Question Do better pc cases have less resonance?

[Jason H.]

Okay so quick explination to my question..

I recently built a PC with a gtx 1060. Randomly after about 1 month I started to hear a weird low tone hum. But not just a steady hum, more like a "rolling hum" where it sounds like it revs up then down, up then down, at 65% fan usage on the GPU.

I bought a new pair of fans for the GPU and installed them. Although the hum is MUCH less loud, I can still hear it even with the new fans. Thing is the hum wasnt there 1 week ago... and now its still there with new fans so how is this even possible?

Idk much about cases but I have a cougar mx330 its a decent little budget case.

Would a cheaper case cause this hum/resonance? And would a better case eliminate it?

PC Specs

CPU- RYZEN 5 2600
GPU- GIGABYTE GTX 1060 3GB
MOBO- MSI TOMAHWAK B450
RAM- 2X4GB DDR4 3000MHZ 1.35V
SSD- SAMSUNG 860 EVO 250GB
HDD- WD BLUE 500GB
WINDOWS- WIN 10 HOME
CPU COOLER- COOLER MASTER HYPER T2
CASE FANS- ANTEC X3 120MM PRIZM FANS

 

[Darkbreeze]

Get a better CPU cooler. That Hyper T2 is weak, and THAT is probably the fan you are hearing ramp up and down.

Case model CAN affect harmonics, but it's generally a steady harmonic rather than one that goes up and down. That is usually almost always due to either a weak cooler or a faulty one.

 

[Jason H.]

Get a better CPU cooler. That Hyper T2 is weak, and THAT is probably the fan you are hearing ramp up and down.

Case model CAN affect harmonics, but it's generally a steady harmonic rather than one that goes up and down. That is usually almost always due to either a weak cooler or a faulty one.

Its not my cpu cooler as the sound only happens with changes in the gpu fans. Ive already tested all fans and, although the sound is slightly still there, it was the right fan on my gpu.

And the sound ONLY happens when between 62-67% fan usage on the GPU. Trust me Ive done SEVERAL tests on all the fans, thats why i bought a new pair for the gpu.

As far as the cpu cooler, works great for me, under load on my Ryzen 5 2600 I never go above 56c at 3.85Ghz.

Basically I just wanted to know if a better case would be a good option to eliminate the resonance Im getting from the gpu.

The reving up and down explination is just me trying to find a way toe xplain it, its not a steady hum its like it fades in and out kinda like when u hear a plane in the sky way in the distance, but the sound keeps increasing then descreasing.. if that makes any sense at all....

 

[Jason H.]

Also I have a custom fan curve in bios for my cpu and it never ramps up or down, I have a very smooth fan curve I never even notice the cpu fan spinning up or down, only the gpu fan because of the hum it creats. My case fans although are pretty loud, theyre also not the issue.

But I did hear different fans running at different rpms in a case could cause something like this as well.

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you can hold both sides of your case, OR take the side panel OFF, and the harmonic you are hearing goes away, then it MIGHT be the case.

Do you have the model with the solid side panel and side fan cutout or the acrylic side panel?

Might actually be more of a coil whine issue if it's a hum and you can't absolutely peg it being a fan, and if you replaced the fans, then it's doubtful that it IS a fan on the GPU because two different sets of fans would be unlikely to make the same noise if there was a fan problem. Probably either some kind of coil whine from the graphics card that sets up when it's at a particular load or a case harmonic.

 

[Jason H.]

If you can hold both sides of your case, OR take the side panel OFF, and the harmonic you are hearing goes away, then it MIGHT be the case.

Do you have the model with the solid side panel and side fan cutout or the acrylic side panel?

I have the acrylic and I will try that. However I can already say that even with the acrylic side off the sound is audible. I can even feel the "waves of vibration" on the gpu itself. Before installing the new fans I could even feel the "wave of vibration" from the gpu fan in my case, since the new fans I do not feel it in the case anymore. The waves are what makes the sound. Thing is the gpu was brand new and now the new fans I just installed are brand new so its really bugging me.

The sound ALMOST went away with the new fans installed however its still audible.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Coil whine, which is what this sounds like it probably is, is a warrantable issue. I'd contact Gigabyte and see if they won't replace the card. It shouldn't do that, and you really can't correct coil whine yourself. Even if it actually is related to the cooling assembly, if it's making an out of the ordinary noise, it should be warrantable. IDK about the fact that you already replaced the fans though. That might invalidate the warranty in their eyes even though it doesn't according to federal law, in the US anyhow.

Probably should have RMA'd the card right off the bat instead of replacing the fans.

 

[Jason H.]

Coil whine, which is what this sounds like it probably is, is a warrantable issue. I'd contact Gigabyte and see if they won't replace the card. It shouldn't do that, and you really can't correct coil whine yourself. Even if it actually is related to the cooling assembly, if it's making an out of the ordinary noise, it should be warrantable. IDK about the fact that you already replaced the fans though. That might invalidate the warranty in their eyes even though it doesn't according to federal law, in the US anyhow.

Probably should have RMA'd the card right off the bat instead of replacing the fans.

The card is a month old didnt think I could return it and its definately not coil wine. Its from the fans on the gpu. I watched several videos about coil whine n its not that.

Here is a video I uploaded BEFORE I installed the new fans. KEEP IN MIND ITS NO LONGER THIS LOUD, however I can still hear it. Make sure you listen close to after I click the mouse (which is me setting the gpu fan speed to 65%)

Listen to how the "rolling hum" starts. If on phone put speaker close to ear, much easier to hear on pc speakers.

 

[Darkbreeze]

IDK man. I listened to it with headphones on turned way up, and I can't tell for sure. Honestly it just sounds like loud fans to me but I do hear how it changes like you say.

I guess the only other option might be to build up the system outside the case, like a bench test, and see if you can still hear the same harmonics with the case eliminated. Maybe try laying the case flat on the right hand side panel and see if the harmonic goes away. It almost, ALMOST sounds like a vibration due to very thin case material, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Jason H.]

IDK man. I listened to it with headphones on turned way up, and I can't tell for sure. Honestly it just sounds like loud fans to me but I do hear how it changes like you say.

I guess the only other option might be to build up the system outside the case, like a bench test, and see if you can still hear the same harmonics with the case eliminated. Maybe try laying the case flat on the right hand side panel and see if the harmonic goes away. It almost, ALMOST sounds like a vibration due to very thin case material, but I can't say for sure.

I tried everything you suggested other than put it into test bench form, and heres my results.

With both side panels off, noise remains. However I notice with the acrylic side on, the sound is SLIGHTLY increased, but not by much.

If I turn the entire pc onto its side (the metal panel side) the sound, and vibration waves COMPLETELY dissapear. Not sure why mobos make gpus face downwards but for some reason, even with these new fans, if theyre facing down is the only time this noise happens, and also the "waves of vibration" I feel.\

Basically, its the GPU fans and the gpu itself thats causing this sound/vibration.

What does this mean?

I have a feeling after another month the sound will return to the same loudness as before I installed the new fans. Its annoying because 65% fan speed is what all my games use to keep the gpu between 60-70c

 

[DMAN999]

Just a thought but,
Have you tried moving it to a different PCIE slot just to see if maybe it's location in the case is part of the issue (possible turbulence from case fans/air flow or GPU vibrating in the slot).

 

[Jason H.]

Just a thought but,
Have you tried moving it to a different PCIE slot just to see if maybe it's location in the case is part of the issue (possible turbulence from case fans/air flow or GPU vibrating in the slot).

I have not tried that acutally. I will though!

Only issue is id have to break off them back plate things on the back of the case to install it into the slot below. Which will make the back of my case look bad lol.

But is this just a typical scenario? the case came with 1 little slot filler for where u have to break off those plates on the back but I couldnt figure out how to put it on.

*Edit- However I think this wont matter as when I turn the entire pc onto its side, is the only time the noise stops. Which makes me believe its just because the fans face upside down. But Im no expert.

 

[Jason H.]

Also has anyone else used a 1060 and had this issue?

my gtx 750 had 1 fan and I ran it on 80-100% for like 5 years and it never made this sound at all.

Leads me to believe its the dual fan (spinning opposite directions) scenario.

 

[Darkbreeze]

All aftermarket graphics card fans are oriented like that with the fans facing down and they don't all have that problem. The reverse directional fans could play into it, but a lot of cards have that and honestly you are about the first person I've seen with this exact issue. That doesn't mean there aren't others, I just haven't seen them.

First of all you must consider as well that you have a 3GB, not a 6GB card, and that means it's a cheap model with a cheap cooler and likely cheap build quality. Not that I'm trying to say YOUR card is a piece of junk, because obviously it's much better than a lot of what's out there and is more capable than lower tiered cards. Just that, for a GTX 1060, this is not a high end version so somewhat lower built quality is to be expected and usually when lower priced cards are designed the cooling system is the first place where they skimp. So a poor design from the start could be PART of the problem.

Second, since the sound disappears entirely when you place the case on it's side that leads me to two trains of thought. One is, you can try a GPU card reinforcement bracket. That MIGHT help.

Two, a more solid case. Usually when harmonics disappear when you put a case on the side panel, flat, it's because the chassis is built too cheaply with thin materials that tend to amplify the harmonics that almost always exist but are not prominent in more solidly built enclosures. You could try to dampen the vibration using insulating rubber with self adhesive backing if you can track down the portions of the case that are mostly to blame but honestly that might just be more of snipe hunt than anything. A better case certainly couldn't hurt and would probably cure most of the issue given your results from positioning it differently.

 

[Jason H.]

All aftermarket graphics card fans are oriented like that with the fans facing down and they don't all have that problem. The reverse directional fans could play into it, but a lot of cards have that and honestly you are about the first person I've seen with this exact issue. That doesn't mean there aren't others, I just haven't seen them.

First of all you must consider as well that you have a 3GB, not a 6GB card, and that means it's a cheap model with a cheap cooler and likely cheap build quality. Not that I'm trying to say YOUR card is a piece of junk, because obviously it's much better than a lot of what's out there and is more capable than lower tiered cards. Just that, for a GTX 1060, this is not a high end version so somewhat lower built quality is to be expected and usually when lower priced cards are designed the cooling system is the first place where they skimp. So a poor design from the start could be PART of the problem.

Second, since the sound disappears entirely when you place the case on it's side that leads me to two trains of thought. One is, you can try a GPU card reinforcement bracket. That MIGHT help.

Two, a more solid case. Usually when harmonics disappear when you put a case on the side panel, flat, it's because the chassis is built too cheaply with thin materials that tend to amplify the harmonics that almost always exist but are not prominent in more solidly built enclosures. You could try to dampen the vibration using insulating rubber with self adhesive backing if you can track down the portions of the case that are mostly to blame but honestly that might just be more of snipe hunt than anything. A better case certainly couldn't hurt and would probably cure most of the issue given your results from positioning it differently.

Thanks for all the help seriously.

Would it help to know that even when I re-enforce the gpu myself with my finger (pushing up on it so it dont hang as much) the sound does NOT go away nor does it get quieter? So could that rule out the gpu bracket?

Im almost starting to believe I just have a cheap case. I feel a nice case wouldnt act so much like a "speaker cabinet" like this one is doing. I also dont believe the acrylic side is helping the situation.

Does glass have less harmonic resonance?

However beyond all of that, what if its just the gpu itself? What if its not the case and the only way the sound will not be there is for the gpu fans to NOT be upside down?

Pretty much will mean Im just screwed and have to deal with it right?

My biggest concern is that the sound will return to full volume in another month like the original fans did. TBH while the system is turned on its side its even quieter at idle fan speed than when its facing upwards.

Edit* when I removed the original fans, I spun them and they sounded bad. But im not sure what its "supposed" to sound like, but it didnt sound like the new ones I got. Which makes me think how in the hell Nvidia could supply such faulty bearings for a 200$ chip.

 

[Jason H.]

While we are at it, is there any case you could recommend thats 100$ or less that would give me a substantial increase in quality over this 40$ case?

Id prefer it to be all black and ofc tempered glass side.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, there are vertical GPU card brackets, but that's an investment best suited to higher end cards and configurations. But it IS an option.

For cases, it's hard to beat this at the 100 dollar or less range.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

This is a good choice too, if the two colored strips don't offend your sensibilities.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WVN7T6K/?tag=pcpapi-20

Mostly, for TG and solid construction, you're looking at more like the 120-140 dollar range. Much better cases to be had by spending a little more but for under or near 100 bucks without catching a sale or special on something, those are pretty solid choices and are well built for the price.

 

[Jason H.]

Well, there are vertical GPU card brackets, but that's an investment best suited to higher end cards and configurations. But it IS an option.

For cases, it's hard to beat this at the 100 dollar or less range.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854060&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC--na--na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

This is a good choice too, if the two colored strips don't offend your sensibilities.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WVN7T6K/?tag=pcpapi-20

Mostly, for TG and solid construction, you're looking at more like the 120-140 dollar range. Much better cases to be had by spending a little more but for under or near 100 bucks without catching a sale or special on something, those are pretty solid choices and are well built for the price.

Okay lets get frisky what do you suggest for 140$ case? Nice and sturdy, minimal harmonics, nice cable management.

But not too thick, like I dont want a big bulky thing as I dont even have a lot of hardware to fill the case to look nice.

Id like roughly the same dimensions as my current case except a bit wider to fit in a 212 as my case only allows 6 inch cooler height.

 

[Darkbreeze]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


https://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=CA-BGW26&c=CJ&cjevent=828f347377a211e9804300570a1c0e12


The Corsair Crystal 460x is also a good choice if you don't mind TG all the way around.

 

[boju]

What happens if you gently hold the graphics card by the plastic to steady it or press on the mounting screw to the case to see if your finger absorbs the vibration?

10 series cards do have dynamic fan curves so that could explain the revving.

 

[Jason H.]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352097&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC--na--na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854039&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC--na--na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


https://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=CA-BGW26&c=CJ&cjevent=828f347377a211e9804300570a1c0e12


The Corsair Crystal 460x is also a good choice if you don't mind TG all the way around.

That Corsair Crystal is soo nice lol.

The Fractals cable management is almost enough to make me spend the extra on 1 day shipping lol

Which one would you choose for having both performance/management?

 

[Darkbreeze]

I have the older Fractal Design Define S. The Define S2 with tempered glass has been calling to me. I nearly went with the Phanteks Enthoo evolve though, but I'm glad I went with Fractal design. My case, even not as good as the newer S2, has been great. I have no complaints at all.

All of the higher end Corsair cases are excellent. They have some pretty cheap low end cases, but any of their cases over 100 bucks are well built.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Might also want to double check that the motherboard is fully secured to the motherboard tray of the case. I've seen loose screws holding the motherboad to the standoffs cause weird harmonics before too.

 

[Jason H.]

What happens if you gently hold the graphics card by the plastic to steady it or press on the mounting screw to the case to see if your finger absorbs the vibration?

10 series cards do have dynamic fan curves so that could explain the revving.

I hate to say this but its a bit late lol. Ive done all of that and I have a custom curve and the issue only happens at around 58-65% fan usage. Which I bought new fans and installed them. The issue was cured only about 80% as some of the resonance still remained.

Read through the comments <3

 

[Jason H.]

Might also want to double check that the motherboard is fully secured to the motherboard tray of the case. I've seen loose screws holding the motherboad to the standoffs cause weird harmonics before too.

Yea I did a good sweep over all screws that could have been causing a problem. Alls well on that front.

Ill look into a new case. Maybe this one just isnt meant to be, even though for the price is a really nice case Id recommend for ANY budget build under 800$.

On a side note, I bought a 14$ swivel fan from walmart 6 years ago for my room, keep it clean and stuff, still does not sound like bad bearings..... Nvidia needs to up their game lol