PSU RMA for GPU coil whine?

[Tweakforce_LG]

So I recently noticed an unacceptable level of coil whine from my GPU (and a tad from the mobo vrm) and suspect its the PSU. My old 5670 also whines (chirps like a cricket instead) when in this PC. I' going round a friends to do some tests. 

1) my motherboard + my GPU + my PSU

2) their motherboard + my GPU + their PSU

3) my motherboard + my GPU + their PSU

 

If I record the results on video and use a mic to pick up the whine. If my findings show the seasonic PSU causes the whine to occur, and I send the tests to seasonic, is it RMAable. 

It sucks because I've had this PC for 7 months before I noticed any issues, and the HDD also broke at the same time as this coil whine apeared.... So thats more money. I simply dont have the money to be going out buying PSU's and mobos to get rid of the whine. I'l be trying the company of the product I find is causing it. 

 

It seems that anything expensive I buy will go wrong no questions asked, I swear I'm cursed. 

 

I've been purpously ignoring it for now but every gaming session I get distracted by it at least once. Yes I have vsync on... Yes I've played with the mobo power settings... Yes I've replugged the GPU cable into another port on my modular PSU. Its frustrating because I haven' pinpointed the cause.

 

Any advice on how to persue an outcome from the responsible company for this extremely unacceptable amount of noise. All my past cards have had coil whine before but never to the point where it makes me wanna throw my PC away. (Rant over)

[W-L]

10 minutes ago, Tweakforce_LG said:

-SNIP-

Coil whine is all luck of the draw really, sometimes different combinations of that specific PSU you have may cause whine but another unit of the same model may not so there isn't a straight and forward solution to prevent it. You can try contacting the GPU manufacture if the card you have whines in other systems some may accept it as an RMA.

[Tabs]

If you can specifically narrow down the PSU as being the cause of these issues - which would indicate some issue with output filtering on the PSU - then I would say yes, RMA it. Once received, they'll likely run an auto test on it, or might just send you a new unit regardless.

 

I imagine that it's rare for a manufacturer to receive evidence of this kind of stuff with an RMA, so the more you can provide to indicate that the PSU is actually causing these issues, the better. 

[Tweakforce_LG]

6 minutes ago, Tabs said:

If you can specifically narrow down the PSU as being the cause of these issues - which would indicate some issue with output filtering on the PSU - then I would say yes, RMA it. Once received, they'll likely run an auto test on it, or might just send you a new unit regardless.

 

I imagine that it's rare for a manufacturer to receive evidence of this kind of stuff with an RMA, so the more you can provide to indicate that the PSU is actually causing these issues, the better. 

This is exactly why I'm doing all the testing. Cannot afford any fix and its driving me insane that my 'pride and joy' is so annoying. If it turns out to be he mobo, gigabyte better not mess me around. I' doing the testing so I only have to waist money on RMA'ing one componont, not going through loads until the whine stops.

 

Plus I have to RMA my HDD due to a very large increase in read write noise suddenly.

[Tabs]

7 minutes ago, Tweakforce_LG said:

This is exactly why I'm doing all the testing. Cannot afford any fix and its driving me insane that my 'pride and joy' is so annoying. If it turns out to be he mobo, gigabyte better not mess me around. I' doing the testing so I only have to waist money on RMA'ing one componont, not going through loads until the whine stops.

 

Plus I have to RMA my HDD due to a very large increase in read write noise suddenly.

Well, I hope your testing proves successful, one way or another. I expect most RMA departments get next to no information when they receive requests, so the less work you make the staff there do, the more likely they will be to trust that your RMA is valid.

[Guest]

They'll certainly RMA your PSU due to coil whine.  

 

Problem is, there's no guarantee that the replacement won't have the same problem.

 

The issue is that LLC PSUs operate at different frequencies to obtain better efficiency at different loads.  If it happens to be that the frequency the PSU has to operate at in order to supply your PC the best efficiency at that load level produces audible noise, it may be more about a design issue that anything else.

 

Bottom line is, if it's worth your time and effort, go ahead and RMA the PSU and see what happens.

 

[79wjd]

6 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

The issue is that LLC PSUs operate at different frequencies to obtain better efficiency at different loads.  If it happens to be that the frequency the PSU has to operate at in order to supply your PC the best efficiency at that load level produces audible noise, it may be more about a design issue that anything else.

Would adding dead weight (a power sink) be a viable answer to coil whine?

[Guest]

44 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Would adding dead weight (a power sink) be a viable answer to coil whine?

Then why buy a high end PSU?

 

Might as well get a double forward 80 PLUS white with DC to DC at that point.

 

[79wjd]

3 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

Then why buy a high end PSU?

 

Might as well get a double forward 80 PLUS white with DC to DC at that point.

 

A high end PSU is still of better quality. If a certain load level is causing the coil whine then adding an extra component just to draw power could solve the coil whine.

[Froody129]

My PSU and 1060 both had coil whine when I first bought them. Running my PC at high load using Heaven for like 2 days made the worst of the whine from both disappear, and since then it has disappeared altogether. It's a real shame that you have this problem with such a nice PSU though :'(

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

A high end PSU is still of better quality. If a certain load level is causing the coil whine then adding an extra component just to draw power could solve the coil whine.

Exactly.

 

I was being facetious.

 

It's unfortunate, but a side effect of the newer technology.  

 

Adding a dummy load is going to sink your efficiency (since DC is going to be converted to nothing but heat) and it could effect your regulation.

 

[Tweakforce_LG]

I just ran some tests.

With my GPU in my PC with a seasonic m12i EVO the gpu makes the noise.

 

With my GPU in another PC with a Corsair CX750M it also makes the noise.

 

When I put a ROG gtx 1070 in my PC it did not have am audible noise. It only made a faint buzzing noise that could only be heard with the fans off and my ear right up near the GPU backplate.

 

Therefore I believe my Sapphire RX480 is at fault here. I think I will RMA it and try buy an XFX rx580. My other choice was to upgrade to a ROG 1070 that defiantly doesnt whine, however I cant afford that.

 

Not in the mood for RMA'ing my GPU as I dont want one that is scratched. Pfft typical, it has to be the most expensive part thats causing issues.

[Stefan Payne]

On 27.11.2017 at 12:45 AM, Tweakforce_LG said:

So I recently noticed an unacceptable level of coil whine from my GPU (and a tad from the mobo vrm) and suspect its the PSU. My old 5670 also whines (chirps like a cricket instead) when in this PC. I' going round a friends to do some tests. 

What whines?
The GPU or the PSU?
 

If the PSU whines, you can RMA it, totally.

If the GPU whines, you have to RMA the GPU, not the PSU.

[Tweakforce_LG]

17 minutes ago, Stefan Payne said:

What whines?
The GPU or the PSU?
 

If the PSU whines, you can RMA it, totally.

If the GPU whines, you have to RMA the GPU, not the PSU.

Its the GPU. But I've ruled out the PSU causing the GPU to whine. 

 

Hopefully I wont get another dud card back. Other people dont have whine on their rx480's so I hopefully will get a good one back.

[Tweakforce_LG]

On 27/11/2017 at 12:49 PM, W-L said:

Coil whine is all luck of the draw really, sometimes different combinations of that specific PSU you have may cause whine but another unit of the same model may not so there isn't a straight and forward solution to prevent it. You can try contacting the GPU manufacture if the card you have whines in other systems some may accept it as an RMA.

Yep the card whines in other systems. So its not my seasonic m12ii evo 520w PSU. 

Here is the sound it produces when putting a crappy mic next to the inductors. Is this considered excessive?

https://vocaroo.com/i/s1ypZPx5qONg

 

This when playing Assassn's Creed Black Flag (causes the loudest whine)

[W-L]

4 minutes ago, Tweakforce_LG said:

Yep the card whines in other systems. So its not my seasonic m12ii evo 520w PSU. 

Here is the sound it produces when putting a crappy mic next to the inductors. Is this considered excessive?

https://vocaroo.com/i/s1ypZPx5qONg

 

This when playing Assassn's Creed Black Flag (causes the loudest whine)

It really depends on the manufacture some will accept cards with serve enough coil while others may not as it doesn't affect the performance of the card other than it's unpleasant noise. Give it a shot it's worth the try, as I've seen some give replacement cards for coil whine. 

 

Personally that type of whine isn't so bad, I've seen cards do the high pitch screech with is much more annoying. 

[Tweakforce_LG]

Just now, W-L said:

It really depends on the manufacture some will accept cards with serve enough coil while others may not as it doesn't affect the performance of the card other than it's unpleasant noise. Give it a shot it's worth the try, as I've seen some give replacement cards for coil whine. 

 

Personally that type of whine isn't so bad, I've seen cards do the high pitch screech with is much more annoying. 

Mine makes both depending on the game. I get high pitch sound in rocket league. Is that loudness of the whine excessive? I could only ever hear a 1070 whine with my ear to the backplate... Bearly

[W-L]

Just now, Tweakforce_LG said:

Mine makes both depending on the game. I get high pitch sound in rocket league. Is that loudness of the whine excessive? I could only ever hear a 1070 whine with my ear to the backplate... Bearly

That's not so bad if you need to be right up to it, some can get pretty loud. I know on my GTX 970 if I don't cap the frames and let ti run high it does get loud to the point I can slightly hear it sitting a few feet away from the case. 

[Tweakforce_LG]

6 minutes ago, W-L said:

That's not so bad if you need to be right up to it, some can get pretty loud. I know on my GTX 970 if I don't cap the frames and let ti run high it does get loud to the point I can slightly hear it sitting a few feet away from the case. 

My mic needs to be right up to it to pick it up properly, I dont have any good microphones. My ear picks it up with the case closed and sitting on my desk. Oh I wish I needed to be right up to it to hear it, because that wouldn' bother me one bit. I can hear it like you described with your 970, except even when capped at 60 and not just slightly

[dcgreen2k]

I've heard that you can put hot glue on the inductor coils to reduce coil whine. Even my 750 Ti has pretty loud whine, but it's never bothered me.

[Damascus]

Thankfully for you, sapphire is to AMD GPUs what EVGA is to AMD GPUs.  Usually a solid card, great pcbs and a rock solid warranty 

[Tweakforce_LG]

3 hours ago, Damascus said:

Thankfully for you, sapphire is to AMD GPUs what EVGA is to AMD GPUs.  Usually a solid card, great pcbs and a rock solid warranty 

I hope they are. However I've heard some horror stories about their RMA service. 

[Damascus]

1 minute ago, Tweakforce_LG said:

I hope they are. However I've heard some horror stories about their RMA service. 

Glad it isn't powercoler, I've never heard anything good about them except for on the really high end

[Tweakforce_LG]

On 12/2/2017 at 2:24 PM, thegreengamers said:

I've heard that you can put hot glue on the inductor coils to reduce coil whine. Even my 750 Ti has pretty loud whine, but it's never bothered me.

that only works on inductors that are open. mine are sealed inside plastic housings filled with something. what a fat lot that does lol