Hello, I recently built a new 1156 system using a P7P55D-E PRO motherboard. I'm experiencing a high pitched ringing which originates from the CPU socket region of the board. I used a small piece of tubing to identify this specific noise was not coming from the PSU or graphics card. The noise is most noticeable when the processor is idle. What I believe to be the origin of the noise is the regulation of power saving functions with the on-board supply causing the wire in the inductors to resonate as the power level drops. Intel i5-750 ASUS P7P55D-E PRO G.Skill RipJaw 2x2GB DDR3 1600MHz (F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM) ASUS EAH5850 DirectCU 1GB Corsair HX 750 Windows 7 Professional x64 A reported workaround is disabling 'C1E Support' and 'Intel(R) C-STATE Tech' in the BIOS, theoretically keeping the power level higher to make the noise inaudible. In my tests, it dampens the brunt of the noise, it doesn't remove the annoyance completely. This "fix" brings a penalty of higher power consumption, more heat and the removal of "inactive" cores impacts the processor capability of TURBO mode. As C-STATE Tech controls the flagging of "active" and "inactive" cores, having the function disabled will effectively keep all four physical cores marked as "active" limiting the clock speed multiplier. As one core cannot achieve the maximum 24x multiplier and theoretical speed of 3.2GHz as all four cores will constantly be "active" with C-STATE/C1E disabled. Here's links to other discussions on the problem: http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20100131044147656 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&SortField=3&SelectedRating=-1&Keywords=noise http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/270523-12-first-build-asus-p7p55d-high-pitched-buzzing http://forums.overclockersclub.com/?showtopic=172953 http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1485142 I contacted ASUS Support last week and haven't received any information on this issue. My aim is to find whether this issue is widespread with the P7P55D/P7P55D-E series boards and if a replacement would have the same issue. I'm also wondering if everyone can actually hear the frequency after looking at recent newegg.com reviews. Based on my specific board, everyone I've asked can hear the noise outside of the case. The board has good reviews and great features but the noise is very annoying. The thought of dissembling then reassembling and so on with replacements is disheartening and hope this problem isn't a fault with hardware components on all the boards. I've requested a RMA for a refund as the item is still under 30 days warranty. Would I be better off with a different board or manufacturer? Are there any similarly priced boards with the same specifications? Thanks for reading. This whole issue has been stressing me for a week. I'd hoped the earlier newegg.com reports were down to a "bad batch" but here I am over the pond with the problem. There's also a 1366 board with similar reported issues, GA-X58A-UD3R, although the "noise" might be a different cause from this.
Same exact problem with a P7P55-M (i7 860) and I eventually found the same solution (disabling c-state &c1e). However, my high-pitched torture machine is completely neutralized once windows 7 begins. and yes i bugs me that i can't take advantage of the 24x multiplier which goes great with my normal 160 blk overclocks as well as the power saving features. I don't plan on exchanging mine because this board was already a replacement for a misdiagnosed and unlikely bad component (an i5 750). originally had a GA-P55M-UD2 (which i thought was a great board for the price) but a technician thought it was bad and recommend an ASUS board. long story short he spent a lot of time checking every component (only two of which i bought at that store, the CPU and motherboard) in my computer over the course of the week before finally swapping out the CPU. The i7 860 only cost $20 more ($199 (Micro Center)) that week so i upgraded it. I had no problems with noise with the i5 and Gigabyte board with all the CPU features enabled. This may very well be an ASUS problem. I settled on a mild overclock 160blk with turbo turned on (22x mult) 3.5 and i am content at the time though i would be interested in a utility that could perform similar power saving functions via the operating system when the computer is inactive. ANYONE KNOW OF ANY?
My post was delayed drastically due to TrollGuard™. Based on the above users post, I must be incorrect. I had not head of this problem on the Asus' P55 boards until the -e boards. As for the whine... I haven't come across a better solution than disabling the C-States, but some people have had success updating the BIOS. I don't have this problem on my P7P55D-E Pro (or my ears aren't good enough to hear it). If I did, I think that would just overclock it to at least 3.2GHz. That's the best Turbo mode gives you anyway.
After attempting a clean install of Windows 7 Pro (in case it was the chipset drivers, likely futile), I found the noise was there throughout the entire installation, so it's not just limited to the desktop environment. IIRC, someone may have mentioned somewhere that newer drivers for the board lessened the noise (might have been chipset or SATA controller drivers), haven't tested. Anyone have any idea what "C State package limit setting" controls? Defaults to AUTO. The manual describes: "This item appears only when you set the 'Intel(R) C-STATE Tech' item to [Enabled]. We recommend that you set this item to [Auto] for BIOS to automatically detect the C-State mode supported by your CPU. Configuration options: [Auto] [C1] [C3] [C6]" I'm assuming C1 is "active" and C3/C6 are "inactive" since C1E is "Enhanced Halt State". I've managed to find some IPA cleaner, so I'm edging toward disassembling for an RMA as the 30 day warranty, especially as the 3 year "limited" warranty from ASUS seems sketchy in the UK. I'd hoped to get some form of technical support or statement on the noise, but so far no response. It's disconcerting since ASUS are usually my first choice for hardware. The decision is whether I can tolerate the noise (and ringing ears) or live with C1E/C-STATE disabled (and gimp Intel processor feature/s). The third option is to go with a different board although finding one with all the features of the P7P55D-E Pro is difficult. The GIGABYTE boards have 'that' issue with PCIe lanes and USB3.0/SATA 6Gbps, unless the newer boards have a PLX chip and NF200 controller? Found another thread regarding "buzz/noise/whine from around the CPU socket on the motherboard" with an Intel DP55KG board. Related? Good to know. Thanks for the information. I compared features on boards, the EVO looks good as it has an eSATA port over the PRO. I'd lose the USB3.0 and 6Gbps SATA, though in honesty, I'm not using those connectors presently. There's a U3S6 expansion card which adds that functionality anyway. Windows 7 has a "Balanced" power plan which should allow the OS to control power saving. From what I can tell with CPU-Z, the voltage and wattage used at idle on my i5-750 is similar to having C1E/C-STATE enabled (effectively, 0.88v from 1.11v and 50w from 110w). As for idle/inactive cores and the heat production, there didn't appear to be a significant improvement compared to C-STATE being enabled. A user mentioned the EVGA P55 Cheesecake emitting a less noticable noise in the ASUSTeK board thread. I'm wondering if it's the choice in power inductors. The board came with the 0601 BIOS. I'm fairly sure the problem is coil whine in the inductors around the socket area and as the other functions of the board appear fine, I decided against flashing the BIOS. Edited to add: I had someone else listen today with the side access panel on and off and he was only able to hear it "slightly" between the processor going from stressed to idle. The main problem for me is that the case is on the desk with the monitor and not on the floor, so the sound is emitting fairly close - the room is quite quiet too. If the noise wasn't so skull piercing, compared to fan and other standard "ambience" noises, I wouldn't be so irritated. Overall though, the problem is more of an annoyance than a "defect" with the boards, although you could probably argue the case in regards to environmental health. I'll look into flashing the BIOS. I read over the 0711 and 0806 notes, apart from "improving system stability" and "memory compatibility", there doesn't seem much in regards to power saving functions of the Intel chips. Does C1E/C-STATE make any difference when overclocking? I figure the fluctuating voltages wouldn't help. There are a few people that managed to get Turbo Mode enabled running stable at around 3.8GHz, not sure whether power saving was enabled. My plan for the moment is to leave this system running at stock.
Yeah, you can run Turbo mode with an OC. I just meant that at stock, Turbo tops at 3.2 GHz. However, if you leave it stock with that halt state disabled, you can't hit the high Turbo mark because it relies on halting one or two of the cores. So, with C1E disabled, a conservative OC to 3.2 GHz (shouldn't require a voltage increase) means that you'll lose nothing other than the power savings. As for C1E and overclocks, I've read that it causes instability at higher overclocks, but I've never experienced the problem myself.
Of course. I overlooked the multiplier limitation with C-STATE disabled. What BIOS are you running on your P7P55D-E Pro? Have you asked other people if they can hear a noise? It's a little disparaging knowing overclocking is affected, should you use Turbo Mode on top, by the "workaround". I'm going to get more information on how the manufacturer warranty works here in the UK then likely go with whichever outcome works best. I'm still fairly well within 28-30 days warranty with the reseller.
Yes, my brother and my wife can't hear it either. Plus, my bro has the same board, and we can't hear it on his either, but we both purchased it at the same time and place so if it's a batch issue... Also, we're both using Corsair 750TX PSUs, Windows 7 64-bit, and 806 Bios. I can't remember off-hand what BIOS these came with.
I had some free time to do more testing earlier. I updated all drivers for the motherboard - audio, lan, usb, sata (all three) and the chipset - no effect on the noise. Flashing the BIOS to 0801 had no effect either. All updates were from the ASUS website. It's probably not software caused. It's safe to say this is likely "coil whine" from the power inductors 'singing' when the power level drops causing the resonance to be in the audible range. Disabling C-STATE causes the power level to remain higher and so the inductor "singing" remains inaudible, regardless if they are vibrating to the beat. I used the eraser from the end of a pencil and noticed the noise dampened, so using hot glue or varnish to insulate may help. Since it's still under warranty though, I'll give the reseller a call.
I spoke with the reseller and they don't have any of the board in stock for a replacement leaving the option of waiting for stock (and pass the 30 day warranty, possibly) or go with a refund. I've decided to go with a refund and now my option is to either buy the P7P55D-E Pro again from another supplier or look at other boards. Any motherboard recommendations?
Return of the P7P55D-E PRO Sorry to bump this thread up (last post was ~10 days ago) but I decided to go with another P7P55D-E PRO again... dun dun dun... After spending a long time making the cables tidy, the moment I went to install Windows 7 the noise was there at idle state. BIOS was quiet and everything was set at defaults. Using my trusted tube and tubing, the sound was coming from around the same region. I can hear the sound 5 feet away with the case closed and fans running. Both boards are 1.01G revision and came with 0501 BIOS. Worse off, this time the whine was louder than the other board. Fantastic! This leads me to believe either this specific line of boards has a problem, my luck in these boards is terrible or other components are the catalyst for the noise. I've read that Corsair PSUs have noise issues, the noise I'm hearing is specifically from the CPU socket area though, not coil whine in the power supply region. I don't think this is the same issue, although the workaround is similar. After a little more reading, users are mostly reporting screeching noises when scrolling pages with web browsers while the sound happens on idle processor for me.
I own the same board and also discovered a ringing noise. After a while I found out that it depends on the speed of the CPU fan. I used the ASUS tool QFan3 to monitor and control the speed of the CPU fan. The strange noise disappears (at least more or less) when the CPU fan speed is under 20 % or over 60 % of the maximum speed. If the CPU fan speed is somewhere between 20 and 60 % the noise is loud. As a workaround I configured a user specific profile in QFan3. The fan speed is 20 % (~1125 rpm) if the CPU temperature is below 50°C. The fan speed "jumps" to 60 % (~1480 rpm) when the CPU temperature reaches 50°C. This makes sure that the CPU fan normally avoids the critical speed region between 20 and 60 %. I use the fan that came with the CPU (boxed version). I wonder if other (probably better) fans produce the same noise on this board?
After replacing the CPU Cooler that came with the boxed version of the i7 860 by another one (Scythe BIG Shuriken), the ringing noise completely disappeared.
Hello, that's good that you managed to get rid of the noise. While you may have experienced a similar high pitched noise, it is likely to not be the same as the one I reported. I had previously run the systems with no fans (thankfully, the ambient temperature and weather were cool) and with fans, the noise was most noticeable when the fan speed was low (~500 RPM) and the processor was idle. In retrospect, I probably should have attempted to record the noise since it's fairly subjective describing a "high pitched noise", all I can describe the noise as was a "eeeee" ringing/buzzing noise. I haven't heard anything similar from any other electrical hardware. The closest is probably "cap whine" from a graphics card. In relation to fan speed noise, my older C2D system currently has this problem. I think one of the blades on the Arctic Cooler Freezer Pro (going strong after years) is probably on it's final legs, oh well. I recently got a new 1156 board, GA-P55A-UD3R, which so far is noise-free and stable with the other components listed in the original post.
I fixed the whiny high-pitched noise issue on my Asus laptop by following these instructions: http://asusnoise.blogspot.com/ Hope it works for you too!
