PSU/GPU Whine and/or Squeal

[Freelancer852]

Since upgrading my 8800 GTX to the GTX 285, my PC has been emitting a high pitched squeal or whine when running intensive 3D applications. Crysis and 3DMark Vantage are the worst, though the issues is almost non-existant in older games (see: Halo). By listening to the PC, it seems that the whine is actually coming from my PSU and not the graphics card (the sound was louder near the PSU than the card) and I'm just wondering if anyone knows what this is? From what I've read via Google it has something to do with "capacitor whine", though that means dick all to me, since I just want to fix it. Should I invest in a new, quality, PSU to see if it is indeed the PSU? Or should I RMA my graphics card?

What would you all recommend for a quality modular PSU? I was looking at the ABS Tagan series for it's bling factor, but from what I've read they also whine under pressure. I also looked into the reviews of the Silverstone PSU that Xet recommended, and it looks like the reviews are split when it comes to mentioning PSU whine.

Willing to spend up to $300 to make this annoying sound go away.

 

[skunksmash]

i get the same thing with my GTX260..... its only when stressed, but im sure this ''capacitor whine'' is coming from the cards....

i just upgraded my PSU & its still there..... while gaming usually the volume is cranked right up, or i have headphones on, so it dont bother me that much...

but it is annoying, if you've been gaming for an hour & then just surf the web with this high pitch squeal for the next 30mins..

it in no way affects performance (i dont think) & they wont RMA for that..
so were stuck with it




SK

 

[Chappy]

Hi

Capacitor whine...first time I ever heard of this, and it would seem to me that if a CAP is whining then it's about ready to burst if it's a liquid CAP, or it should be smoking. If this is the case, it's not user fixable unless you're an electronics whiz.

I see in your specs you have an OCZ 850W PSU, you should not be having any difficulty running that card. And unless you have every slot filled on your MB and about 2 dozen other peripherals all running at once, you shouldn't even be CLOSE to stressing that PSU.

One thing that is VERY important with PSU's and not everyone knows, you should have MAX (if possible), 2 devices per cable. The only thing I can see is you have too many devices on single cables and the added stress of that card pushed one of the rails to the limit. If this is the case, throw cable management out the window and put some devices on other PSU chains and see if this helps.

 

[Chappy]

i get the same thing with my GTX260..... its only when stressed, but im sure this ''capacitor whine'' is coming from the cards....

i just upgraded my PSU & its still there..... while gaming usually the volume is cranked right up, or i have headphones on, so it dont bother me that much...

but it is annoying, if you've been gaming for an hour & then just surf the web with this high pitch squeal for the next 30mins..

it in no way affects performance (i dont think) & they wont RMA for that..
so were stuck with it




SK

Hi Skunk

Are those Solid State CAPS on that card? I sure hope so cause if they're not, I would worry about a whining CAP.

 

[skunksmash]

i couldn't tell ya mate....... all i know is the ''whine'' started as soon as the card was installed, will it cause a problem do you think..??

if so im gonna get on to XFX & see what they will do.





SK

 

[error]

fairly normal on nvidia cards, I have a 9800gtx which I use for folding (stanford) depending on which work unit it is doing, the noise can be very off putting. loading evga precision (overclocking tool) and moving the shader slider up and down I can play a tune on my GPU

General consensus seems to be that there's nothing to worry about, mine is still happily running at 810/1998/1161 @68-74 deg all day, every day (it did make the noise at stock)

 

[smarteyeball]

My 4850 made that whining noise for a few days when it was new. It hasn't happened since then though :huh:

 

[Firestrider]

My 4850 also makes whining noises but only in very strict circumstances. When running Direct3D RightMark it will always reproduce itself.

My card also has all solid state capacitors.

 

[Mark]

My GTX260 has not made any strange noise aside from the fan when under load but I would not call it a whining noise, it's more of a hum, personally I would be worried if I had a whining noise, that doesn't seem right at all.

 

[Romulinx2]

Noise from the fan usually means that the bearing or bush needs lubricating or has some dirt jammed inside it.

 

[Freelancer852]

I've identified that the sound is coming from my PSU... Well, at least the sound is LOUDER when I move my ear closer to the PSU and away from the GPU. Apparently it's just because my PSU is getting old (going on three years) and I just told it to start pumping out more power for the upgraded GPU, and it didn't like that very much.

Can anyone suggest a GREAT quality modular PSU?

 

[smarteyeball]

If it's three years old....

Antec
PC Power and Cooling
Thremaltake Toughpower

 

[Freelancer852]

If it's three years old....

Antec
PC Power and Cooling
Thremaltake Toughpower

Toughpower's aren't modular, I need a modular PSU now that I can do some decent cable management. The less cords and wires showing the better.

I REALLY like the way the ABS Tagan PSU's look, but the reviews are split when it comes to PSU whine issues due to graphics card stress. I like having some kind of "bling" on my PSU's...

 

[smarteyeball]

Toughpower's aren't modular,

Really? My 650w qfan is. And so are these:

http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/thermaltake_toughpower_850w/

http://www.dvhardware.net/review118_toughpower_1000w.html

http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/power-supply-units/thermaltake-toughpower-1200w/

 

[Freelancer852]

Really? My 650w qfan is. And so are these:

[TWEAKNEWS] - THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850W MODULAR CABLE MANAGEMENT POWER SUPPLY REVIEW - PAGE 1

Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W PSU review

ThermalTake ToughPower 1200w » Reviews - XSReviews.co.uk - Trusted Hardware Reviews

WTF, Last time I trust the pics from google without first checking reviews... All I saw was regular PSU's.

The 1000w+ Toughpowers are to long for the cable management that I'm looking for, the 850 should be sufficent. Doesn't really have the "bling" factor that I'm looking for when it comes to case modification though.

 

[Chappy]

Hi FreeLancer

Try to stick with the 2 device rule, almost ALL PSU makers state this in their manuals. If you can't, at least try to get devices that aren't going to be on full load all the time, or have small loads on the chain.
This last build I did, I've managed to stay within the guidelines and used cable sleeving to make 2 chains into one for management. I also rewired my Sata chains to cut down on extra cable, the newer sata connectors are easy to move to another spot on the wires and then I cut them to the exact lengths. Works great an I don't worry about overloading a rail.

 

[black dog]

There is a pretty good chance the noise is coming from a worn or gunged up fan.
They are usually just 80 or 120mm case fans and there is a good chance it will just clip in .

 

[Freelancer852]

There is a pretty good chance the noise is coming from a worn or gunged up fan.
They are usually just 80 or 120mm case fans and there is a good chance it will just clip in .

It's not the PSU fan, I removed it and ran it at 100% in my test system.

 

[patio]

For now you can remove the PSU and use some small rubber washers for the mounting holes and re-install it...it sounds like resonance more than fan noise...

 

[Dwarf]

This is not recommended without proper preparation. You need to ensure that the case of your system is electrically connected to the case of your PSU (and hence, through the power lead, to electrical earth/ground). Normally, this is done through the PSU mounting, but it can be done via a link wire as well. This is to prevent damage to the components of your PC should you touch your case if you have built-up static on yourself. Also, the 0V line is usually connected electrically to the case of the PSU internally, and hence to the mounting points on the motherboard via the chassis. This is why it is especially important to ensure that ALL mounting points on your motherboard are securely fastened to the chassis.