Question PLEASE HELP WITH COIL WHINE.

[kittymeoww]

Hello,

Forgive the title, but I truly don’t know what to do anymore and need advice. I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right space, but I had to start somewhere. I’ll do my best to explain the issue.

DISCLAIMER: I wrote a long text and gave it to chatgpt to format it better and hopefully make it easier to understand.
I hope everything i mentioned helps understanding my issue and please ask any questions if needed.

My Build (Current Setup):​

• Motherboard: MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz 35MB
• GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 8GB Eagle OC
• RAM: Kingston Fury 32GB (4x8GB)
• PSU: bequiet! System Power 8 600W

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The Issue:​

I’ve been struggling with persistent coil whine for months. Despite trying numerous solutions, nothing has fully resolved the issue.

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Background and Troubleshooting:​

1. Initial Problem with RX 6600 (Old Part):
   
   • I first noticed coil whine while using my RX 6600 (MSI). The noise occurred during gaming and changed pitch based on FPS and in-game activity.
   • At first, the sound was audible only in my headphones, but later, I also heard it through my speakers connected via my Quantum ES4 audio interface.
   • Physical inspection revealed the RX 6600 GPU was the source of the noise.
2. Upgraded to RX 7600 (Old Part):
   
   • I replaced the RX 6600 with an RX 7600 (Gigabyte), hoping it would fix the issue.
   • Unfortunately, the coil whine persisted. I still heard the noise through my headphones, speakers, and the audio interface itself.
3. Upgraded Further to RTX 4060 (Current GPU):
   
   • Believing the issue might be related to AMD GPUs, I upgraded to an RTX 4060 (Gigabyte).
   • I also replaced the Quantum ES4 interface with an SSL12 audio interface and added a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to filter power.
4. Temporary Improvement:
   
   • After these changes, the coil whine disappeared from my headphones and speakers.
   • Although the RTX 4060 still emitted some physical coil whine, it was much quieter and didn’t bother me with the PC under my desk.

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The Problem Returns:​

Now, a month later, the noise has resurfaced and worsened:

1. Speakers and Mouse:
   
   • I started using my speakers again and noticed a faint, high-pitched sound.
   • I traced a similar noise to my mouse, which changes pitch when I move it.
   • Switching the mouse to my pc case USB port didn’t stop the noise from my mouse.
2. More Audible Coil Whine:
   
   • The coil whine from the RTX 4060 has become louder and is audible physically now.
   • I now hear the noise through my speakers and occasionally through my headphones.

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What I’ve Tried So Far:​

• Swapped GPUs twice: RX 6600 → RX 7600 → RTX 4060.
• Replaced the PSU (returned it as it didn’t help).
• Switched audio interfaces (Quantum ES4 → SSL12).
• Added a UPS and changed power outlets.

Despite these efforts, the problem persists. It’s not just the GPU anymore; I’m hearing noise from my mouse, speakers, and headphones.

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Next Steps and Help Needed:​

I’m considering replacing my motherboard next, hoping it might resolve the issue, but I’m not sure if that’s the right move.

If anyone has experience with similar issues or can suggest additional steps, I’d greatly appreciate your advice. I’m at a loss and desperate for a solution.

Thank you!

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I had this a little on my 7900xtx. Don’t know how nvidias current software works but on mine, I had trouble mainly with assassins creed mirage. I was able to go into the and driver and limit the fps but I also saw the amd driver as well as the game itself were both doing image sharpening. When I turned that off in both spots and limited the fps to about 100 or so, it still happens a little in the game’s menu but during gameplay it’s pretty much gone. So you may start by seeing what games you have that on and then see if you can start tweaking settings to help lessen it.

Is there a specific game it’s happening in?

 

[QyInvoLing]

How can mouse produce such coil whine???

 

[kittymeoww]

I had this a little on my 7900xtx. Don’t know how nvidias current software works but on mine, I had trouble mainly with assassins creed mirage. I was able to go into the and driver and limit the fps but I also saw the amd driver as well as the game itself were both doing image sharpening. When I turned that off in both spots and limited the fps to about 100 or so, it still happens a little in the game’s menu but during gameplay it’s pretty much gone. So you may start by seeing what games you have that on and then see if you can start tweaking settings to help lessen it.

Is there a specific game it’s happening in?

I did write this in the message but not sure if chatgpt left it out maybe. I used to try limiting the fps and it would fix it in some games or help, or change pitch, but in most of them, it didnt help. I don't want to start limiting the fps again or change refresh rate on my monitor or whatever, i want to get rid of the whining since im hearing it through multiple electronics. Including my MOUSE which is crazy, idk how thats even possible 😭

 

[Colif]

After these changes, the coil whine disappeared from my headphones and speakers.

Sounds like you need an external device which is electronically isolated from the motherboard. Its probably why I haven't heard this feature before. I didn't know you could hear coil whine through headphones.

Can you run these interfaces through something that might remove the whine?

The mouse thing is odd too.

so what else is attached via USB? Could be interference from another device on same circuit. USB devices all run off same chip on motherboard.

What Is GPU Coil Whine? How To Fix It?

Is your GPU buzzing? Don't panic! Understand what coil whine is and why it happens. Explore solutions to quiet it down (if needed). Learn if it affects performance & when to worry. Keep your gaming smooth and (hopefully) silent!

www.electronicshub.org

I was getting coil whine from my AIO but since I replaced it with an air cooler yesterday, I have solved that problem.

 

[JayGau]

This mouse thing is really weird. I don't see how your mouse could generate coil whine. It sounds more like some noise interference generate by your USB port. The only time I got a real coil whine issue was with a Gigabyte card (GTX 1080), although it should not be related to the brand since those manufacturer are all using the same boards (so same electronics). However, if you keep getting this coil whine (and you can really hear it physically from your case) after replacing graphics card and motherboard it could be your PSU. High frequency current fluctuations from a bad quality or defective PSU can cause coil whine and replacing the other components will not change anything if it's the source of your problem.

 

[LinuxDevice]

This is just a bit of information, not a claim to any way to cure this.

Modern PCs use a switching mode power supply, which is very efficient compared to the old linear power supplies. The basis of this is to send a pulse of electrical current through a coil (inductor), which can hit some required voltage as a side-effect. If more voltage is needed to more current draw, then the switching frequency (the pulse size/shape/timing) can be increased. This is then filtered so it becomes DC. There is always some electrical noise related to the frequency and shape of those power pulses going through the inductor, and electrical noise is one part of what you might hear. The other half is that when you pulse power through an inductor it can also physically "vibrate" because of the magnetic field (consider how speakers work with a magnet coil).

For the electrical part, @Colif mentioned electrical isolation. If one magnet (or power coil in a switching mode supply) is near another, then the magnet can induce noise on the other. An electrical trace on a PCB near an inductor is in fact another inductor, although it is only a tiny inductance. If audio components have traces going near the AC switching components, then you can expect induced noise in the audio. This is normally only an issue for analog audio; for digital (part of the path is digital, part is analog), the amount of noise would have to be fairly high before this got in the way. The motherboard itself has many electrical traces, and many ways to avoid that noise, but it won't be perfect. It could be the motherboard itself is just poorly designed if this is electrical noise.

The coil itself can produce that whine. You will find that various power components have multiple phases whereby output does not depend on a single coil. Instead, many coils are used, and the pulses are timed to not produce the power pulse simultaneously; this spreads out the electrical power among many coils, and is a way to provide higher quality power. You might see motherboard manufacturers stating how many "phases" their power VRM is. Overclocking and high quality motherboards will probably use up to around 16 phases. Lower priced motherboards (ones which don't work well with overclocking) would have fewer phases, e.g., maybe 8 phases. You can sometimes hear the physical vibration of the coils used in each phase, and you can hear the mixing of each coil phase producing a new sounce/harmonic when two or more phases mix.

In the case of physical noise some inductor coils will produce more noise than others based on design. It is possible that physical noise is minimized with techniques like using hot glue or a varnish to prevent physical movement, but those methods might also act as a heat insulator, and then you'd need bigger components so that the heat doesn't fry the component.

Remember how I said that the pulse frequency can change? A higher/faster pulse train is used under heavier load, and if it turns out that the physical coil vibration is more susceptible to one frequency over another, then it will become louder under that electrical load. If multiple coils interact together, and something around them is more susceptible to one frequency over another for vibration, then the combination of coil vibrations will make some electrical loads noisier than at other power loads.

Two electrical noise sources might combine and cause analog EM noise on a motherboard copper trace, but be filtered properly at some frequencies, and not another; this is like the physical whine of a coil where some power loads will cause this to be a problem, but not other power loads.

Everything mixes. Everything has a certain vulnerability to a physical noise which changes depending on the frequency of the vibration. Every electrical component has a possibility of showing problems with EM noise, and that noise might matter more at some power loads than others.

A well-designed motherboard will greatly diminish the electrical noise on the analog components. The power supply itself will influence this electrical noise. The power load influences the electrical noise. That motherboard manufacturer might have physically better placement and use of components in the power VRM which avoids physical vibration. It is all a trade-off.

If your chassis has fan wires next to analog components, then even the fans will produce noise; if the fans are set to run faster when under a heavier load (which produces more heat), then you get more EM noise (which means moving the fan wires away from analog components would help). It is like a jungle where everything is trying to kill you, but in this case, everything is trying to make noise.

You won't like this, but if you cannot find a specific part which has noise, and if you can't move cooling fan wires to somewhere else (if that is part of the problem, and it might not be), then changing the motherboard and going for one with higher quality "more phases" power could help.

You can't change the fact that different computing loads produce different noise. Tricks like a better motherboard can isolate the sources though.