Question This noise is coming from somewhere in my PC and I tried all this. Any help is appreciated.

[Eershaa]

[Moderator edit: Changed font to bold in Solutions #7 below to add emphasis.]

How my issue started



It started first while I was playing RDR2. I tend to play all my games on maximum settings with Ray Tracing as Ive a 4080 and I really wanna see how far can I take it with games. So while playing RDR2 , suddenly there was this grinding or small rotor bearing like sound that came up , i paused the game to hear it more clearly and to identify where it came from, and then after pausing the sound slowly died down. I started playing again, and then during some instances the sound keeping coming back, sometimes very loud , sometimes medium and sometimes low volume. But during my gameplay of RDR2, it usually went crazy loud as I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong or why my PC was making such noise. I didn’t want my PC to crash or BSOD on me, so I uninstalled the game ( i thought maybe it was a cracked game , perhaps thats why its causing issue ) .



How it continued:

So after getting scared I went on to continue my play of Elden Ring as this was bought from Steam and the game never gave me this sound issues. But now when I played ER, i could tell that the issue is now with ER too, but the noise here was way too low as compared to RDR2. So i didn’t gave it much thought.



Ive tried games, there was never an issue like this before, this suddenly started happening and is now since in most games even in those who Ive previously played and at that time, there were no such issues with those, but now this issue is everywhere with varying disturbance. Right now, I wanted to give Witcher 3 a try, i started it , and the same stuff happened and now i was getting very annoyed and starting looking for solutions.



What it sounds like :

I’m not sure how to make someone imagine sound but I’ll try. It sounds like there a very small pin-size cardboard that’s constantly hitting the fan making kinda like grinding or low pitched whining noise. When i pause the game, or when i quit the game suddenly, the sound has a sudden burst of noisy grind for 1 second and then every sound dies down as the GPU goes silent , but just for that last second , its like when a fire is about to die down it flickers as fast it can, same here as the sound is about to die down, it goes out with a sudden burst and then dies down.



Solutions :



I tried various things for my issues.

1. To make sure whether any other fans are involved , ive manually tried stopping the fans one by one , to see which fan it is, but stopping fans manually didn’t stop the noise.
2. By capping my FPS in-game to less than 80fps, have showed definite result. Not complete, but it did lowered the frequency of the noise as it now pops in less frequently than before.
3. I did try to lower my graphics by turning Ray Tracing OFF but i can’t tell much difference.
4. I ran Prime95, as to test whether the noise has something to do with my CPU and AIO. I stress tested, my temp went 100 C but there was no noise.
5. I ran Furmark, to test GPU, the sound came back and was there , though of very low volume and nothing as loud as during gameplays but it was there during this Furmark testing. Then I closed the application.
6. Now i ran both the Furmark and Prime95, simultaneously. The noise was there , much louder and grindy this time. So i closed Prime95 first, and then i closed Furmark. Now when i closed Furmark, that noise what i wrote above while describing the sound, where there a sudden burst of noise, that came whem I closed the Furmark and then everything was silent.

7. Then to test which fan in GPU was acting up, i tried to stop 2 fans and let 1 run, and i actually pinpointed it. Its the 3rd fan in my GPU. [Moderator edit to bold font.]


Now this might look like that i’ve identified my issue but something doesn’t feel right. Someone on discord server, told me that this noise could be from my AIO pump , and something to do with low rpm.

But my GPU is fairly new. Its like 2 years old. Its Gigabyte RTX 4080 Eagle OC.



I was also told to use Specify. But in that there’s been a new issue that is constant. Im getting a whole lot of WHEA error. I tried changing my M2 slot as i was suggested. But the WHEA error still increased. Im not sure whether it has something to do with my noise issue but i wanted to put it out there.



Whenever now i play any game, these noises and sound comes up, and its a bit irritating and am not sure whether it will cause any further problems in my GPU or PC.

Im not sure how to proceed. So please any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Noise sample from PC

PC Specs :

CPU : Intel i7 13 K
GPU : Gigabyte RTX 4080 Eagle OC
AIO : Aorus Waterforce x360
SSD : SN 850X 1 TB ( 2 partitions, 1 for C Drive Operating System, other for solely GAMING)
HDD : Western Digital 2Tb Wd Blue 3.5" sata
PSU : Corsair SMPS RM 1000X (1000 Watts, Purchased the entire setup November 2022)
Motherboard : Gigabyte Z690 UD AX Rev. 1
RAM : Corsair DDR5 16x2 GB 5200
Other Peripherals : 10 W Sound system, Printer and nothing exceptional.

Ive a SPECIFY link for more info
https://spec-ify.com/profile/cc42eac3

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

Other attached peripherals?

 

[Eershaa]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

Other attached peripherals?

Ok I did.

 

[Aeacus]

Then to test which fan in GPU was acting up, i tried to stop 2 fans and let 1 run, and i actually pinpointed it. Its the 3rd fan in my GPU.

From the sample, it also sounds like bad fan bearing.

Fix: fan replacement.

But my GPU is fairly new. Its like 2 years old. Its Gigabyte RTX 4080 Eagle OC.

Either 1 or 2 year warranty for that GPU. If you registered it as explained here;
link: https://global.aorus.com/event-detail.php?i=764

You'd have 4 year warranty and can contact Gigabyte to fix your GPU. Else-ways, you are looking to pay the fix from your own pocket, if warranty period is over.

 

[kanewolf]

A paper towel tube can be used as a "stethoscope", to localize the sound.

 

[Eershaa]

From the sample, it also sounds like bad fan bearing.

Fix: fan replacement.


Either 1 or 2 year warranty for that GPU. If you registered it as explained here;
link: https://global.aorus.com/event-detail.php?i=764

You'd have 4 year warranty and can contact Gigabyte to fix your GPU. Else-ways, you are looking to pay the fix from your own pocket, if warranty period is over.

Thats the thing , am i absolutely sure that its the GPU? i mean, i know that Gigabyte services sucks even in countries like America…i am not really sure whether they will even get to my issue.

I can grind for it, but it would be wasting my time to go through the trouble, and later comes down to “GPU is Okay, something else is the issue”

 

[Eershaa]

You'd have 4 year warranty and can contact Gigabyte to fix your GPU. Else-ways, you are looking to pay the fix from your own pocket, if warranty period is over.

i just checked , my warranty expires in September 2025.and i would have to go to a whole different state , 600 kms away to RMA it.

 

[Recks214]

I'm thinking one of your GPU fans has an issue.

The speed of the fan goes higher to match GPU temps to cool it down as needed.

Elden Ring is capped at 60fps, and is not capable of pushing the GPU as hard as RDR2 does.

Seeing as the fine men above has already recommended RMA'ing your GPU, which is the best course of action. if this really bothers you. I'll give you a slightly worse alternative:

There are replacement parts you can get from your ecommerce site of choice, you can get a replacement fan there for your card - that's a whole nother rabbit hole though hahah.

 

[Eershaa]

I'm thinking one of your GPU fans has an issue.

The speed of the fan goes higher to match GPU temps to cool it down as needed.

Elden Ring is capped at 60fps, and is not capable of pushing the GPU as hard as RDR2 does.

Seeing as the fine men above has already recommended RMA'ing your GPU, which is the best course of action. if this really bothers you. I'll give you a slightly worse alternative:

There are replacement parts you can get from your ecommerce site of choice, you can get a replacement fan there for your card - that's a whole nother rabbit hole though hahah.

so are we absolutely sure that my main focus should be changing the 3rd fan of the GPU? so correct me if im wrong, cant i just like manually customize the rpms of different fans and the 3rd one which is giving me trouble , cant i just fix its RPM to a value where its cool enough for the game and also stable enough to not cuase any noise?

I saw YT videos as to how these fans are attached inside a GPU, and i really dont wanna risk giving it some random guy who might just cause more issue. I was thinking of trying to oil the fan by removing the logo as i read somehwere that its where the bolt or nut is which might be the issue. I just really want to be sure before doing anything. and if i can do it myself, it would be the best choice for me.

 

[Recks214]

Your idea is also a very valid course of action. If the software of your GPU manufacturer lets you, you can definitely go ahead and set the 3rd fan to something that wont make any noise, though I would recommend just turning it off entirely

As for manually changing the fan yourself your best bet is looking for a youtube video like "[your gpu here, with manufacturer and variation] teardown/fan replacement" or so and so

Cross referenced with maybe some tech specs from the manufacturer themselves like the dimensions of the fan for your make and model.

 

[Aeacus]

Thats the thing , am i absolutely sure that its the GPU?

Well, you, yourself confirmed it to be GPU's 3rd fan. What additional proof do you need?

and i would have to go to a whole different state , 600 kms away to RMA it.

That's up to you to decide.

You have 3 options:
1. Live with the bad bearing fan sound.
2. RMA the GPU under warranty.
3. Repair it on your own (either buy replacement fan from somewhere and fix it yourself, or let electronics repair shop to the fan replacement for you).

3rd option will void the GPU warranty since GPU is needed to be opened, which means breaking the warranty seal of the GPU (usually small sticker that covers one or two screw heads).

I was thinking of trying to oil the fan by removing the logo as i read somehwere that its where the bolt or nut is which might be the issue.

You can not lubricate the bearing since fan bearings are closed system. It is not an "open" system with visible shaft that you can easily see and lubricate.

Here's cross section of the fan, where bearing is #5:
(Image is of Lian-Li 120mm case fan, but same applies to GPU fans as well, since they all have same internals.)

Direct link if image doesn't load: https://lian-li.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/unifans_tl_lcd_18.webp

 

[Eershaa]

Well, you, yourself confirmed it to be GPU's 3rd fan. What additional proof do you need?

the reason im uncertain is, then why was the noise still there, when I manually stopped fans one by one using my finger? i did that after i loaded Witcher 3 , went to a foliage intense graphic area for the sound to come, and then did the entire thing.

1. Live with the bad bearing fan sound.

Would living with it evolve this issue into something major later on ?

PS : should i try to update the GPU BIOS?

 

[Ralston18]

I am a bit confused.

This:

"the reason im uncertain is, then why was the noise still there, when I manually stopped fans one by one using my finger?

You seem to be contradicting matters.

If the noise is still there and the sources is not fan #3 then you need to go back a step and find the sound source.

I.e., using a cardboard tube as suggested by @kanewolf.

Or otherwise clarify your troubleshooting and other actions thus far.

When troubleshooting be sure that you only change one thing at a time.

Be methodical and careful.

 

[Eershaa]

I am a bit confused.

This:

"the reason im uncertain is, then why was the noise still there, when I manually stopped fans one by one using my finger?

You seem to be contradicting matters.

If the noise is still there and the sources is not fan #3 then you need to go back a step and find the sound source.

I.e., using a cardboard tube as suggested by @kanewolf.

Or otherwise clarify your troubleshooting and other actions thus far.

When troubleshooting be sure that you only change one thing at a time.

Be methodical and careful.

I told Step by Step as to what i did and what i encountered. If this was not contradictory, i wouldn't even ask, as the last resort for every electronic product is one and the same. Live with it, RMA or self repair.

me manually stopping the fans is the very 1st thing that i did when i came across this issues months ago. Me pinpointing that its the 3rd fan was today.

 

[Eershaa]

Would it be okay if i manually set the 3rd fan to a fixed but low RPM and the paired fans ie 1st and 2nd to auto mode? could it maybe reduce the noise, with a bit of temp rise sacrifice?

 

[Ralston18]

So the focus is now on, or should be on, how to fix noisy GPU fan #3 via existing options or other possible creative (if any) options.

As for "okay" there are always trade-off's involved....

I will defer to those with more knowledge of the GPU and the possible fan/temperature configurations within your build.

 

[Eershaa]

So the focus is now on, or should be on, how to fix noisy GPU fan #3 via existing options or other possible creative (if any) options.

As for "okay" there are always trade-off's involved....

I will defer to those with more knowledge of the GPU and the possible fan/temperature configurations within your build.

i guess i will deal with this issue on day to day basis. But honestly, #3 fan being the issue seems close enough issue to the problem. So yeah, rn i will focus on Fan #3. But thanks anyway for trying

 

[Aeacus]

Would living with it evolve this issue into something major later on ?

It could be. Possibilities are:
* noise gets FAR worse and that at any given RPM.
* bearing rattle means physical contact inside the bearing (between shaft and it's housing), this friction will cause wear and heat. And enough heat will cause the surroundings (e.g plastic) to melt.
* bearing seizes up and fan will stop, for forever.

Usually, bearing rattle at given RPM means that the shaft spinning at that RPM isn't the sweet spot for lubrication to be between bearing and shaft. If RPM is either increased or decreased, outside of the "affected" area, noise stops and bearing would have sufficient lubrication as well.

Now, it is unknown on how long you can run the fan with this kind of bearing fault. Maybe days, months or even years, before it gets worse. But once you hear bearing rattle, it is a sign to replace that fan.

If the bearing would be mag-lev (like my case fans are), it would be different story. But GPU fans usually have sleeve or fluid-dynamic bearing. Some even have ball (or double ball) bearing.

 

[Eershaa]

It could be. Possibilities are:
* noise gets FAR worse and that at any given RPM.
* bearing rattle means physical contact inside the bearing (between shaft and it's housing), this friction will cause wear and heat. And enough heat will cause the surroundings (e.g plastic) to melt.
* bearing seizes up and fan will stop, for forever.

Usually, bearing rattle at given RPM means that the shaft spinning at that RPM isn't the sweet spot for lubrication to be between bearing and shaft. If RPM is either increased or decreased, outside of the "affected" area, noise stops and bearing would have sufficient lubrication as well.

Now, it is unknown on how long you can run the fan with this kind of bearing fault. Maybe days, months or even years, before it gets worse. But once you hear bearing rattle, it is a sign to replace that fan.

If the bearing would be mag-lev (like my case fans are), it would be different story. But GPU fans usually have sleeve or fluid-dynamic bearing. Some even have ball (or double ball) bearing.

This is what i did right now, and the result is kinda looking okay for now. So i used the Gigabyte software itself. Set the paired fans ie Fan #1, Fan #2 to a bit high/normal temp and rpm settings. and Fan #3, the noisy one, to 40% : 1000 RPM till 95% : 1500 - 1600 RPM. and then i played Witcher 3 B & W , for about 20-30 minutes, no noise whatsoever. Noise might come back later on but as of yet, it going good. I thought to not give much load on the faulty bearing fan.

Do you think these settings might cause any issues with heating or any other new issue?