<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nGPU coil whine refers to a high-frequency sound that you might hear coming from your graphics card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While coil whine typically sounds exactly like that \u2014<\/strong> a whine \u2014<\/strong> your graphics card coil whining can also sound like a rumbling or rattling too.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCoil whine is caused when the electrical current that passes through your graphics card causes certain parts, like inductor coils, to vibrate at high frequencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This vibration produces the coil whine sound that you hear, whether it is a high-pitched sound or a rattling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You'll usually find graphics cards producing coil whine when there's a lot of power draw, such as when you're playing demanding games or rendering video. You're unlikely to hear coil whine when graphics cards are idle.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/span>Is GPU Coil Whine Normal?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe electrical energy passing through graphics cards causes hardware components like inductor coils to vibrate. However, in most cases, these coils don't oscillate at an audible frequency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In cases where they do, you end up experiencing coil whine. Your GPU is not designed to have coil whine as manufacturers build the product without this expectation, so in a sense, you can say it is not normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, considering the way electricity works when passing through an electronic component like an inductor coil, coil whine can happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, while you can't necessarily say it is normal to have GPU coil whine, it's not something you should fret too much about if it does happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Can Coil Whine Damage Your GPU?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSo, with all this noise about coil whine, the important thing is to know how coil whine affects PC components and the damage it can potentially cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, to put it simply, coil whine is harmless. It can be annoying to hear the high-pitched background noise it produces when you're gaming, but it really doesn't pose any threat to both the GPU and the other parts of your PC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It's up to you whether you want to take any steps to fix coil whine in your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>What Can Make Coil Whine More Likely to Happen?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhile the mechanism behind coil whine is that electrical current makes the coils oscillate at a high-frequency, producing sound, there are certain things about your GPU or other components that can make this more likely to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Aging GPU<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAs your GPU gets older, the parts in it begin to age and lose their efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you never used to experience coil whine, but now you do, it could be because you're using a graphics card that is several years old and starting to show its age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Poor Soldering<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhen the inductor coils on the circuit board of your GPU are soldered poorly, power delivery to them might not be as smooth as it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can potentially cause coil whine. However, GPU manufacturers tend to be very thorough with their quality control, so this is one of the less common factors behind coil whine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Overclocked GPU<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhen your GPU needs additional power, it draws in a lot more electricity, which can make coil whine more likely. This is why you tend to hear it under load and not when the computer is idle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When your GPU is overclocked, you're basically pushing it past its stock power limit. A card that might not have had a noticeable coil whine even at 100% might suddenly start making noise once it is overclocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Failing or Low-End Power Supply Unit<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIf the power supply in your computer is of shoddy quality or has begun to fail, it can't be relied on to produce a steady supply of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there are any surges or drops in the delivery of electricity from your power supply unit, it can make your GPU likely to have a coil whine.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/span>How Can You Prevent Coil Whine from Your GPU?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAlthough coil whine doesn't pose any danger to your computer, you might find it extremely annoying. If that's the case, there are some steps you can take to reduce coil whine from your GPU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>1. Turn Off Your GPU Overclocking<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBy resetting your GPU to its factory default clock speed, you'll prevent it from pulling in a lot more power than the manufacturer intended, which can reduce coil whine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How you disable overclocking can vary greatly depending on the GPU or motherboard that you have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, you may be able to achieve this using the manufacturer's software or from your BIOS settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>2. Undervolt Your Graphics Card<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhile turning off overclocking will stop your card from going over the maximum intended by the manufacturer, you may still experience some coil whine at 100%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, you can do what is known as \"undervolting\". This lets you cut off how much power is supplied to your GPU and basically lets you put a cap on how much juice it needs to suck up to work at a certain level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I find that undervolting is an effective solution for coil whine and it works almost every time. The only problem with undervolting is that it is rather technical, and you need to be sure of what you're doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if you do it right, you'll be able to get your GPU to use less power, run at a lower temperature, make less noise from fans and coil whine, and ultimately keep the same performance as before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to undervolt effectively is a bit too long of a process to cover here, but this video by Optimum Tech serves as a brilliant guide to tell you all you need to know about this practice and how to do it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n