ASUS 290x, mild buzzing noise on medium-high fan speeds. Should I be worried?

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Vynavill

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Nov 30, 2013
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A couple days ago, a parent of mine let me notice the aforementioned event.
While gaming, my GPU fans would produce an intermittent and mild buzzing sound, as if they were lightly grinding against something.

I never noticed it myself, as I usually game with a headset on, so I don't really know for how long I've had this.
If I had to guess, most probably it started a couple months ago, after setting a relatively aggressive fan profile through Afterburner (from 30% to 80% fan speed, ranging from 35 to 80 celsius degrees)

- Toggling off the fan profile makes it disappear, but I don't like the temperatures that that solution brings.
- Checked the fans for any dents or scratches, but found none.
- Tightened the two holding screws that fasten the card to the case, and while the noise is still present, it's sensibly lower.

I'm probably just paranoid, as I assume there's nothing wrong and that that's just the vibration generated by the fans spinning, but should I try tightening the screws some more, just in case? Maybe the ones on the motherboard as well?

Moreover, should I be concerned of this event in the first place?
 
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Robertwhyte

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i get the same thing with my 970, however my fan speeds only go from 31 percent to 36 when running demanding games, so i dont think its a fan problem. I hear it when my GPU is running at or close to 100 percent usage. you should try manually changing the fan speeds when idle to see if you can still hear it. i did, and i couldnt hear it, so my guess is its a mild form of coil whine.
 
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xtrme981

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Are all cables secured so that they do not interfere with the fans?

Also, could you get a replacement through RMA if the worst happens?

I have seen this before, and it could mean that the bearing are causing friction. This may either do nothing but irritate or it could cause a fan failure down the line. That is why I want to know if you could get the card replaced.
 
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Vynavill

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@ohim
Currently on mobile and at work, I'll look at the video and report if it's similar to what I'm hearing in a couple hours.

@Robert
Setting back the fan speeds to normal (automatically managed by the card BIOS), as I already said, removes the issue, but depending on the game it can bring VRMs up to 105-110 celsius degrees. They're rated for 115, AFAIK, and that's cutting it too close for me...

@xtrme
Cabling was done by professionals and I've checked it myself. Nothing's in front or even anywhere close to fans; they're absolutely free.
I've got RMA available for a couple months more (I think warranty will expire in February of the next year). With my luck, if it has to fail, it'll do so after that time ;)
 
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Vynavill

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Can't do that. I asked the shop when I first bought it; they won't accept any RMA request unless the hardware is deemed unusable at the time of request.

Since it's still usable right now and I can't just lie (they'd test it), I'd just get bounced off...
I don't think it'll fail me, TBH, as tightening those two screws greatly reduced the produced noise (it didn't completely go away, but it's hardly as noticeable as before), but I can't just shove off the possibility of a failure either.
 
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Vynavill

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Update regarding ohim's guess, since I'm at home now and can watch the video.
No, it's not coil whine. If I would try describing it, I would say it's closer to some kind of rattling, as if something was vibrating intensely and was put in contact with plastic/metal parts, hence why I tightened the holding screws thinking they were a bit loose (which seemingly was the right hunch, as I've already repeated to the point anyone would want me dead :D).

It reduced the noise by a lot, but it can still be heard under heavy load. What I want to know is if this can bring some kind of damage on my system (with time), or if it's just an annoying rattle I'll have to comply with. My headset can cover it, but my parents don't have headsets nor probably want to wear one in the first place...
 
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