[SOLVED] GIGABYTE EAGLE RTX 3070 8GB - Clock speed issues and Coil whine

Nov 15, 2020
7
0
10
Hi! I recently got a Gigabyte RTX 3070 graphics card. Everytime, I'm in a game a huge coil whine appears. It seems to be paired with the graphics card clock speed. On the desktop or with a game in the background, the clock speed is around 300MHz and when I'm in game it is always at 1980MHz.

1980MHz is that normal. I read online and on MSI afterburner that the Base clock speed should be 1500MHz and the Boost at 1750MHz.

Why is my GPU running at such high clock speed? There is absolutely no overclock done on the GPU.

I have a 4 years old Corsair 750W 80+ Bronze PSU. Can it be the reason? Should I change settings or my PSU?

I provided a screen shot in-game of the MSI afterburner monitor

5chGIon.png
 
Solution
Everything has a resonant frequency, put enough high pitch into glass and it'll shatter. Coil whine is just that, the closer you get to the resonant frequency of the coil, the louder and more piercing it gets.

Unfortunately, it's pretty common in gpus because of the components used to modulate voltages.

You have 3 choices. You can change the card, either raising or lowering voltages/clock speeds to try and not hit that particular frequency, you can rma the card and hope the replacement has coils that resonate at a somewhat different frequency, or live with the results because there's nothing you can physically do to change it without pulling the card apart, finding the exact component and insulating it somehow by changing its...
Nov 15, 2020
7
0
10
Mine runs at about 1990 MHz , so i believe it's normal. Although, i'm not sure why it is running so much higher than advertised speeds.

Yes, I realized it is normal. I also use the Beta Geforce Experience Feature to auto-scan for overclock and I’m now running the card at 2065MHz. The card is a beast for 499$. Still, the coil whine is present in games where there is no cpu bottleneck and no frame cap. That means when the cards run at it’s full potential. My speakers will replicate the coil whine as well if they are turned on. I deal with it but yea, it’s a mess if you don’t have headphones.
 
Dec 22, 2020
2
0
10
Yes, I realized it is normal. I also use the Beta Geforce Experience Feature to auto-scan for overclock and I’m now running the card at 2065MHz. The card is a beast for 499$. Still, the coil whine is present in games where there is no cpu bottleneck and no frame cap. That means when the cards run at it’s full potential. My speakers will replicate the coil whine as well if they are turned on. I deal with it but yea, it’s a mess if you don’t have headphones.

Yeah, i've noticed the coil whine as well. It's annoying but i only use a headset so im good.

I definitely agree that this card is an absolute beast. The jump from a 1070 to this 3070 has been insane.
 
Jan 1, 2021
5
0
10
Yeah, i've noticed the coil whine as well. It's annoying but i only use a headset so im good.

I definitely agree that this card is an absolute beast. The jump from a 1070 to this 3070 has been insane.

To what extent is your coil whine? Mine is quite loud, and because of the high pitched buzzing, sometimes I can hear it through headphones. In MSI afterburner the clock speed is 1750mhz. The exact card I have is the Gigabyte 3070 8gb eagle OC.
 
Are you sure the coil whine is from the gpu and not the cpu? If it’s the gpu the only real option is returning under warranty, it will either stay the same or get worse over time. Which model Corsair PSU do you have? Quality is important, you want one of their high end units for a 3070.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Krotow

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Everything has a resonant frequency, put enough high pitch into glass and it'll shatter. Coil whine is just that, the closer you get to the resonant frequency of the coil, the louder and more piercing it gets.

Unfortunately, it's pretty common in gpus because of the components used to modulate voltages.

You have 3 choices. You can change the card, either raising or lowering voltages/clock speeds to try and not hit that particular frequency, you can rma the card and hope the replacement has coils that resonate at a somewhat different frequency, or live with the results because there's nothing you can physically do to change it without pulling the card apart, finding the exact component and insulating it somehow by changing its physical characteristics.
 
Solution
Jan 1, 2021
5
0
10
Are you sure the coil whine is from the gpu and not the cpu? If it’s the gpu the only real option is returning under warranty, it will either stay the same or get worse over time. Which model Corsair PSU do you have? Quality is important, you want one of their high end units for a 3070.
I have the RM750x, I put my ear to my PC, and I'm sure it's coming from the GPU.
 
Jan 1, 2021
5
0
10
Everything has a resonant frequency, put enough high pitch into glass and it'll shatter. Coil whine is just that, the closer you get to the resonant frequency of the coil, the louder and more piercing it gets.

Unfortunately, it's pretty common in gpus because of the components used to modulate voltages.

You have 3 choices. You can change the card, either raising or lowering voltages/clock speeds to try and not hit that particular frequency, you can rma the card and hope the replacement has coils that resonate at a somewhat different frequency, or live with the results because there's nothing you can physically do to change it without pulling the card apart, finding the exact component and insulating it somehow by changing its physical characteristics.
Yeah, I'm not sure, because it's a 3070 I'm not sure ill be able to get a replacement card. I think I'llll cope with it for now and if it gets worse, ill RMA it when stock has evened out. Thanks :)
 

HWOC

Reputable
Jan 9, 2020
141
21
4,615
Yes, having the case on the floor is a good idea on multiple levels, noise is further away from you, and it will be slightly cooler on the floor. Also, will probably take in more dust, but not by a huge amount especially if you have filters on the intake fans. You could also add one or more loud, high performance fans to your PC to drown out the coil whine. :LOL:
 
Jan 1, 2021
5
0
10
Does the coil whine stay the same if you slightly overclock or underclock your card in MSI Afterburner? As a test. It would be interesting to know.
No, well slightly but VERY slightly (on both, overclocking and underclocking) I ran 3DMark, over and underclocked and the noise was very similar.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
When you oc'd, did you change the voltages to the card? Memory? Clocks? All?

Often just adding or subtracting voltage can change the coil whine as it changes the amplitude. Might be enough to get around that specific frequency, either higher or lower than the clocks you are running at.
 
Jan 1, 2021
5
0
10
When you oc'd, did you change the voltages to the card? Memory? Clocks? All?

Often just adding or subtracting voltage can change the coil whine as it changes the amplitude. Might be enough to get around that specific frequency, either higher or lower than the clocks you are running at.
No, I just changed the base and boost frequency, I’ll try doing that tomorrow. It’s 4am and I really should get to sleep. I’ll let you know if it works! :)