Buzzing sound coming from (what I believe) graphics card

[sw337]

Hi everyone,

Let me start by explaining the problem that's occuring here,
everytime a graphical processing application (a heavy one like games, ...) starts running, it starts making this annoying buzzing, humming sounds that won't stop until you stop the app.
Now i'm pretty sure it's the gfx card causing this noise 'cause when
I start my driver and test the 3D settings, the noise occurs till I stop the 3D settings.

Now this might be the cause of some interference between my mobo (with onboard soundcard) / psu / wireless card, but to be honest i have no frickin' clue of what really could be the problem.
Another weird thing is that if I wear headphones, i can actually hear the noise through my headphones and it coming out of my pc at the same time. Even when using a VoIP program, other people can hear this noise (and even louder than myself I believe) through their speakers, only when my mic is activated though.

This problem has been occuring for about almost a year now, but i never really tried anything because it didnt bother me that much (as my music is always on), but it can't go on like that forever right?

system specs:
ati 4890
AMD X4 955 3.2 ghz
Asus M4A79T Deluxe
PSU: OCZ ModXstream pro 700W

now i dont think the rest of the specs really matter ...

I hope anyone can help, it would be really appreciated.

 

[mailpup]

It might also be the power supply. I suggest substituting a known good graphics card and then power supply to find the source of the problem.

 

[dividebyzero]

Sounds like "coil whine" . Fairly common with both ATI and nvidia cards. Generally nothing to get excited about if it is the card. If the whine is coming from the PSU then that's another matter entirely.
Some cards will whine, and some do not. It usually comes down to luck of the draw. [H]OCP (amongst others) have devoted threads to different cards that exhibit the annoying habit (most prevalent amongst GTX 260 192SP and GTX 280 cards).

 

[sw337]

Yeah, it's deffo coil whine comin from my PSU I looked around for solutions but nothing specific came up. Guess I'll just have to live with it or buy me a new one...

 

[sw337]

*sorry for DP

The strangest thing about this problem here is imo the fact that other people can hear this coil whine when using VoIP software, no solution or explanation for that either? (or the fact that I can hear it throught my headphones)

thanks for all your replies btw

 

[raybay]

Electrostatic interferrence, perhaps.
You can often use electronic shielding to prevent the hum... if you live near an electronics shop... you can sometimes find lead foil that is backed on both side with non-conducting paper-like material... it blocks the radiating offensive signals sometimes. Try a TV-Radio Repair shop or a top quality electronics catalog.
We use this shielding often in broadcast studios
Also, if it is possible, change the audio speaker or other sound devices to a different brand or model.
Make friends with a broadcast engineer or an experienced audio engineer.

 

[SilverCider]

Hi guys, I had the same problem hearing a buzzing noise through the speakers that varied with fps. I also heard the same physical squealing from folding through my speakers. It turns out I had a monitoring option turned on for a mic on the front panel. I didn't have a mic plugged in, but the cable from my audio card runs past my graphics card to reach the front panel.
So make sure you check all of your "Recording Devices" under the sound in control panel. Check the properties of any devices that are enabled (especially default devices) and look under the "Listen" and "Custom" tabs for any options that enable 'listening' or 'monitoring of this device'.

Hope this helps!

 

[fittedcap]

just registered to say thank you to the above poster. went into control panel / hardware and sound, clicked the "recording" tab, clicked properties and under "custom" i unchecked the microphone boost, that got rid of the buzz!! thank you again!

 

[SilverCider]

Happy to help