Alternating whistling sound after adding GPU and SSD

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

I build my pc around a month and a half ago, and I've had no issues.

I then installed a new gpu (MSI twin frozr GTX 660) and a new ssd (Samsung 840)
Since then there's this alternating in pitch whistling noise that lasts for a few seconds and then goes, coming from somewhere that I cannot pinpoint.
When the noise happens there's no change in fan speed, no change in temperature, and I'm not doing anything particularly stressful to the pc. The noise happens seemingly randomly, I can't do anything to make it happen :/

I have a suspicion that it could be coming from the old Hitatchi 320gb HDD, but the sound isn't anything that I'd associate with a failing HDD, and it only happened since I installed the new GPU and SSD.

Any thoughts and idea as to what it could be?

Thanks,
Ben

chugot9218 · Sep 26, 2013

I think I've seen the suggestion before to roll up a piece of paper or something and hold it to your ear to use as a sort of amplifier you can target at the individual running components, sounds kind of silly but it may help you determine exactly what is humming.

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

chugot9218 :

That's what I've been trying, but the noise seems to be ambient, and it only lasts a few seconds. Sometimes it happens 5 minutes after, sometimes as long as an hour for it to happen again. But the noise is considerably louder than the rest of the pc.

namdlo · Sep 26, 2013

Based on what you've added to your machine is it coming from the fan on your powersupply?

You've added an additional load to it that could be causing it to turn on the fan.

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

namdlo :

My PSU is a Corsair TX750w. So I don't think it would have an issue with the new hardware.
The fan doesn't turn on until the psu gets to a certain temperature, and then it turns off again. I've been watching it, and the noise doesn't happen when the psu fan is on.
Good suggestion though, thanks.

Sooth1 · Sep 26, 2013

Sounds like it could be a coil whine from your new gpu.

ingtar33 · Sep 26, 2013

could be coil whine on your gpu. all electronic parts can get coil whine, it's not really anything they can prevent through using higher quality parts or something, but it happens when the ceramic in a capacitor vibrates against a computer board at a certain frequency because of the specific frequency of the power flowing through it.

this mostly happens with gpus and psus... and no company or product line is immune from it. try chugot's suggestion to find the source of the noise, but i'm pretty sure what you're describing is coil whine. If it is coil whine, then it will go away in time as the part gets older.

swifty_morgan · Sep 26, 2013

bad cap?................ personally never liked msi. too many problems over the years.

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

Sooth1 :

ingtar33 :

The noise isn't a high frequency whine sound though :/ As I've said, nothing I do causes it to happen, I've even been using msi afterburner to put some stress on the gpu, and it doesn't cause it to happen. It doesn't sound like any type of coil whine that I've heard before either.

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

swifty_morgan :

Hmmm, nothing seems to be bulging or leaking though...

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

I don't know how to better describe the sound, almost like whistling/blowing down a small tunnel?

swifty_morgan · Sep 26, 2013

yup, that's how it sounds just before my BM.

next time it starts, put your finger in the middle of the fan to stop it. does the sound stop? ( on the video card )

I had some troubles with coil whine. thought it was everything but what it was. finally got it figure out as cheaply made fans that were being used.

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

swifty_morgan :

Sorry, but I don't understand what 'BM' stands for.

Okey, I'll try stopping both of the gpu fans when the noise next happens.

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

swifty_morgan :

I just stopped both of the gpu fans when the noise started, and the noise continued while the fans were stopped.

swifty_morgan · Sep 26, 2013

not gpu fans/maybe case fans?

if you leave the HD unplugged ( data and power cables ) and just use the SSD, what happens?

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

swifty_morgan :

None of the case fans either.

I'll try leaving the HDD unplugged. But as I said, it's a really strange noise for a HDD to make :/

bensterling · Sep 26, 2013

I found a video with a similar sound to what I've been hearing, but this is a lot fainter, and slightly higher pitched..

http://youtu.be/z-t7AFgyj-I?t=1m50s

swifty_morgan · Sep 26, 2013

almost sounds like a dry bearing. unplug case fans. if you can hook monitor to motherboard do it and pull the card.

Alternating whistling sound after adding GPU and SSD

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