Folding Forum

I just started folding for the first time and the power supply in my new computer is really loud when I have the power limit of my RTX 2070 GPU at 100% but gets quieter as I lower the limit. Currently I'm only running one GPU slot and no CPU.

When I play games or run stress tests it doesn't make the same noise at all. Is it typical to make a whirring noise only during folding and nothing else? I'm willing to return it and get a better PS if it means it'll be quieter. I appreciate any tips. Since this is my first post the spam filter won't let me post links.

Current PS: CORSAIR CX-M Series CX550M 550W 80 PLUS BRONZE

Current GPU: MSI - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Armor

I hear the same whirring noise only during folding and it is called coil whine. I don't know if it comes from the GPU or the PSU. With the GPU power usage setting I can adjust the noise frequency or tone and I like the lower sounds at 50% power usage more. But I cannot here the noise if I have other audio source playing but only in silent room.

It usually comes from the VRM of the GPU on the graphics card ... the pitch changes according to the load. When I had board affected with this issue, I could tell which project was running on the card just listening it ...

foldy wrote:I hear the same whirring noise only during folding and it is called coil whine. I don't know if it comes from the GPU or the PSU. With the GPU power usage setting I can adjust the noise frequency or tone and I like the lower sounds at 50% power usage more. But I cannot here the noise if I have other audio source playing but only in silent room.

Thanks for the input. Sounds like we have the exact same situation. I built this machine for mostly folding so It kind of sucks that I might have to put the GPU at 75% over night or else it's too loud to sleep. That sort of cancels out the benefits of getting an RTX 2070 :/ Everything else is super quiet except for, what I assume, is the noise coming from the PS (that's where the loudest noise is coming from when I put my hear next to the parts on the back of the case but it's also very close to the GPU so it could be either).

toTOW wrote:It usually comes from the VRM of the GPU on the graphics card ... the pitch changes according to the load.

So the only way to get rid of it is a different GPU/motherboard/power supply combo? Is there any tweaks I can do to my current build to quiet the noise?

toTOW wrote: When I had board affected with this issue, I could tell which project was running on the card wit just listening it ...

This might explain why I never heard it all day yesterday after I built the computer and it showed up today. I thought something broke...

It is the 14xxx projects which make the sound. How much PPD do you loose on 75%, maybe it is not so much?

kbeeveer46 wrote:

toTOW wrote:It usually comes from the VRM of the GPU on the graphics card ... the pitch changes according to the load.

So the only way to get rid of it is a different GPU/motherboard/power supply combo? Is there any tweaks I can do to my current build to quiet the noise?

Since the whine is usually coming from the GPU VRMs, the most efficient solution is to replace (or RMA) the graphics card.

If it is possible, you could test your graphics card in another machine ...

Sometimes, replacing the PSU could help (if the current delivered is not clean enough), but since you have a PSU from a pretty good brand, I'm not convinced it will help. Also, I don't know the rest of your system, but 550W might be a little bit short ...

I have 2x msi gtx 1080ti gaming and they both do the coil whine only with the 14xxx projects.

foldy wrote:It is the 14xxx projects which make the sound. How much PPD do you loose on 75%, maybe it is not so much?

After a few tests you seem to be 100% correct. I don't hear the noise unless it's one of those projects. Is there a way to avoid those? I see that they're either on server 155.247.166.220 or 128.252.203.4. Another thing I noticed is that folding causes lots of static in my KRK Rokit 5 speakers.

EDIT: I came across an 11xxx project (11720) and it makes the noise :/ My previous project, 11726, did not.

kbeeveer46 wrote:Is there a way to avoid those?

No.

It might be related to WUs that use a paricular current draw ... or maybe to how the GPU is regulating the power.

For a number of reasons, I do NOT recommend the following (although some have successfully tried it on GPUs that are already out of warranty: Get some potting compound that can be poured onto the VRM to stop it from vibrating.