What is Coil Whine – How to Fix It by Yourself?

The modern PC device or computer system is quite powerful and capable of doing a lot of things. You can find today’s model capable of performing several tasks. There are also gaming PCs.

They also have some ergonomic features that enable you to continuously type or work on them. This is extremely helpful for programmers and gamers. Some of them do not give out any noise.

These devices are the Dell XPS or the Apple MacBook Air. But like any device, you can expect some problems or issues to happen now & then. They can leave you unnerved and frustrated. Unfortunately, it comes with a barrage of technical issues and snags.

While some of them can be rectified by yourself, some need to be taken for repairs. That is why we are going to be discussing about a technical issue that can be solved by yourself. However, it would help if you remained patient and calm.

Like we always advise our readers, don’t panic. The coil whine is a common occurrence on most computer systems. You can hear your PC or device screech as if something weird is happening inside of it.

That is known as a coil whine. You do not want to confuse it with the sound of your drive or fan. When your PC is pressurized to perform more, the CPU gives out some noise. That is quite normal and not the coil whine.

The coil whine can be audible and most likely very annoying. Users can listen to the sound quite clearly. The sound is relatively high-pitched, leaving your pet animals also go crazy. It is that bad, which is why you need to do something about it and reduce the noise levels.

In the post, we will understand what coil whine is, it is harmful, how to fix it, and what are other steps you can think of. Besides, we will try and analyze where the other devices are, where coil whine occurs and how it can be addressed.

What is coil whine?

The coil whine like we read above is an annoying, high-pitched sound that occurs on your PC. This arises when the components in your CPU begin to vibrate due to the power that is present inside it.

The condition, coil whine, happens typically in the regulators that you use for the refrigerator. It can also happen in an air conditioning regulator. A magnetic field happens when electrical energy flows through it.

The clock inside it tends to switch the component’s frequency, which causes it to be able to get the actual voltage. It is due to the magnetic field that builds inside the CPU. This then causes the wires inside to rub against each other, causing the irritating sound you hear.

Having said that, it can occur on most devices. You can hear the whining in most of the devices on the market. The sounds that are produced are not that loud, though. Some of the frequencies are not captured by us.

Why does the coil whine at the PC?

Till now, we have said that the coil whining happens inside the CPU of the PC. As you know, the PC comes with the central processing unit that is the hub of your PC. Inside the PC, all the activities take place.

If you have very limited knowledge about the PC, it becomes very hard to know exactly where the sound is coming from. But we have found that the coil sounds come primarily in the GPUs. They are also known as the converter coils that seem to cause the problem in the voltage.

When there is an issue in the voltage or power flow, then they cause the wires rub against each other, causing an annoying sound. Hence, experts tend to check for the sound in the GPU first and then on other components.

Some users felt that the sound comes from the graphics card fan, which is understandable. However, that is not the case, as the sound does not come from there. If the graphics card coils are not responsible for the sound, you may want to check the power supply.

However, you will want to know that in some cases, the CPU cooler or the motherboard has been the root cause of it.

Is the coil whine dangerous?

The coil whine can be pretty annoying to hear on a regular basis frequently. That is why you would do something about it quickly. Some users think that the noise suggests that some kind of damage may have been done to the computer system or your PC.

However, that is not the case. This is for those of you who are not bothered by the sound. Maybe the sound levels are quite low for now, and you are not affected by it. If that is the case, then you can relax.

But you never know when you may need to fix the coil whine, so it is worth it if you give at least a glance at the post. You never know what you might be missing out on. The sound is mainly caused because of the power flow in the wires and if the coils are damaged.

How can the coil whine be rectified?

As a rule of the thumb, coil whining cannot be completed rectified. Though you do perform most of the methods that we have given below, the sound will not go away entirely. But the sound levels will significantly decrease.

Let us delve into this post and find out how to fix the coil whine.

Insulating the interiors of your CPU

The best way to reduce the sounds would be to insulate the interiors of the CPU. When your PC case is well insulated, then the chances of the sound will decrease. Though the coil whine is still there, the sound is not heard as if it were before.

You can find the insulation material online. They are available for a small amount. You can remove the PC case and then wrap them inside to make the sound levels low. However, you may not want to cover the fan area.

It has to be left as it is. We would suggest you use bitumen mats as they are firmly connected to the PC case. They do not come off that quickly and can last for at least a year or even more. But the noise can come out of the air vents for the fans present there.

We would also suggest you use the air filters. The air filters can be screwed on the PC case and the fans. But you will need to adjust the fan speed according to the usage. Though it may not sound ideal for prolonged use, it can effectively use your PC device for a few hours a day.

Verify the power supply

It would help if you also verified the power supply that is present on the PC device. Some of the graphics cards come with a 6- or 8-pin connector. They are used for generating the power supply that is present on the PC.

You can use the 3 such connectors to draw the power for the PC device you want to use. But sometimes, the power line might not be sufficient for the connection cables present there.

The graphics cards make should take this into consideration before they want to make use of the Y-cable. It splits the connector into two and gives the power equally everywhere. When the power is not given everywhere, it causes the coils on your graphics card to make a sound.

That is why you would want to make use of a separate cable for each of the connectors. When you are using a graphics card that is thirsty for power, then it can cause the coil to whine. This causes the components in the PC to work close to the limit.

You may want to check the cooling technology

Sometimes when a high temperature is present on the PC device, it can cause the system to beep out loud. This is when you might consider adjusting the speed of the fans. That helps it work efficiently and provides you with what you need.

You can use a tool that can reduce the whining present in your CPU. Some tools are available in the market that can get the job done. You can follow the instructions and do likewise. Most of the tools come with their own apps that let you download them and adjust the fan speed.

You can reduce the FPS

When the FPS of the CPU is somewhat high, then you will want to know that the voltage converters present in there can lead to a decrease in the coil whine. It is possible because of the frame limiter.

You can use that to reduce the FPS on the device. Once it is done, the graphics card does not display the number of frames per second. However, you can set the number manually. Doing that ensures that the performance of the graphics card is decreased.

It also aids in the decrease of the noise in the wires. You can also turn on the VSync of your CPU. When you are using the NVIDIA graphics card, then you have an interesting choice here. The option is present on the control panel.

Now, you can right-click on the desktop and then choose the manage 3D settings. You will want to do that in the 3D settings area. Then you might want to scroll down and then click on the drop-down menu on the vertical sync.

Then you can choose this one or the fast option. It can be done according to your requirement.

Replace the graphics card or damaged components

Sometimes, when the graphics card is old, it can cause some whining in it. This is when you would want to replace the graphics card. It can reduce the coil whine to a certain extent. Besides, you may replace the damaged components to get rid of the annoying noise.

Of course, if the warranty period is not over, then you would want to pose the question to the retailer. They may oblige, but they do not necessarily have to accept your query. They can turn down the offer.

When the warranty period is over, then you may want to focus on what to do next. You can think of a way to get another component so that you can work on the PC device without noise. Working on a device with so much of noise can be extremely annoying.

Research before you get another component

Some models are known for making the coil whine. You may want to avoid getting them for yourselves—this way, you are saving yourself from unwanted time, effort, and money going wasted.

This is why you would want to see the feedback and then choose the product of your choice. That way, you are getting yourself a good product that is going to be durable. You know that it may not cause any coil whine.

Moreover, when searching for the product, look for words like coil whine and sound. If these words are there in the feedback, then you may want to look elsewhere. However, if you are getting a branded model, then there is no reason to panic.

The capacitor squeal

The capacitor squeal is another term you would want to know about when it comes to the coil whine. They both are almost the same. The only difference is that the capacitor squeal is somewhat less annoying.

But it can happen anytime, so you would want to ensure that there is no leakage of the liquid in your CPU. That is because the capacitor squeal occurs when the gas comes out. It sounds more like the cooker.

You may want to wait and see how things unfold

The main issue about the coil whine is that it can happen anytime. When you do not hear it after some days, then it is okay. However, if you keep hearing it constantly after a few days, then you may want to take some action about it.

We recommend that you wait for a few days before you decide to do things yourself. You can always take professional help when you are unsure about doing it yourself. They can get things set immediately for you.

However, you may consider waiting for some time before you proceed with things.

What should not be done?

Yes, you can find several tips, ideas, and suggestions on the internet about solving the coil whine. However, most of them do not actually help in solving the issue. You would want to know that.

The ideas can actually cause your PC device to go bad in a way. We have provided you with some basic ideas and methods that may reduce the coil whine. However, there is no guarantee that they may work particularly.

So, you may want to take additional care before you take the plunge. You will want to know that CPUs and GPUs tend to make some hissing noise when they are overworked. If you have the habit of working for several hours in a day, then you may reduce the work.

Likewise, when the components reach 100degrees, they can cause noise on your device. The GPU tends to switch itself when the working CPU crosses the working temperature. You do not have to worry about it. You will want to know that it is already pre-programmed.

We hope that the above ideas and suggestions were helpful for your cause. It is a simple issue but comes with several complications that leave you to take the best guess.

FAQs

How to stop the whining noise when you plug the Apple AirPods into an Xbox One?

Yes, you can stop the whining noise when you plug your AirPods into the Xbox One. You can do that by double tapping the Xbox button on the left panel. You must then use the menu and go down to the settings menu.

Then it would help if you chose the mic option that is on the left. Now, you should mute it. This will make the whining noise to stop. However, if it still does not stop, then you may want to know that your Xbox One has a technical issue and should be sent for repair.

How to fix the malfunctioning audio in Windows 10?

The malfunctioning audio in Windows 10 is because of a corrupt audio driver. Due to the corrupt audio driver, you will have to rectify it soon. To do that, you may want to update the system by going to the control panel.

Choose the system and device manager, and then right-click on the audio device option. Once you are there, you may want to choose the updated driver. Doing that, you can update the driver on your system efficiently.

Summing up

The new and old PCs sometimes experience what is known as a coil whine. The coil whine is an annoying sound that emanates from the device. It can be frustrating to work, browse, or even play on your system.

Some users have always felt that the device is about to explode, which is not the actual case. Sometimes, some of you know the component is loose or damaged inside your system. However, coil whine is a typical situation that can happen on a new PC.

If at all you hear this kind of noise, then you will want to check your hard drive. Please, do not panic about it and feel your device is going for a toss because it is not. Some users don’t mind the noise and get used to it.

But it can hamper your work or browsing activities. You may not be able to work in peace. Moreover, those around you might get disturbed because of the sound. Now, you can use the steps we have given you and get rid of the whining sound when it gets too much for you to handle.

It is also heartening to note that coil whine happens with consoles. There are several users who have found this happening and are extremely worried about this dilemma. How can you stop the whining on your gaming console, like a PS5?

Besides, the moment you try and open the console yourself, the warranty on them expires. Unfortunate scenario to be, really. This brings us to a situation where we can only hope and pray that the situation improves in the near future.

If you own a PS5 and it has the whining sound, then you try and send it back to them under 14 days or talk to customer support, who may consider your cause. Please don’t delay.

Conclusion

There you go. We have ended our discussion on how you can fix the coil whine on your PC device. Sadly, there are no simple answers to this cause. Sometimes, they just happen out of the blue, and you have to live with it.

Luckily, we have some measures you can use to rectify this situation and be free of the sound. However, we cannot reduce the sound entirely. You may need to take some professional help or replace your device.

Please do some research on the GPUs that are prone to make this coil whine and avoid them. When you install them on your device or if your device came with it by default, then please take the required action.

ALSO READ:

• How to Fix GPU Sag
• Do Nvidia’s LHR GPUs Perform Worse
• What Does Ti Mean in A GPU
• How to Know if Your GPU is Too Hot
• How to Buy the Best External GPU (eGPU) Enclosures