HP ZBook G5 making strange "digital" noises...

[ripvanmarlowe]

I've got a new ZBook 15 G5 and I am finding that when the fans are off that it is making a permanent low level "digital" noise.  I'm not too sure how to describe it but it sounds a little like the noise an old 56k modem would make when connecting to the internet but very quiet. It sounds as if you can "hear" the processor working on a task.  I find this very distracting and I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this sound? It seems to be coming from the rear of the laptop underneath the speaker bar. This is the second Zbook I've had after having to RMA the first one for turning itself in to a brick. So far I'm pretty unimpressed.

Can anyone tell me if this is an issue they have seen (or heard) before? Do I need to send it back again?

[iomare]

Hi,

Do you have a mechanical drive in the system? Usually, that is what is making the noise, On some occasions, the CPU can make a strange "electronic" noise.

If the noise is disturbing you should get fixed under warranty.

Hope it helps,

David

[ripvanmarlowe]

Hi, no it's an ssd, not a mechanical drive.  Yep, i think I will need to return it again. I'm right in the middle of a job now so it's very inconvenient.  Hopefully third time's a charm!

[Hypothesis]

Hello,

You described the problem perfectly. I already returned the first unit I bought (ZBOOK 15 G5, very high-end specs) and received another one - that has the same problem. Then I checked another one in the shop (the third one) and it also had the same problem. I do music and sound design professionally and use the laptop for that when I am traveling and it is VERY annoying. I cannot figure out what is causing the problem, it seems to be coming for the top left corner of the body, but it's not the speakers since I tried disconnecting them - and the noise is still there.  It sounds like some kind of interference issue. As Ripvanmarlowe said, it is not mechanical in nature - more like electrical/digital.

Apart from that - the laptop works great, but the noise is sometimes (in a quiet room) driving me mad....

Is this a hardware issue in all units or just some? 

[Jon_B0]

Mine does it as well. I don't notice it so much in the office, but when working from home it drives me crazy. It sounds like high frequency pulsing, which varies wildly according to load. I'm guessing it might be some dc-dc power conversion circuit as it seems to come from near the power connector area. (Again, SSD only, no HDD fitted.) The trouble is, a replacement is unlikely to be any different as it seems to be a design "feature".

[Eclipse2017]

Is it coil whine? I had it on my Lenovo Thinkpad P51. It sounds like a high-pitched electronic buzzing or 'whine'. The pitch may change with CPU load. On the Thinkpad the coil whine diminished significantly over a few months. There is nothing wrong with the laptop, but I understand the noise is annoying. Note that all manufacturers seem to have units affected at random with the issue: Dell Precision, Lenovo Thinkpad P series and Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2018, 2019). That said my HP ZBook 17 G5 has been completely silent. Hope things work out for you.