Noise with an electric tone coming from the processor.
Noise with an electric tone coming from the processor.
In the immediate vicinity of the cpu, I'm getting an electric sounding crackling noise. From afar, there's a high pitched whining noise. Neither noise is loud but the frequency of the tone is very annoying. In order to reduce the variables, I've replaced the AIO cooler with a passive cooler (Noctua NH-P1); removed the GPU, and set all of the case fans to 0 RPM. The 2 storage devices are NVME M.2 SSDs. Additionally, I'm not hearing any sound coming from the power supply. With my CPU at 65W TDP (via bios) and without a GPU, there is so little power needed that the Corsair RM1000x's fan isn't even running. Since I've taken all moving parts out of the equation, at this point, the only culprit I can think of is the motherboard. Any thoughts? Thanks! My system's components: Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk Wifi ATX (bios v E7D75AMS.131) CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Cooler: Noctua NH-P1 Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RBG 32 GB (2x16) DDR5-6000 CL36 Storage #1: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB 4.0 NVME M.2 SSD Storage #2: WD_BLACK 2TB NVME M.2 SSD Video Card: NA. Just AMD integrated graphics PSU: Corsair RM1000x 1000 W 80+ Gold ATX power supply OS: Windows 10 (64 bit) Case Fans Noctua NF-A12x25 & be quiet! Light Wings
Based on my experience, the noise doesn't seem to come from the CPU. It reminds me of the recent chrisfixDE video where a die cracked on wet GPUs, but that’s unlikely for your setup—it wouldn’t happen. Things like high voltage sparks inside the socket usually don’t occur. Could be bad fan bearings or coil whining. Try capturing it yourself and share the recording.
Motherboards may experience coil whine. At a 65W TDP level, it's improbable but not impossible, especially as power increases. The RAM is likely the bigger factor here. With DDR5, power handling is distributed within the DIMMs, allowing for slight whine without needing intense usage to trigger it. Testing each stick separately can help confirm, and it seems rare for both to show issues.
The audio appears similar to high-voltage wire sounds on above-ground poles. It seems likely coil whining rather than fan bearings, since there’s no fan near the motherboard. The CPU is cooled naturally by a Noctua NH-P1, the PSU spins at 0 RPM, and all case fans are off. I can’t capture a clear recording, but both playback versions sound identical.
RONOTHAN provided feedback on your RAM testing experience. No noise detected from the RAM, but no improvement was observed. It's worth considering a higher-quality motherboard to potentially reduce any coil whine. You might want to explore RAM options that are known for better performance and stability. The RGB lighting on the RAM could also be a factor—check if replacing it with a different model affects the noise level.
The board I experienced the most coil whine on was a Z170 OC Formula. Back then it was a $500 model from ASRock, offering top-tier options for VRMs on that platform. If that board isn’t great, the price doesn’t tell the whole story. Coil whine tends to vary per unit—you could get two identical boards, one with noise and another without. It’s not something you should pay extra for just to avoid.
I disabled the RGB lighting on the RAM but didn’t see any changes. Then I plan to test a different power supply unit.
You're dealing with an electrical issue from your CPU. Have you considered checking for loose connections or faulty components? Also, ensure your cooling setup is secure and not vibrating excessively. Restoring the BIOS might help, but you could also try reseating the RAM or testing with a different power supply to rule out hardware problems. Let me know if you need more details!
Updated the BIOS back to its original state didn’t help. Then I swapped out the motherboard and power supply multiple times… nothing changed. The only action that seemed effective was updating the BIOS settings. I’ve observed that in the BIOS, the fan noise stops. At this stage, the best option appears to be replacing the entire AMD platform with a 13th gen Intel build. Any suggestions? For context, here’s a rundown of all attempts so far: swapped AIO cooler for passive (Noctua NH-P1), removed GPU, cleared GPU settings, set fans to zero RPM, replaced boot SSD, turned off RGB lights, re-seated RAM, ran single RAM stick at a time, changed PSU from Corsair RM1000x to Be Quiet Dark Power 13 850W, adjusted TDP in BIOS to default, swapped motherboard to MSI B650 Tomahawk, added an EMI filter on the power outlet.