GPU randomly buzzing even on IDLE

[DV2FOX]

CORSAIR RM1200X SHIFT
ASUS X570 TUF GAMING PLUS
GIGABYTE RTX 4070 Super Gaming OC 12GB
Windows 10

 

It's been since March 1st 2024 that i've bought the PSU and the GPU and everything went all great until a few days ago where the GPU decided that it was a good time to make noises, even when the PC was doing nothing

 

They're like an HDD spinning but buzzy/electrical, and no, i don't have no mechanical HDD nor M.2/NVME installed

 

If i remove the GPU the noise ain't there, only the chipset's fan, but that's not the culprit

 

If i put my previous GPU, a GIGABYTE RTX 2070 Super, such noise isn't there but it does another kind of noise, like small beepings (Not the motherboard's warnings tho)

 

What could the culprit be?. I could try to warranty the GPU to the shop i bought it from online (Not Amazon btw) but not sure either if the PSU could be the real issue

 

Thoughts?

[DNooby]

Does the sound persist even when the fans are not spinning? I've had fan bearings degrade on me before and they can sound pretty nasty

[benny001]

Your GPU is most likely experiencing coil whine. This doesn't harm your GPU, but is annoying.Here's some links with more information:

 

Older LTT forums topic with the same issue: 

 

 

r/buildapc: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/g8y8k4/weird_buzzing_from_gpu_when_idle/

Tom's Hardware Forums: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/chirping-sound-coil-whine-from-gpu-or-psu-while-idle.3749949/

 

It's also possible there's an issue with the fan(s) bearings, as @DNooby mentioned. Since your GPU is not that old, I would say coil whine is maybe more likely. It's still worth checking the fans out tho.

Edited February 27 by benny001
fans, grammar

[DV2FOX]

The sound persists even if the fans are stopped, again, on IDLE. I haven't played a PC game for months so that cannot be the culprit. Haven't done anything intensive, just light Firefox browsing, light drawing, etc

 

The GPU should still be in warranty from the online shop i've got it from, so i could try sending it there (And use the RTX 2070 in the meanwhile) and see if they can give me a new one (Because paying 700€ or more again and have the same results could be fatal for my mind and heart)

 

But some people mentions that changing the PSU to another one could also solve the issue. There's the RM850x SHIFT 2025 for just 155€ wich is a newer version of mine but not sure if capacitors or whatever inside the PSU have changed for the better besides the new cables . Not sure if getting 850 or 1000W to have some safe space and future upgrades

 

The only annoyance i've noticed is the motherboard's chipset fan running at 2500RPM, being really annoying, but not sure why is it doing that. However that's not the electric noise i'm talking about

 

I tried using OCCT and when moving the mouse around i can hear on my left ear that same electric resonance, so maybe it's a GPU thing

 

Any thoughts?

[DV2FOX]

23 hours ago, DNooby said:

Does the sound persist even when the fans are not spinning? I've had fan bearings degrade on me before and they can sound pretty nasty

Replied above. Forgot to QR so you get the notification

[DV2FOX]

23 hours ago, benny001 said:

Your GPU is most likely experiencing coil whine. This doesn't harm your GPU, but is annoying.Here's some links with more information:

 

 

Forgot to QR. Check reply above

[benny001]

@DV2FOX I would recommend checking your BIOS settings to deal with the motherboard fan curve. Maybe check for BIOS updates while you're at it. Also, not to sound like a broken record, but make sure your drivers are up to date and what not as well. 

 

You mentioned hearing "electronic resonance" which makes me think it's even more likely to be coil whine. 

If you have an extra power supply you could try swapping that in, or you could purchase a new one to test if you were thinking about future-proofing anyway.

 

If that doesn't help, you could consider contacting the company you bought the card from about that warranty, or seeing if they have any other ideas.

 

By the way, if you have found either of my responses to be helpful, please consider marking the most helpful one as a solution!  

[KidKid]

On 2/27/2026 at 10:31 AM, DV2FOX said:

CORSAIR RM1200X SHIFT
ASUS X570 TUF GAMING PLUS
GIGABYTE RTX 4070 Super Gaming OC 12GB
Windows 10

 

It's been since March 1st 2024 that i've bought the PSU and the GPU and everything went all great until a few days ago where the GPU decided that it was a good time to make noises, even when the PC was doing nothing

 

They're like an HDD spinning but buzzy/electrical, and no, i don't have no mechanical HDD nor M.2/NVME installed

 

If i remove the GPU the noise ain't there, only the chipset's fan, but that's not the culprit

 

If i put my previous GPU, a GIGABYTE RTX 2070 Super, such noise isn't there but it does another kind of noise, like small beepings (Not the motherboard's warnings tho)

 

What could the culprit be?. I could try to warranty the GPU to the shop i bought it from online (Not Amazon btw) but not sure either if the PSU could be the real issue

 

Thoughts?

Are the fans spinning when it makes the noise?

[DV2FOX]

On 3/1/2026 at 3:02 AM, benny001 said:

@DV2FOX I would recommend checking your BIOS settings to deal with the motherboard fan curve. Maybe check for BIOS updates while you're at it. Also, not to sound like a broken record, but make sure your drivers are up to date and what not as well. 

 

You mentioned hearing "electronic resonance" which makes me think it's even more likely to be coil whine. 

If you have an extra power supply you could try swapping that in, or you could purchase a new one to test if you were thinking about future-proofing anyway.

 

If that doesn't help, you could consider contacting the company you bought the card from about that warranty, or seeing if they have any other ideas.

 

By the way, if you have found either of my responses to be helpful, please consider marking the most helpful one as a solution!  

I could try with another CORSAIR and  it's new RM1000X SHIFT 2025 (1000W version by Cybertronics says it's Platinum instead of Gold, while 850W is just gold. 30€ difference) because i've seen people been having issues with Seasonic or even Be Quiet (Coil whine or other things).

 

On 3/1/2026 at 3:23 PM, KidKid said:

Are the fans spinning when it makes the noise?

The fans at the GPU aren't spinning when the noise happens. They only spin at startup with blue lights until it says "Ok, nothing to do here. Stop"

 

I did a vid with the rear and RAM CPU fan almost turned off so you can see and hear the area. Please note that the CPU's VMR area fan has been disconnected due to cooler turbulences and the 2 front fans ran at 400RPM

 

Hopefully it helps out

 

Heck, even the speakers (CREATIVE PEBBLE V3) with the wheel to the top center makes my left ear detect some weird wave noises or simply static. The thing is that i dunno if it's because of the speakers themselves (They've been rolled a few times) or because these VRM noises or even the PSU are affecting the rest of the components connected to the motherboard, but i want to find a solution for this too

 

Even when they're turned off they make a VERY FAINT noise on both i think (Tinnitus isn't allowing me to detect sources sometimes depending of the ear. Left ear detects stuff the other one doesn't and reverse)

 

 

EDIT: I've removed the entire tray from the tower (AKA no unscrewing the motherboard. Practical for once) and removed the GPU and the CPU cooler's VRM area fan, then started using 1/4 of an air dust can and a 2/4 3/4 of another one (I need to buy something electrical...My hands are frozen) on the components

 

Some dust came out from the VRM area when blowing from all sides, some more than the other i guess. I even used a brush to clean the front and sides of the squared VRMs and surroundings as much as i could (I didn't dared to unscrew the VRM plastic cover due to someone telling me "It has thermal pads and you'd need new ones"... I'd rather pass for now).

 

I even did the rear USB ports (There was way more of them there too) and it seems to have reduced the noise some on the VRM's area. There was a brief moment where the GPU's right side (GIGABYTE RGB logo) did some faint noise but it's kinda gone, so i'm not sure if it's related or not. I did an OCCT test to compare and the noise that came out was the usual buzzing when gaming, so it cannot be the same kind of buzzing at all

 

The speakers seems to behave the same, altho i tried using my SWITCH 2 power adapter  (60W) and the difference seems minor.. So i'm not sure if the motherboard's now affecting the rest of the components connected to the rear and PCI GPU

[KidKid]

3 hours ago, DV2FOX said:

I could try with another CORSAIR and  it's new RM1000X SHIFT 2025 (1000W version by Cybertronics says it's Platinum instead of Gold, while 850W is just gold. 30€ difference) because i've seen people been having issues with Seasonic or even Be Quiet (Coil whine or other things).

 

The fans at the GPU aren't spinning when the noise happens. They only spin at startup with blue lights until it says "Ok, nothing to do here. Stop"

 

I did a vid with the rear and RAM CPU fan almost turned off so you can see and hear the area. Please note that the CPU's VMR area fan has been disconnected due to cooler turbulences and the 2 front fans ran at 400RPM

 

Hopefully it helps out

 

Heck, even the speakers (CREATIVE PEBBLE V3) with the wheel to the top center makes my left ear detect some weird wave noises or simply static. The thing is that i dunno if it's because of the speakers themselves (They've been rolled a few times) or because these VRM noises or even the PSU are affecting the rest of the components connected to the motherboard, but i want to find a solution for this too

 

Even when they're turned off they make a VERY FAINT noise on both i think (Tinnitus isn't allowing me to detect sources sometimes depending of the ear. Left ear detects stuff the other one doesn't and reverse)

 

 

EDIT: I've removed the entire tray from the tower (AKA no unscrewing the motherboard. Practical for once) and removed the GPU and the CPU cooler's VRM area fan, then started using 1/4 of an air dust can and a 2/4 3/4 of another one (I need to buy something electrical...My hands are frozen) on the components

 

Some dust came out from the VRM area when blowing from all sides, some more than the other i guess. I even used a brush to clean the front and sides of the squared VRMs and surroundings as much as i could (I didn't dared to unscrew the VRM plastic cover due to someone telling me "It has thermal pads and you'd need new ones"... I'd rather pass for now).

 

I even did the rear USB ports (There was way more of them there too) and it seems to have reduced the noise some on the VRM's area. There was a brief moment where the GPU's right side (GIGABYTE RGB logo) did some faint noise but it's kinda gone, so i'm not sure if it's related or not. I did an OCCT test to compare and the noise that came out was the usual buzzing when gaming, so it cannot be the same kind of buzzing at all

 

The speakers seems to behave the same, altho i tried using my SWITCH 2 power adapter  (60W) and the difference seems minor.. So i'm not sure if the motherboard's now affecting the rest of the components connected to the rear and PCI GPU

I wonder if it's coil whine

[DV2FOX]

 

1 hour ago, KidKid said:

I wonder if it's coil whine

Then what do you think it could be?. Something motherboard related or the PCI slot/GPU itself?

[Jatzu]

Do you have a friend with a system who you can put your GPU in to test if the noise comes from their rig as well?

 

That way you can confirm if it's your GPU as the roof cause or if it's your particular set of parts.

[DV2FOX]

Sadly no, i don't have anyone

 

I did a recording using a RTX 2070 Super that i have as backup. Practically the same

 

 

[Jatzu]

If both your new GPU and backup GPU make the same noise I suspect it's not the GPU that's the issue but something else. The main issue is I have no idea how to figure out what that something else may be without a spare PC on hand.

 

I would hate to purchase a new power supply only to find that it's not what's causing the issue. 

[DV2FOX]

On 3/3/2026 at 3:51 PM, Jatzu said:

If both your new GPU and backup GPU make the same noise I suspect it's not the GPU that's the issue but something else. The main issue is I have no idea how to figure out what that something else may be without a spare PC on hand.

 

I would hate to purchase a new power supply only to find that it's not what's causing the issue. 

 

On 3/2/2026 at 5:51 PM, KidKid said:

I wonder if it's coil whine

I bought a new PSU that should come today, the CORSAIR HX1200i SHIFT 2025, to start discarding things out

 

Here's something i discovered. If i unplug the 2 front fans from the tower itself (SILENT WINGS 4 HS) and the rear fan (New Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 CB) the high pitched electric ringing noise that i hear (Not the GPU one) is mostly gone. However if i connect them back i hear it

 

Changed the front fans to Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 CB Sx2 PP and while both made light rattling sounds (Even when not screwed into the tower!) only when listening frmo up close, mostly the top fan started making high pitched noises in ear ringing waves if i stayed for a few secs there , even tho they're brand new (Gonna return em and get a new set to see if the new set don't rattle, else gonna try single fans)

 

I want to believe that something within the PSU is ringing and it's affecting the rest of the tower's components connected to it (What some people says "When i changed the PSU the GPU/noises are gone"). If it fails then like Jatzu said i wouldn't know what to analyze next but to say "When i installed the CPU cooler and the holders hit some capacitors and motherboard lightly then these caused some light damage to the motherboard itself around the CPU area and i'm screwed because the same X570 board or similar cannot be found in Spain anymore and newest boards have the "CPU killers" wich i wouldn't want to spend +1200€ for it)

 

Thoughts in the meanwhile?. Should arrive in around 15h

[Ichigo16]

A friend had similar issue in the past and in his case it was just the 12vhpwr- 3x8pin connector that was the culprit, once he swapped it for another one it worked normally, there was no need to swap PSU for him.

These kinda things can be annoyin, i've had m2 SSD of all things buzzing in the past, no idea why lmao.

[DV2FOX]

18 hours ago, Ichigo16 said:

A friend had similar issue in the past and in his case it was just the 12vhpwr- 3x8pin connector that was the culprit, once he swapped it for another one it worked normally, there was no need to swap PSU for him.

These kinda things can be annoyin, i've had m2 SSD of all things buzzing in the past, no idea why lmao.

 

From what i've read and even seen in vids, M.2 SSDs (and even NVMEs?) can make "noise" like an HDD reading 

 

Was it like this video below or as a ear ringing/high pitched?... Or literal buzzing? (If ya have a vid/sound sample it'd be nice to see/hear)

 

 

Installed the new PSU, a CORSAIR HX1200i SHIFT 2025

 

RESULTS:

 

-PSU electrical buzzing seems continous without pauses now, but very very low. I shouldn't be able to hear it from sitting position for now

 

-It's cables are worse than before. They're not "together in rubber" and are sparced over the place, BUT they're a bit more flexible and tight. Also 600W GPU cable only requires one slot in the PSU

 

-PCH FAN area has a tiny bit of "Trrrrreeeee" noise but it was also there on the previous PSU

 

-GPU still buzzes sometimes and the mouse moving (ON IDLE) still happens but way more faint (Ear echo feeling). Only buzzes at startup when RGBs/fans  are on but stays quiet once they're off, but sometimes still buzzes even when those 2 are off

 

-Still hearing the "Riii iiing" high frequency noise.I suspect two things:

 

1. With the rear fan disconnected and removed, it seems to sound from the VRM area

 

2. From the front fans when sped up (But that could come from the mobo too in the distance) , heard from the left ear when sitting next to the tower's left (tower, again, down next my legs' right side)

 

A fact that i've noticed is that if i remove the rear fan (The Noctua one) and use the right ear at the fan hole's i can hear the crrrrr buzzings from the motherboard. Thought it was the fan's motor but it's NEW.

 

Seems like the GPU has been discarded from the topic and maybe the motherboard is the culprit with the whole CPU cooler change hitting something from it. However i plan to survive with it a bit more longer if possible, even if i gotta resist the ear ringing (Altho, again, it's frigging annoying)

 

Because buying an AM5 nowadays is a HIGH RISK with the whole "No matter wich X model and 7800X3D/98##X3D CPU, the CPU DIES SOME DAY BECAUSE THEY CANNOT FIND A FIX....YET), besides around 1300€ total (MB, RAM, CPU) when it comes to X870 quality MB and the memory crisis