperature increase on the frame only starts after about 30 minutes of use. As I mentioned, at 60Hz, the noise stops completely.

You sure it is coils and not capacitors? Excess heat and bad caps go hand in hand. Bad caps in a monitor have a distinct sound all their own, and tend to change pitch at different frequencies.

Return for sure.

Well, I believe it's Coil Whine, as that's the most commonly mentioned term, but I can't be absolutely sure. Yes, I returned the monitor to Dell because I couldn't use it without being bothered, especially given its high price.

You sure it is coils and not capacitors? Excess heat and bad caps go hand in hand. Bad caps in a monitor have a distinct sound all their own, and tend to change pitch at different frequencies.

Return for sure.

This is the only video I have of the noise. As it was recorded with a cell phone, you may need to turn up the volume on your device to hear it:

 

[Gunbound]

I don't really notice any sound. I made sure to change to 360Hz. Most of my sound came from my PC and fan since it's right below it. I didn't hear what you hear

 

[Xerequinha123]

I don't really notice any sound. I made sure to change to 360Hz. Most of my sound came from my PC and fan since it's right below it. I didn't hear what you hear

Do you have the same monitor model? Could you do me a favor? If possible, place your ear near the lower left rear part of the monitor and check if you can hear any noise. I know this might sound a bit excessive, but I’d like to confirm whether there are any completely silent monitors. Thank you in advance!

 

[Gunbound]

Do you have the same monitor model? Could you do me a favor? If possible, place your ear near the lower left rear part of the monitor and check if you can hear any noise. I know this might sound a bit excessive, but I’d like to confirm whether there are any completely silent monitors. Thank you in advance!

I checked and it's hard to differentiate from noise of PC but if it is that, it's too quiet to be an issue. There's the most slightest hum you can only hear when you get up close almost touching it which again could just be the PC. Maybe ask another person IRL if they hear it the same way you do to be sure it's not a sensitivity.

 

[MentalAcetylide]

I believe it is Coil Whine, as the noise occurs instantly in relation to the monitor's frequency. The temperature increase on the frame only starts after about 30 minutes of use. As I mentioned, at 60Hz, the noise stops completely.


Well, I believe it's Coil Whine, as that's the most commonly mentioned term, but I can't be absolutely sure. Yes, I returned the monitor to Dell because I couldn't use it without being bothered, especially given its high price.


This is the only video I have of the noise. As it was recorded with a cell phone, you may need to turn up the volume on your device to hear it:

I certainly can't hear any whine or anything even resembling it in that video despite jacking the volume up all the way on both my speakers & the video itself. If there is some kind of noise coming from it, there's always the possibility that its hitting what's called a "resonance frequency".

I had a similar non-electrical issue with the pump on my RTX 3090 Kingpin hitting a resonance frequency with the front top of the chassis case, so I set an object weighing about a quarter of a pound on top of the case near the front and it eliminated the noise. If you're an experienced DIY'er, you'll have to open it up & try to track down where the sound is coming from and apply sound dampening material. Just a FYI, Dell(Alienware) uses cheap generic parts in their devices while charging a premium price for them. Low quality components = more electromagnetic interference = more coil whine.