Argh!!! Coil whine!

[Schern]

So I've fitted my Powercolor 290 PCS+ and I'm getting really bad coil whine. It's at it's worst when getting really high frame rates like on Ice Storm but is also noticeable in games (only tried Sniper Elite 2 at the moment whilst 3 downloads) unless I turn vsync on.

But I also used to get this on my Asus 560 Ti but not to the same extent which I assume is because it wasn't as powerful so didn't hit high frame rates as often. Does that mean it's my PSU which is causing the problem? I've got a Be Quiet! L8 630w so a reasonable PSU.

Don't really want to have to return my new gpu but not sure I can put up with the noise! (I can video it if a demonstration is needed)

 

[Zoot]

The power supply is an unlikely culprit tbh.

If you're feeling brave with a soldering iron you could have a whack at re-soldering the inductors to the graphics card, but an RMA would be a far safer option.

 

[Schern]

I had the side panel off this morning and I'm pretty sure it's the psu. Difficult to tell for definite since I can't fit my head between the gpu and psu but it sounds more like the psu area.

Going to test it out tomorrow by swapping parts round in a friends PC but it might be new psu time!

 

[MacLeod]

If you're feeling brave with a soldering iron you could have a whack at re-soldering the inductors to the graphics card, but an RMA would be a far safer option.

I wouldnt. PSU's store enough juice to give you a proper shock and have in fact killed some folks that went venturing into the inards of their PSU without really knowing what they were doing. I wouldnt dig around inside a PSU.

Thats a HEC built unit so its going to be around average so I think its something youre just gonna have to live with or you could try to RMA it.

Maybe this is an excuse for you to buy a new power supply! Any excuse to buy something new is always good.

 

[Zoot]

I had the side panel off this morning and I'm pretty sure it's the psu. Difficult to tell for definite since I can't fit my head between the gpu and psu but it sounds more like the psu area.

Going to test it out tomorrow by swapping parts round in a friends PC but it might be new psu time!

Unusual suggestion - If you're unsure about exactly what's causing the noise, you could try a sound meter app for your smartphone if it's Android or Fruityco, that's if you have one.

Replicate the noise and hold the phone using that app near the PSU, then the graphics card. The higher dBA reading should allow pin-point it.

I wouldnt. PSU's store enough juice to give you a proper shock and have in fact killed some folks that went venturing into the inards of their PSU without really knowing what they were doing. I wouldnt dig around inside a PSU.

There are ways to go about it properly, but if you're not in posession of an understanding of electronics you'd best stay out of it yes.

I wasn't actually suggesting messing around inside of the PSU, rather getting the soldering iron to the graphics card, which is far more do-able but not really reccommended either since it's a delitcate option, hence the "tongue" smiley.

 

[Schern]

I've started looking at SuperFlower and EVGA G2 units. Probably either 750w or 850w. Would 750w be sufficient if I wanted to crossfire two 290s? (unlikely but you never know)

 

[Schern]

Unusual suggestion - If you're unsure about exactly what's causing the noise, you could try a sound meter app for your smartphone if it's Android or Fruityco, that's if you have one.

Replicate the noise and hold the phone using that app near the PSU, then the graphics card. The higher dBA reading should allow pin-point it.


There are ways to go about it properly, but if you're not in posession of an understanding of electronics you'd best stay out of it yes.

I wasn't actually suggesting messing around inside of the PSU, rather getting the soldering iron to the graphics card, which is far more do-able but not really reccommended either since it's a delitcate option, hence the "tongue" smiley.

The db meter is a good idea. Will give that a go.

No way I'm taking a soldering iron to a brand new card! Haha

 

[Zoot]

I've started looking at SuperFlower and EVGA G2 units. Probably either 750w or 850w. Would 750w be sufficient if I wanted to crossfire two 290s? (unlikely but you never know)

Most of the high-end PSUs these days have good strong single 12v rails so that's a plus.

You can use this as a rough calculator:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

750w from what I've seen in reviews should be enough, but you could be sailing close to the wind if you start adding overclocks into the equation.

 

[barnsley]

Superflower/EVGA are excellent (well for psus, I f**king hate evga cards). IMO Superflower are one of if not the best OEM.

 

[kbalaz]

try what mechanics use. Take a flexible hose/tubing, put one end to your ear and the other end near your gpu and then psu and see which is making the louder noise. As silly as it sounds, it works.

 

[Schern]

On inspection with a stethoscope I seem to be getting whine from both PSU and the GPU... Will just use vsync where possible for now I think. Kind of begrudge coughing up £100 for a new psu when it might not make that much difference!