Powercolour HD6970 whining noise

[pcmanick]

Just got my new HD6970 graphics card today and it makes an awful racket under load, not just the fan noise but also a high pitch whining screeching noise like an older tv line transformer. Seems to run OK in the games I've tested tho. Should I return it in case summit is ready to go or will this noise go after some use? ......don't think I can live with it. Also comparing this card with my other HIS HD5870, the fan is far noisier and the heat generated heats the entire back of my Thermaltake Armour case like a storage heater....think I'm gonna rma :-(

 

[COLGeek]

BTW, what PSU are you using?

I agree on the RMA, it shouldn't be whining. What you are likely hearing is "coil whine". A pretty good explanation can be found at:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=233094

I have a HD6870 (originally had a HD5850 in it) in one of my systems and can hear no noticeable difference, even under max load. The HD6970 is a higher end card, but it should be relatively quiet.

Good luck!

 

[pcmanick]

BTW, what PSU are you using?

I agree on the RMA, it shouldn't be whining. What you are likely hearing is "coil whine". A pretty good explanation can be found at:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=233094

I have a HD6870 (originally had a HD5850 in it) in one of my systems and can hear no noticeable difference, even under max load. The HD6970 is a higher end card, but it should be relatively quiet.

Good luck!

I'm using a Corsair HX850 power supply which should be plenty. The high pitch whine is there on benchmarks and games like Necrovision and AvP. I'm thinking it's coil noise as in that thread. As for the fan noise and heat, on those said games I could hardly hear my 5870 on the same settings but this 6970 sounds like an electric paint stripper...no joke, it's loud and the speed of the fan goes up and down constantly depending on the graphics intensity. As for the heat, when gaming for say 30 mins, I need to turn off my room radiator and open a window if I don't wanna burn up....and that's minus 3 outside
I'll use it for another few days to see if the whining diminishes and if not then it's goin back.....maybe try a 570.

cheers

 

[COLGeek]

If it is that loud (and I have no doubt you are right), I would RMA it soonest. The sooner you exchange, the sooner you'll be back to full speed.