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    M17x "tick tick tick tick tick tick whistle"

    Discussion in 'Alienware' started by Omroth, Mar 14, 2010.

  1. Omroth

    Omroth Notebook Guru

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    Hey guys.

    Every so often, usually while waiting for a website to load, my 5 month old m17X ticks about 8 times and then kind of whistles. This isn't coming out of the sound card - the sound is often muted when it happens. It sounds kind of disturbing actually.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks,
    Ian
     
  2. DR650SE

    DR650SE The Whiskey Barracuda

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    Are you loading graphic intense sites? Could be the GPU coils.
     
  3. Omroth

    Omroth Notebook Guru

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    Not particularly... and it doesn't happen when I'm playing MW2 at full settings...

    I suppose it does tend to happen only when the machine has just recently been turned on?
     
  4. Deathcore

    Deathcore Notebook Consultant

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    Is there a CD in your drive? If so try accessing the CD.
     
  5. Omroth

    Omroth Notebook Guru

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    The sound's not coming from the cd drive (it's more from the left hand side of the machine), and it happens regardless of there being a cd inserted.
     
  6. Deathcore

    Deathcore Notebook Consultant

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    Could be a hard drive? When it ticks does the PC Lag at all, as if its loading something ?

    EDIT - There isn't much to the left of the Laptop really besides the GFX card, So as said before that may be the culprit.
     
  7. DR650SE

    DR650SE The Whiskey Barracuda

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    Where on the left hand side? Front or back? If it's toward the back, then it probably comes from the GPU. Maybe just loading. But the back left is the Master GPU. Do you have x-fire? You may not notice it in MW2 if you are playing with sound on.
     
  8. GabeZ

    GabeZ Information Technology

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    Hi Omroth,
    The noises are most likely coming from your primary video card fan. The next time you boot your computer, listen closely to the left side as the BIOS does a fan check. I also have an issue with my primary fan and have to get it replaced.

    Thanks,
    Gabe
     
  9. nickbarbs

    nickbarbs Notebook Deity

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    laptops do make a whine noise anyway
     
  10. kcuk

    kcuk Notebook Evangelist

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    ive had 2 alienware laptops and ive never heard a whine out of either of them

    its normally me doing the whine-ing lol... maybe i cannot hear the laptop for me :)