NP8150 high-pitch buzz when using GPU?

So just got my 8150 and it has a 580M GPU and seems to run good but I have noticed one issue.

If I do ANYTHING that puts a load on the GPU I get a high-pitched electical type buzz sound.

I know its not the fans because it will start before the fans even ramp up, plus the sound does not happen during idle if I FN + 1.

I can't tell if its from the speakers or the actual laptop itself (does even with sound muted).

Some example ways I can reproduce the buzzing is by running the Windows performance test (which is what first caused me to notice) and also when running 3DMark Vantage it does it on any of the graphic tests.

Anyone with the 485M or 580M have similar issues?

Temps seem to all be good during tests also, GPU maxs at about 83c with fans on auto during default vantage tests on performance.

Kinda bummped as I really don't want to have to send it in and even got a perfect screen so in hopes maybe its something dumb I am not thinking of?

 

Is the noise coming from the actual GPU on the laptop, or elsewhere? That noise is extremely unusual from a GPU, but it can sometimes happen in older backlights (CCFL, which aren't on this laptop), or on the power supply. It's typically capacitors that make the noise more than anything.

Either way, it's not a good sign. I'd contact your reseller about it.

 

Its for sure from the laptop/base of the unit itself. Not PSU or screen or HD even.

I can't tell if its the speakers that start to buzz or what. If using the laptop its right above the F keys and I think to the left a little but hard to tell. High-pitched sounds are not easy to pinpoint other than just knowing you hear them. Its loud enough though that 4 feet back I can hear it clear.

What a shame to have to RMA something already. I was in hopes was something stupid (but in denial it was due to my exp).

Oh well, is my luck, should be use to by now

 

If it's coming from the left side, it's not the GPU. (The GPU is on the right side when looking down from the top of the machine, under the numpad). It may just be interference that your speakers are picking up and broadcasting rather than a component itself.

 

Just did another windows index test and put my ear at the laptop and its odd, its almost like its from everything across the top. Sounds just as loud on left side as right side but I can't tell for sure if its speakers or not.

Have muted them played other sounds while its doing and no changes. bahh

 

Return it man and hopefully you won't get a lemon next time. Best of luck to you!

 

That would drive me nuts too.

It could be a capacitor squeal, which might indicate it would pop early.

 

This is pretty common in GPUs. It may be that you can hear high frequencies better than most people.

 

It might be the subwoofer that's usually right above the GPU (I also have an 8150, it's that circly thing). Try taking that out

 

i heard a buzzing noise once before my card crashed, but haven't heard it since.

 

I hear this too as well, in the exact same area near the "u" key, but for you is it the same pitch no matter what game you play? Is it more of a whiny pitch? The more graphically intense game I play the "louder" it gets.. but as nllptr pointed out, we just probably hear higher frequencies, it sounds normal though...nothing for me to rma over that's for sure..

 

yeah im not worried. if it blows then ill rma, but im not going to do it now, i have a 3 year warranty.

 

I hear a loud buzz/squeal type sound.

Mine comes from around the W, E, S, D key areas and only under GPU load. Like if I run the windows performance test to score the system it is noticeable under all GPU tests. When not under load if I put my ear up to the keyboard I can hear it still even but wouldn't care if that's it.

As for the sound it may be high-pitched but so far everyone who has been around me with the laptop has heard it fine saying its not normal so I doubt its just me hearing it more sensitive I also work with laptops all day and don't hear these sounds ehe.

I just hate to RMA it but dont want to keep it and it burn out on me when i need it most.

I may have to RMA it anyway because I have a problem with the Wifi not staying working when other devices on the network wireless are working fine so I may be forced too but I sure hope not.

I will let you all know what happens. Reseller wants me to open it up and see if I can tell whats making it that way when its on so will try this tomorrow.

 

Ok, keep us posted then..because I noticed too as well before I even saw this thread.. so obviously you're not alone on this and I do NOT want to RMA, just want to make sure it's normal...

PS: can anyone else confirm this?

Ok so I did a little researching and the sound is similar to this video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22b5fLzZLJY

and a comment said when you put it on vsync the sound goes away, which it surprisingly did for some reason...

http://www.overclock.net/overclock-net-folding-home-team/476207-squealing-capacitors.html

and this... Iunno!?!? I'm confused, I'm gonna open it up and see what's up...

Ok I opened it up and re-pasted it for the heck of it.. and just re-seated it thinking it would go away....

so I left the cover open and booted up tf2, flipped it over and put my ear towards the card...thinking it was the subwoofer at first, I was wrong.. It was VERY hard to tell where it was coming from, but eventually I found the exact spot(not ENTIRELY sure) for me which was the wsadef area which you were initially referring to..



lol, I might just have to rma it or talk with my reseller...card works fine(running cool and playing games 1080p smooth), but I'm not too sure if it's a good thing to sleep on for the card and it's pretty irritating.....

 

Just checked mine and it seems to be the same area. That is the GPU memory if I am not wrong and mine does the sound on low or high fps. Even 3DMark getting 30fps on one of the tests makes the sound.

Anyway I am thinking I am going to RMA it because of this and have an issue with my Wifi not working stable when on battery.

This sucks. First sager and its a let down and its 2 different things even.

 

Yeah, that's the GPU RAM. Here's a picture of a nividia graphics card (probably not the same one) that I found on google. I've never heard of RAM making noise, but because that's so close to the fan perhaps when you have high GPU load the fan speed causes something to vibrate. I'd try tightening all the screws on the GPU fan and heat sink.

 

My re-seller said it's normal, it's just some gpu's are louder than others.....I can't even record the sound of it I tried 3 different methods and if I rma it and have the same "issue" then it would be a waste!

"All video card do some form of it, some at a frequency higher or lower than a frequency we would detect with our ears."

found this from some forum, can't remember

EDIT: FOUND THE PROBLEM!!!! or at least I think I did...My PSU is making the EXACT same noise in game...and when I unplug my psu in game the noise........goes away.. I can't hear it from far away, but if I move pretty close I can hear it.. so I'm not gonna think too much of it..


hmm any suggestions??

 

maybe its the heat sync? don't they work by transferring water vapor through some mesh inside the copper. maybe its just making a whining noise when the water vapor passes by, and only when you are gaming this would happen.

 

Here is the thing, I can confirm its not the fan or vibration. The sound starts before the fans even ramp up, plus I can Fn + 1 right now and it wont do it, only when the GPU is under load.

My PSU don't make sounds but I cant test the laptop on battery because on battery the GPU downclocks to like 73Mhz and thats not enough to do anything with a game lol

Non-moving parts should not make sounds. While some may say it can be normal its not but the fact they have not failed yet makes them say its fine. Truth is the cards will fail sooner than if it did not make sounds. This is just a way to get some people to accept the defect.

I work with desktops for the most part building and repairing them. Anytime I have seen something make sounds that shoundnt it always came back dead later.

This is true for GPU & PSU. While they may seem fine and work for a while you can trust the life of them is shorter. When you have an expensive GPU like me, the 580M do you really want to worry that right after your warranty ends it could die? Thats my worry.

The sound is also an electrical sound so thats another way to know its not a heatsink of fan. I don't know how to explain it but if you have electrical eng. background you may understand better eh.

 

i do understand, as i know quite a bit about electronics, but heatsyncs on laptops are very different than those on most desktops

take a look at this
Deconstructed: Laptop Cooling System : Video : Science Channel

i think its the water vapor moving around like a tea kettle. it makes sense because it only happens when you use the gpu intensively, and that is when there is the most vapor.

 

Yea but one can say when you do GPU intensive tasks its also under the most stress. I get what you are saying and do understand how heatsinks in laptops work but its an electrical sound I hear, not a vapor, mist or even close to a tea kettle.

Even if it was indeed the case than all of them would do it also, the fact that only a few seem to indicate something is not the same as the reset and thus un-normal.

I dunno, my main worry is it to fail out of warranty on me. My other issue though is my wifi card not working properly and getting little to no luck on the thread with that. If was just this one issue I could maybe live with it and see how things go but having 2 issues just pushes me over take a look at my wifi thread, http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/595675-6230wifi-latest-intel-driver-packet-loss.html and let me know if you have any thoughts.

 

Yeah that's the thing, I don't see why we should ignore this issue if nobody else hears it...

 

It's definitely worth an RMA. Your reseller may be able to send you replacement parts to do the repair yourself if you don't want to send it in, but that's obviously up to their discretion (and the part in question). But hearing any type of loud electrical type noise is a bad sign. I've also worked on desktops for years and I've never seen a desktop last that started having capacitor squeal (or really, any non-fan related normal noises)

 

thats the sound from inductor, its normal
i hear that sound too when buring furmark(my past 8800gtx 8800ultra 9800gtx gtx280 mars all have buzz noise when load, but a little difference)

 

oh that makes sense. mine only does a medium low pitch buzz, but yeah it sounded like a psu.

 

Funny that you note 8800 GTX and other 9 series cards because those are all dieing.. and perhaps there lies the issue? Because almost every geforce dies and the notebooks here also have geforce cards.. maybe the chips are getting loose? The 7/8/9 series cards can be baked inside an oven at 200c and then they should work normally again. (but the issue comes back tho)

(I have no idea if dieing cards make noise because my 8800 GTX is still working, altho it has heavy watercooling on it and probably wont die..)