ROG STRIX B650E-I: Coil whine?

[karakartal3]

Hi everyone,

I built a new PC and I'm experiencing terrible coil whine when booting into Windows 11. It almost never stops, even when idling on the desktop. It gets noisier when moving my mouse or scrolling a web page. If I have to describe the noise, it is like a mechanical hard drive writing on the disk, or like a cricket chirping continuously.

Here is my build:
- Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I (BIOS version 0821)
- CPU / Cooler: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X / Noctua NH-L12S
- Memory: 2 x 16 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5600 CL36
- Storage: 2 x Samsung 980 Pro 500GB M.2 NVME SSD
- Power supply: Corsair SF600 80+ Platinum
- Monitor: Dell U2720QM (plugged via HDMI for 4k60hz)
- GPU: None

Some details:
- I didn't mount the motherboard to the case yet, as I wanted to make sure everything is working before doing so.
- Only the ATX24_1 (24-Pin), EPS_1 (8-Pin) and the CPU fan are connected. On the I/O panel, I have the HDMI and a USB receiver for my keyboard and mouse.
- When I boot on the BIOS, there isn't any noise. I kept the BIOS open for about 15 minutes to check if everything was OK. All components were recognized without issues. CPU temps were between 40-55 °C, which seems pretty normal for a 7700X. Still no noise.
- I have Ubuntu installed on the second SSD, and the coil whine is less present when booting on it. It is still there, but not as much as when I boot on Windows 11.
- The noise seems to be coming from the CPU area, I assume the VRAM area on the left? Difficult to pinpoint with the CPU Cooler on top.

What I already tried but with no change:
- I made sure that the PSU is plugged into a socket with proper grounding, separate from other components.
- I verified the CPU fan doesn't touch anything. And it looks like there isn't a VRAM heatsink fan, or the BIOS doesn't recognize it?
- I tried disabling C-State on the BIOS, but no change.
- I tried undervolting in the BIOS (Precision Boost Overdrive), but no change.
- I tried to change "The Acoustic Noise Mitigation" in the BIOS, but couldn't find the option.
- At first, I thought it was one of the SSD, but I checked them separately, and they weren't the culprit.
- This is my second motherboard. I thought I was unlucky with the first one (same model) and replaced it with a new one.

Did anyone else experience this issue? I'm not sure what else I can do for decreasing the coil whine, or make it disappear if possible.

[karakartal3]

An update, even thought nobody seems to care.

I mentioned that the noise was less present when booting on Ubuntu. Well, this has changed when I upgraded the kernel (6.1.8), which now seems to recognize (?) the integrated graphics of the CPU. Now my monitor can do 4K60hz instead of 4K30hz on Ubuntu. The coil whine, if that is what it is, is now as loud and as persistent as I was on Windows. So now, when I boot on either Ubuntu and Windows, and I'm just idling on the desktop, it does this frustrating noise.
Changing back the resolution or the refresh rate of the monitor doesn't do anything. Even unplugging the HDMI cable doesn't seem to stop it.

[Aasimar]

karakartal3 wrote:
An update, even thought nobody seems to care.

I mentioned that the noise was less present when booting on Ubuntu. Well, this has changed when I upgraded the kernel (6.1.8), which now seems to recognize (?) the integrated graphics of the CPU. Now my monitor can do 4K60hz instead of 4K30hz on Ubuntu. The coil whine, if that is what it is, is now as loud and as persistent as I was on Windows. So now, when I boot on either Ubuntu and Windows, and I'm just idling on the desktop, it does this frustrating noise.
Changing back the resolution or the refresh rate of the monitor doesn't do anything. Even unplugging the HDMI cable doesn't seem to stop it.

if it is coile whine.. then check your FPS...
limit it with your grafic card software...

[karakartal3]

Aasimar wrote:
if it is coile whine.. then check your FPS...
limit it with your grafic card software...

I don't have a graphic card. My monitor is plugged directly to the motherboard HDMI port.
I am not sure if I can limit the FPS of the CPU integrated graphics?

[Aasimar]

karakartal3 wrote:
I don't have a graphic card. My monitor is plugged directly to the motherboard HDMI port.
I am not sure if I can limit the FPS of the CPU integrated graphics?

Puh... not sure, did you install the AMD software and ceck it?
If its not possible...
try to get your hands on a Grafic Card to try it out...
(my 1080 gets coile whine when i start some games and it dose more then 2k FPS... it dosnt have it when i limit FPS to 200 max)
not sure if there are any coils in use for the CPU internal GPU...
only other solution,, try to get a refund/exchange MB

[Jafs44]

karakartal3 wrote:
An update, even thought nobody seems to care.

I mentioned that the noise was less present when booting on Ubuntu. Well, this has changed when I upgraded the kernel (6.1.8), which now seems to recognize (?) the integrated graphics of the CPU. Now my monitor can do 4K60hz instead of 4K30hz on Ubuntu. The coil whine, if that is what it is, is now as loud and as persistent as I was on Windows. So now, when I boot on either Ubuntu and Windows, and I'm just idling on the desktop, it does this frustrating noise.
Changing back the resolution or the refresh rate of the monitor doesn't do anything. Even unplugging the HDMI cable doesn't seem to stop it.

Honestly I wouldn't worry about it too much, I had an X570 Dark Hero and it sounded the same, I had an X670E Gene and it sounded the same...these boards' VRMS are just so powerful that's how they sound I think. It's not a pleasant noise by any means, but hardly noticeable in my personal experience outside of looking for it.Â*

I will also say that in my experience, messing around with the DIGI + VRM section (CPU Power Duty Phase Control etc.) may reduce the magnitude of the whine, but IIRC this is pretty standard behavior for motherboards with these many power phases.

If anything the noise will be less noticeable once you out in case fans and such since they will likely drown out the whine. Â*

[nestar91]

Hello my friend!
I am experiencing the same issue with my B650E-I.
I hate the sound it makes and i never had this before on any of my previous builds.

Funny thing: It is only there when the machine is idle, or nearly idling (web browsing etc.)
When i do some things that create just a bit of cpu usage, the coil whine is gone.
When playing games there is also no coil whine.

[h2oxide]

Experiencing the same thing on an X670E-I. Outside of being mildly annoying, it's a non-issue.

[hollywood]

Hey Karakartal3 - Is this the sound you are hearing coming from the back of the motherboard where the CPU is located? https://imgur.com/a/3H9RJ3l

See if you still have the sound if you set your CPU voltage to manual.

[karakartal3]

hollywood wrote:
Hey Karakartal3 - Is this the sound you are hearing coming from the back of the motherboard where the CPU is located? https://imgur.com/a/3H9RJ3l

Yes. I actually made this video. I also posted my problem on Reddit, which is where this video came from.

hollywood wrote:
See if you still have the sound if you set your CPU voltage to manual.

I've already tried to undervolt the CPU by following the instructions on this page ("2. AMD Eco Mode: Advanced with Precision Boost Overdrive"): https://www.pcworld.com/article/1352253/how-to-enable-eco-mode-with-ryzen-7000.html but the noise was still present.

Is the CPU voltage setting different? If so, what value should I set?