Very bad coil whine

[SmankovecXD]

I have my laptop for over 2 years now, but about half a year ago when i started a game i heard a very bad buzzing noise (prob. coil whine). And after a long time i finally decided to check what could be causing the coil whine and i noticed it hapens mostly when using 3d on the gpu or when the cpu is running at high frequency. It happens when running of the battery or the charger.

[Raj_05]

Hi @SmankovecXD,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like the coil whine in your HP Pavilion Gaming 15 is likely related to high power demands on both the GPU and CPU, as it happens during 3D gaming or when the CPU runs at a high frequency. This issue is not uncommon in gaming laptops, especially as they age and components like the power circuitry handle increased stress.

Here are some potential steps to reduce or manage the coil whine.

Update BIOS and Drivers:

• Ensure that your laptop's BIOS and GPU drivers are up to date. Manufacturers sometimes release updates that optimize power delivery, which may help reduce coil whine.
• You can check for updates on HP's support page or through Windows Update.

Limit Frame Rates (FPS):

• Reducing the frame rate (FPS) in games can lower the load on both the CPU and GPU, which might help with coil whine.
• Use V-Sync or enable FPS caps in your games to limit the strain.

Power Settings:

• Lower the performance mode settings in Windows or HP Command Center. This can reduce the power going to the GPU and CPU, lessening the coil whine.
• You can also switch to Balanced Mode instead of High-Performance Mode when gaming.

Undervolt the CPU/GPU:

• Undervolting can help reduce the power consumption and heat generation, which may alleviate coil whine. Tools like Intel XTU or Throttlestop can be used to undervolt the CPU, and MSI Afterburner for the GPU.

External Power Supply:

• Sometimes the power adapter may be contributing to coil whine. If possible, try using a different power adapter of the same voltage to see if the noise persists.

Cooling and Maintenance:

• Make sure the cooling system is working efficiently by cleaning out dust and debris from the fans and vents. Overheating can cause higher power demands, which might increase coil whine.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[SmankovecXD]

Hello i have checked the drivers and they seem to be all up to date even the bios. Power mode on windows is always set to energy saving mode but when its under load it still has coil whine but not that bad but its still loud. I have not yet tried undervolting but will try it sometime later and will let you know if it worked and trying a different adapter is not really possible for me since i dont have any compatible adapter with the laptop. I have fps always set to 144 or v-sync if possible so i dont think thats causing trouble and i clean the fans every 2 weeks or so from outside and it might be more dusty inside but from new to now its only like 2°c more. But i will try undervolting and see what happens.

[SmankovecXD]

I have tried undervolting and turning off turbo but it didnt do much but i noticed when the gpu starts working alongside the cpu its even worse and when going off the battery with battery saver it gets quieter and is lower freqency coil whine so i dont know. But my guess is it could be something on the mobo. 

[Raj_05]

Hi @SmankovecXD,

Thank you for your response, 

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action.

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link.

I hope this helps! Keep me posted.

Alden4

HP Support