Question Is there any chance that coil whine could be harmful ?

[Spacekeleton]

So, I built my PC like 3 years ago and for all this time I had coil whine which I was managing to more or less reduce in games via tweaking graphics settings, but I hit a wall with newly-released Spacemarine 2 and I'm getting noticeable noise which does not go away no matter what I do, except for setting FPS lock to 30, but it is a torture to use that low amount of frames.

Whine only sounds with lower and lower frequency if I lower graphics settings or rendering type, but still stays.

So I wonder, is it possible that it may lead to harm in any way? Or is it just getting on people's nerves and I can ignore it since I use headphones?

 

[Lutfij]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

Just an FYI, if you stand next to a transformer, you'll hear a whine/buzz/noise from the unit. The same thing is happening inside a PSU and can also happen around the rear or front of the GPU as well as the VRM area of the CPU socket.

You might want to narrow down the source of the noise. Use an A4 sheet of paper, roll it up into a cylinder and then hold one end to your ear while the other end is used to probe for the source of the noise.

Another point to note, does your platform's performance drop with regards to coil whine?

 

[Spacekeleton]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

Just an FYI, if you stand next to a transformer, you'll hear a whine/buzz/noise from the unit. The same thing is happening inside a PSU and can also happen around the rear or front of the GPU as well as the VRM area of the CPU socket.

You might want to narrow down the source of the noise. Use an A4 sheet of paper, roll it up into a cylinder and then hold one end to your ear while the other end is used to probe for the source of the noise.

Another point to note, does your platform's performance drop with regards to coil whine?

Here is the list of all parts, and everything was bought new at same time 3 years ago, BIOS is stock version I guess.

The source of noise is rear or closer to middle of GPU. I was also sending it to manufacturer's service center like after half a year of usage due to fan noise and it appeared it was disbalanced somehow and they fixed it, I guess they would notice coil whine too if they tested it, but warranty does not cover such moments as I know.

Performance does not change if coil whine is present.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Coil whine does not cause any damage or performance loss. It's the noise inductors make when current is passed through them. If under warranty, you can RMA it.

 

[Spacekeleton]

Hey there,

Coil whine does not cause any damage or performance loss. It's the noise inductors make when current is passed through them. If under warranty, you can RMA it.

I read in numerous places that people change their GPUs because of coil whine, and it disappears only after they do it 3-4 times, so I guess I have less chances getting quiet card rather than one with this noise. Also, most manufacturers tell that coil whine is not covered by warranty and we can only live on with it.

What concerned me, though, was article I read that told prolonged coil whine can lead to premature failure of component.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

was article I read that told prolonged coil whine can lead to premature failure of component.

Interesting. I've not seen that. Can you link a reference? AFAIK, coil whine does not cause performance loss or degradation.

Hmmm, I don't know about those numbers. That suggests maybe 66-75% of GPU suffer from this. In my lifetime, I've had maybe 20 different GPU's. None of which had coil whine. I would genuinely think the hit rate would be much less than that. Otherwise there would be so many users complaining of it, the OEM would have to do some checks to stop it, if it were so prevalent.

 

[Spacekeleton]

Interesting. I've not seen that. Can you link a reference? AFAIK, coil whine does not cause performance loss or degradation.

Here is the article, in the "when to take further action" part.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Here is the article, in the "when to take further action" part.

Yeah, it's kinda a little vague TBH.

Have you tried another PSU, given that it may provide cleaner power? The RMx is very decent. How old is it? Have you another PSU you could try?

 

[Spacekeleton]

Yeah, it's kinda a little vague TBH.

Have you tried another PSU, given that it may provide cleaner power? The RMx is very decent. How old is it? Have you another PSU you could try?

The whole build I use, as well as PSU, is 3 years old, and noise was present from day one.

The only other PSU I have is 11 years old and has like twice less power wattage, so I doubt it is good idea to plug it into newer PC.