Extreme coil whining with ROG Fan Controller (Asus X670e Extreme MB)

[kfb1981]

I use an Asus X670e Extreme motherboard. However, the included ROG fan controller has an extreme coil whine. The more fan ports are occupied, the worse the whining is. At high speeds the whining becomes quieter. I have already tested a second, identical controller (from a Z690 Asus board) with the same result. The phenomenon occurs with both Corsair and EKWB fans. The fans were calibrated with Armory Crate and Fan Expert, no improvement. The controller also has the latest firmware.
does anyone know the problem?

-Asus X670e Extreme
- CPU 7950x
- MSI 4090 Gaming Trio
- Corsair HX1500i
- EK Loop Fan FPT 120 D-RGB

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @kfb1981 

May I inquire if the situation you described occurred following any specific changes? For example, updating the BIOS or connecting an external device.
Did it happen under particular circumstances, like playing a specific game for an hour?
Could you confirm if your current BIOS version is the latest release, 1807, released on December 15, 2023?
If not, we recommend considering an update and checking again after clearing the CMOS.

Thank you.

[kfb1981]

I already tried with the latest BIOS version, but then switched back because of RAM support. The result is the same. The fan controller will only be put into operation this week and the noise can be traced back to the controller. I tried an identical model of the controller. I tried a different power supply, tried a different micro-USB cable. I also tried other fans (corsair instead of ekwb). The problem seems to occur specifically on the fan controller as soon as several fans are connected. At low fan speeds, the coil whine is almost unbearable. At higher fan speeds the whining becomes quieter. The coil whine occurs regardless of the system load (gaming, etc.).

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @kfb1981 

Would there still be coil whining under the latest version of the BIOS?
If not, we suggest considering upgrading to the latest version.

Thank you.

[kfb1981]

Hello
Yes, unfortunately the v. 1807 did not solve the problem. IMHO it's a problem of the Fan Controller itself, maybe hw related. I tried a second identical ROG Fan Controller with the same result.

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @kfb1981 

Could you please confirm if the coil whining issue persists when not using the fan controller but directly connecting the fans to the board's fan headers?
Based on your description, you've already replaced two fan controllers, and the issue remains the same.
However, considering that a motherboard typically comes with only one set of fan controllers, did you cross-test with accessories from other motherboards?

Could you also provide a recorded video capturing the coil whining, indicating the specific time when it's noticeably present?
Kindly share the hardware specifications for further identification of the issue.
- the current BIOS version and all the images of the setting in BIOS, or whether it is the default
- the brand and model name of the CPU, GPU, RAM(part number as well), SSD/HDD, and PSU currently installed
- are there any extensions or adapters used to connect any devices, such as GPU or SSD?
- the OS version and OS build
- the circumstances and frequency of the problem

Thank you.