Weird noise coming out of the motherboard : vrm coil whine?

[Asryan]

Hi,

I have this weird little noise coming out of my PC, it's not loud but sometimes annoying

On the video the fans are off to hear it better : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62GCC0W9CV0

Before someone asks,it's not the AIO pump and it's on the top of the case so tubes orientation won't matter. (just kidding but since gamer nexus released this video, if you tell someone you are coughing a bit they will ask about your pump orientation haha)


It feels it's more audible when there are some loadings and it sounds like an HDD but.. i don't have any HDD in my rig, only 2 sata SSD and an M2, if open a bunch of google tabs for instance the noise is clear

i've tried with another board (same one) and it's the same, i can hear the wine for instance if I open a lot of chrome tabs, that's so weird.

Could it be ram related?

I tried to put back bios on default, didn't changed anything

So

I'm sure that it's not:

• the gpu
• the fans
• the pump
• bios settings
• RGB off same thing

it can only be motherboard / ram or PSU but it's a seasonic prime platinum and the noise seems to come from the upper side of the card.

it's not the fan or the gpu and it doesn't seem to come from the PSU?

 

[Jetster]

If you use a hose and listen threw it you might be able to locate it easier

 

[Asryan]

I tried but it's not easy honestly, it really seems to come from the upper side of the board, cpu area / ram. it's not the pump, i tried to unplug it for a few instant.

My bet is the vrm but is it normal? On two different boards, same issue? So i was wondering if another component can cause those vrm to whine ?

 

[Ferrum Master]

Run Throttle Stop and disable speed step, thus running the CPU on max gear.

If it cures the whine, then it is the CPU VRM.

 

[Asryan]

I've just disable speed step with throttle stop, didn't changed anything, i've disable it in bios as well, no changes.

Another video :

you can hear a constant whistle and the whine when I open tabs


I'd really want to understand this issue. When the case is closed i can't really hear it unless I pay extra attention but i want to be sure it's "safe" and it won't fail me somehow

 

[snakegil]

It doesn't sound like coil whine to me, but scratch from a fan instead. I've heard such noise before, could be a cable close to a fan, or a sticker touching it. Check each fan and you'll find

 

[Asryan]

all the fans were off when I recorded so it's definitely not a fan.

And it occurs at loads and opening tabs for instance so i'm sure it's something else than a fan issue but.. what?

 

[Bill_Bright]

I tried but it's not easy honestly

Try a tube out of a paper towel roll, or, as it "Tis the Season" the tube from a roll of gift wrap. Use like a stethoscope. Then see if you can pinpoint the source.

The problem with big cavernous, metal boxes is vibrations and noises tend to reverberate throughout the box, amplifying and making the source of the sound difficult, if not impossible to pinpoint. You might need to pull everything out of the case, assemble the components on a big bread/cutting board or a large sheet of plain cardboard, then pinpoint the source.

What concerns me is you said you tried another motherboard and you got the same sound. While both boards are the same model, it seems to me, even if both suffered from the same problem, the sounds would sound slightly different.

I would try a different power supply.

 

[Deleted member 193596]

disable C States in Bios.

 

[Chaba422]

i had same issue first time i build my pc 9700k,maximus xi hero, the problem was RGB Fans, i disconected them and coil whine from motherboard was gone, recently few months ago i was cleaning my pc from dust and decided to try plug in rgb fans again and issue wasnt coming back, i dont know how it fixed itself but it did, try unplugging case fans if u have any

 

[Asryan]

I tried to unplug the rgb from headers it didn't changed anything

 

[lexluthermiester]

@Asryan
Sounds like choke coil whine to me, just high pitched.
How annoying is it to you? Are you willing to use some super-glue or epoxy(super glue is easier to use) to seal the edges of the choke coils on the board? It's a simple fix and works well on motherboards, video cards and PSUs but it is permanent.

 

[Asryan]

I had the same issue in three boards so i am not sure it's the motherboard though?

For the fix to be honest i am not sure I'm confortable to do it

 

[Deleted member 193596]

I had the same issue in three boards so i am not sure it's the motherboard though?

For the fix to be honest i am not sure I'm confortable to do it

again..
disable your C States.

 

[Asryan]

It's already done no changes

 

[Deleted member 193596]

It's already done no changes

well.. then RMA it.

 

[Bill_Bright]

well.. then RMA it.

Again - two different motherboards here.

I agree that superglue or epoxy often works on coils (and transformer plates) but that action is considered a modification and could void a warranty. I'm just saying... .

That said, IMO, epoxy works better. I note epoxy resins are typically what is used at the factory. But most epoxies require 24 hours of undisturbed curing time before using again. Superglue requires just seconds to dry and cures in minutes (but still takes up to 24 hours to reach maximum strength). But if superglue is to be used, I recommend the gel type as it is thicker and stays in place better until set.

Still, since we are talking the same noise and two different motherboards, I think it wiser to try to pinpoint the source of the noise first - by either running the system outside the case, or trying a different PSU, or both.

 

[lexluthermiester]

again..
disable your C States.

That's not the issue, especially if different motherboards have been used.

I had the same issue in three boards so i am not sure it's the motherboard though?

For the fix to be honest i am not sure I'm confortable to do it

If this is the case it's more likely to be your video card or power supply having a coil whine issue. If you're not comfortable with applying a fix and the system is running stable, you may just have to chose to live with it unfortunately.

 

[Asryan]

I'll try to swap the psu cable with the stock one maybe

I suppose it's not harmful right just a bit annoying?

 

[Bill_Bright]

I'll try to swap the psu cable with the stock one maybe

Cable? Please explain.

Coil/transformer whine is not harmful. And while, in some cases, may indicate device failure is looming overhead, it is very common for those devices to last for many years without any problems - other than being annoying.

Edit comment: fixed typo (left out word "whine").

 

[lexluthermiester]

I'll try to swap the psu cable with the stock one maybe

Modular PSU then? The cables are very unlikely to be the problem. The problem is a component in the PSU or on the PCB of your video card called an choke inductor. They are generally surface mounted parts on video cards, but in PSUs they can be larger.

I suppose it's not harmful right just a bit annoying?

Exactly.

 

[Asryan]

Isn't it weird that I have the same issue with this board and the one before? Might be the psu itself then it can't be the cpu or the ram..

 

[lexluthermiester]

Isn't it weird that I have the same issue with this board and the one before? Might be the psu itself then it can't be the cpu or the ram..

True. CPU & RAM have nothing on them that would make a sound like the one you're hearing. Motherboards, video cards and PSUs do. Since this sound has persisted across multiple motherboards we can rule that part out as the culprit. This leaves GPU and PSU.

Have you tried a different video card or perhaps taken out the card and run the system from on-board GFX?

If so and the sound persists, then all that would be left is the PSU. If not, try removing your video card and see if the sound persists.

 

[nalpagutt]

Have you ever experienced liquid contact? Could it sound electric?

 

[Asryan]

I'll try to unplug pcie and run on IGPU to see. I'll be quite annoyed if it was my 3090. The noise is definitely not coming from the gpu though it seems to come from the cpu area

Have you ever experienced liquid contact? Could it sound electric?

No nothing liquid, all runs fine, the board is new. The noise is more present when loads or opening tabs when all tabs ate loaded the nousz stops except the constant whistle