are you computer savvy enough to help?
Ok, so i was pretty stoked to get this graphics card for $40 shipped overnight http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047ZGIUK (i used an amazon credit to pay for most of it). i installed it, and everything works fine. I had been playing Eve Online with all settings set as low as they will go, but last night i maxed the settings out and was completely blown away by the results. i do have one problem though. i can hear the card through my headphones. doesn't matter whether i use my cheap phones with just the 1/8 audio jack, or my good headphones with the 1/8 audio and usb, i can still hear a whirring sound. when there is alot of action it is drowned out, but when its slow its pretty irritating. i cant be sure but i'm pretty sure its somehow picking up the fan. i only hear the noise once the gpu starts spinning its fan. i looked to make sure there was no weird contact inside my case and nothing was obvious. has anyone had this happen before? cont...
by
ndcouch
asked 7 months ago
cont... anyone know how to fix it or have any idea what it is? the card itself runs very quite when not wearing headphones. the fan makes almost zero audible noise if i get up close to the case and listen. I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions anyone might have.
@ndcouch: take a gander at this thread:
Here's a shotgun spray possible help.
Are you using the mobo's on board audio or do you have a PCI audio card? If you are using a card, which would sit very close to the GPU, try pulling it and using the onboard audio.
Do you have any speakers you could test it with? Are you saying that if you turn up the volume the whirring gets louder too?
If the cable of the headphones is touching the case it could be transmitting the vibrations unless the cord is shielded or has a braided cord covering.
Carl, thanks for the link, i'll read that as soon as i reply to apocello
@apocello42: i'm using the mobo's onboard audio. i opened up the case and tried to see if anything was making contact and couldn't see anything. no cables or anything are touching anything else and its all tie strapped down pretty tight. I have my computer speakers hooked up to my tv (poor mans home entertainment system) so i could unhook them and test. as for the noise, it is a constant volume, no matter how low or high i crank the headphones. last night i did find something out though. i can adjust bass, chat volume, and game volume from my headphone controller. so if i turn down the game volume on the headset, then crank up the pc volume from my keyboard, the noise almost goes away completely. the only problem is then the game volume isn't as loud as i'd like.
that link sounds like what i'm experiencing. its weird the processor fan (which is right next to the gpu) or hte exhaust fan don't cause this issue.
I would imagine that it's the power making the feedback sound more than the fan.
@ndcouch: Check the games audio settings, you might be able to get more volume in the game there. As the for the speakers i was just wondering if you got the noise through those as well.
A cheap sound card off of newegg.com or amazon could solve your problem. You can probably find one with at least 5.1 surround, not sure if you need it for the tv speakers, for $10-$15 shipped. Newegg has a pretty good return policy on most things if it doesn't work.
@bogie21: at first i just assumed it was interference through the USB. from what i can tell, most usb powered headsets get a tiny amount of interference no matter what the setup. i have always noticed a small amount of static noise with my usb headset, but this is way more annoying. i thought it might go away when i used my analog headset, but it didn't. the reason i think its the fan, is because you only hear it when the fan is turning. so its either the fan, or the possibly the extra power needed to spin the fan is causing interference? i dunno.
@apocello42: good suggestion about the audio settings. i didn't even check them after tweaking the video. i love newegg, but i typically use them for researching what i want, then i buy form amazon cause i am a prime member, so i usually get free 2 day shipping, plus i love dealing with amazon customer service. i was actually wondering if a set of wireless headphones might work.
@ndcouch: It's possible by eliminating the cord you could solve the problem but if it was a cord issue then it would probably have picked up your CPU or case fans long before adding the new GPU, and it is more expensive than the sound card. If the problem is tied to the on-board audio chip-set then you would still have the problem. If you were planning on getting wireless headphones anyways than go for it but wireless communication is susceptible to interference from other sources as well as the current problem.
In a completely new direction, is your power supply rated just higher than the requirements for your system with the new GPU? If the PSU is straining to meet demand under high CPU and GPU loads (i.e. when you're gaming with the graphics up) it could be causing some sort of interference.
Haven't used a Radeon card recently but if you can, try messing with settings and turning the fan speed down, or up, for high loads. Then see if the sound changes or goes away.
@ndcouch You may hear the feedback only when the fan is spinning due to the increased draw of power. That sort of sounds like where @apocello42 is going with that question of power usage.
i really appreciate all the help guys. the power supply is 550 watts. i am not sure how much power i was pulling before hte card versus after. is there a way to check that from my PC? the graphics card did say that a 500 watt power supply was the minimum and a 600 would be needed if you ran 2 cards using crossfire. so my current supply is only 50 more than the minimum requirement, but i don't think i was anywhere near maxing out my power supply before the card. what happens if you overtax a power supply?
bogie, the more i read the more i think you might be right. i never could figure out how the cable or the audio jack (which is on the opposite side of the mobo as the gpu) could be picking up fan spin. but it makes sense that the increased power would cause it. if i can't figure it out with you guys, i'll be trying a dedicated audio card. the link that was posted earlier had some suggestions i can try too.
@ndcouch: If you really overrun your available power things will start to shut down and you could let out the magic smoke that makes it work. If you are just a little over performance will suffer since the power consumed by a component like the CPU or GPU is directly related to the frequency they can run at (should have reversed those but you get the point.) If you are running at, near, or above the max it will shorten the life of the unit. Not sure what your CPU is but I'm guessing you are pushing the limit. The new gen i5s run at 95W for a reference. Even if it isn't the problem you might want to step up to a more powerful PSU to get the most out of your system. This is what Black Friday is for.
@apocello42: i currently run a AMD 6 core processor (2.8ghz) and 4gb ram, a wireless card, the HD, CD drive and the new gpu. the graphics card was the systems weakpoint. now that i got a new one, i thought i was all set. its a little frustrating to find out i may need a new PSU or audio card but i'd rather do it right than pay for it later.
@ndcouch: Yeah, a partial upgrade can kind of turn into a Pandora's Box, luckily you can probably get both a decent PSU and sound card for under $75 plus you saved a pant load on the GPU. I'm working through the same thing now, my system is 3 years old and was a budget build at the time, upgrading the CPU means a new mobo and RAM. Unfortunately I think the only thing that's going to be left is the HD, wireless card, and DVD drive.
Edit: just looked at the processor and your looking at either 95W or 125W depending on the exact model. I would probably look into a new PSU
@apocello42: i dont have a problem buying the new power supply, i just hate the idea of having to go cut a million tie straps and unplug everything and then do it all again. i spent forever cleaning up the inside. oh well, gotta do what you gotta do. i think i'll hold off on a auido card. i feel really really stupid that i didn't go tweak my in game audio settings first thing. after you brought it up yesterday i was able to crank everything up, while keeping the headphone volume itself low enough to not hear the whirring noise. it still bothers me that its there, but i cant hear it and the game is loud enough, so i'll ignore it for now. thanks to anyone who gave feedback or advice, it was much appreciated.
It may be a power supply like others have said. You might also have a wiring problem.
Make sure you are using a three prong plug and test the ground, this could cause some interference.
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