EVGA Supernova 650 GM Coil Whine

Joined
Jun 19, 2005
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So I built my first SFFPC and unfortunately the PSU is screeching away like no tomorrow.

Take a listen, this is just loading up the Hitman 2 menu screen: https://clyp.it/s0tzml13?token=acb566a5af6a9a9b155d3288609cb455

Interestingly enough, it doesn't happen with Resident Evil 2. I guess Hitman is just a much more power hungry game.

Two questions:

1) Does coil whine constitute a defective product? Asking because Newegg only allows free returns on defective products.

2) Can someone recommend an SFX PSU to replace this with? Are some brands better than others in terms of coil whine? Or is it a lottery?
 
I know coil whine is an accepted reason for RMAs, but not sure about returns. You should check with Newegg customer service.

That particular PSU is built by FSP. FSP is not one of the PSU companies known for coil whine. Everyone's favorite company, Seasonic, is the one that is generally known for higher than average coil whine complaints. But yes, it is for the most part lottery.

Are you sure the coil whine is coming from the PSU? It can be your GPU or even motherboard. GPUs especially have been known to whine as well.
 
Definitely coming from the PSU. I actually removed it from the case to get a better listen.

I downloaded RTSS to limit frame rate to my refresh rate and the coil whine has gotten a lot quieter. Still there, but not nearly as annoying as before (Hitman 2 intro screens run at a ridiculously high unbounded framerate).

Do you think it's worse because it's an SFX PSU? Perhaps since it's lower wattage it's being maxed out and stressing the coils more? Would I be better off going for the new 750w offering from Corsair or should that not matter?
 
It's pretty random, and it's not always a case of higher load=more whine, it can be the other way around.
 
I swapped out the PSU for a full size PSU (Corsair AX860) from my previous ATX tower and it's whisper quiet. Unfortunately I can't use it permanently since it won't fit in my case so I think I might just return the EVGA and grab a Corsair SF750. I'm not sure if newegg considers coil whine "defective" so I may take a hit on the restocking fee. Oh well.
 
There is no one cause to coil whine, it's very random. Getting a larger PSU will not necessarily eliminate coil whine.

On a side note, coil whine is always present. Most of the time, it is at frequencies that we cannot hear. Additionally, every person has different frequency ranges that they can hear, so while one person might hear coil whine, the person standing next to them might not.
 
I got the Corsair SF750 and it's soooo much quieter. Still whines a bit at super high framerates, but I'm beginning to learn that it's normal. And this is more of a light static/fuzzy sounding whine as opposed to the horrendous screeching that I was getting with the EVGA.
 
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