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09-26-2015 10:33 AM
Yep, I've just recently noticed this noise as well. It honestly sounds like a hard-drive that is constantly grinding, but rather faintly. As another commenter mentioned, I also thought the HDD was going bad -- for that brief second before remembering it has an SSD! So yeah, this machine should not make HDD noises. 🙂
Usually with the TV on, or anyone talking it cannot be heard at all. However, when in a quite room I find it rather noticeable and a bit annoying. (It sounds like a faint HDD -- a constant digital "grinding" noise. Or as described by another user, like "Morse code".)
The sound does seem louder near the fan opening, so I wonder if it is just the fan when running at a very low speed. Perhaps it should really be off, but the power (PWM) signal isn't completely cut-off so it runs intermittently. Perhaps a driver or firmware update could actually resolve..?
Well, at least I'm glad that I'm not the only one that has noticed this. Definitely something you woulnd't be able to hear in a crowded or noisy store, but only in a quiet home or office. I can't help continuing to think that the HDD is running. I've had laptops for decades that make that regular noise -- accompanied by a status LED to signal activity. But now only in the past 2-3 years, the Ultrabooks have no HDDs, they have SSDs! (Yet still make the same noise. 🙂
09-26-2015 04:25 PM
Hi Taber,
It is a frustrating issue to have, especially when nothing else on the laptop makes any noise!
As we have determined previously, the noise is most likely coil whine coming from the processor power circuitry. It goes away when the CPU is under load, and starts up when the CPU is idle. It sounds like morse code, as the CPU is frequently entering and leaving certain sleep states, as it controls its power use.
I don't know how old HP's engineers are, or how loud they play their music, but it's surprising that the noise wasn't heard when these models were being tested. Perhaps it was, and HP don't think it's a problem?
09-27-2015 01:18 PM
Hello jlonomo,
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I suppose the fan makes a little noise, but that sounds just like a normal tiny fan. 🙂
Ok, interesting -- coil whine from the CPU power circuitry... Although, after a bit more testing on my machine, I actually still hear it when the CPU is under load. The fan will spin-up, but with my ear flat on the keyboard (near the escape key) the morse code still sounds the same -- but certainly more faint due to the fan running. Perhaps my machine has a really bad case of the CPU power circuitry whines... (Or, I have exceptional hearing!)
Yeah, how do the HP engineers afford their rock-and-roll lifestyle..? Oh, right -- by designing and building pretty good computers. (Yep, just pretty good -- to be the best all of the human-sensory aspects of a device must be scruitinzied! 😛 )
-Taber
09-30-2015 07:03 AM
After doing lots and lots of searching on the internet, I found a workaround that might help. I don't know if there are any dangers with this workaround, so if anyone has more knowledge on that please let me know.
So what you can do is diable idle processor. This thread has the explanation on how to do this: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/292915-30-high-pitched-noise-coming-area
It worked for me. You don't have to kill the HD graphics and you'll be buzz free! Good luck!
09-30-2015 07:36 AM
An excellent find! Through all my searching, I never came across that forum thread.
To be clear, this particular post by forum user jesdanco: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/292915-30-high-pitched-noise-coming-area#4294909
leontesh, can you tell us whether (and how) this change has altered your temperatures, fan usage and battery life?
I just tried it while on battery, and rather than the very quiet coil whine/buzz, I now just have a constantly buzzing fan! Checking task manager, and the CPU was simply just running at 100%. I don't think this will be an appropriate fix either. 😞
Turning the setting back to "Enable idle" caused the CPU usage to immediately drop, but the whine/buzz to start again.
I have a feeling the best solution will be to take off the bottom of the chassis, try to locate the component making the buzzing, and put a glob of epoxy on it. That should dampen the vibrations creating the noise. The only issue will be one of warranty; I don't know what HP thinks of us opening their laptops...
09-30-2015 07:39 AM
Sorry, you're right! I had the same problem, but then I changed the maximum settings of the processor to 50%. That stopped the fan noise, but I noticed some lag while using the PC. So now I'm just searching for the right percentage (probably around 70-80%).
I'm planning on using this solution only when necessary if it drops performance.
10-12-2015 05:05 PM - edited 10-12-2015 05:06 PM
I returned mine in the end and bought a Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro and guess what... same problem!!
However, I have solved it. The solution seems similar to the one above and is documented at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/975530
and referenced at https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-Yoga-Series-Notebooks/CPU-Noise/td-p/1008533
This completely solved the problem, it probably drains the battery a little faster, but in my view a price worth paying.
The fan noise on this Yoga 3 is an issue, it's almost always on, and though it's quiet I think we've established that I'm super-sensitive to noise. So I opened it up and unplugged the fan, and now, glorious silence. I'm hoping that the built in thermal protection will save me from disaster, and this Core M chip is designed to work in fanless installations....
10-12-2015 05:32 PM
You, my friend, are the true MVP. Thank you very very much! Unfortunately for me my fan 'broke' and is making terrible noise now, but at least it's not a coil whine haha.
I'm starting to regret buying this laptop, and missing my Surface Pro 3 [sorry HP!]
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