NO MORE GTX 280 SQUEALING! Nvidia’s “Deadly” Flaw and How To Fix It

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AuDioFreaK39

Limp Gawd
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Jan 10, 2005
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Many thanks go out to Theo Valich for posting this article.


Theo's Bright Side of IT - NVIDIA's "deadly" Flaw and How To Fix It - No More GTX 280 Squealing!

It is no secret that I am huge fan of Folding@Home project, or that I love to play computer games (when I find time :(). Both of these activities put high amounts of strain on components inside the computer, and any weakness in product design can be easily discovered.

This tale speaks of a company that makes great chips, but also has a serious design flaw: PCB design. As long as story about “Built by Nvidia” components was told, there were isolated cases of “squealing”. This squealing is caused by vibration of copper coils, and is not present on products designed by people that take attention at these things. Read: if your card has Digital Voltage Regulation Module (DVRM, as Iwill originally called it - Digital PWM is more popular these days) or all solid-state caps and shielded chokes, no sound should be produced. But, if your part has coils or non-shielded capacitors/chokes, you could be “enjoying” in squealing sounds of electronics.

To make the matters clear, certain products from BOTH ATI and Nvidia can squeal under load. ATI moved to clear the issue, Nvidia didn’t. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to record squealing with any of my microphones (upcoming test lab will feature ultra-sensitive microphone equipment), but in a silent computer with three Noctua fans, any non-standard behavior is noticeable. This high-pitched noise is often eaten by the sound of fans, but if you have a silent rig, it gets really, I mean REALLY - annoying.

The squealing is only appearing when the GPU is cranked all the way up, in Folding@Home, Far Cry 2, Crysis: Warhead - the same cards that squealed like pigs in Crysis didn’t do the same in Unreal Tournament 3, Fallout 3 or Race Driver: GRID.
After experiencing squealing with my reference Nvidia GTX280 card in the past month or so, I’ve thoroughly checked following products:
  • ATI Radeon X850XT
  • ATI Radeon X1800XT CrossFire Edition
  • ATI Radeon 2900XT 512MB
  • ATI FireGL V8600 1024MB (2900XT)
  • ATI Radeon 3850 256MB
  • ASUS EN9800GX2 1024MB TOP
  • ASUS EN9800GTX 512MB TOP
  • EVGA GeForce GTX260 Core 216 896MB x2
  • EVGA GeForce GTX280 SuperClocked 1024MB
  • EVGA GeForce GTX280 SSC 1024MB x2
  • Gainward GeForce 8800GTS 640MB
  • Gainward GeForce 8800GT 512MB
  • Palit Radeon 4850 512MB x2
  • Palit Radeon 4870 512MB x2
  • Palit GeForce 9800GX2 1024MB x2
  • Palit GeForce GTX280 1024MB
  • Sapphire Atomic 3870 512MB
  • XFX GeForce 8600GTS 256MB XXX Edition

Keep Reading..
 
This happens to more than just the GTX280 - almost every 8800 series card I've used exhibits squealing under load.
 
My 8800gts 512 doesn't squeel, my antec neopower psu will squeel very rarely, and only for a few seconds
 
JaYp146 said:
This happens to more than just the GTX280 - almost every 8800 series card I've used exhibits squealing under load.
Click to expand...

Yes, the 8800 series is mentioned in the article as well. In fact, the problem effects both Nvidia AND ATi.
 
Funny I just noticed today when I had the door off my case that my 8800GTX squeals like a pig while running 3dmark. It's such an insignificant problem though, I've had the card since practically the day they were released and never noticed.
 
My BFG 9600GT OC squeeled and untill now I didn't know why.

I don't think my eVga 8800GTS G92 squeeled or my XFX 9800GTX+. I know my eVga 7900GTO's don't squeel, even @ GTX speeds.
 
Keep in mind that some of us have VERY sensitive ears and can pick up higher frequency tones better than others.
 
My old x800xtpe used to squeal. But the PSU I was using caused it. This is more than a video card issue. Several components in your system are capable of producing audible noise under load conditions. My current system is 100% squeal and interference free. Glad I bought quality shit this go around.
 
both 8800gts 320 and 512 of mine do it during atitool artifact scanner as well as in 3dmark06 (some parts of the test)
 
I had an M2N-E that squealed at very strange times, like when I scrolled a window up and down (but not side to side for some reason.) Eventually I went over the board and squeezed every coil inductor with my fingernails, and it didn't squeal anymore.
 
I've noticed my 8800 GTX and GTX260 both exhibit this behavior but not to a point that the fans on the card drown it out. Start up is actually where it is the most annoying as I can "hear" it like it was a small beep.

Once in awhile the 8800GTX would cycle a high frequency sound almost akin to a dog whistle. Actually painful when I think about it.
 
I still have a 3870 that does that from time to time but I figure its a 3870 and its supposed to be crappy.
 
I used to notice a strange squeel inbetween tests on 3dmark. Would come and go. Never really noticed it in games.
 
Question - since they used color-less nail polish, if you ever needed to RMA the board, would XFX/EVGA/BFG/Palit etc. even notice?

Also - my 8800 Ultra squeals so badly under FAH load that I can only run the client while away from the computer; it's unbearable, so bad I can't sleep while it's going.
 
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