very high frequency buzzing from 80gig spinpoint (nidec)

Dr. Babak · Post by **Dr. Babak** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:52 pm

This is the second SP0802N Nidec drive i've tried and both create a very high frequency buzzing noise. It almost sounds like something electronic. It doesn't sound like a motor or something mechanical. The buzzing only occurs in windows, too. During bootup, there's no buzzing. Does anyone have any ideas? I don't want to have to return this drive a second time. I RMA'd my first one because i thought it was just a problem with that particular drive. Other info: i have an ECS nforce2 mobo, 2600+ barton and an antec sonata. thanks in advance.

andyb · Post by **andyb** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:34 pm

This may sound a little odd.

Do you have a CRT Monitor.???

Andy

Dr. Babak · Post by **Dr. Babak** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:56 pm

No, I have an LCD. And I've definitely narrowed down the noise to the drive as it isn't present when I remove it or boot windows on a different hard drive. Could there be some other component in my computer that's causing the drive to make this sound? the PSU or something?

swannema · Post by **swannema** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:49 pm

I've had strange buzzing noises in my at PC one time, turned out to be the mosfets ( the doughnut shaped things with the coils around them) in my PSU. The coils around them started swinging under certain load, used some high stable hot glue and totaly covered them up, noise gone.

Dr. Babak · Post by **Dr. Babak** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:31 pm

I'm not sure how plausible this is, but I think there's something going on with my IDE controller. I tried uninstalling the nforce controllers and rebooted. The sound went away completely....until XP reinstalled the controller after the reboot. After that happened, the sound started up again. Anyone else ever hear of something like this happening? Another odd thing is that the buzzing doesn't start until i'm actuallying in windows. Meaning that if I leave my computer at the XP login screen, the drive is totally silent.

daba · Post by **daba** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:43 pm

swannema wrote:I've had strange buzzing noises in my at PC one time, turned out to be the mosfets ( the doughnut shaped things with the coils around them) in my PSU. The coils around them started swinging under certain load, used some high stable hot glue and totaly covered them up, noise gone.

Those aren't MOSFETs.

Qwertyiopisme · Post by **Qwertyiopisme** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:45 am

daba wrote:
swannema wrote:I've had strange buzzing noises in my at PC one time, turned out to be the mosfets ( the doughnut shaped things with the coils around them) in my PSU. The coils around them started swinging under certain load, used some high stable hot glue and totaly covered them up, noise gone.
Those aren't MOSFETs.

Aren't they called... uh.. damnit what are they called... (They are similar to a capacotor but backwards, they give out a constant current but varying voltage). It's toroidially shaped in any case.

A mosfet is a small IC on your mobo that can get very warm. (black, plastic covering).

scotty6435 · Post by **scotty6435** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 9:46 am

The coils are voltage regulators I think, kinda like hardcore MOSFETS. I've got a similar problem with my coils, after a heavy session gaming, my shuttle PSU squeeks when it cools down. Once I've found the appropriate glue I'm gonna treat it as well.

luminous · Post by **luminous** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:34 am

I think what you are experiencing is either coil whine, or something that is very closely related to it. The cause of the problem is complicated, and depends on the exact config of your machine. It is not necessarily down to one component in the machine. Just because it does not buzz when the drive is not there, does not mean that it is the drive that is buzzing.

Top candiates are your mobo and your PSU. If you machine is sufficiently sensitive that a change in drivers sorts the problem, then that could be the long term solution. When you install the Nforce drivers there is an option on using the IDE controller. Toggle that selection (if you use it, don't, if not - try it).

Another possibility is a BIOS upgrade. The chanes of success with this is not that high, but it has been known to help.

If you can identify which component in the machine is causing the problem, covering it in hot glue can help. You will have to be very specific, you cannot cover the whole of your mobo in glue

Also, if the whine is really loud, you may well be able to RMA the component. A mobo should work without whine when all makes of HDD are connectred, not just some.

Dr. Babak · Post by **Dr. Babak** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:54 pm

Qwertyiopisme wrote:
daba wrote:
swannema wrote:I've had strange buzzing noises in my at PC one time, turned out to be the mosfets ( the doughnut shaped things with the coils around them) in my PSU. The coils around them started swinging under certain load, used some high stable hot glue and totaly covered them up, noise gone.
Those aren't MOSFETs.
Aren't they called... uh.. damnit what are they called... (They are similar to a capacotor but backwards, they give out a constant current but varying voltage). It's toroidially shaped in any case.

A mosfet is a small IC on your mobo that can get very warm. (black, plastic covering).

I think you're thinking of an inductor. Anyways, thanks for the help. I will try that BIOS upgrade. It's very hard to identify exactly where the buzzing is coming from. Maybe I'll try using a different PSU and see how that goes. This is a very cheap mobo, by the way. It's one of those fry's combos that i got with my CPU about a year ago. So the mobo was basically free, I'm not surprised.