SOLVED!!! - Pentium 4 2GHz Northwood problems - annoying sound

[bruincal]

I just recently got my new computer, and this is about the 4th day I've been using it. On the 3rd day, I noticed that when I turned it on, there was a low-volume, high pitched tone coming from the computer. The tone wasn't constant, it varied as I used my computer. I use Windows XP, so I pulled up Task Manager and I noticed that the sound stopped when I created a situation where the processor was at 100% usage. Whenever the usage was below 100% or max, the tone would return. While it was running, I opened the case of the my computer. I thought that it might be the hard drive, but it was definitely coming from the processor. It wasn't the fan either. The weird thing is if I shutdown, and turn it back on a while later, the noise is gone. A reboot doesn't solve it.
Does anyone know of this?!?
This is my system configuration:

-Gateway 700X
-Pentium 4 2GHz Northwood
-Intel 850 motherboard (I think)
-256 MB RDRAM
-40 GB UATA100 7200 RPM HDD
-100 GB UATA100 7200 RPM HDD
-Nvidia GeForce2 MX 400 with DVI and TV-out
-Sound Blaster Live! Value
-16X DVD-ROM
-24X CD Writer
-6 USB/ 3 FireWire ports

SOLVED update!!!:: the sound was caused by the firewire card ... it was supposedly operating at such a high frequency that it caused breakthrough and thus signal coupling in nearby components on the motherboard. I found this out after doing some research on the internet, and found other people having the same problem with OCHI FireWire controllers... I just swapped FireWire card into another PCI slot and no more sound!! =) Thanks to everyone who helped =)

 

[DaiShan]

what are the average temps on your chip? what kind of heatsink are you using? did you use thermal compound?

 

[bruincal]

Since I ordered it from Gateway, I assumed they put in the appropriate stuff to control heat on the processor... There's a giant fan on top of a huge heat sink... I don't think its heat .. because when I shut down and boot up again, I ran it for 24 hours straight without the annoying sound coming back...

 

[DaiShan]

hmm, if you ran it for 24 hours with out the sound, I would agree it wasn't heat too, where specifically is the sound coming from? the internal speaker? or the external ones? also is it a computerized "tone" or is it something else?

 

[bruincal]

Well for sure it isn't coming from any speakers ... I turned off my speakers, and I listened to the internal PC speaker ... nope not either. It shoulds like a mechanical tone, sort of like an IC circuit. It sounds exactly like the circuits I study in circuits lab .... the sound is definitely in the processor area.

 

[bruincal]

someone help?!?! still doing it ... it only stops whenever i shutdown and turn off the computer and then power it on again.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Give Gateway a call. If they can't figure out exactly what's causing the noise they will ship out every conceiveable part that could possibly be the problem. Oh, and if they can figure it out they will ship that part.

 

[bruincal]

i called gateway, and their response to all my problems were 'take it to the nearest gateway service center', which i don't really have time to do. now, i've noticed that if i max out the processor for about 10 minutes, then the noise won't come back until the next time my computer is turned on. so that i don't go insane, i have to run a United Devices agent (distributed computing stuff) so that my processor is at max all the time. i was wondering if it could be a hard drive? is your hard drive speed/function affected by the processor speed so that it could be making such noises because of the processor? i wanted to take remove the processor from the socket and reseat it, but then there's all kinds of thermal grease between the heat sink and processor, and it would be a huge mess.
thanks.

oh yeah, i downloaded intel's Active Monitor program to monitor my system temp and processor temp, and my system temp never gets higher than 105, and my processor temp is about 111 highest, all in Farenheit, of course. When the chip is idling, its at about 81 degrees F. I don't think heat is the culprit here =P

one of my tech friends said that the newer intel chips, at below their max speed, the chip automatically cuts its frequency in half or below, which causes the noise. but at max, the frequency is at 2ghz, which is high enough that human ears aren't able to hear it. is this even true? or is my friend making this stuff up?!?

 

[bruincal]

its been over two weeks now .. and the problem remains! i don't have the time to take it to the gateway store for service ....

i know for sure now it isn't the hard drive, and it isn't any of the fans .. i unplugged the hard drive and booted up, and the noise remained...

it is either the processor, or somewhere on the motherboard ... i'm incling towards the motherboard since processor's aren't capable of making noise??

i ran a 24 hour torture test on my system just to make sure if it wasn't burned-in or something .. no success ....

can anyone help?

 

[bruincal]

*bump*

anyone help?!? =)
thanks

 

[WarCon]

Is it the fan on the processor? When its at idle, stop or slow the blade and see if thats it. Otherwise cover the vent holes on your powersupply with your hand and see if the sound is coming from it. Start narrowing it down.

 

[WarCon]

Did you ever figure it out?

 

[bruincal]

Well, I removed the fan that is on the power supply, but I didn't remove the processor fan (or stop it), because I was afraid that it would overheat (and void my warranty) because at 2ghz without a fan is kinda risky... but anyway, for sure it isn't the fan ... I listened up close and for sure it wasn't....

One of the weird things is that its very random. On some days when I turn on my computer, the sound isn't there at all, and some days its very loud. Sometimes, if I max out the processor for 10 minutes or so, the sound doesn't come back the entire day. On other days, no matter what I do, the sound is always there. Now, recently the sound is still there on startup, but it has a lower volume (or just maybe I'm being deaf to the tone cause I hear it all the time =P ). I've never seen (heard) anything like this in my experience with computers. If it was the fan, I'd be able to handle it, but this is really high pitched and low volume.

Its so high pitched, that both of my roommates can hear it when its present even though they're like 10 feet away. But for some other people, like my dad, couldn't hear it even though he was right next to my computer. I guess its so high frequency that it really depends on a person's range of hearing.

I'm afraid that if I take it to Gateway, they're not going to believe me, especially if they can't hear it. Or, since the computer runs perfectly fine (proven with countless hours of stability and stress tests), that they're going to wave it off.\

I've narrowed it down a lot. I've tried switchign power sources (currently I'm running on a UPS that regulates the power), removed the hard drive, tested the power supply fan, tried different monitors, and covered the internal speaker. Nothing! It seems very much to be coming from a part on the motherboard. The problem with these kinds of sounds is that its very hard to locate and differentiate between the other ambient sounds in a computer.



I searched around on the internet, and found that other motherboards (such as Sun) have had noise problems too:
http://sunblade100.wells.org.uk/cache/33.html

Also, I tried booting up with a Win98 boot disk into DOS, and there is no noise at all. For about a split second as the system starts, there is no noise, but when XP is loading, the sound starts. This is leading me to believe that a component is causing the noise, and it is occuring in XP because XP initializes it on boot. That's probably why there is no noise in DOS.


oh yeah, i forgot ... Thanks Everyone! for helping me out =]

 

[bruincal]

*bump*

=]

 

[bruincal]

Bump!

Looks like this kind of stuff isn't covered by Gateway's warranty, since there's nothing wrong with the computer .. just that it makes an annoying high pitched sound ...

It has to be some part/chip on the motherboard that is causing this sound .. cause when i boot to DOS using a boot floppy there is not sound .. there's also no sound during startup... the sound appears the moment bootup gets to winxp...

*hoping maybe the future release of winxp service pack 1 will somehow fix this...

 

[bruincal]

Solved!! Read first post for edited post ...
just telling everyone what happen in case other peopl have been having same problem =P

 

[WarCon]

Thanks man for letting us know. What a strange problem. I wonder what component was singing? Cap, inductor or what?