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I whenever I open google chrome or firefox on my pc I get a really annoying buzzing noise.

I've been trying to pinpoint the noise - I removed all hard drives and swapped them all for new ones. Doesn't seem to be the hard drives. I have an SSD, so I ran only that drive and the noise still existed, so I ran just a normal Sata drive and same problem, still the noise.

Furthermore with the case open, when I listen around the case the nosie seems to be coming from between the processor on the motherboard and the connectors on the motherboard (for things like USB etc.)

I've tried unplugging my USB devices one by one to see if it is that. It's not though.

Here's what I have:

CPUZ Info click here

Summary:
Intel Core i5 760
8GB DDR3 Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R motherboard

Do you have any ideas of what could make noise in the computer while chrome is open? Can you make any suggestions for me of what I need to replace??

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  • Somebody posted that they had the same problem as an answer, and that it happens when they upload or download a large file in IE too.. It seems that somebody then deleted that person's answer, which is unfortunate, maybe they didn't have the rep to comment or didn't know better, but what they posted as an answer was useful as a comment. I commented on that (And it seems that comment was deleted too, as happens with this site), but I commented, that he could try as an experiment, a network card, so the cable is plugged into the ethernet socket on that rather than on the motherboard.
    – barlop
    Apr 12, 2012 at 4:46
  • DeaZ: I also have this Gigabyte motherboard and the sound appear when I use chrome OR uploading/download at a high speed. Really annoying barlop: what if you get a cheap network card, with an ethernet socket on it and use that instead of the ethernet on the motherboard?
    – Synetech
    Sep 18, 2012 at 20:37
  • 4
    As anyone who's driven an old 60s automobile knows, that's simply the Chrome rattling. Jan 28, 2013 at 21:54
  • Maybe its malware that uses high-frequency sound: arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/11/… Nov 18, 2015 at 20:49

5 Answers 5

7

This is indeed caused by frequently shutting down and waking up the CPU. It is supposed to be silent, but some aging systems will start to buzz especially when running on batteries, this is often due to coil noise in the VR (voltage regulation) circuit caused by loosened coils or dried up capacitors. Consequently the coils physically move slightly and you hear a tiny tick.

Why this only happens in Chrome is because it bumps system timer resolution from a default 50Hz to 1000Hz for the entire duration Chrome is running, that's what is causing the buzz (not to mention greatly reduced battery life). Applications must do it only when needed. I reported a bug a while ago, and for a short period it was resolved, but now it is back again (also see 153139).

On desktop systems the easiest workaround is to disable deep-sleep states (C1, C1E etc) in the BIOS. Laptop BIOSes usually don't provide such settings, for which I have made a workaround tool called nobuzz.

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If it sounds like this high-pitched noise, you're hearing the not-so-soothing sounds of a bad capacitor or VRM on the MB or GPU. Look for any caps that are bulging or (for solid caps) appear "unseated."

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    Seems odd that only Chrome would trigger the bad capacitor's humming, but the only other alternatives for common computer noises would be fans, speakers transmitting noise from a loose ground connection or bad shielding, or the LCD's fluorescent backlight. Mar 11, 2012 at 8:28
  • Like any unsealed torrid coils, which would probably not cause a hardware failure over time. That correlates with the location. The whole voltage regulation set down there, micro rattling at specific power consumptions.
    – Psycogeek
    Mar 11, 2012 at 10:07
  • Chrome could trigger it because of the hardware acceleration. But yes, it is possible that the LCD could be causing interference. Turning off other components could help pinpoint the problem.
    – EKW
    Mar 12, 2012 at 2:56
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It turned out oddly enough to be the power saving features of the board. I turned them all off in the bios. Its odd that they would only start working when chrome was open, not really sure why, but it worked. So for any of you that have this problem do this:

enter image description here

C1E and CPU EIST. Disabled them both in the bios and BAM! no more noise, silent computing.

Thhanks to the guys over here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/255148-30-turn-energy-saver and the other people's thread who i read (but i can't find the url for) that suggested this.

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  • CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E), C3/C6/C7 State Support, Thermal Monitor 2(TM2), CPU EIST Function… I miss the good old days when computers were simpler.
    – Synetech
    Sep 18, 2012 at 21:25
  • Too bad most laptop BIOSes don't offer such a fine level of customizability.
    – rustyx
    Sep 6, 2014 at 9:03
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    This doesn't solve the problem, it just hides it. Some electrical component is unstable at low loads. Disabling C1E and EIST won't do anything but keep your CPU pegged at max power, which will result in lower component lifespans and more heat generated in your case.
    – EKW
    Aug 24, 2015 at 14:56
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This is just a shot in the dark, but maybe for some reason (no idea why Chrome would do this, it shouldn't) Chrome is taking up a lot of proccessor power, in turn making your fan run faster. I know it isn't your fan making the problem (judging by your question), but what about some loose screws holding in the motherboard?

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  • Note.. I just got internet on my Win7 box, and Chrome hogs my processor some times, but it's usually when I am running IE as well.. I'll have to look into this when I get home
    – cutrightjm
    Apr 11, 2012 at 12:42
0

I have had the same problem. To fix it, go to to Intel Download Center and update your drivers. It really works.

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    You're right updating drivers help, but not from Intel, from your vendor.. I updated my drivers from vaio sony website and it helped. Oct 22, 2015 at 20:49

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