Question 3080 Sea Hawk Ticking noise (AIO GPU)

[arboy2]

Hey!
I got this card back in April and a few months ago I started hearing ticking from my PC (I was sure it's a hard drive).
I know it's the GPU because I disconnected it entirely and the ticking stopped, and I know it's the pump because it happens even when the fans are off.
The ticking is pretty loud, especially when booting.
It doesn't sound like a stuck air bubble, the rad is top mounted.
The only time the noise stops is under load, when the temprature goes above 35°C ish the noise stops.
So when idling or doing anything other than gaming, the noise persists and it's really annoying
So I'm asking you guys to help me with this problem because this is a new GPU that hasn't seen much use (when I first got it I didn't have a lot of time to use it) and is really expensive
Thanks!

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i7 8700k @ 4.7GHz
Motherboard: MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon
RAM: Kingston HyperX FURY 32GB DDR4 @ 3200MHz
GPU: MSI RTX 3080 Sea Hawk X (Not LHR)
Case: CORSAIR 4000D Airflow
Storage: a bunch of drives I collected over the years, main boot drive is a 960 Evo
PSU: Seasonic X-Series 850W, it's almost 5.5 years old
Cooling: 612 EVO V.2 and a bunch of corsair fans for the case
Operating System: Windows 10

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition.

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

 

[arboy2]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition.

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

Updated post, not sure why the capacity and model of my drives are related though, as I've stated the noise definitely coming out of my graphics card.
Thanks!

 

[arboy2]

BTW, things I've tried:

• Moving the radiator from the front to the top (the GPU was never the lowest part of the GPU)
• Mounting the GPU in different positions
• Wiggling and tilting the case
• Undervolting

 

[Phaaze88]

You can control the pump's speed, can't you?
The pump is most likely running on some PWM curve, and I think that clicking is akin to the pump changing gears.
If you can control the pump to run at a static rpm, like 80% or higher, the clicking will probably stop.
If you can't take control of the pump, you're probably screwed.

 

[arboy2]

You can control the pump's speed, can't you?
The pump is most likely running on some PWM curve, and I think that clicking is akin to the pump changing gears.
If you can control the pump to run at a static rpm, like 80% or higher, the clicking will probably stop.
If you can't take control of the pump, you're probably screwed.

Yeah I thought about that, didn't manage to find a way to control it, was hoping someone knew, or at least found some other solution

 

[Phaaze88]

Sorry, I don't know how to go about controlling it without taking the card apart first...

 

[arboy2]

Sorry, I don't know how to go about controlling it without taking the card apart first...

And if I were to take it apart?

 

[Phaaze88]

And if I were to take it apart?

You will need to repaste the card - not just any paste will do. NT-H2, Gelid GC Extreme, Prolimatech PK-3, and Kingpin KPx are a few quick recommendations.
Any thermal pads you accidentally tear will also need to be replaced. Just taking it apart might warrant new pads, unless you put the cooler back on perfectly.

You would need to find the cable that is sending power to the pump.
Identify whether the connector is a normal 3 or 4 pin header, like the ones you see on fan headers. If it is, you can plug it straight to your motherboard. If it is not, you will need an adapter for it in order to connect it to the mobo.
Once that's done, you will be able to control the pump via bios.


So yeah... a lot of potential hassle for a beginner.

 

[Karadjgne]

Don't take it apart. That's not going to solve anything and could possibly (probably) destroy the card, 3080+ are Not for the beginners to tear apart) . According to MSI, they use Fan1 to control pump speeds and Fan2 to control the Fans (in Afterburner) so try setting a custom curve to increase Fan1 beyond the ticking.

My guess would be that there's an issue with the bearing in the pump. It's not uncommon with pwm control and fans/pumps at low rpm.

 

[arboy2]

Don't take it apart. That's not going to solve anything and could possibly (probably) destroy the card, 3080+ are Not for the beginners to tear apart) . According to MSI, they use Fan1 to control pump speeds and Fan2 to control the Fans (in Afterburner) so try setting a custom curve to increase Fan1 beyond the ticking.

My guess would be that there's an issue with the bearing in the pump. It's not uncommon with pwm control and fans/pumps at low rpm.

Tried it, it seems to only change the speeds of the third fan used to cool the VRMs directly on the card

 

[Karadjgne]

Typical, say one thing and do another. Are there any other options in Afterburner to control anything?

 

[arboy2]

Typical, say one thing and do another. Are there any other options in Afterburner to control anything?

I think probably just normal Afterburner settings, voltage control etc.
Is there any specific setting you want me to look for?

 

[Karadjgne]

Just the fan one, Msi said it controlled the pump on that card and the other controlled the fans. Guess they were wrong, or changed it with later vbios.

 

[ekstralett]

might be late in here, but i solved my pump issues with a magnet (5kg seems to be the sweetspot).
its really hacky but it works- just attach it with tape (or glue test it out some before going for this) over the pump. you will hear the sound lowering- a too strong magnet turns the pump off compleatly.