XFX HD 7870 Buzzing

[minedwiz]

So, I've had my build for about a month, running an XFX HD 7870 card @ stock clocks. Lately, I've noticed that when I put my ear up to my case (it has a top radiator vent and a side panel fan mount, neither of which I use), I can hear the graphics card emitting a buzzing sound at load. It doesn't sound quite electronic, which is why I'm hesitant to call it coil whine. It also varies in speed occasionally - sometimes, particularly in Fallout: New Vegas, it will be slower than normal.



The only other thing I can think of besides some odd coil whine would be the fans. It's most definitely not having heat problems - it actually keeps quite cool for where I live. Has anyone else had or heard of a problem like this before and, if so, should I worry? It's inaudible if I don't put my ear right up to it, so it doesn't bother me at all if it's, in fact, harmless.



Sidenote: I have isolated this to the video card. My CPU fan (a Hyper 212 EVO) runs at a very quiet noise level, and the noise only occurs under GPU load, anyway. It's also not my PSU, as I can't hear it nearly as clearly if I put my ear up to my PSU.

 

[Carfax83]

This is what coil whine sounds like.

Does it sound like that?

 

[Eureka]

Carefully move the heatsink shroud (apply a little pressure, wiggle a little) when you hear the buzzing. Does it change in pitch? If it does, it's the fan causing the buzzing noise.

 

[minedwiz]

No, I think I've ruled out the fan. It doesn't make the noise even when I crank them up to 100% manually from the desktop. If this is just electronic noise, as long as it doesn't indicate impending harm to my card, then I'm OK with it.