Tier A PSU coil whine after 5 months

[DV2FOX]

Years ago i had this:

ASUS TUF GAMING X570 PLUS
3800x
GIGABYTE RTX 2070 Super White Gaming OC
CORSAIR AX860 PSU (Fully modular)

It was all great till the GPU coil whined but i thought "Time for a partial upgrade".PSU had NO issues...Big mistake

Everything in the list above and more was kept except the 3800x to a 5800X3D, a CORSAIR RM1200x SHIFT and a GIGABYTE RTX 4070 Super among the CPU fan cooler to a bigger one (Noctua NH-D15 CB).

First 5 months all great. No CW on anything

2 weeks ago the PSU decides to "say hello" and cause CW. More noticeable if i put a game like MARVEL's GOTG or DOOM ETERNAL on the main menu or a random level with no enemies around. Even moving the mouse around caused a variation of the noise

So i thought "Maybe i could try a smaller PSU from the same brand n model as many people do!". 850W bought 2 days ago. Popped it in and no CW until 3 hours passes and tadaaaa, another CW in record time!...Returned the PSU immediatly yesterday and refunded (They tested it in my face, all smiling..."Maybe it's something else from your PC that won't turn on!". Had to lie or else CW reason would be DENIED)

I tried an "OCCT" with the POWER option so far and before starting it the CW was there. Started the test and the noise didn't went up but the entire PC became an oven in my Be Quiet! DARK BASE PRO 901,so i turned the fans to the MAX just in case. 1H th test ended and 2 minutes after the noise was gone.. Until this afternoon today it came back here and there

The noise is ear and brain hurting as i am very sensitive. I can't use a headset for reasons. The high pitched noise or whatever it makes is driving me crazy

I want to know what can it be done. I can't return the 1200W unit because "Coil whine is normal, don't worry" MY REAR!...I had to lie with the 850W one above FOR ONCE to prevent the same answer and get the refund

This PSU was suggested to me months ago along a Be Quiet! STRAIGHT POWER 11 one but then the BQ ones, old and new, are said to either have CW or even worse: Rattling fan.. And nothing has been said if they fixed the issue just yet!

And then the same CORSAIR PSU is in that Tier A list from that PSU tier guide

Below you can see vids of both game and IDLE (Yes, IDLE is the worst thing here) causing the noise. Forgive my awful voice:

Game:

IDLE:

 

[#22]

Bad to hear - I have the same PSU (RM1200X Shift) and totally no coil whine from it, so it's usual lottery. If you can't return it, the only thing left is to RMA. Once guy from Corsair's customer service told me that they accept RMAs in the matter of coilwhine, but I don't know how reliable would be his words. I think it would be great if you tried and verify them :]

If you are sensitive to coil whine, quality of computer noise generally, change the case for one better dealing with it. Honestly 901 is nothing special in general and can't do much with noise with having glass side and unnecesary open "silence-focused" front panel. I can recommend Define 7 I keep my own rig in. Better than 901 at whatever and doing well with coil whine - for sure, because I have seriously whiny GPU. Luckily case dampens it's coil whine to the point I just can't hear it without sticking my ear to the case, but just remove top panel and it gets easily the loudest noise from my system. That's how it should be.

 

[DV2FOX]

I had a change with the tower, too, from a Thermaltake CORE V71 to the 901 5 months ago...I can't go play with towers, TOO...

However i'd need to have a backup PSU in the meanwhile if i do that, as the AX860 was sold to someone else. It must be 850-1000W (Doubt i'd need more than 1000W anymore) and PCIE 5.0 and ATX 3.0 for the PSU. Don't think the whole SHIFT function matters anymore

 

[#22]

I had a change with the tower, too, from a Thermaltake CORE V71 to the 901 5 months ago...I can't go play with towers, TOO...

So now you just know that you can do better in this regard

However i'd need to have a backup PSU in the meanwhile if i do that, as the AX860 was sold to someone else. It must be 850-1000W (Doubt i'd need more than 1000W anymore) and PCIE 5.0 and ATX 3.0 for the PSU. Don't think the whole SHIFT function matters anymore

It's not ellegant, but can't you buy some PSU for the time Corsair proceeding your RMA? You know, buy and use return window when brick is not needed anymore. I don't know you country, but in Poland law forces stores to give at least 14-day return window for goods bought online and many stores allow even stationary or have these windows longer. I even not long ago returned two Dark Powers 13 due to their damn rattling fans.

Shift, meaning side connectors, to me is gimmick. Especially if you start with already installed 16-pin and some SATA - it's not likely that typical user would need to plug anything more. On the other hand I have to admit that I found it handy during annual pc cleaning when man should take the PSU out of the case to blow out the dust. It's just more convenient with side mounted connectors, but far from being selling point.

 

[Bill_Bright]

PSU had NO issues...Big mistake

First 5 months all great.

If you got 5 months of service with "all great", you could hardly call your "partial upgrade" decision a "big mistake". It is likely you would have experienced these problems in 5 months anyway.

Coil whine, at least "audible" coil whine is NOT normal! Sadly, it is too common, but it is NOT normal.

I want to know what can it be done.

You need to first, verify the source of the "high pitched noise or whatever it makes". Coil whine can come for inductor coils inside the PSU, on the graphics card or on the motherboard. And the noise can bounce around making it difficult to pinpoint the source. But there are other sources of high-pitched sounds that can be just has offensive. These can be from fan or hard drive motors too. Even "singing" capacitors can sound like coil whine.

Get the inner tube from a roll of paper towels and use it as a stethoscope. You should be able to isolate the noise to the motherboard, card, or PSU. You might also CAREFULLY unmount the PSU from the computer case and VERY CAREFULLY hang/dangle the PSU outside the case. This will definitely change the source of the sound "IF" it is coming from inside the PSU.

You can momentarily (for 1 or 2 seconds) place your finger on the center hub of each fan. This will temporarily change the rotation speed of that fan. If that fan is making the noise, the pitch of the noise will change in unison with the rotation speed. For hard to reach fans (like inside a PSU) I use a wooden glue/popsicle stick.

Hard drives can be isolated by CAREFULLY hanging them outside their mounting cage, or (if not the boot drive) unplugging the power cable.

If you verify the coil whine is coming from inside the PSU, and if the PSU is still under warranty, you are going to have to insist they replace it, reminding them that "audible" coil whine is NOT normal.

By "audible", I mean if you can hear it over the ambient noise of your house, and over the "normal" noise created by fans blowing/pulling air through vents and heatsinks, that is abnormal and IMO, totally unacceptable.

 

[Ferrum Master]

You sure grounding is okay at your place? No funny stuff that is actually cut in some place and you are feeding noise from any SMPS device around your house? Considering the noise is also in stand by while powered off, basically with 5Vsb.... RMA it.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Grounding is a possible cause too - though grounding "noise" issues typically manifests as a 50 or 60Hz hum or "buzz" sound. Still, it would be worth checking to make sure all cables are securely fastened and checking the wall outlet for proper wiring too.

Every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure the wall outlet is properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK, or this one for German outlets) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.