Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

[Synic]

The whine comes from the MB. I have no vid card installed atm. At stock speeds there is no noise noticeable above the drone of my fans. The higher I clock the CPU the louder the whine becomes and when I move my mouse it gets twice as loud. I've got a stable OC of 4.5 at 1.275v and could push higher but the whining is WAY to much. Please help!

UD3H-Black F6 bios, i5-4690k, H110 cooler, HyperX Fury 1866, CX750M PSU, Win7-64bit

Thanks.

[parsec]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

High pitched whine sounds can be very difficult to locate accurately. I cannot say it's not coming from your board, but usually the main thing that causes whining sounds is the PSU.

More specifically, it is usually the inductors in the PSU that cause the whining sounds. But it could also be inductors on the mother board, that are part of the voltage regulator stage (VRM) for the power to the CPU. Those are the black rectangular cubes on the board right next to the gold heat sinks, there are four of them near each of the two heat sinks. Another one is located next to the eight pin CPU power connector, two next to the DRAM memory slots, and there may be others I missed.

Inductors in the PSU are usually large coils of thick copper wire, similar in shape to a donut. The inductors on mother boards are much smaller, and encased inside a box.

As you OC and increase the speed of the OC, you use more power and the components that deal with producing electrical power are more stressed. Inductors literally vibrate when stressed (or even when they aren't) and create the whine you can hear.

What can you do about it? Normally not much. PSUs that whine can be RMA'd for another whose inductors don't vibrate as much, or have the vibration damped with silicone caulk, the whitish goop found inside many PSUs. It's usually a combination of many things together, mainly the PSU and mother board, that cause the whining noise.

If it's the board's inductors that are whining, you can try BIOS settings like Spread Spectrum or anything related to the frequency of the board's VRMs. Your board's BIOS may not have any options like that.

Otherwise you can try reconnecting the power cables to the board, try a different PSU, or even RMA that board.

[Synic]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

Thank you for the response. I appreciate it.

This new build, barely a week old, is using the PSU from my old build. I have buying a new PSU on my list of things to do for continuing on with this build but it wasn't even close to the top of that list. I'd hoped this Corsair would serve me well until I got everything else set up.

I'll look into those BIOS settings you mentioned and hopefully find a resolution. If not, I'll pull the trigger on a new PSU early and hope that fixes it.

Thanks again for the ideas. If anyone else has any thoughts or experiences with this whining please feel free to toss them out.

[profJim]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

A web search using: corsair cx750m coil whine will provide additional information.

I guess that I'm lucky, after 40+ years of riding motorcycles I can't hear the coil whine in the video.

[Synic]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

I was quick to think it was the MB because I haven't had any issues with the PSU since the day I bought it. I cranked up the clock speed, grabbed my stethoscope and the Corsair's the culprit. Problem solved.

My thanks goes out to profJim and parsec for the help. Appreciated.

[profJim]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

You're welcome, glad to hear that you found the problem.

I've seen several cases in the forum where Corsair's power supply RMA service was truly outstanding.
I recommend that you contact them and ask them if they will replace your psu with an upgraded model that doesn't have coil whine.
They might even agree to cross-shipping a new power supply to you.

Keep in mind that at this time of year Newegg frequently has daily specials that include high end 650 - 750 watt power supplies in the $90 - $100+ price range and with free shipping. I highly recommend Seasonic and Super Flower power supplies. Seasonic and Super Flower also make some power supply modes for other psu vendors. Some Rosewell and NZXT psu models are made by Super Flower.

The best psu review sites will tell you who the psu O.E.M or O.D.M. is in their reviews.
RealHardTechX PSU Review Database has an excellent psu database.

Let us know how everything turns out.

[parsec]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

A web search using: corsair cx750m coil whine will provide additional information.

I guess that I'm lucky, after 40+ years of riding motorcycles I can't hear the coil whine in the video.

Well, assuming the audio in the video (microphone, etc) is capable of capturing a high frequency whine which is usually above 15KHz, and at a level that will make it easily audible, is half the battle.

Then the playback system must be capable of reproducing a 15KHz+ tone, which despite the specs of the speakers, etc, is not a given. Of course, battle weary ears are the final factor...

I was quick to think it was the MB because I haven't had any issues with the PSU since the day I bought it. I cranked up the clock speed, grabbed my stethoscope and the Corsair's the culprit. Problem solved.

My thanks goes out to profJim and parsec for the help. Appreciated.

I did say that finding the source of the whine is not simple or obvious, the stethoscope was a good idea.

Coil whine in PSUs is a common and frustrating problem, I can hear it from one or more of my Seasonic PSUs when my ears are close to the PC case, within two feet or so. Fortunately it is very low in level, at least to my older ears.

I agree Corsair's RMA process is very liberal and great, don't hesitate to use it. The only downside is they'll just send a new unit without testing it. Even it they did test it, they would need to match your PC exactly for a perfect test, which is really impossible given the normal component variations of the parts on the board, etc. Hopefully a different one from later production will be whine free.

[profJim]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

The Corsair CX750M web page says that the Corsair CX750M psu has a three year warranty.

It's easy for me to help spend other people's money but Synic could sell the brand new replacement psu and apply the proceeds toward an 80Plus Gold or Platinum rated power supply (with full modular cables) that is on sale where the net cost would be minimal.
Newegg's current selling price for the CX750M is $79.99 after the current $10 mail in rebate card is received.

One additional possible source of coil wine is the graphics card, but fortunately this seems to be rare.

[boondocks]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

Never heard any coil whine from the many psu's I've had over the years. But then my ears have been ringing since 1971 in the Army.

[parsec]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

Synic, forgot to mention something you can try to reduce the whining with your current PSU. This may not apply to you given how you like to use your PC and if you are into over clocking, but anyway...

Try different BIOS settings of any power saving options. This can work both ways, if your C State options are disabled, enable them or vice versa. Any ErP/Eup settings can be enabled or disabled. This is something that SeaSonic recommends for coil whine problems.

I had an Intel (made by Intel) socket 775 board that would start whining (or it was the PSU) as soon as C States were enabled. Those were simpler times, probably only had C3 at most, but I could turn the whining on and off like a switch with the C State BIOS setting.

Of course if a setting works but is not how you like to run your PC, then a replacement PSU is the only option.

Prof Jim, I just checked the Egg's price for our SeaSonic PSUs, over $150 with shipping! Yes the identical model. Man did we get a deal...

[profJim]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

Prof Jim, I just checked the Egg's price for our SeaSonic PSUs, over $150 with shipping! Yes the identical model. Man did we get a deal...

In another thread the OP needed a new psu ASAP when his older Corsair psu died. The best deal that he found at the time was a top tier Rosewill psu that was made by Super Flower. He ordered the psu from Amazon and naturally his Newegg Daily Deal email the next day offered Seasonic's best 750 watt psu for about $100 which was only $10 more than the Rosewill model. At that time the only drawback with the Rosewill model was that it had one non-modular power cable. Performance wise the Rosewill psu model (made by Super Flower) was equal in quality to our Seasonic Platinum power supplies.

To get these daily deals all anyone has to do is to sign up for Newegg's daily deal email offers.

Yes the price for top tier 650 - 750 watt power supplies seems to vary from about $125 up to $170 but with a sale price and mail in rebate the net cost is in the $90 - $110 range from time to time. Snuz and you lose!

[Synic]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

UPDATE....

Well, I bought an EVGA 1000-G1 from the 'Zon that I'd been eyeing for months as a future upgrade. I ripped out the Corsair, jammed the EVGA in (literally! The cable storage space in my S340 shrank by 3/4) and that solved the whining. The EVGA is a Super Flower OEM so it should last for years but I kept the Corsair as backup in case something tragic happens.

When the inside of my case doesn't look like an octopus fighting a bowl of spaghetti I'll circle back around a post some pics.

Thank you profJim and parsec for the help. It's very appreciated! You guys rock.

[profJim]

Re: Whine when OCing UD3H-Black

You're welcome, glad to hear that your new psu doesn't have any coil whine.

Don't forget to update your PC Specs with your new power supply information.