XFX GeForce GTX 260 Buzzing Noise

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LucasG

Gawd
Joined
Jul 2, 2004
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675
So I just got today my first and new XFX GTX 260 from newegg... and guess what? It does some freaking weird buzzing noise, quiet bad when it loads games and specially windows experience calculator. Never heard such weird noise... I'm thinking on going about a replacement... I'm just annoyed that I paid 2 day shipping and now I have to wait for them to get it back and then send me a new one?... agh... :mad:
 
I just ran into the same issue with my GTX 285 purchase. RMA'd it to EVGA and the new one does the same thing. I either have really bad luck or these new round of graphics cards all must suffer from this. The sound is honestly not that bad, but it gets annoying.
 
Mikerocks2112 said:
I just ran into the same issue with my GTX 285 purchase. RMA'd it to EVGA and the new one does the same thing. I either have really bad luck or these new round of graphics cards all must suffer from this. The sound is honestly not that bad, but it gets annoying.
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It feels like in 2 weeks the card will either fry or break all over the place...

Nah, it seriously can't be normal, it's quiet a strong buzz.
 
almost all the high end cards do it. its coil whine or something like that but usually only happens while loading a game.
 
This is ridiculous, just put atitool to run and the noise is really bad... I've been reading and it's about having "cheap" components on the video card... and you might get lucky or not to get one that does not do the sound. This is bullshit, I can't run a card with this sound, it's going to start giving me badass headaches. =/
 
Coil whine is ridiculously prevalent in nVidia cards, it's very aggravating. OP, you are not alone. And most of the time the cards you get from an RMA make the same noise.

Supposedly there's a solution involving nail polish or hot glue, details here.
 
My 512MB 8800GTS did it and my GTX 260 now does it. Personally, I'm used to it and don't even hear it over the games.
 
Yeah, it's not really happening on games once they are loaded, it does happen if you run ATITool 100% of the time or Vista Experience calculation, etc. Seems like when something is under heavy constant load it does it. I guess I'll cancel the RMA and hope it fixes by itself like some people have reported.

I just don't understand if you can fix it with nail polish how come all the manufacturers don't apply a simple fix like that while they make them to avoid it. =/
 
I have had 3 gtx 260s and 2 gtx 280s, they all did it, and yes it is annoying. If you enable vsync in a game, it seems to help some. Folding is annoying, so i dont do it anymore.
 
I have the same noise with my HD4870.

It's been buzzing since I purchased it last July. Card has been and still works perfectly.

The buzzing noise is dependant on the framerate of whatever game/benchmark I'm running.

200+ FPS = very high pitched buzzing; <100 FPS = lower pitched buzzing

I wear headphones during gaming, so it's not noticable.

If it bugs you, try again with another GTX 260...
 
Yeah, thankfully I don't do folding and wouldn't do it since the PC is in my room. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, i'm very annoyed by small buzzing sounds and what not.
 
Same noise here with my old 8800gt and 4870. It wasn't a big surprise to me that my new 285 does the same thing. It really annoys me because I spent extra money on scythe fans to quiet my pc down.
 
As stated, it's common with all high-end VGA cards. My 4870x2 does it, my GTX 280 does it (not as severe as the 4870x2)

And im sure my GTX 280 is gonna do it after I get it working in a bit.
 
I've never heard my GTX 260 do this. :confused:

Maybe I just can't hear it over the fans...
 
socK said:
I've never heard my GTX 260 do this. :confused:

Maybe I just can't hear it over the fans...
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I didnt notice it for the first couple weeks because I usually still have my tv volume up when I first start up a game plus my dvd player is quite loud. then one day when everything was quiet and I started up Warhead, which doesnt need the dvd, I heard the faint little squealing during the load up screens.
 
Just to repeat what everyone else has said, My Evga 8800 gts 320mb, BFG 8800 gtx, Evga 260 FTW, and now my Evga 295 all have had that whining noise when folding. I crank the fan up to where its not noticeable though.
 
Anecdotally, it seems to be better if you have a strong power supply. It really only happens for me when the FPS is crazy high, like a game menu or something - during games it doesn't do it at all. My old GTX used to do it, but now it doesn't any longer, so it may get better with time.

If you can find the coil that is making the noise you can put some glue on it to silence it, but with the full card cover the new cards have that's going to be tough.
 
Look here.

I'm pretty much into silent computing, and will be staying away from Nvidia until they adress this issue.
 
DrRetina said:
Look here.

I'm pretty much into silent computing, and will be staying away from Nvidia until they adress this issue.
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the article doesnt makes sense because it says the cards squeal under full load in demanding games. if you look at virtually every complaint about squealing it normally only happens during the intro and loading of a game. I have NEVER heard my card squeal while actually playing a game even with the audio off and my head next to the case trying to see if it squeals.
 
cannondale06 said:
the article doesnt makes sense because it says the cards squeal under full load in demanding games. if you look at virtually every complaint about squealing it normally only happens during the intro and loading of a game. I have NEVER heard my card squeal while actually playing a game even with the audio off and my head next to the case trying to see if it squeals.
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It kind of does a different less strong sound while playing certain games. It does it extremely high on ATITools and some parts of the 3DMark Vantage tests. The sound kind of changes depending on the load, test, loading screen, etc. I can't believe with the technology available nowadays something like this can be so common.
 
LucasG said:
It kind of does a different less strong sound while playing certain games. It does it extremely high on ATITools and some parts of the 3DMark Vantage tests. The sound kind of changes depending on the load, test, loading screen, etc. I can't believe with the technology available nowadays something like this can be so common.
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well ATI and Nvidia cant even release new drivers without fucking something from the last set so it sounds about right.
 
cannondale06 said:
the article doesnt makes sense because it says the cards squeal under full load in demanding games. if you look at virtually every complaint about squealing it normally only happens during the intro and loading of a game. I have NEVER heard my card squeal while actually playing a game even with the audio off and my head next to the case trying to see if it squeals.
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If possible, take the side panel off and turn all your other fans to lower RPMs.

Mine squeals slightly during even the most menial of tasks; working with transparent windows, when the Steam friend notification pops up in the right corner of the screen. Now, granted, I've built a very quiet PC, and my ears are attenuated to be rather sensitive, but still ...
 
Has anyone tried the glue/nail polish thing to do it? I wouldn't want to try it and **ck up my card.
 
I'm pretty annoyed by this issue.
I was ready to get a GTX 285, but my completely silent watercooled rig does not need a squealing pig.
 
DrRetina said:
I'm pretty annoyed by this issue.
I was ready to get a GTX 285, but my completely silent watercooled rig does not need a squealing pig.
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I really thought this crap was broken. I have Newegg RMA still available... but... I think it's probably going to be the same thing with a new one. :rolleyes: It really seems like it doesn't matter where you go, if it's high-end you have the possibility it squeals or it doesn't, only time can tell.
 
LucasG said:
I really thought this crap was broken. I have Newegg RMA still available... but... I think it's probably going to be the same thing with a new one. :rolleyes: It really seems like it doesn't matter where you go, if it's high-end you have the possibility it squeals or it doesn't, only time can tell.
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FWIW, I had to RMA my 285 for an unrelated reason, and the replacement card was just as bad. I don't think RMAing is necessarily going to help you.
 
I never really had this issue with either GTX 260 I used, but I did notice it when the computer was on but hadn't booted into Windows yet. I think it was that plus when the video card drivers weren't installed. Outside of those two situations, cards were silent as I ran them at 25% fan in idle mode.
 
I had that buzzing sound on my XFX GTX 280. I almost wanted to return it to newegg or RMA with XFX. Took me forever to figure it out and trouble shoot it. I had a Ultra X3 1000w PSU and I replaced it with a Corsair TX 750W. The buzzing went away... Try changing the PSU to a good brand and see if that helps.
 
I had a GTX260 192SP and it didn't buzz at all. I got my GTX285 and I started noticing the buzz. I though it was the PSU so I went from a Enermax Liberty 500w to a Corsair HX1000 (if your going to upgrade, Upgrade!). Still the same exact problem. Luckily its only during menu and loading screens. V-Sync also eliminates the noise. It annoys me that this is happening though.
 
JohnleMVP said:
I had a GTX260 192SP and it didn't buzz at all. I got my GTX285 and I started noticing the buzz. I though it was the PSU so I went from a Enermax Liberty 500w to a Corsair HX1000 (if your going to upgrade, Upgrade!). Still the same exact problem. Luckily its only during menu and loading screens. V-Sync also eliminates the noise. It annoys me that this is happening though.
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The Buzz pitch sound I had when COD4 map was loading but it would be fine during a match, but later, it would shut down the PC after 5 mins of game play, the whole game of Crysis would buzz like crazy untill it shutdown..

As far as "(if your going to upgrade, Upgrade!)"
I did. My old BFG PSU wouldn't be able to support the GTX 280. I thought Ultra was a good brand. I listen to that Tiger tv host Logan's review on the Ultra X3 1000w modular because it was quiet and that its modular.

It turned out the Ultra 1000w PSU with those modular cables was junk. "Nvidia SLI ready" advertising my butt. Maybe I had a bad PSU, who knows. I liked their black mirror PSU case, I paid a little over $300.00 to Tigerdirect back in August '08 for a shiny black box for nothing. :mad: I went with the people reviews on the web with Corsair and bought the Corsair TX750 I couldn't be happier,high frequency noise free. :D
 
Is this problem related to an issue I think I'm having with my PC? I downloaded a couple of screen savers that are 3D, from a website called DigiMindSoft.com. When any one of these three screen savers activates (the regular Windows ones don't), I hear a high pitched noise that almost sounds like a tea kettle starting to go off, though not as loud. I haven't quite noticed it in any games yet, but I'm going to keep an ear out.
 
Well, just an update. I sent back my XFX to Newegg and ordered an EVGA, and guess what? The buzzing sound is a LOT less than the XFX. You can BARELY hear it, so I am quiet happy about the change I made. :)
 
caddys83 said:
As far as "(if your going to upgrade, Upgrade!)"
I did. My old BFG PSU wouldn't be able to support the GTX 280. I thought Ultra was a good brand. I listen to that Tiger tv host Logan's review on the Ultra X3 1000w modular because it was quiet and that its modular.
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I wasn't referring to you. I was referring to myself and the fact that 1000w is way more then I need, but at the price point newegg had them at it was worth it. In your case you definately made the right choice. Ultra is "meh" and the TX750 is known to be a very good PSU.
 
Zepharus said:
My 295 does it bad. Its mostly an nVidia thing..
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The internet says that it can be either company - nVidia or ATi.

My input on the issue though: I just built a computer with an XFX 260GTX 216 and the squealing is pretty bad. Only tried Crysis so far, as well as [url="http://www.daionet.gr.jp/~masa/rthdribl/"this[/url] HDR test program. The squealing was worse in Crysis.

I did get a slight buzz in the menus of games with an 8800GTX, but it even then it was not as bad as the 260GTX, and was only in menus. :( The worst buzzing with the 8800GT X Igot was with F@H, but again - that was not really as bad as the 260GTX 216 during the HDR test even.

I've gathered that EVGA cards do not have the issue, or produce a much quiter buzz/squeal - the reason seems to be that they use digital something instead of analogue... something like the other companies do.

EDIT: the PSU is the Corsair 520HX. I also have tried changing the power cords for the PSU (is that what it one of those guides meant? :p) but it seems that I've had no luck. This is not cool dawgs... :(
 
my 55nm evga gtx 260 doesn't make any sort of buzz and I'm quite familiar with buzzing coils and the sound they make.
 
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