Coil Whine or Something Else

[liamgriffin1]

My PSU is making a strange rhythmic humming but it is fairly low pitched and I have no idea what it is.

Here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G7xsefhc-Q 

Edit: Forgot to mention the model, its an EVGA 750GQ 80+ Gold

Edited April 16, 2019 by liamgriffin1
Forgot relevant information

[ddennis002]

6 minutes ago, liamgriffin1 said:

My PSU is making a strange rhythmic humming but it is fairly low pitched and I have no idea what it is.

Here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G7xsefhc-Q 

If you believe that your PSU is louder than it should be there are a few things you should check before assuming that the PSU is faulty. First, you should be aware of what can cause the noise that you are hearing. If you are hearing a buzz or electrical type sound, then it’s likely due to a capacitor somewhere in your system that is vibrating at a frequency which is clashing with the rest of the components in the system. Usually this capacitor is either on the PSU, motherboard, or graphics card and you should be able to try a few things to narrow down the issue.

 

I have seen that the CPU power saving features in the BIOS can cause the PSU to emit the noise. Try disabling these features to see if there is any improvement. ERP, C1E and EIST (Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology) are few examples of power saving settings, but your motherboard manufacturer should be able to tell you specifically which features your board supports.

 

If the previous steps have not eliminated the sound, then you may want to test the PSU in a different system just to be sure that the sound follows the PSU.

[Imbellis]

Although I still think that's coil whine, I've never heard it oscillate back and forth like that before, so I can't confirm.

If you feel uncomfortable with it, you can always attempt to return it.

 

Does the pitch change as power draw fluctuates? Have you tried the system without a GPU installed? (Just booting up, not actually running anything).

[liamgriffin1]

6 minutes ago, ddennis002 said:

If you believe that your PSU is louder than it should be there are a few things you should check before assuming that the PSU is faulty. First, you should be aware of what can cause the noise that you are hearing. If you are hearing a buzz or electrical type sound, then it’s likely due to a capacitor somewhere in your system that is vibrating at a frequency which is clashing with the rest of the components in the system. Usually this capacitor is either on the PSU, motherboard, or graphics card and you should be able to try a few things to narrow down the issue.

 

I have seen that the CPU power saving features in the BIOS can cause the PSU to emit the noise. Try disabling these features to see if there is any improvement. ERP, C1E and EIST (Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology) are few examples of power saving settings, but your motherboard manufacturer should be able to tell you specifically which features your board supports.

 

If the previous steps have not eliminated the sound, then you may want to test the PSU in a different system just to be sure that the sound follows the PSU.

Thanks for the advice! I went into BIOS and the only feature I could find was ERP and it was already off :(

[liamgriffin1]

6 minutes ago, Imbellis said:

Although I still think that's coil whine, I've never heard it oscillate back and forth like that before, so I can't confirm.

If you feel uncomfortable with it, you can always attempt to return it.

 

Does the pitch change as power draw fluctuates? Have you tried the system without a GPU installed? (Just booting up, not actually running anything).

The pitch doesn't change, however sometimes the noise will just stop. I have not tried without a GPU, I will give that a go.

[liamgriffin1]

Ok, so the system is running without the GPU and the noise is still there but you can only hear it if you take the side panel off and stick your head in the case right above the power supply.

[ddennis002]

15 minutes ago, liamgriffin1 said:

Ok, so the system is running without the GPU and the noise is still there but you can only hear it if you take the side panel off and stick your head in the case right above the power supply.

I would RMA or return the PSU. 

[liamgriffin1]

20 minutes ago, ddennis002 said:

I would RMA or return the PSU. 

Do you think its likely to die? Or RMA based on the noise?

[ddennis002]

4 minutes ago, liamgriffin1 said:

Do you think its likely to die? Or RMA based on the noise?

I wouldn't say it likely to die but if it doesn't sound normal usually not a good sign. I would take care of it before it becomes a bigger problem then it needs to be.

[liamgriffin1]

1 minute ago, ddennis002 said:

I wouldn't say it likely to die but if it doesn't sound normal usually not a good sign. I would take care of it before it becomes a bigger problem then it needs to be.

Ok thanks, It concerns me because it doesn't sound how coil whine is usually described; and I don't want it to die and take the whole PC down with it. However the noise I can live with.

[liamgriffin1]

12 minutes ago, liamgriffin1 said:

Ok thanks, It concerns me because it doesn't sound how coil whine is usually described; and I don't want it to die and take the whole PC down with it. However the noise I can live with.

Well I submitted the RMA request so I guess we'll find out if they will replace it. It is the second PSU that's been in the system and I bought it in late September 2018