Complaining about the Coil Whine in the 7900 XTX
Complaining about the Coil Whine in the 7900 XTX
TL;DR: Acquired new flight sim equipment, but the 7900 XTX coil whine is extremely loud. Looking for alternatives beyond headphones since flying has its challenges. I use Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane 12 to keep up with aircraft skills. These programs consume a lot of CPU and VRAM. I started with a Surface Pro 9 i7 and an Asus ROG 3070, but it struggled under heavy settings. I upgraded to an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the RX 7900 XTX (24GB VRAM). The performance is outstanding, handling demanding tasks effortlessly. The biggest issue remains the coil whine—especially noticeable in fullscreen, borderless mode with dual monitors. I’m surprised it’s so pronounced; others have said the 7900 series has poor coil noise. Any tips beyond just using headphones? Are there soundproofing options for the card or case? Also, is AMD planning to fix this problem?
Very loud coilwhine can be really bothersome and I’ve had to return a card because of its noise. I could hear the card’s sound above game audio from my PSB Imagine X2T. My replacement card was much quieter. Higher-end GPUs, such as the Radeon 7900 series, tend to produce more coilwhine than lower-end models (most of the time). You can’t completely silence a card, but you can use soundproof cases. I recall my Fractal Design R5 had soundproofing on the side panels. You can cover the case with a thick blanket or duvet (without blocking the fans) to improve sound insulation. GPUs, motherboards, power supplies, and monitors can all emit coilwhine due to vibrations from power flow through the coils. My MOZA R12 does have noticeable coilwhine, but I don’t notice it when using headphones. In short, there’s limited control—reducing frame rate can make a big difference if you’re pushing high frame rates.