PSU's and Coil Whine. Is it safe? What does it mean?

[Saro13]

So I've recently upgraded my old 670 with a new R9 390. These things can be power hungry from what I heard. But I do have a 750W PSU (Corsair HX 750) I've had for a few years. Considering the 390 advertises a recommended 750W PSU I figured it would be good.

So far it actually is good. The card itself is great. However I notice there is Coil whine coming from the PSU during heavy gameplay. At first I thought it was my GPU. Upon further inspection I am positive it is coming from my PSU.

What exactly does this mean? Can a sudden increase of power consumption cause this? Considering the power usage from the 390 is pretty high, would this cause the PSU to start coil whining?

Is it safe to continue using the 390? The whine itself does not bother me. But if this is causing harm to it and it can go out because of this.. I'd rather not risk my PC then.

Thanks!

 

[outlw6669]

Yes, changing the power load can cause a Coil Whine to occur.
Although they are quite annoying (lucky you that they don't bother you, I can't stand the damn whine ), they are not dangerous to your system.
I have had low to moderate coil whine from several components in the past, all of which saw heavy usage and none of which failed.