Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

MSI GTX 970 Coil Whine? - Page 2

Tags:
  • Gtx
  • Graphics Cards
  • MSI
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
Share
a c 91 U Graphics card
October 5, 2014 11:58:40 AM

Guinibee said:
Well I went ahead and tested my GTX 670 EVGA cards to see if I could hear a coil buzzing noise like the MSI cards and low and behold during FireStrike I'm getting the noise with them as well. I guess I just never noticed because the fans on those cards were so loud and I never ran a benchmark on those cards.

this leads me to believe either this is very normal and everyone just hasn't noticed until now because of how quiet the MSI cards run, or something else is going on in my PC that needs fixing...mobo or PSU are my first thoughts. I can't believe it's anything in my computer though seeing as a LOT of people have the buzzing noise...


Mhmm. Like I said, manufacturers refuse to treat it as a defect because 90% of their customers won't notice and half of the rest won't care.
m
0
l
October 6, 2014 3:50:19 AM

sc2071 said:
I'm having the EXACT same issue on my newly bought MSI GTX 980 (Reference Design). I haven't used MSI in ages and am considering swapping for EVGA.

@Guinibee:
Did swapping brands help? Is the noise gone? What brand did you go with in the end?

@DarkSable:
What brands of cards have you experienced this noise with? Do you also have an MSI?

Thanks!


I know the question was directed to DarkSable, but i have also experienced whining with my Asus Strix 970 running 3DMark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGytGL8NxR4

spoke to customer support at Scan and they recommended i 'run it in a bit'. might leave unigine heaven overnight
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 6, 2014 4:31:00 AM

nominder said:
sc2071 said:
I'm having the EXACT same issue on my newly bought MSI GTX 980 (Reference Design). I haven't used MSI in ages and am considering swapping for EVGA.

@Guinibee:
Did swapping brands help? Is the noise gone? What brand did you go with in the end?

@DarkSable:
What brands of cards have you experienced this noise with? Do you also have an MSI?

Thanks!


I know the question was directed to DarkSable, but i have also experienced whining with my Asus Strix 970 running 3DMark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGytGL8NxR4

spoke to customer support at Scan and they recommended i 'run it in a bit'. might leave unigine heaven overnight


Just left a comment on your video, yours is really bad. I'd return it ASAP.
m
0
l
Related resources
Can't find your answer ? Ask !
October 6, 2014 4:56:16 AM

Alex Kelly said:
nominder said:
sc2071 said:
I'm having the EXACT same issue on my newly bought MSI GTX 980 (Reference Design). I haven't used MSI in ages and am considering swapping for EVGA.

@Guinibee:
Did swapping brands help? Is the noise gone? What brand did you go with in the end?

@DarkSable:
What brands of cards have you experienced this noise with? Do you also have an MSI?

Thanks!


I know the question was directed to DarkSable, but i have also experienced whining with my Asus Strix 970 running 3DMark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGytGL8NxR4

spoke to customer support at Scan and they recommended i 'run it in a bit'. might leave unigine heaven overnight


Just left a comment on your video, yours is really bad. I'd return it ASAP.


Thanks for checking it out...I wanted an idea of how bad the sound is relative to other peoples. Iv started the RMA process with Scan, lets see what happens
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 6, 2014 9:16:07 AM

Okay, best of luck. :) 
m
0
l
October 6, 2014 12:35:39 PM

Yah, that is what I would consider pure coil whine. My MSI GTX 980 does not make that noise at all.

I'm too lazy to do a video, but it is almost exactly like when a standard hard disk is accessing data. Just a tick... tick... tick... It's actually a bit quieter than a hard drive. It only happens when I first launch a game or close a game for about 30 - 60 seconds.

Previously I had an EVGA GTX 660 SC 3GB. It never made this noise at all, but then again it's not a very powerful card.

I've decided to just move my case under my desk. Regardless, while playing any game with moderate volume I cannot hear the ticking at all, it is after all very low. I probably just suffer from OCD, it appears many of us might have that in common! ;) 
m
0
l
October 6, 2014 1:43:38 PM

Got exactly the same buzzing coil whine (if that's what it is) on my MSI. The sound is similar to a buzzing HDD. It's pretty loud in Shadow of Mordor, less so in 3DMark 11, downloading 3DMark at the moment to run that firestrike test.

I'm using a 4 year old Gigabyte Superb 720 PSU which isn't exactly good, so it may well be what's causing the whine, although I've never had any problems with this PSU.

Returning the card can be problematic for me since I bought it from abroad and already payed over a hundred bucks in shipping and customs charges. (if overcklockers.co.uk are willing to carry out the shipping costs on the replacement be my guest lol). The noise alone doesn't bother me much, so if it's not going to cause any damage to the card or other components in long term I'd rather refrain from returning the card for now.

I'm planning on running some more tests and see if the noise gets worse. So far it seems that the noise has decreased since the moment I first noticed it.

Also, a bit off topic here. I noticed that my card runs pretty hot in idle (some browsing with Chrome, no GPU stressing tasks) and occasional GPU clock spikes is probably what's causing it. Here's a screenshot of afterburner with graphs - http://imgur.com/nDGMbKA
Has anybody else noticed something similar? I also posted on reddit with some more details - http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/2ig6r5/msi_gt...
m
0
l
October 6, 2014 1:47:06 PM

Quote:
I probably just suffer from OCD, it appears many of us might have that in common!

Spot on there. At least mine seems to have gotten a lot better since about 5 years ago when my 5870 was 5 degrees hotter than most.
m
0
l
October 9, 2014 6:24:49 PM

well I just installed the Gigabyte cards I got...

they seem to run a little cooler and OC better than the MSI cards...I'm liking it a lot! They also seem lighter than the MSI card...when I hold one in each hand the larger giga card is actually lighter ironically

The drawback is I still get the buzzing noise during load...I guess I can't avoid this...seems like with every card i'm going to get this...I wonder if it's something else going on or if this is just a normal occurrence for the GTX 970s because so many people have this issue...
m
0
l
October 9, 2014 11:09:28 PM

Guinibee, again, I know exactly the sound you're talking about, and I can guarantee, terry, that it's not a fan issue - my entire system is watercooled.
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 10, 2014 12:42:51 AM

Guinibee said:
well I just installed the Gigabyte cards I got...

they seem to run a little cooler and OC better than the MSI cards...I'm liking it a lot! They also seem lighter than the MSI card...when I hold one in each hand the larger giga card is actually lighter ironically

The drawback is I still get the buzzing noise during load...I guess I can't avoid this...seems like with every card i'm going to get this...I wonder if it's something else going on or if this is just a normal occurrence for the GTX 970s because so many people have this issue...


It seems to happen with random cards. I don't get any buzzing or coil whine on my EVGA ACX 2.0 card when the fans are running at 50% max. Maybe your fan speeds are too fast.
m
0
l
October 10, 2014 3:29:11 AM

Nah my fan speed is right around 50...I have a curve to ramp them up from 40-60
m
0
l
October 10, 2014 1:02:56 PM

Guinibee said:
Well I went ahead and tested my GTX 670 EVGA cards to see if I could hear a coil buzzing noise like the MSI cards and low and behold during FireStrike I'm getting the noise with them as well. I guess I just never noticed because the fans on those cards were so loud and I never ran a benchmark on those cards.

this leads me to believe either this is very normal and everyone just hasn't noticed until now because of how quiet the MSI cards run, or something else is going on in my PC that needs fixing...mobo or PSU are my first thoughts. I can't believe it's anything in my computer though seeing as a LOT of people have the buzzing noise...


No...most people are complaining about LOUD coil whine with fans spinning happily at 50%...... having slight whine (slight as you have to stick your head next to the card) of course is normal.... but it is not the problem highlighted by many :) 
m
0
l
October 10, 2014 1:27:36 PM

Trustdesa said:
Guinibee said:
Well I went ahead and tested my GTX 670 EVGA cards to see if I could hear a coil buzzing noise like the MSI cards and low and behold during FireStrike I'm getting the noise with them as well. I guess I just never noticed because the fans on those cards were so loud and I never ran a benchmark on those cards.

this leads me to believe either this is very normal and everyone just hasn't noticed until now because of how quiet the MSI cards run, or something else is going on in my PC that needs fixing...mobo or PSU are my first thoughts. I can't believe it's anything in my computer though seeing as a LOT of people have the buzzing noise...


No...most people are complaining about LOUD coil whine with fans spinning happily at 50%...... having slight whine (slight as you have to stick your head next to the card) of course is normal.... but it is not the problem highlighted by many :) 


I do see a lot of people with the quiet buzz noise though. I'm claiming after testing 6 cards that either this is completely normal like Trustdesa is saying or maybe I need a new PSU or something. At any rate the Gigabyte cards are pretty sweet and I will stick with them and return the MSI cards.

m
0
l
October 15, 2014 5:41:03 PM

I have the exact same low-pitch ticking sound and have been pulling my hair out over it. I just replaced an MSI GTX 770 Twin Frozr which had the sound and I had for the last 6 months, so I don't see it being fixed by a "breaking in" period. And my new EVGA GTX 970 ATX 2.0 has it too. I think it might be something with the PSU or MOBO.

PLEASE let me know if you determine a fix. It's driving me absolutely bonkers. I'm getting the sound (I won't call it whine because there's nothing high-pitched and whiney about it) in games like Shadow of Mordor, Watch Dogs, etc. when under heavy load. But I wasn't getting it with the AIDA64 GPU stress test, which is very odd, but perhaps makes sense if it's a lack of power issue, because a game stresses all components at once, not just singled out like I did. I'll have to meddle some more.

And please no more comments about it being the fan. He's (and we've) already stopped all fans and it still occurs, and the one guy even has an entirely water-cooled system!!

CPU: i5-3570K @ 4.2 GHz cooled by CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO | Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V LX | RAM: Crucial 16GB 1600
GPU: EVGA GTX 970 4 GB SC | SSD: Mushkin 240GB | HDD: Seagate 2TB | Monitors: BenQ G2400W 24" LCD
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 15, 2014 7:14:13 PM

If someone wants to donate me a watercooled 970 I'm sure I could isolate the source of the sound :-)
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 6:24:11 AM

I just wonder why you still buy Nvidia 970 when 70% of people have issue...I think we all know how to use Google and if you even use "Advance Search" > "Results in the last 24 hours" you will see that everyday there are people with problems with any 970...

If you want to throw money away free to do so...but of course there is no software fix as this is due of crap components...

Either wait for Nvidia / Vendors to produce decent card and not these rip off (as that is what they are) or wait for AMD to announce something new...

I see people in forum buying 6 cards before getting one working (Just Google it) which I think is idiotic...
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 7:09:45 AM

Quote:
If someone wants to donate me a watercooled 970 I'm sure I could isolate the source of the sound :-)

Well, it's pretty obvious that it's coil whine.
Quote:
I just wonder why you still buy Nvidia 970 when 70% of people have issue...I think we all know how to use Google and if you even use "Advance Search" > "Results in the last 24 hours" you will see that everyday there are people with problems with any 970...

If you want to throw money away free to do so...but of course there is no software fix as this is due of crap components...

Either wait for Nvidia / Vendors to produce decent card and not these rip off (as that is what they are) or wait for AMD to announce something new...

I see people in forum buying 6 cards before getting one working (Just Google it) which I think is idiotic...

A rip off? Young man, Nvidia released a card that offers performance equal to previous generation top cards at almost half the price. GPUs have had coil whine before, it's not a problem that's specific to GTX970. And IMO, anybody who's bothered by the coil whine too much suffers from OCD, as it is not present in idle and is hardly ever noticeable while gaming.
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 8:51:45 AM

I agree with waytosexy... It offers performance for half of the price... And keep in mind I returned my cards using Newegg premier... Just getting use out of my membership so why not test a few cards?
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 8:55:44 AM

waytoosexy said:
Quote:
If someone wants to donate me a watercooled 970 I'm sure I could isolate the source of the sound :-)

Well, it's pretty obvious that it's coil whine.
Quote:
I just wonder why you still buy Nvidia 970 when 70% of people have issue...I think we all know how to use Google and if you even use "Advance Search" > "Results in the last 24 hours" you will see that everyday there are people with problems with any 970...

If you want to throw money away free to do so...but of course there is no software fix as this is due of crap components...

Either wait for Nvidia / Vendors to produce decent card and not these rip off (as that is what they are) or wait for AMD to announce something new...

I see people in forum buying 6 cards before getting one working (Just Google it) which I think is idiotic...

A rip off? Young man, Nvidia released a card that offers performance equal to previous generation top cards at almost half the price. GPUs have had coil whine before, it's not a problem that's specific to GTX970. And IMO, anybody who's bothered by the coil whine too much suffers from OCD, as it is not present in idle and is hardly ever noticeable while gaming.


Thanks for the young man... I wish I was :D 

That is your case probably, just use Google and read forum and if you speak more than one language you can have even a broader idea of the problem.

Previous model had similar problems but in a far smaller number, with 970 you see lots of people in any spoken language complaining about their card whining and unfortunately I am not fan boy enough to think that it is cool as they ask money for then using low quality capacitors / coils...




m
0
l
October 16, 2014 8:59:38 AM

Alex Kelly said:
terry4536 said:
By the way, I am also looking at the GTX 970. With your experience, would you recommend the MSI gaming or Asus Strix (Gigabyte is also in the running)?


MSI is the apparent winner, but if I have any issues with mine I'm exchanging it for the Strix.


How is MSI the apparent winner when G1 gaming from gigabyte is the most powerful card, beating the msi by 2-4 fps?
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 16, 2014 9:08:01 AM

^ Because of it's size & hybrid cooler.
I don't like the blue LED either.
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 9:16:32 AM

Alex Kelly said:
^ Because of it's size & hybrid cooler.
I don't like the blue LED either.


The only thing I care about is performance :) 
m
0
l
a c 91 U Graphics card
October 16, 2014 10:30:31 AM

Trustdesa said:
Thanks for the young man... I wish I was :D 

That is your case probably, just use Google and read forum and if you speak more than one language you can have even a broader idea of the problem.

Previous model had similar problems but in a far smaller number, with 970 you see lots of people in any spoken language complaining about their card whining and unfortunately I am not fan boy enough to think that it is cool as they ask money for then using low quality capacitors / coils...


I don't believe that it's Nvidia's fault for using low quality caps, as even non-reference designs using different capacitors are giving these issues.

Rather, I believe it's Nvidia's fault for producing a card so power efficient that it's able to run so quietly that normal users are able to hear what was previously a perfectly acceptable level of coil whine.

I've heard this on basically every high end card I've worked with, including AMD cards. It's simply something that happens, unfortunately, and you have to learn to deal with it. Claiming something is defective or has a huge problem when it's no worse than a few generations ago and has such incredible performance per dollar and performance per watt for a high end card, well... That's just kind of silly.
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 11:08:52 AM

finally got my Msi Gaming GTX 970 set up with my new Rog Swift.

Sadly, I am getting coil whine whenever I play a game (uncapped frames as mentioned earlier). I was playing league of legends in borderless mode (120hz lightboost mode, since gsync only works in full screen, and borderless doesn't count). Whenever I was in-game, I would hear an audible high pitch sound. If I alt-tabbed to anything else, like the desktop, it would immediately stop. Alt-tabbing in and out makes the sound go on and off.

Not sure what to do. Love the card, love the monitor, can probably deal with the noise but given that I run a pretty quiet setup, it's very annoying.
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 2:35:25 PM

wily2143 said:
finally got my Msi Gaming GTX 970 set up with my new Rog Swift.


What PSU do you have?
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 3:03:14 PM

Yeah mine isn't a high pitched noise... Just that low buzzing noise that is only barely audible with the side panel off... I have the two gigabyte cards now
m
0
l
October 16, 2014 5:22:25 PM

I have the corsair HX620W. I bought it back in 2008 and it powered the radeon 6970 that I used to have. I asked if that would be sufficient here on this board and a few ppl said it's fine! No power/shutoff issues.

I don't OC my 3730k or my gtx970.
m
0
l
October 17, 2014 4:58:51 AM

Alex Kelly said:
^ Because of it's size & hybrid cooler.
I don't like the blue LED either.

I thought the MSI and Gigabyte LEDs were the same color...
wily2143 said:
I have the corsair HX620W. I bought it back in 2008 and it powered the radeon 6970 that I used to have. I asked if that would be sufficient here on this board and a few ppl said it's fine! No power/shutoff issues.

I don't OC my 3730k or my gtx970.


That should be more than enough even with overclocking.
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 18, 2014 2:36:49 PM

Does anyone who has the whine also have their system on a UPS ?
m
0
l
October 18, 2014 7:11:47 PM

Mine is actually on a ups. I have been reading a lot about my psu and supposedly mine has a lot of ripple. I have the silent pro gold cooler master. I just purchased an evga 1000 p2 considering the reviews for that are phenomenal. I'm not sure if ripple is what is creating my buzz issue, but it isn't helping anything having it. It is interesting that I noticed a buzz with my old gtx 670 as well... So maybe my psu is really the issue.
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 18, 2014 11:53:35 PM

I have a EVGA G2 PSU, and my MSI was fairly loud. Still holding on to my cash waiting for the coil whine issues to be deemed fixed.
m
0
l
October 19, 2014 1:23:50 PM

Alex Kelly said:
I have a EVGA G2 PSU, and my MSI was fairly loud. Still holding on to my cash waiting for the coil whine issues to be deemed fixed.


Probably not gonna happen man. It seems this has always been around, just more audible on the 900 series.
m
0
l
a b U Graphics card
October 19, 2014 1:27:45 PM

Guinibee said:
Mine is actually on a ups. I have been reading a lot about my psu and supposedly mine has a lot of ripple. I have the silent pro gold cooler master. I just purchased an evga 1000 p2 considering the reviews for that are phenomenal. I'm not sure if ripple is what is creating my buzz issue, but it isn't helping anything having it. It is interesting that I noticed a buzz with my old gtx 670 as well... So maybe my psu is really the issue.


The P2 series is extremely high quality. It's based on Super Flower's Leadex series.

If you still notice the buzz with it, then I would have to say it is just the cards.
m
1
l
8 minutes ago

frag06 said:
Guinibee said:
Mine is actually on a ups. I have been reading a lot about my psu and supposedly mine has a lot of ripple. I have the silent pro gold cooler master. I just purchased an evga 1000 p2 considering the reviews for that are phenomenal. I'm not sure if ripple is what is creating my buzz issue, but it isn't helping anything having it. It is interesting that I noticed a buzz with my old gtx 670 as well... So maybe my psu is really the issue.


The P2 series is extremely high quality. It's based on Super Flower's Leadex series.

If you still notice the buzz with it, then I would have to say it is just the cards.


good to know! I would be very happy if the buzz goes away...although since it's such a silent buzz and I game with headphones I really haven't noticed it for a while now


m
0
l
a c 91 U Graphics card
2 minutes ago

Guinibee said:
Mine is actually on a ups. I have been reading a lot about my psu and supposedly mine has a lot of ripple. I have the silent pro gold cooler master. I just purchased an evga 1000 p2 considering the reviews for that are phenomenal. I'm not sure if ripple is what is creating my buzz issue, but it isn't helping anything having it. It is interesting that I noticed a buzz with my old gtx 670 as well... So maybe my psu is really the issue.


That thing does have a bit of ripple, but that's not what's causing the issue - I have a EVGA 670 FTW and notice this buzzing when the card is stressed even on my SeaSonic X650 gold, which is one of the cleanest running power supplies out there.
m
0
l
      • 1
      • 2 / 2
!