Question Weird noise coming from the RTX 2070 Super or my Motherboard?

SteveBeast

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Jul 9, 2021
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System:
i7 10700k (Dark rock 4 pro)
MSI Z490 A Pro
32 GB RAM Corsair Vengeance
ASUS RTX 2070 Super DUAL EVO Advanced
650w Corsair Gold PSU
1x27 inch 1440p monitor 1x24 inch 1080p monitor


Hey guys,

If I start the game Cyberpunk 2077, and im in the Game Menu and also when in the game, there is a strange noise coming from my Case which is a high frequency sound which changes its pitch level randomly.
I also got the weird sound when im in AC Valhalla in the Game Menu, and when tabbing out of the game, but still running the game.
Its also in the game American Truck Simulator, but only if I'm tabbed out of the game as in AC Valhalla,but the game is still running.
Its basically in every high demanding game.

What I noticed, when I changed the resolution in AC Valhalla to the lowest (from 1440p to 1280 something) the noise disappeared.

Sometimes the noise is like a beeping noise.

So I wanted to test if its my GPU, but because I have no other GPU on hand I decided to try my Intel UHD Graphics,.
The weird thing is, I went in all the above mentioned games into the Game Menu with my Intel UHD Graphics 630 (Integrated Graphics) , and there was no noise. Even when I was tabbing out.
So it is most likely my GPU right? Or could it be the Motherboard also,? altough the noise is gone when running the game menus on Intel UHD Graphics 630? (I suggest to wear headphones because its very subtle) (the other thing you hear is the air cooler)


The link above is the sound its making when in the Cyberpunk 2077 game menu, and when starting the game. Its this high pitched frequency sound which changes the pitch level randomly.


The link above is the sound which comes out of my case if I havent MSI Afterburner enabled. The weird thing is, as soon as Im starting MSI Afterburner (with a custom fan curve) and the program is controlling my GPU, the noise disappears.


And the beeping sound I mentioned above, I havent recorded it yet, because it appeard only once so far. But it sounds like a fire alarm only much quieter.

I thought at first maybe its my Motherboard, but as I tried all the games out with my Integrated Graphics and the noise vanished, im pretty sure its my GPU , or do you guys think it could also be something else like my motherboard?

What I also didnt mentioned is, I have weird black screen flickering sometimes when playing Cyberpunk 2077.

Do you guys think the RTX 2070 is dying?

And theres also this very weird noise when alt tabbing out of American Truck Simulator:


Or maybe its the Motherboard, and the noise appears only when using a PCIE GPU and not the Integrated Intel Graphic Chip?
And I have the feeling theres a very low noise when having only chrome open, and not any game, but could that also be my external GPU because its still connected?
 
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Karadjgne

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Using software like Msi Afterburner or Evga Precision X, set the gpu fans to 100% and listen. Then start slowly dropping, by like 1-2% and see if you can hear that noise. It doesn't sound like gpu whine, it sounds more like fan hum, either from bad bearings or some dirt on the fan blades come loose etc and is making that noise in-game when the gpu hits a certain temp and forces the fan curve to follow.
 

SteveBeast

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Jul 9, 2021
318
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Using software like Msi Afterburner or Evga Precision X, set the gpu fans to 100% and listen. Then start slowly dropping, by like 1-2% and see if you can hear that noise. It doesn't sound like gpu whine, it sounds more like fan hum, either from bad bearings or some dirt on the fan blades come loose etc and is making that noise in-game when the gpu hits a certain temp and forces the fan curve to follow.

OK and what about the other noise, the high frequency sound, when alt tabbing out of games?
And by fan hum, do you mean the fans of the GPU or the Case ?
 

SteveBeast

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Jul 9, 2021
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@Karadjgne

Ok so I did what you said, and at 100 percent the fans were obviously very loud. At 96 Percent there was a strange noise which I didnt hear before.
And then when I came down to 25 Percent there it was again the above mentioned "Weird GPU Noise". But it was not as loud as above. So what would you suggest?
 

Karadjgne

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Pull the gpu out of the case and take a can of compressed air and blow the heatsink and fans out of dust/debris. Just don't hammer the fan blades and ultra spin them with the compressed air.

The high pitched whine when alt-tabbing is most likely gpu whine, which can happen at specific frequencies and voltages applied. Think of it like a front tire will squeel on certain blacktop and not on others when turning s corner, even doing it slowly.
 

SteveBeast

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Jul 9, 2021
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Ok and you think the coil whine will disappear then?
And what about the black screen flickering?

And I just removed the gpu and theres no dust anywhere, it's very clean, but it's also only 1 year old, so could it be something else? Or should I nevertheless dust it out?
 

Karadjgne

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1 year old and very clean? That's rare. The pc generally needs cleaning at least every 6 months, even in a relatively dust free environment, some pc's realistically need a decent dusting out every month. If it's out, then a quick blowout isn't going to hurt at all, kinda like washing your hands before dinner even if you've done nothing all day to make then dirty.

But if it's that clean, it does point towards a failing bearing in one of the fans, since the hum changes with different speeds. You can also turn on the pc without the gpu and verify that it is the gpu fans making the noise and not the psu fan or the case fans.

Nothing can be done about coil whine except changing the gpu voltage up/down slightly which can change the properties of whichever cap is resonating.

If only 1 game is suffering the flickering, I'd believe it's an issue with the game itself, it that particular game is pushing the gpu to its limits thermally, you'd need to look at the gpu temps when the flickers happen. It can mean the vram/VRM's are overheating, either not adequately cooled/thermal padded or could stand to be undervolted.

It's also possible the 2 are related if the gpu is pushed that hard and the fan/fans are bunk and not spinning fast enough due to bearings freezing up to provide adequate airflow over the heatsink. At 100% most gpu fans are in excess of 3000rpm. A visual inspection is necessary and the rotations should look pretty much identical.
 
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SteveBeast

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Jul 9, 2021
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So this high pitched sound is getting more annoying with the day. Its always present, even when playing the game now. And you say its coil whine?
How much should i change the gpu voltage for it to disappear? And why was it never there before, only since a 2 or 3 months?
I got to say, I previously tried out a lot of configurations and put the GPU out of the Case then back in etc. but never earthed myself. Could that be the issue?

And about that black screen flickering, its mostly in Cyberpunk. And the temps dont change.