I was playing Helldivers 2 last night, and my GPU was working hard, but the temperatures were fine. Suddenly, I started hearing a noise coming from my GPU. I've heard about coil whine before, so I'm wondering if that's what it is or if there's something else going on. Here's a video I recorded of the sound: https://youtu.be/fdh3fbJIwyI. My GPU is an XFX RX 6600, and I'm using a Corsair CV 550 PSU.
2 Answers
That sounds like it could be coil whine, but there’s also a chance it's a worn-out fan bearing. A quick test is to stop the fans temporarily; if the noise stops, it's your fan. If it keeps going, it's likely coil whine.
It might actually be something touching the fan or a panel vibrating from the hard drive. Could also just be a bad bearing. If it is the bearing, is it okay to keep using the GPU? I'm really nervous about opening it up.
If it’s just coil whine, you're fine to keep using it. A bad fan bearing isn’t good in the long term, though. If you’re not comfortable opening it, maybe just keep an ear out for any changes.