SSD noise/interference when idle

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hailstreak

Reputable
Jun 9, 2015
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4,510
Hi everyone,

I just purchased a new HP Pavilion laptop and swapped out the HDD for a Samsung 830 128GB SSD which I have used before in another machine. I have this weird problem where I can hear a faint electrical noise/buzzing sound only when the SSD is idle. If it is actively working, then the noise disappears. It is hard to tell if the noise is coming from the SSD or from the speakers; however, the sound corresponds directly to SSD activity. If the light is on, it buzzes; if the light is off, there is no buzz. It is almost like morse code. I thought perhaps it was interference, so I disabled a variety of components, including the speakers, one by one is device manager, but no luck. Any ideas? I don't recall a problem previously with this SSD.
 
Solution
Alex_Sasha
I had experienced - and was able to solve - this same problem with hearing a high pitched hissing line noise in my speakers, which I was able to pinpoint to coming from my primary SSD.

My PC components relevant to this issue are ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard, TI chipset firewire 800/400 PCI for connecting my UAD Apollo preamp, 5 ssd's (sata II and III), and a bunch of external pro audio gear (digital and analog synths and filters) connected to the Apollo preamp.

How did I pinpoint the noise to the C drive? When I ran a virus scan on that SSD the noise went away. If I paused the virus scan the noise would return. If I ran the virus scan on another SSD I could hear the noise. The noise was constant and can be heard very clearly...
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Boogieman_WD

Boogieman_WD

Judicious
Jul 31, 2014
6,050
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Hey there, hailstreak.

This sounds pretty odd. Sometimes when there's a loose or faulty connection or a problem with another component, you might hear low static noise from the speakers, but the SSD itself should not emit any noise as it's a static device (same as if it were a USB flash drive). So I'd recommend that you check every connection and try the same cable and SATA port with a different drive if possible to see if the same thing happens. Also try out the SSD with a different computer if possible, to see if the same issue reoccurs.
You could also try testing it with an SSD diagnostic tool, just to make sure that everything is OK.

Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD
 
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hailstreak

Reputable
Jun 9, 2015
9
0
4,510
Thanks for the response Boogieman_WD. I will definitely open it back up to check the connections and also see if I can pinpoint more exactly the location of the noise.

It just occurred to me that it could be related to CPU activity. When the SSD is active, the CPU is usually active as well, so maybe it has something to do with the CPU's low power state at idle? Because the SSD is quieter than the original HDD, this may be the reason I hear it now and not before. When doing things on my computer (opening windows, programs, etc.), the noise diminishes or disappears, but when sitting idle (viewing a static web page), the noise returns. It is also non-existent during startup, but returns if I let the computer sit idle for a bit. It is just uncanny how the noise corresponds to the HDD light.
 
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Boogieman_WD

Boogieman_WD

Judicious
Jul 31, 2014
6,050
2
35,960
Well I'd guess that it could be your CPU fan or a different one, but since you've mentioned that it's connected to the SSD and started since you've attached it to the mobo, I guess I've dismissed that option. However you could check if the noise is coming from one of the fans, just to exclude them as the culprit.
 
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Alex_Sasha

Alex_Sasha

Commendable
Aug 29, 2016
1
0
1,520
I had experienced - and was able to solve - this same problem with hearing a high pitched hissing line noise in my speakers, which I was able to pinpoint to coming from my primary SSD.

My PC components relevant to this issue are ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard, TI chipset firewire 800/400 PCI for connecting my UAD Apollo preamp, 5 ssd's (sata II and III), and a bunch of external pro audio gear (digital and analog synths and filters) connected to the Apollo preamp.

How did I pinpoint the noise to the C drive? When I ran a virus scan on that SSD the noise went away. If I paused the virus scan the noise would return. If I ran the virus scan on another SSD I could hear the noise. The noise was constant and can be heard very clearly when cranked the master volume on the Apollo to max.

So, on my own I decided it was time to swap out my 4yr old Intel SSD for a new Samsung 850 EVO. To my dismay the new SSD did not eliminate the noise. Exactly same situation.

Scratching my head...then I observed that if the computer is off and master volume on Apollo is set to max there is no noise - all synths are audible and quite loud. I also noticed that when I boot the computer the noise starts right before the Windows logon screen appears. This was the needed clue for Romka, a very experienced systems admin who was helping me with this issue. Immediately he told me to play around with the Windows power plan. As soon as I selected "Power saver" the noise was gone. But we didn't stop there because I wanted to get maximum performance from the PC. So we went in to the BIOS and disabled all power management features for the CPU. Now I have the Windows Power plan set to "High performance" without the noise distorting my mixes. So what if the PC is using a bit more juice.

 
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