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.

[Nate152]

Coil whine is normal in pc electronics and there's not much you can really do about it, it can be annoying but it's nothing to worry about.

In my experience, the psu can play a role in coil whine. To minimize or have the best chance to not have coil whine is to get the highest quality rated psu available. 

I'm personally using the EVGA 1600w Titanium and never experienced coil whine.

[MoboUser]

Good for you, we're glad you don't experiencing any issues so far. We do, and that's just a shame at this price range. I tried with two brand new be quiet! PSUs and the problem remains. Decreasing the CPU voltage by 0.01 or 0.02 helps but this tweak is not really satisfying.

[Edelf]

That's an out-of-touch response, specially for a mod.

If the solution for coil whine that is only/mainly present in Asus motherboards is "Just buy a 400€ PSU bro!", then....

Also, the question is not if it is something to "worry about". It's the noise that is disturbing, annoying, affect people ability to focus on their work, cause headaches, etc.

[JohnMcClanee]

Horrible noise has mb I bought last week production date 02/2023. I couldn’t even imagine that it possible on high price motherboard like strix. Can you fix this by bios update or idk? Due to policy of my merchant I can’t get back my money if I already have installed mb and even it proceeds a few months of service center inspections better what I can expect is replacing with the same defective motherboard. The only way I can go is sell it with huge discount on aftermarket. Thanks asus.

[MoboUser]

If you can't return it, you might as well try to set the CPU voltage from "auto" to "manual" and then set it to 1.25v in the BIOS. It may diminish the noise.

[Nate152]

Hello  karakartal3,

Once you get the motherboard installed in the case, you likely won't hear it with the case fans going and the side panel on.

Coil whine can be annoying but it's nothing to worry about.

What can help minimize or stop coil whine is the quality of psu, I'd recommend getting the highest rated psu available.

I wouldn't expect coil whine with a platinum rated psu, but since it's happening with two motherboards, you might want to go with something like a 1000w Titanium rated psu.

[valigp]

This should be a good PSU: https://rog.asus.com/power-supply-units/rog-loki/rog-loki-1000p-sfx-l-gaming-model/

However, it didn't solve the motherboard coil whine.

[karakartal3]

@Nate152 wrote:

Hello  karakartal3,

Once you get the motherboard installed in the case, you likely won't hear it with the case fans going and the side panel on.

---

3 months have passed since I started this conversation. And I still haven't found a way to get rid of the coil whine. And nope. I can still hear it when the motherboard is installed in the case. Again, the coil whine happens when the system is idle. This means that the fans (CPU fan: Noctua NH-L12S, case fans: 2x Noctua NF-S12A) are quiet because they are running at their lowest speed.

I tried with three different PSUs, and the coil while was still there...
- Corsair SF600 80+ Platinum
- Corsair SF750 80+ Platinum
- SilverStone SX1000 80+ Platinum.

Getting a 1600w PSU for my build is overkill and there is no guarantee that the noise will go away...

[bladerunner6]

Im getting the same on my X670E-I crackling and whine 7700X and 7950X3D. Only on load or high uncapped fps. 

Coolermaster 850 Sfx..

[Gig4Chad]

Same here with my B650E-E it only happens when idle/low cpu usage in windows and it is extremely annoying. During high cpu load it goes away and its pretty much silent. I really hope asus can fix this with bios update otherwise i probably need to RMA and change manufacturer.