Most unusual coil whine noise
Most unusual coil whine noise
I’ve been dealing with the oddest coil whine for the last week. I shared a video of the sound, which is definitely bothersome. It seems to originate from the power supply unit I’m using, and I’ve replaced every known working part without changing the noise. The issue pops up mainly during gaming sessions but not during benchmark tests like Furmark or Cinebench. My system runs a Ryzen 5600 (currently 6900X) with always-on BIOS. I’ve tested several PSUs—2,700W and now a 750W Platinum Corsair—and switched over from a B550 to an X570 motherboard. I’ve used at least five different GPUs, three PSUs, three memory kits, and changed CPU coolers. So far, nothing else has been altered. Could a SSD or CPU be contributing to this loud whine? Please help—I’m really stressed about this noise. 44615137_powersupplynoisecompressed.mp4
I didn't attempt connecting the machine to another building with a different transformer, but we could have avoided some hassle. Tracking coil whine really only involves swapping out random components until it disappears. Another valid approach might be using headphones. By the way, my speakers are set to maximum, and the coil whine is almost imperceptible—so perhaps the bigger problem is the overall quietness of the room versus the minimal noise from the PC.
It seems you were considering a different approach by plugging it in elsewhere. For me, headphones aren’t the best choice, particularly because the coil whine is still audible through them.
You seem to think the noise originates from the power supply unit. Since switching the PSU didn’t resolve the issue, it’s unlikely the PSU is the cause. It doesn’t resemble coil whine but more like an HDD malfunction, suggesting mechanical or rotating components. Do you have any fans installed? Have you tried unplugging them?
I've faced the same problem before. My audio sounds a bit off—less punchy and with a slight pitch variation. I've swapped out the PSU twice, updated the GPU three times. It seems to be either AMD CPUs or the SFX PSUs are just noisy. I'm choosing not to make another ITX build; when I do, my current setup will likely become outdated in a few years.