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How to quickly & easily fix coil-whine(coil choke noise)

Used akfix 702 glue on RX 580, doesn't seem right
IMG_20230607_024640.jpg
IMG_20230607_071204.jpg
IMG_20230607_171919.jpg
after 14 hours coil whine is still there, no change, but the glue is not completely dry yet
 
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that's blooming your air has too much moisture it have uneven reaction. the surface kind of "dry out" faster then core.
mine is the same, don't worry about it, does not effect much other then look
 
IMG_20230607_205950.jpg
I can't find the sound source, it seems the main chip is whining. I touched every element on the board while its running and the sound doesn't change
 
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oka said:
Used akfix 702 glue on RX 580, doesn't seem right
View attachment 299669
View attachment 299670
View attachment 299756
after 14 hours coil whine is still there, no change, but the glue is not completely dry yet
Click to expand...
That is a LOT more glue than you need, and if its not dry in a few seconds it's not the right type for sure
cotton swab and acetone time for the excess that leaked out, it can't harm but will reduce cooling if its on topo f something a heatsink/heatpad is meant to touch

oka said:
View attachment 299779
I can't find the sound source, it seems the main chip is whining. I touched every element on the board while its running and the sound doesn't change
Click to expand...
That's one way to cool it...
make sure you have airflow over the VRM's while you do this so they dont burn up
you need a smaller cooler so you can get closer and listen easier, i guess.
 
lexluthermiester said:
A forum user recently asked about Coil Whine, which is the noise a choke coil sometimes makes as it operates. This is almost always a video card problem, but can happen on any other computer or electronics components employing a choke in it's circuitry, including motherboards & power supplies.

I have for decades been using a very easy, quick and, most importantly, permanent fix. This fix works 95% of the time to quiet the noise to the point that it is not audible more than 8inches/20cm away. The rest of the time, the noise is barely audible.

A word of caution! If your part is under warranty, you may wish to consider doing an RMA. Many(not all) manufacturers actually want the noisy part back so they can test and analyze it for re-engineering to improve future designs. If your part is NOT under warranty, read on...

What you need:
Any tools required to disassemble the part to access the choke coils in question.
One or more containers of thin liquid cyanoacrylate based glue, commonly known as "Super Glue".

The brand of super glue you choose is not important. The type is. The type must be of low viscosity so it can quickly wick into the empty spaces between the choke coil and the board it's soldered to. The applicator having a narrow tip nozzle is important as it will make applying the glue more precise. See below.

The glue of choice is the proper SuperGlue brand, but I also use the brand that can be found at Harbor Freight.
View attachment 291994

For this newest example, I'm using a Sparkle GeForce GTX560 2GB which has been noisy.
View attachment 291987View attachment 291988

This card only has 5 main choke coils so sealing them will be easy.
View attachment 291989

In this photo you can see how I'm applying the glue directly into the gap. Please note, the glue needs to be applied at multiple place around each choke housing shell, not just in one spot.
View attachment 291990

This photo shows how the glue has wicked itself into the gaps.
View attachment 291991

And here are two angle of the choke near the top of the card.
View attachment 291992
View attachment 291993
Notice how I've used a generous amount of glue to allow the wicking action to reach maximum effect.

It's important to use enough glue to completely wick the entire edge of the choke. Then you let it cure for at least an hour(while super glue sets in seconds it still needs an hour or two to fully cure).

Once cured the fix is complete and you're good to go! Put everything back together and enjoy.

Important EDIT:
After two reports and some research it has been discovered that the Loctite brand superglue found in many retail stores is a hybrid glue that has a consistency which falls inbetween gel types and the fluid types. As a superglue it seems like a good choice.
However in this use-case-scenario, it is NOT recommended as it is not as fluidic as normal liquid superglue types and will not wick into the spaces between the choke coil housing and PCB!

EDIT: I have redone portions of this guide to give more details, info and better photo's. Thank's to the Mods for granting a perma-edit button so I can do running updates to this thread!
Click to expand...
Hi
Could you also use engineering silicon? I have a 4090 with coil whine; as far as I know, the blame is either the caps or the 70a inductors. Looking at this photo https://www.techpowerup.com/review/msi-geforce-rtx-4090-suprim-x/images/front_full.jpg take it the caps are on the far right, round silver/blue, but unsure about inductors?

Does the sealant go around the base only?

Thanks
 
Voodoochild1974 said:
Hi
Could you also use engineering silicon? I have a 4090 with coil whine; as far as I know, the blame is either the caps or the 70a inductors. Looking at this photo https://www.techpowerup.com/review/msi-geforce-rtx-4090-suprim-x/images/front_full.jpg take it the caps are on the far right, round silver/blue, but unsure about inductors?

Does the sealant go around the base only?

Thanks
Click to expand...
around the base only, hoping to be absorbed inside a little
that base is a shield for both EMI and vibration - and they come loose.

Heres one smashed apart from google, to help visualise it

1686626622258.png


You're hoping to

1. Seal the air gap the noise leaks out of
2. stop vibration
3. both
 
lexluthermiester said:
You mean engineering silicone? Maybe? I've never used it. Have a link to the stuff you're talking about?
Click to expand...
https://cpc.farnell.com/chip-quik/egs10c-20g/silicone-adhesive-sealant-20g/dp/SA03781 The problem is https://www.igorslab.de/en/msi-gefo...quid-x-in-test-with-water-stays-no-eye-dry/3/ I think the caps are the NVVDD and there is a lot of them. I also think that they are within an outer shell, so at best, you might seal the shell base but that's is? TBH,

Mussels said:
around the base only, hoping to be absorbed inside a little
that base is a shield for both EMI and vibration - and they come loose.

Heres one smashed apart from google, to help visualise it

View attachment 300594

You're hoping to

1. Seal the air gap the noise leaks out of
2. stop vibration
3. both
Click to expand...
https://www.igorslab.de/en/msi-gefo...quid-x-in-test-with-water-stays-no-eye-dry/3/ Looking at this, is it the NVVDD that are the caps? The problem is there are two small ones inside each.
 
Hello, appreciate the effort you've put into this post. I have a 4090 FE with bad coil whine. Already RMAd once and got a brand new one still with coil whine. Tried the card in a completely different system and with multiple different PSUs, but coil whine persists.

Would you mind showing me what parts I need to apply glue to? I'm thinking it's all of the things that say "LR22" but want to be sure. If those are the right things, how do you get glue on the top and bottom with such narrow space between them?

PCB images located here: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4090-founders-edition/4.html
 
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Voodoochild1974 said:
What glue did you settle for as your number 1 go-to?
Click to expand...
The super glue posted in the OP.

SourTurtle said:
Hello, appreciate the effort you've put into this post. I have a 4090 FE with bad coil whine. Already RMAd once and got a brand new one still with coil whine. Tried the card in a completely different system and with multiple different PSUs, but coil whine persists.

Would you mind showing me what parts I need to apply glue to? I'm thinking it's all of the things that say "LR22" but want to be sure. If those are the right things, how do you get glue on the top and bottom with such narrow space between them?

PCB images located here: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4090-founders-edition/4.html
Click to expand...
The chokes that need sealing are highlighted in red.
4090FE-PCB-ChokesHighlighted.jpg
 
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Hi, and thanks to @lexluthermiester following this topic for quite sometime .I have a Strix 4090 oc with very bad coil whine but as I see the success rate is very low so do you think does it worth the effort and voiding warranty?
 
Topic stickied. Past due for it, and apologies it took so long.

Thanks for @lexluthermiester's and the community's efforts. Please keep it going folks! :toast:
 
ozzy said:
Hi, and thanks to @lexluthermiester following this topic for quite sometime .I have a Strix 4090 oc with very bad coil whine but as I see the success rate is very low so do you think does it worth the effort and voiding warranty?
Click to expand...
Please keep in mind that many people try this and don't chime in with a success story, which is ok. Kind of expected that. Usually people chime in when they have issues or need help. Most of the time, this fix works well. It's not always perfect and sometimes it doesn't do much, which can indicate a motherboard or PSU problem. Be happy to help you with tips or pointers. Just chime in.

oka said:
View attachment 299779
I can't find the sound source, it seems the main chip is whining. I touched every element on the board while its running and the sound doesn't change
Click to expand...
Forgot to respond here, sorry. As mentioned above, you might be having a motherboard or PSU issue. Motherboards and PSUs both have choke coils in/on them and they can resonate as well. Motherboards are easy to work on, but PSU's require careful work. If anyone would like me to add some PSU examples to the the original post, let me know and I'll dedicate some time to it.
 
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lexluthermiester said:
A forum user recently asked about Coil Whine, which is the noise a choke coil sometimes makes as it operates. This is almost always a video card problem, but can happen on any other computer or electronics components employing a choke in it's circuitry, including motherboards & power supplies.

I have for decades been using a very easy, quick and, most importantly, permanent fix. This fix works 95% of the time to quiet the noise to the point that it is not audible more than 8inches/20cm away. The rest of the time, the noise is barely audible.

A word of caution! If your part is under warranty, you may wish to consider doing an RMA. Many(not all) manufacturers actually want the noisy part back so they can test and analyze it for re-engineering to improve future designs. If your part is NOT under warranty, read on...

What you need:
Any tools required to disassemble the part to access the choke coils in question.
One or more containers of thin liquid cyanoacrylate based glue, commonly known as "Super Glue".

The brand of super glue you choose is not important. The type is. The type must be of low viscosity so it can quickly wick into the empty spaces between the choke coil and the board it's soldered to. The applicator having a narrow tip nozzle is important as it will make applying the glue more precise. See below.

The glue of choice is the proper SuperGlue brand, but I also use the brand that can be found at Harbor Freight.
View attachment 291994

For this newest example, I'm using a Sparkle GeForce GTX560 2GB which has been noisy.
View attachment 291987View attachment 291988

This card only has 5 main choke coils so sealing them will be easy.
View attachment 291989

In this photo you can see how I'm applying the glue directly into the gap. Please note, the glue needs to be applied at multiple place around each choke housing shell, not just in one spot.
View attachment 291990

This photo shows how the glue has wicked itself into the gaps.
View attachment 291991

And here are two angle of the choke near the top of the card.
View attachment 291992
View attachment 291993
Notice how I've used a generous amount of glue to allow the wicking action to reach maximum effect.

It's important to use enough glue to completely wick the entire edge of the choke. Then you let it cure for at least an hour(while super glue sets in seconds it still needs an hour or two to fully cure).

Once cured the fix is complete and you're good to go! Put everything back together and enjoy.

Important EDIT:
After two reports and some research it has been discovered that the Loctite brand superglue found in many retail stores is a hybrid glue that has a consistency which falls inbetween gel types and the fluid types. As a superglue it seems like a good choice.
However in this use-case-scenario, it is NOT recommended as it is not as fluidic as normal liquid superglue types and will not wick into the spaces between the choke coil housing and PCB!

EDIT: I have redone portions of this guide to give more details, info and better photo's. Thank's to the Mods for granting a perma-edit button so I can do running updates to this thread!
Click to expand...
Hi
Sorry, I forgot to post this. Is it the bits that I have highlighted in blue that need done?

Thanks
 

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SourTurtle said:
Hello, appreciate the effort you've put into this post. I have a 4090 FE with bad coil whine. Already RMAd once and got a brand new one still with coil whine. Tried the card in a completely different system and with multiple different PSUs, but coil whine persists.

Would you mind showing me what parts I need to apply glue to? I'm thinking it's all of the things that say "LR22" but want to be sure. If those are the right things, how do you get glue on the top and bottom with such narrow space between them?

PCB images located here: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4090-founders-edition/4.html
Click to expand...
You dont get glue on 'top and bottom' of them

Generic example image


you want it to make a seal around the bottom only, some of it will soak up onto the coil (the wick effect) and help a little more. That doesnt always work, not does it always need to be done - thats something you can't predict.

Only two sides are visible in this image, but the red line is where you'd glue - for close together parts, you'd have to simply get the glue in between them, but you do not want to drip it down from above all over the sides, the glue is only to help seal them up - it's not a paint job.
1687248811256.png
1687248840331.png

Edit: Better explanation, you only want the superglue at the PCB height, where PCB meets the box over the choke. That little box IS the noise abosrber they ship with.

They look like this inside,to help imagine that better - you're just reducing some high frequency vibration with this, by holding it in place against the PCB better, hopefully with an airtight seal to trap the noise in. If you cant reach that side to get glue there? Then noise probably cant get out either.
1687248978279.png
1687249102223.png
 
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