5870 whining

[shadow of chaos]

Hi

I've noticed that my 5870 has a light whine to it, to make sure it was coming from the graphics card i turned the case on it's side and listened with the card in and with it out.

is this the fan making the whine or the card itself? its quiet but annoys me so i was wondering if anybody can check theirs like i did and let me know if they get it.

Thanks

[ownage]

That's the card's way telling you he wants to be overclocked!
It's not the fan, but the PWM I think. Lots of cards whine. Only a small percentage does get overclocked.

[Linuxfan]

Hi
I've noticed that my 5870 has a light whine to it, to make sure it was coming from the graphics card i turned the case on it's side and listened with the card in and with it out.
is this the fan making the whine or the card itself? its quiet but annoys me so i was wondering if anybody can check theirs like i did and let me know if they get it.
Thanks

Some of the cards I have had also had a whine.... didn't seem to hurt anything though... :confused:

[shadow of chaos]

Well it seems to be a louder whine without drivers installed..

is there no way to get rid of it?

[loften]

when i had my hd3870's they made a squealing noise.. i ended up switching out the psu and it went away.. i don't know if it was from lack of power, the psu making the noise, bad rail or what but after i put in the new one it all went away.. i had a ultra x3 1000 and put in a corsair tx850.. the ultra was new with the cards/build?? you can send it to me and i will try it out for you,, j/k

[overclocking101]

its the caps or the pwm's not sure wich but my old 3870's did it all 3 of them and a AMD DFI board i used to have

[Chickenfeed]

Many of my cards have exhibited this whine. Some PSU / video card combos are more prone to do it than others but there is no saying if one will or not. It isn't harmful but I will argue it is annoying. My 8800GTX did very noticeably and my 4870x2 to a lesser extent ( often it is subtle enough that one of the fans in a machine muffles it out anyways )

Apart from testing the card with other power supplies, I can't say there is any way to get rid of it sadly. There doesn't appear to be any particular thing about a card / power supply that causes it ( I've had it happen on quality psus but not on cheapo oem ones )

[McBacker]

Crap. Sad ATI didn't fix this...

[iandh]

Yeah, I've noticed some whining whenever I am discussing my 5870 around Nvidia owners

... oh wait, you mean electrical whine? None of that here :D

[shadow of chaos]

Should i RMA it? or maybe thats pointless..

what would you guys do?

[McBacker]

Nothing. Enjoy your card.

[Splave]

headphones and or turn up speakers

[LordEC911]

Crap. Sad ATI didn't fix this...

Sadly enough, it is something that cannot be fixed...

[iandh]

Sorry for my post above... I just get frustrated with the controversey surrounding GPU launches sometimes. Not like it helps me contributing to it. :p:



Anyways, on topic, I've had probably half of the 20 or so cards that have gone through my hands in the last couple years be squealers, and have never had any problem show up... my most recent (xfx 4890) was in my rig for a couple months solid squealing, and no trouble. :)

[zalbard]

when i had my hd3870's they made a squealing noise.. i ended up switching out the psu and it went away..
+1
My friend had the same issue. And it was a PSU issue.

[saaya]

its a coil... you can try and fill it with some glue if you can access it...
if your good in soldering you can replace it with a propperly enclosed coil that doesnt vibrate and hence whine...
or you can get somebody else to do it...

sad to see ati overlooked this...

[jaredpace]

Yeah, I've noticed some whining whenever I am discussing my 5870 around Nvidia owners


:rofl::rofl::ROTF:

[tool_462]

Tons of cards whine, especially Nvidia cards when Folding.

Best thing I do is adjust the memory/core clocks (shader too for Nvidia) till I find a pitch of whine that isn't annoying :p:

[Andrea deluxe]

simply try to enable the v-sync

[H2O]

Should i RMA it? or maybe thats pointless..

what would you guys do?

It would be pointless because with Dell snatching up most of the stock (some reports say only 10% made it to the market), it would be very hard to actually get a replacement.

By the way, I am using a HD4870 with a Seasonic M12 700W PSU and I have never heard any whining.

[Razrback16]

Sorry for my post above... I just get frustrated with the controversey surrounding GPU launches sometimes. Not like it helps me contributing to it. :p:



Anyways, on topic, I've had probably half of the 20 or so cards that have gone through my hands in the last couple years be squealers, and have never had any problem show up... my most recent (xfx 4890) was in my rig for a couple months solid squealing, and no trouble. :)

You planning on making any memory/VRM bolt-on sinks for the 5000 series cards? I liked your designs for the 4000 series, I just felt the sinks needed to be a bit bulkier.

[saaya]

its not like x psu with y vga will whine, but using another psu will solve the problem... :D
the psu has nothing to do with it...

if a vga whines, it whines...
the psu thing is that psus can have coils that whine as well, in that case the psu will whine or not whine...
regardless of what vga you use... unless you compare a tiny low power vga that barely draws power, that probably wont get the psu whining... :)

[lowfat]

Crap. Sad ATI didn't fix this...
Its not an ATI problem. Its the manufacturers. The worst card I had was actually a BFG GTX295. While doing 2 X f@h's it was so effing annoying.


Sadly enough, it is something that cannot be fixed...

Sure it could if the manufacturers didn't cheap out on their coils.

[iandh]

You planning on making any memory/VRM bolt-on sinks for the 5000 series cards? I liked your designs for the 4000 series, I just felt the sinks needed to be a bit bulkier.

Yeah, the hd4k sinks were definitely adequate (I did the math, I wouldn't sell non-working garbage to people), but not suitable for heavy OC. I was trying to keep them as low profile as possible, but in hindsight I should have made them larger to fit more OC'ing profiles.

I'm thinking about a much beefier low cost actively cooled VRM solution for the 58xx... those little scythe 40mm fans use the same connector as the stock gpu fan (so likely software control), and dead quiet, compact, and perfect for VRM cooling.

[nascasho]

Mine whine too, so don't worry about it.

[Glow9]

I hear you I can't stand any electronic noise. Pisses me right off. RMA that :banana::banana::banana::banana:. Make it known we're not gonna stand for shoddy $400 cards. High end is supposed to be high end.

[NanoBullet]

Speaking about whine, i noticed in the few 4870 i had from different brands, the one's that was highly perceptive were in PowerColor and XFX, and the one that made less whine was the sapphire. In this gen i would like to know from your knowledge

[Razrback16]

Yeah, the hd4k sinks were definitely adequate (I did the math, I wouldn't sell non-working garbage to people), but not suitable for heavy OC. I was trying to keep them as low profile as possible, but in hindsight I should have made them larger to fit more OC'ing profiles.

I'm thinking about a much beefier low cost actively cooled VRM solution for the 58xx... those little scythe 40mm fans use the same connector as the stock gpu fan (so likely software control), and dead quiet, compact, and perfect for VRM cooling.

Absolutely -- that was actually what I was planning -- to strap on a small active cooling fan on sinks for the VRMs. My full coverage water blocks don't even cool the VRMs well enough for overvolting, so I'm definitely interested in something beefy for the VRMs. If you make something for the memory also that will be awesome. I'm biding my time and waiting for more aftermarket cooling before going 5000 series. :)

[SocketMan]

Tons of cards whine, especially Nvidia cards when Folding.

Best thing I do is adjust the memory/core clocks (shader too for Nvidia) till I find a pitch of whine that isn't annoying :p:


Yea my EVGA 8800gt starts whining as soon as the clocks are
raised a bit.

I try to go for the non reference cards,not much noise usually.
Gigabyte did a great job on the 4850 series ;)
I am gonna wait for the prices to drop and the non-reference
cards to come out.OP - maybe you can sell yours?
Make some cash instead of RMA ?

[jstutman]

Yeah, I've noticed some whining whenever I am discussing my 5870 around Nvidia owners

... oh wait, you mean electrical whine? None of that here :D

LMAO! I had some older cards whine, but it was the PWM. Im thinking, it has to do with the company who makes the chip as too how good of quality the components as well as the RMD of the components.

[LordEC911]

Sure it could if the manufacturers didn't cheap out on their coils.
Not necessarily... Each component has slightly difference tolerances which can attribute to this problem.

All the 5870s are reference design and are using the same components.
No, manufacturers didn't "cheap out" on components, yet...

[saaya]

Mine whine too, so don't worry about it.
what do you mean with dont worry? the more people mention this the more it sounds like all 5800 cards whine... which IS something to worry about :P

lordEC, well ati did... obviously...
i hope they will use better coils for their newer batches...

[purecain]

if my 5870 whines its going straight back...

i cant stand anything like that.. i dont mind if i've volt modded the card... but whining at stock... unacceptible...:shakes:

[Dragy2k]

i might be wrong but im sure i heard of people fixing this by coating the offending cap with some kind of polish ......if you've got a emo girlfriend borrow hers...

[FragMagnet]

what do you mean with dont worry? the more people mention this the more it sounds like all 5800 cards whine... which IS something to worry about :P



Not mine, but assume all you want ?

[astrallite]

simply try to enable the v-sync

This should work during gaming when the framerate is too high (in the triple digits, modern video cards tend to whine).

[LordEC911]

what do you mean with dont worry? the more people mention this the more it sounds like all 5800 cards whine... which IS something to worry about :P

lordEC, well ati did... obviously...
i hope they will use better coils for their newer batches...

What I was trying to say that it isn't necessarily the GPU manufacturers fault, they pick components that will fit their needs and some of those, due to flaws in their manufacturing process, do not have the tight QC tolerances that the other components have, even though they are in the same bin.

[shadow of chaos]

I set the fan to 72% and it seems to make the whine louder which makes me think it's actually the fan.

if you listen to the recording i made here http://www.mediafire.com/?zlddy2jjywj listen about 20 seconds in and you should hear what i'm talking about.

[purecain]

rma it m8...... shouldnt be that bad...:shakes:

[shadow of chaos]

rma it m8...... shouldnt be that bad...:shakes:

Well it's louder because i set the fan speed higher so the whine is quieter at auto but fairly annoying, i hear it while in windows also not just gaming that's why i think it's fan related.

Should i get in touch with Sapphire and send it to them or do i need to contact the place i got it from? thing is, the online place i bought from may not have stock for a while.

[OC Nub]

I haven't noticed any whining at all on this 5870. My Asus 4890 was pretty bad though and would also whine while on desktop not just in game.

[shadow of chaos]

what should i do then forget it and get some aftermarket cooler or contact sapphire?

[JaYp146]

what should i do then forget it and get some aftermarket cooler or contact sapphire?

Don't bother contacting their customer support ... Sapphire isn't anything special in that department.

Sadly, you're going to have to tough it out. I still find it rather pathetic ATi has let this problem persist for so many generations of cards ... every single video card I've owned since my X1950XTX has whined under load. :mad:

[PaganII]

The problem isn't the card whining. You're just sitting too close to the computer. Manually setting the fan speed to 60 - 70% takes care of cooling and noise for me.

[JoeBar]

From what i've seen it depends on the card manufacturer also. My Asus 4870X2 doesn't whine at all. A friend's Sapphire 4870X2 whines a lot.

Too bad it still remains an issue with ATI... :(

[Blkout]

its not like x psu with y vga will whine, but using another psu will solve the problem... :D
the psu has nothing to do with it...

if a vga whines, it whines...
the psu thing is that psus can have coils that whine as well, in that case the psu will whine or not whine...
regardless of what vga you use... unless you compare a tiny low power vga that barely draws power, that probably wont get the psu whining... :)

This is correct. I get tired of hearing this complaint on most tech forums and no one seems to understand what causes it. It's a COIL, not a capacitor. I've seen people blame this squealing on a number of products, but it has nothing to do with which power supply, motherboard, video card combination you use. Coils can make a squealing sound and video card, power supplies, and motherboard all use them, some are just noisy.

[shadow of chaos]

The problem isn't the card whining. You're just sitting too close to the computer. Manually setting the fan speed to 60 - 70% takes care of cooling and noise for me.

The computer is on the floor next to the desk, and also i contacted the place i bought the card from which was www.dabs.com and no response :shakes:

I think i will either sell it on ebay when i need an upgrade or get an aftermarket cooler, whenever those are going to come out.. should make a difference.

[largon]

And I thought the revised package design of Cooper Bussman multiphase inductors fixed the whining issue that had been present on Volterra VRM solutions. Too bad the new package is much harder to DIY-muffle (with lacquer, eg.) as the seams are now on the bottom, instead of the side as on the older package.

[PaganII]

Annoyance from whiney noises sometimes is a symptom of stress. The operator not the hardware. If it really annoys you seek medical attention. :)

[Linuxfan]

Annoyance from whiney noises sometimes is a symptom of stress. The operator not the hardware. If it really annoys you seek medical attention. :)
:rofl:
Mine comes in tonight... hope it is quiet...

[LordEC911]

Sadly, you're going to have to tough it out. I still find it rather pathetic ATi has let this problem persist for so many generations of cards ... every single video card I've owned since my X1950XTX has whined under load. :mad:

Some of us haven't had a problem with our ATi.
I know Nvidia cards have the same problem... My 8800GTS(G92) whined pretty bad.

[larrabee]

There are several causes of the whine being described in this thread. It is not always due to the designer :P

First of all, voltage regulators can be perfectly functional and emit the "whine".

Inductors can create the sounds from physical oscillations (vibrations) caused by EMF. In circuits like switching power supplies, LC oscillators, and PLLs, this can be common, although not always within the frequency range of human hearing (poor dogs).

Shorts may damage components and make them produce a squeal that they previously did not; this is sometimes a sign of a dying card. A switching power supply, without a logical enable, can keep power cycling due to excess load conditions (though it often produces a slightly different sound).

It can also be caused by component failure. Capacitors may internally short, thus failing to maintain the DC conditions on a voltage rail. The subsequent oscillations may cause a shorted electrolytic capacitor to squeal.

The best way to reduce it, is to apply a non-conductive adhesive to the component in question, which will hopefully lessen the vibrations. Sometimes the whine is much worse than it has to be, because of a manufacturing issue that has caused an inductor/transformer to not be seated properly. Without proper retention, the component may vibrate much more violently.

The first power supply I ever made sang like a banshee, although it functioned. By redesigning the output stage, I was luckily able to make the squeal inaudible :D

[PaganII]

PS in another computer makes a high variable pitch squeal. Most of the time I forget it is there except when waiting to respawn ha ha. Sounds like an ultra sonic jewelry cleaner.

[wiak]

try it in another computer if it whines there then its the power on the graphics card but if it does not whine then its your PSU

hope this helps mate good luck with your 5870

[GTSRboy]

ati cards whine? i thought they had something on them to prevent it

the nvidia solution is soak the card in nail polish :)

[Crankybugga]

ati cards whine? i thought they had something on them to prevent it

the nvidia solution is soak the card in nail polish :)
The only whine I see from the HD5870 is coming from nvidia devotees :yepp:

[Airgumby]

Sad to hear that the whine is still present on the 5870... I owned a Diamond 4890 and everytime I would scroll a web page it would whine. It got very annoying. I tried my old GeForce 8600 card. No whine... Went out and traded the Diamond 4890 for a eVGA GeForce GTX 295 CO-OP and I have no whine... Hate hearing the new offerings still suffer from the whine. Out of curiousity. What brand is the whining coming from? Any certain brand?

[tbone8ty]

maybe arnold can help! haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL1lfSzgcAw

[Therk]

Excuse the pun

[Husky42]

Really, it is quite funny to see people say that ATI is the only manufacture with this problem, and realy its not a problem it occurs when load is placed on vr's or even when they are operating normally.

My BFX 8800 GT did this, my XFX 7600 GT also had a whine, as did my X1950 XTX

My 4870's do not whine.

5870 will be here some time next week and although that is going into the Q6600 build (X3 720 is actually my gaming rig and the Q6600 is the media center/gaming rig)

I'll look for a whine on the 5870 and see if it is present there.

The X3 720 is getting dual 5850's in the future and my brothers X3 720 which will be here tomorrow will get the 4870's in crossfire - So i will even check for a whine in the seperate machine, i'll install the 5870 in all 3 machines just to test also.

Might as well :)