Coil Whine?...

[alistairw]

Hi! Having what seems to be a coil whine issue in my new build. It appears to be coming from the CPU area, but not sure what it is. No GPU is installed at the moment.

 

I’ve stopped the VRM AIO fan with my finger and the noise still occurs. Have also tried to disable c-options in bios with no sucess.

 

BIOS on latest version.

 

CPU temperatures seem fine, so AIO definitely working.

 

Parts:
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360
Asus ROG STRIX X670E-F
Corsair Rmx850

 

 

I've got another PSU that I am going to try this week. Any other suggestions for trying to figure out what it is, or should it go away eventually? As the parts are so new, I'd ideally like to RMA the effected one.

 

 

[Levent]

Does this happen under load or all the time? Coil whine generally happens under load.

[alistairw]

14 minutes ago, Levent said:

Does this happen under load or all the time? Coil whine generally happens under load.

@LeventI can primarily hear it when idle / light workloads (just web browser & Discord open). It's only really once you get into Windows and not there in BIOS. It's not noticable / not there when under load - just did some prime95 stress tests and thought it went.

[Levent]

16 minutes ago, alistairw said:

@LeventI can primarily hear it when idle / light workloads (just web browser & Discord open). It's only really once you get into Windows and not there in BIOS. It's not noticable / not there when under load - just did some prime95 stress tests and thought it went.

I assume you have your CPU overclocked? If not can you monitor your CPU with hwinfo64 when this happens and share the screenshot of it? (Hwinfo will ask you how it should launch when you start it, click on sensors only)

[Mark Kaine]

you can try uploading the file here (when u make a post click on "add files") but im not sure it takes .mov

[alistairw]

2 minutes ago, Levent said:

I assume you have your CPU overclocked? If not can you monitor your CPU with hwinfo64 when this happens and share the screenshot of it? (Hwinfo will ask you how it should launch when you start it, click on sensors only)

@Levent- Nope, not overclocked. It's currently happening now with 3% CPU load, so here is that data.

[alistairw]

1 minute ago, Mark Kaine said:

you can try uploading the file here (when u make a post click on "add files") but im not sure it takes .mov

@Mark Kaine- The video of the noise?

[Mark Kaine]

3 minutes ago, alistairw said:

@Mark Kaine- The video of the noise?

err, yeah... it seems to be coming from the cpu or cooler?

 

i was just asking to see / hear if its actually coilwhine...and im not sure, it could be though. kinda seems coming from the motherboard,  vrms maybe (not sure if thats possible? )

 

but it could also be the fans tbh... i never heard coilwhine from a motherboard,  so its difficult to judge for me...

 

[alistairw]

25 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

err, yeah... it seems to be coming from the cpu or cooler?

 

i was just asking to see / hear if its actually coilwhine...and im not sure, it could be though. kinda seems coming from the motherboard,  vrms maybe (not sure if thats possible? )

 

but it could also be the fans tbh... i never heard coilwhine from a motherboard,  so its difficult to judge for me...

 

@Mark Kaine There's a few threads online about it, but seems very rare. I've never really experienced coil whine in a computer system, so unsure too.

 

Honestly tempted to RMA (if ASUS accepts RMA's for these type of things) it next year, but will see how it goes. It's also really weird & annoying that it is on low workloads....

 

I've manually stopped all the fans with my finger (inc vrm cooler thing on the AIO) and the noise still occurs.

[alistairw]

Just changed my Windows power plan to "High performance" and set C-States to disabled again with no effect.

[Mark Kaine]

16 minutes ago, alistairw said:

@Mark Kaine There's a few threads online about it, but seems very rare. I've never really experienced coil whine in a computer system, so unsure too.

 

Honestly tempted to RMA (if ASUS accepts RMA's for these type of things) it next year, but will see how it goes. It's also really weird & annoying that it is on low workloads....

 

I've manually stopped all the fans with my finger (inc vrm cooler thing on the AIO) and the noise still occurs.

ah but if you stop the fans like that its not really conclusive because they're still powered on obviously,  you'd need to turn them off with some fan control,  like for 1 minute, not under load that probably doesn't hurt anything. 

 

^i mean i did that, except my noctua cpu cooler at like 300rpm (which is basically silent)... it really doesn't hurt the system if its not under heavy load.

[alistairw]

1 hour ago, Mark Kaine said:

ah but if you stop the fans like that its not really conclusive because they're still powered on obviously,  you'd need to turn them off with some fan control,  like for 1 minute, not under load that probably doesn't hurt anything. 

 

^i mean i did that, except my noctua cpu cooler at like 300rpm (which is basically silent)... it really doesn't hurt the system if its not under heavy load.

@Mark Kaine Ah yeah, you’re right - sorry, completely missed that.

 

Have just unplugged the AIO completely and then the back fan which is separate… sadly the same noise issue. Also changed the PSU whilst I was at it.

 

It’s definitely the motherboard sadly  Unless I’ve missed something, I’ll give it a few weeks and potentially RMA with Asus. It does seem to only be an issue once booted into Windows, so I shall try USB Linux in a bit.

 

 

[Suban228]

Hey there, have the same problem with the same motherboard.
Created a ticket on asus support with hope this will help them to fix this issue on the next BIOS update.

 

[alistairw]

On 12/29/2022 at 8:34 AM, Suban228 said:

Hey there, have the same problem with the same motherboard.
Created a ticket on asus support with hope this will help them to fix this issue on the next BIOS update.

 

@Suban228- Oh wow, thanks for letting me know. I’m really glad I am not the only one…. Long story but I ended up buying another (I thought I just got unlucky) and it had the same issue. One is being returned for a refund whilst the other is being RMAd with the supplier (who are going to test before resending)
 

Out of curiosity, when was your motherboard manufactured? There should be a date on the box. And what CPU are you using?

[Suban228]

10 hours ago, alistairw said:

@Suban228- Oh wow, thanks for letting me know. I’m really glad I am not the only one…. Long story but I ended up buying another (I thought I just got unlucky) and it had the same issue. One is being returned for a refund whilst the other is being RMAd with the supplier (who are going to test before resending)
 

Out of curiosity, when was your motherboard manufactured? There should be a date on the box. And what CPU are you using?

Manufacture date is 2022-11 and it's paired with 7600X also i have some news from ASUS Support:
"Dear Valued Customer,

 

This cannot be solved by updating the BIOS, it is a physical phenomenon that depending on the conditions manifests itself to a greater or lesser extent.

Please note that the sound, which can be described as a whistle / squeak, is usually produced by chokes, its sources can be different - these are the chokes (inductors) of the CPU power subsystem on the motherboard, on the video adapter, any expansion card or in the power supply.

Moreover, replacing the PSU or video card, etc. with other models does not mean that the new ones will not be affected by this problem. The whistle of the chokes, as such, is not a malfunction, it is a feature of their design (the effect of inductance), which can manifest itself depending on the individual configuration of the system and in different modes of its operation. Therefore, the presence of a whistle / squeak, of course, within reasonable limits, is not a malfunction and does not have any negative effect on the operation of the board, this is a consequence of the effect of inductance - high-frequency vibration of the coil, which at a certain frequency can be expressed as a sound distinguishable by human hearing - whistle / squeak / crackle.

To begin with, it's worth making sure that the coils are whistling on the board, and not, say, in the power supply or on the graphic card.

If it is still on the board, then you can try to get rid of the squeaks by changing the values of the CPU -With-States power saving parameters, in the BIOS -> Advanced -> CPU Configuration -> CPU Power Management Configuration section. This parameter changes the operating mode of the processor, which, in some operating modes, can lead to whistling chokes on the motherboard or PSU. It may make sense to select the manual mode and configure the parameters C1 State, as well as C3 Report and C6 Report, etc. manually, focusing on those parameters at which the high-frequency sound will be least susceptible.

Also, you can get rid of the "squeak" by replacing the PSU with another model, and this does not mean that the current model of the power supply is faulty, the whistle of the chokes on the board may be a consequence of the features of the power supply, its hardware characteristics and technical design.

If the implementation of our recommendations does not lead to the elimination of the problem or if you do not have the opportunity to fulfill them, as well as if you think that the possible solutions above are not suitable for you and that the presence of these sounds is unacceptable in principle, and also if the sound is clearly distinguishable against the background of running fans, it is broadcast in any an audio channel with a gradually increasing level or already exceeds the acceptable level for you, please, contact the board seller for the RMA process."

[alistairw]

54 minutes ago, Suban228 said:

Manufacture date is 2022-11 and it's paired with 7600X also i have some news from ASUS Support:
"Dear Valued Customer,

 

This cannot be solved by updating the BIOS, it is a physical phenomenon that depending on the conditions manifests itself to a greater or lesser extent.

Please note that the sound, which can be described as a whistle / squeak, is usually produced by chokes, its sources can be different - these are the chokes (inductors) of the CPU power subsystem on the motherboard, on the video adapter, any expansion card or in the power supply.

Moreover, replacing the PSU or video card, etc. with other models does not mean that the new ones will not be affected by this problem. The whistle of the chokes, as such, is not a malfunction, it is a feature of their design (the effect of inductance), which can manifest itself depending on the individual configuration of the system and in different modes of its operation. Therefore, the presence of a whistle / squeak, of course, within reasonable limits, is not a malfunction and does not have any negative effect on the operation of the board, this is a consequence of the effect of inductance - high-frequency vibration of the coil, which at a certain frequency can be expressed as a sound distinguishable by human hearing - whistle / squeak / crackle.

To begin with, it's worth making sure that the coils are whistling on the board, and not, say, in the power supply or on the graphic card.

If it is still on the board, then you can try to get rid of the squeaks by changing the values of the CPU -With-States power saving parameters, in the BIOS -> Advanced -> CPU Configuration -> CPU Power Management Configuration section. This parameter changes the operating mode of the processor, which, in some operating modes, can lead to whistling chokes on the motherboard or PSU. It may make sense to select the manual mode and configure the parameters C1 State, as well as C3 Report and C6 Report, etc. manually, focusing on those parameters at which the high-frequency sound will be least susceptible.

Also, you can get rid of the "squeak" by replacing the PSU with another model, and this does not mean that the current model of the power supply is faulty, the whistle of the chokes on the board may be a consequence of the features of the power supply, its hardware characteristics and technical design.

If the implementation of our recommendations does not lead to the elimination of the problem or if you do not have the opportunity to fulfill them, as well as if you think that the possible solutions above are not suitable for you and that the presence of these sounds is unacceptable in principle, and also if the sound is clearly distinguishable against the background of running fans, it is broadcast in any an audio channel with a gradually increasing level or already exceeds the acceptable level for you, please, contact the board seller for the RMA process."

@Suban228Ah, same manufacturer month as you for both of them.

I will let you know what Scan says once they assess the return, but looking like that whole batch was f*cked. Hopefully more people looking at purchasing this motherboard can find this thread on search engines.

 

[alistairw]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:37 AM, alistairw said:

@Suban228Ah, same manufacturer month as you for both of them.

I will let you know what Scan says once they assess the return, but looking like that whole batch was f*cked. Hopefully more people looking at purchasing this motherboard can find this thread on search engines.

 

Ended up buying a new Asus ProArt mobo. Vendor is going to send my Strix mobo to the manufacturer for an attempt at a repair.