GTX 970 coil whine fixes
GTX 970 coil whine fixes
I just got a EVGA GTX 970 SSC and it has a bit of coil whine. It's not horrible and I hear many 970's have it so I'm reluctant to RMA it and get something worse.
I read online that running the card at full load for 24-48 hours can fix it. I am currently doing that.
In case that doesn't work I read that changing the voltage of the card might help. I read that overclocking the card doesn't void the warranty until you change the voltage. I wanted to know if there was any way the manufacturer could find out that I increased the voltage?
Also this is somewhat unrelated but I thought I'd ask while I was here. My latest overclock does fine on Crysis 3, Watchdogs, Shadow of Mordor, Witcher 3, Metro Last Light, Dragon Age Inquisition, Heaven Benchmark, and Valley Benchmark. The majority of the time it is at full GPU load% during these tasks. When I run Furmark it usually crashes though. Is this something to worry about?
I appreciate your help.
SynapticVesicle :
I tried GPU-z and saw my voltage reaching 1.25 but coil whine persisted. My power supply is the Corsair CX750M, which isn’t ideal, yet it didn’t produce any coil noise with the SLI GTX 660. It looks like a +25mV range is typical for aggressive overclocking. Yes, I own that exact PSU and GPU, and neither shows any noise on either card. Head scratch...
I recently purchased an EVGA GTX 970 SSC, but it exhibits some coil whine. It’s not too bad, and I’ve heard many users mention this issue with the 970 model. That makes me hesitant about returning it and getting something even worse.
This raises my curiosity about how such a device is typically acquired. Isn’t it common to buy a GTX 970 now and later complain about the 3.5 memory slot as well?
If you’ve already read our GTX 980 review, you’ll understand that Nvidia isn’t releasing a direct reference model for the GTX 970—the second-generation Maxwell card that replaces the GTX 770 in their lineup. The images here don’t represent a finished product ready for purchase. Instead, Nvidia’s AICs will buy the GPU and memory chips, but the final design choices—PCB layout, cooler options, and overclocking potential—will ultimately rest with them. [bit-tech.net]
Additionally, as we discussed in our GTX 980 review, the GTX 970 was a pure virtual launch, meaning NVIDIA’s partners were launching their own custom cards immediately. Many of these were either recycled or only slightly altered versions of the GTX 700/600 series, thanks to GM204’s 256-bit memory bus and low power demands.
[Anandtech .com]
When you encounter such information about a card, it usually advises caution—“stay away” is a clear recommendation, especially given what was reported at its initial release. All you can do is search through the many solutions people have tried to mitigate the issue and hope for success.
I’d consider returning it to EVGA and using their step-up program to obtain a genuine NVidia card instead.
http://www.evga.com/support/stepup/
Which SSC model are you using? I have two in SLI, the SSC Gaming ACX 2.0+ (model number ending in 3975). The older dual-fan ACX EVGA 970s had a lot of coil whine complaints, but the newer ACX 2.0 versions have greatly reduced that problem.
For your overclock, what are your core and memory boosts? In Aftterburner, I increased my core by 130MHz and memory by 180MHz at stock voltage, achieving effective speeds of 1320MHz / 1472MHz / 7725MHz. This was the maximum I could reach without artifacts or crashes on stock settings.
If your card only crashes when running Furmark but not games, it’s unclear what’s causing the issue if both games and Furmark are running at near full load.
It is the unit with a model number ending in 3975. I've boosted the core frequency by 125MHz and the memory clock by 450MHz using stock voltage, but my power limit is at 110%. The maximum clock speed remains at 1542MHz.
10tacle :
Which SSC model should I use? I own two in SLI, the SSC Gaming ACX 2.0+ (model number ending in 3975). The older dual-fan ACX EVGA 970s had a lot of coil whine complaints, but the newer ACX 2.0 versions have greatly reduced that issue.
For your overclocking, what are your core and memory boosts? In Aftterburner, I increased my core by 130MHz and memory by 180MHz at stock voltage, achieving effective speeds of 1320MHz / 1472MHz / 7725MHz. That was the maximum I could reach without artifacts or crashes on stock settings.
If your card only crashes under Furmark but not during games, it’s hard to say what’s wrong unless your games run at full load too. It seems to be the model with the number ending in 3975. I’ve boosted core by 125MHz and memory clock by 450MHz at stock voltage, but my power limit is at 110% and the max clock speed is 1542MHz.
A high-quality power supply with strong ripple suppression can actually minimize coil whine in certain situations (source: Jonnyguru forums). If the burn-in issue persists, consider returning it for a replacement. Don't overlook problems—address them promptly.
I recently purchased an EVGA GTX 970 SSC, but I noticed some coil whine. It’s not too bad, and I’ve heard many users mention this issue with the 970 model. That makes me hesitant about returning it and getting something worse.
This raises my curiosity about how such a card is typically bought. Wouldn’t it be better to buy it now and then complain later about things like the 3.5 memory slot?
If you’ve already read our GTX 980 review, you’ll understand that unlike the 970, Nvidia isn’t releasing a direct reference model for the GTX 970. Instead, they’re offering a custom solution through their AICs. The images here don’t represent a finished product ready to buy. After purchasing the GPU and memory chips, it’s up to the buyer to handle PCB design, cooling, and overclocking—leading to a lot of variability. [bit-tech.net]
As we discussed in our GTX 980 review, the GTX 970 was a pure virtual launch, meaning NVIDIA’s partners were launching their own custom cards immediately. Many of these were either recycled or only slightly modified versions of the GTX 700/600 series, thanks to GM204’s 256-bit memory bus and low power needs.
[Anandtech .com]
Reading such information makes me advise caution—stay away from this card unless you’re prepared for all the troubles that followed its first release. It’s a no-brainer.
All you can do is search through the many attempts to fix it and hope someone finds a solution. I’d prefer to return with an EVGA GTX 980 and use their upgrade program to get a genuine NVidia card.
http://www.evga.com/support/stepup/
I’ve already spent more than I intended. The 980 is outside my budget. Even if it’s available for 90 days, I’d prefer a GTX 1070 if Pascal comes out then. I hope it won’t cost significantly more than what I paid for the 970.