How to quickly & easily fix coil-whine(coil choke noise)

[lexluthermiester]

I am concerned about temperature.

The Most Common Questions and Answers about Cyanoacrylate Adhesives (gluegun.com)

suggests 200F (93C), whereas some coils can run above boiling point. The red insulating varnish is good to 155C

No choke coil running in a consumer electronic device will ever reach 80C, let alone exceed it. They are not a heat-generating part. Full stop, end of story. Furthermore, this process applies superglue to the coil housing in the gap between it and the PCB. Any glue that directly contacts the coil is not a part of the sealing action of the procedure.

Simply put, there are no concerns about heat where the superglue is concerned, even in a power supply.

 

[Veseleil]

It's been some time since I've take a look at this thread, but I can confirm that the GPUs are terrified with:

unigine heavens exit screen or skyrims load screens

It's like their whole lives are passing on a few seconds film, "I'm done, the death is knocking on my door".

 

[Shrek]

Simply put, there are no concerns about heat where the superglue is concerned, even in a power supply.

A power supply transformer can run hotter than 100C, but unfortunately the Jonny Guru site is no longer around.

Not here to make trouble, and I am fine with your showing me I am mistaken.

 

[lexluthermiester]

A power supply transformer can run hotter than 100C

But that is not a choke coil soldered to a GPU or motherboard. PSU transformers are well cooled by the PSU fan and PSU choke coils are not mounted near the transformer. This procedure applies only to parts in PC componants and general consumer electronics. Transformers are not a part of this discussion.

Not here to make trouble, and I am fine with your showing me I am mistaken.

No worries, this is not about ego, it's about solving a problem that continues to cause PC users unpleasantness while being ignored by moronic manufacturer executives. Your suggestion was thoughtful and grounded in logic. However, it's been tested and doesn't work as well as superglue. Nothing personal intended.

 

[Mussels]

I am concerned about temperature.

The Most Common Questions and Answers about Cyanoacrylate Adhesives (gluegun.com)

suggests 200F (93C), whereas some coils can run above boiling point. The red insulating varnish is good to 155C

all the posts above yours are a reminder that chokes are low heat, if any

They're not VRAM or VRMs

 

[athenaesword]

haha Lex so far looks like only you have had luck with the 4090s and this fix. My glue just arrived in the mail today. Kinda nervous about that

 

[lexluthermiester]

haha Lex so far looks like only you have had luck with the 4090s and this fix.

Not really.

Kinda nervous about that

Then don't do it. If you don't feel good about doing it then just live with the noise.

 

[athenaesword]

Not really.

Then don't do it. If you don't feel good about doing it then just live with the noise.

that’s just an observation from this thread as Ive been following everyone’s experience. I think a lot of us are attempting this for the first time and perhaps doing something differently idk. Well I’m sure I’ll do it anyway since that gpu is the only thing that’s not 100% silent in my system. I have a mora3 and 2 360 rads so water temps only rise 5 degrees on full load and low fans. The gpu in comparison is like a screaming engine. Just prepping mentally as it’s the one thing I’ve never tried across multiple builds.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I think a lot of us are attempting this for the first time and perhaps doing something differently idk.

It can be scary, especially with such an expensive item. The key point to remember is that you are applying only a small amount of glue to a gap between a part on the board and the board itself. You have to use enough of the glue to completely fill the gap but not so much that it runs all over the board. Yet even if that happens, superglue is chemically inert and electrically insulative, so you're not going to hurt anything. Excess superglue is easily cleaned up with cotton-swabs and acetone.

Well I’m sure I’ll do it anyway since that gpu is the only thing that’s not 100% silent in my system.

Just take things slow and careful. There's no rush.

Just prepping mentally as it’s the one thing I’ve never tried across multiple builds.

It's all good. Don't stress about it. It's just superglue, you're not going to hurt anything, even if you're a bit careless. You don't seem like the careless type. You'll be fine.

 

[athenaesword]

It can be scary, especially with such an expensive item. The key point to remember is that you are applying only a small amount of glue to a gap between a part on the board and the board itself. You have to use enough of the glue to completely fill the gap but not so much that it runs all over the board. Yet even if that happens, superglue is chemically inert and electrically insulative, so you're not going to hurt anything. Excess superglue is easily cleaned up with cotton-swabs and acetone.


Just take things slow and careful. There's no rush.


It's all good. Don't stress about it. It's just superglue, you're not going to hurt anything, even if you're a bit careless. You don't seem like the careless type. You'll be fine.

thanks for the encouragement! it's greatly appreciated. and so is this whole thread. will definitely be careful about all of it especially since my 4090 is under a block and it's much more annoying to take it out and put it back in (requires drain and refill, even with my QDCs since i'm taking apart the block...).
and i agree with your previous post about manufacturer prioritization around noise. it's weird because obviously they care enough to overbuild these coolers such that there isn't a single 4090 out there with heat issues, and hence super low fan noise vs previous generations of high powered cards. if anything there're many accounts of vram being too cold having errors when ramping up. but we have coil whine that's louder than any fan.

 

[Mussels]

it's because they're using pre-assembled parts, they might get 10,000 of these arrive in one giant batch and have 50 random samples through them, they dont hand test each part before assembling the final product

Then they'll do a test of the final product, but they dont test for coil whine - especially since the type of load (and power supply) can change or remove it

 

[athenaesword]

it's because they're using pre-assembled parts, they might get 10,000 of these arrive in one giant batch and have 50 random samples through them, they dont hand test each part before assembling the final product

Then they'll do a test of the final product, but they dont test for coil whine - especially since the type of load (and power supply) can change or remove it

That makes sense. I do think that there’s increasing customer feedback on it though, especially since GPUs have gotten more powerful at quieter fan speeds now. Coil whine becomes more obvious in quiet builds and a more obvious problem for even middle tier builds. Hopefully this changes the design priorities in the future. I would legit pay a hefty premium for a card with quiet coils. Just take my money and make it shut up! Binning for performance like the KS products is a real thing so why not binning for noise!

 

[Mussels]

That makes sense. I do think that there’s increasing customer feedback on it though, especially since GPUs have gotten more powerful at quieter fan speeds now. Coil whine becomes more obvious in quiet builds and a more obvious problem for even middle tier builds. Hopefully this changes the design priorities in the future. I would legit pay a hefty premium for a card with quiet coils. Just take my money and make it shut up! Binning for performance like the KS products is a real thing so why not binning for noise!

Same - I've found reference cards have a lot less issues than custom ones (especially overclocked custom ones) - I've found that they'll add 25Mhz but also cut every possible corner on the GPU to save money despite charging more

I think it's mostly because you can get a GPU with whine and slap it in 5 different PC's and it'll behave differently in all of them - a 4090 wont whine unless its got a CPU (And workload) capable of pushing hundreds of FPS, so their test systems might spread the load more evenly and not catch it

 

[athenaesword]

Same - I've found reference cards have a lot less issues than custom ones (especially overclocked custom ones) - I've found that they'll add 25Mhz but also cut every possible corner on the GPU to save money despite charging more

I think it's mostly because you can get a GPU with whine and slap it in 5 different PC's and it'll behave differently in all of them - a 4090 wont whine unless its got a CPU (And workload) capable of pushing hundreds of FPS, so their test systems might spread the load more evenly and not catch it

All great points regarding test rigs. Regarding power though these 4090s are pretty much exactly the same. AIB cost is literally there as a branding factor and to justify staying in the business at all. These founder cards seem to be pretty quiet… except you simply can’t obtain them in many places. A sad state of things for the way consumerism works these days. Part of me thinks nvidia factors in the premiums on release for aib cards due to literal shortage, into how much they’re squeezing vendor margins these days.

 

[lexluthermiester]

it's because they're using pre-assembled parts, they might get 10,000 of these arrive in one giant batch and have 50 random samples through them, they dont hand test each part before assembling the final product

Then they'll do a test of the final product, but they dont test for coil whine - especially since the type of load (and power supply) can change or remove it

This is exactly right.

 

[SRV123]

that’s just an observation from this thread as Ive been following everyone’s experience. I think a lot of us are attempting this for the first time and perhaps doing something differently idk. Well I’m sure I’ll do it anyway since that gpu is the only thing that’s not 100% silent in my system. I have a mora3 and 2 360 rads so water temps only rise 5 degrees on full load and low fans. The gpu in comparison is like a screaming engine. Just prepping mentally as it’s the one thing I’ve never tried across multiple builds.

Please update us on how this works out for you!

Also, @lexluthermiester I think this thread is absolutely fascinating and I'm hoping it'll become the fix we need for coil whine. Kind of insane how people just live with it and didn't really try to find any solutions for it.

 

[athenaesword]

Please update us on how this works out for you!

Also, @lexluthermiester I think this thread is absolutely fascinating and I'm hoping it'll become the fix we need for coil whine. Kind of insane how people just live with it and didn't really try to find any solutions for it.

I got a 13900ks on the way decided to do it all at once when it’s here

 

[ad1]

No worries. Below is the same photo, but highlighted.
View attachment 282802
The ones in Red are the most likely culprits. The HCIs in Yellow might also be the culprits. Again, I recommend doing them all in one go.

Hi, late reply, thanks very much for helping me identify the possible culprits. I haven't gotten around to trying it yet, I was waiting for MSI to respond about possible RMA. They just wrote to me that this noise is considered normal as it doesn't affect the performance of the card, so RMA is out of the question.

I'm a bit nervous about voiding the warranty on a crazy expensive GPU, so I will probably wait and see how it sounds after I put a water block on it in a few weeks. If it gets even worse, which I suspect it might, I will probably do something about it.

I have a glimmer of hope that the whine is amplified by the stock cooler, since it does have a bit of a rattle in the fins. The fans produce a very similar sound at 30% and 60% speed and knocking on the card produces a buzzing rattle in the cooler.

I only wish there was a less invasive way of trying to fix this, like high-temp hot glue or silicone which you can take off with alcohol. Or maybe something more passive like high density foam in the gaps around the edges between the waterblock and pcb, and on the backplate.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

voiding the warranty on a crazy expensive GPU

If removing the HSF doesn't void the warranty (this depends on your location) then adding a little superglue will not. US and EU consumers are protected by "right to repair" legislation.

 

[ad1]

If removing the HSF doesn't void the warranty (this depends on your location) then adding a little superglue will not. US and EU consumers are protected by "right to repair" legislation.

I'm more worried about if something goes wrong with these glued components and they need to be changed, but they're stuck to the board and the board can't be serviced. removing the cooler is one thing, modifying the board is another. They will always try to find a reason to reject warranty repair.

I'll probably end up doing it, but I'd like to see more success stories on 4090 cards first.

As for warranty being void in my region, I'm based in Switzerland and we have the same rights from this point of view as Germany. A wording in an email from MSI seems to indicate that changing cooler, paste, pads is ok, as long as the new cooler has as good or better performance than the original, and the card is returned to its original state before RMA.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

I'm more worried about if something goes wrong with these glued components and they need to be changed, but they're stuck to the board and the board can't be serviced.

Ah. Acetone should fix that - it dissolves super glue.

 

[ArdWar]

Ah. Acetone should fix that - it dissolves super glue.

Check first if acetone will dissolve or weaken the inductor molding itself before applying (It's more of a problem with the adjacent inductor since they're rarely alone). It's rare but not unheard of.

 

[ad1]

I don't think acetone is practical. Sure, it probably works if you want to remove a specific choke that you've glued down, but the idea is to be able to send in the card in an unmodified state, not to buy a professional solder station and start removing components myself Plus, I'm sure there would be marks left behind, or perhaps damage to the board or nearby components. That's why I was looking for solutions which are more temporary.

Scouring the internet, I wasn't able to come up with any real alternative, so I'll probably go down the superglue route if enough people confirm that it works for 4090 whine.

 

[athenaesword]

I don't think acetone is practical. Sure, it probably works if you want to remove a specific choke that you've glued down, but the idea is to be able to send in the card in an unmodified state, not to buy a professional solder station and start removing components myself Plus, I'm sure there would be marks left behind, or perhaps damage to the board or nearby components. That's why I was looking for solutions which are more temporary.

Scouring the internet, I wasn't able to come up with any real alternative, so I'll probably go down the superglue route if enough people confirm that it works for 4090 whine.

I think it’s pretty mixed. Lex obviously has the best track record with his cards but most have reported no change in noise with 4090. I think at the end of the day it’s just about having peace of mind that u tried everything you could. I’m going to do it once I rebuild with my 13900ks and direct die kit from ek which has been delayed for shipping. I was waiting for more reviews but i realized I’d never be satisfied till I try myself. Statistically, it’s not been a very high success rate with 4090 but it’s a manual process and the sample size is not large. I think RMA is overrated personally. If u have a 4090 right now you’re probably in the camp to buy the 5090 that will almost certainly come in 2024/2025. Very few failures of 4090s outside of the connector burnout issue, so you’re worrying about a process you’ll be very unlikely to have to go through

 

[Shrek]

I would be concerned about invalidating the warrantee