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SSD making high pitch noise?

Last response: in Storage
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Hello Everyone,

I recently purchased a Crucial M4 64 GB SSD. I am noticing after the PC boots up and windows starts I hear a really high pitch humming noise. It sounds just like the noise a CRT makes when you turn it on. I know it is the drive because I have unplugged all my devices one at a time. I do not hear the noise when I unplug the power cable from the back of the drive.

This is my first time using an SSD but I never heard of this before. I am thinking of RMA'ing it back to Newegg because I cannot sit next to my PC with that noise, it gives me a headache :cry: 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thanks for any information

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SSDs have no moving parts and therefore cannot make any noise by itself. The noise could be the result of some setting pertaining to the SSD; not the SSD itself.

Sorry I cannot be more specific, but look at all settings and monitoring of the SSD.

Thanks for the reply. Could it be a capacitor in the SSD (do they even have capacitors)? Its just odd that it only makes the noise when the SSD is on and being used. I have unplugged everything one device at a time and it only does it when the SSD has power. Also, I do have a CORSAIR HX750 PSU, could it be to much power for the SSD?

Thanks again

Best solution

Storage Expert

For non mechanical electronics a high pitch whine is normally caused by a vibration of a component at around 20 KHz. This is close to the freq used by some switching PS circuit. The SSD may (Do not know for sure) contain a PWM circuit to reduce the applied 5 Volts (From PSU) down to a lower voltage to be used by the cells.

I would verify that it infact is coming from the SSD. Remove the SSD but leave it connected should be able to stick your ear on the case. If it is the SSD RMA it.

Most common source is the PSU. That being the PSU, or an excessive ripple component on the 5 V line.
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Hey RetiredChief,

Thanks for the information. I will stick it up to my ear and see if I still hear it. If something is wrong I hope its the drive.

As for the PSU, it is modular. So I have on power cable coming out of it powering my SSD and two other hard drives (SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB) with one extra power connector not plugged into anything. Could that be the reason?

I will also try and swapping cables around tonight.

Thanks again...

I recently had this happen to me after a new mobo, cpu, and ram(asus mobo/ati fx6100 ). Same SSD, 3 hd's, ati 5830, psu, fans etc... After my reformat I went into the ati power settings and upped the minimum frequency of the CPU... After hearing this sound I tried a few things to no avail, read this, and remembered i changed the setting... I then went back in to the software and set the minimum frequency back to the default and my high pitched noise went away immediately. I couldn't hear this sound at the bios and only in windows when doing something... not sure if this helps, but seemed to be power setting related...
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