The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Dell G7 7790 - strange noise from the laptop

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by MaxIT, Jun 4, 2020.

  1. MaxIT

    MaxIT Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I have a G7 7790 since last December and I'm very happy about it. With a few fine settings (using Throttlestop) I have a very fast and reliable computer. I also replaced the existing 16 Gb of RAM with a 32 Gb kit (HyperX 16x2) and the 1Tb HDD with a 1 Tb SATA SSD.
    yesterday I notice a very faint noise coming from the notebook when it is plugged to the AC. It is almost inaudible (you need to stay very close to the computer in a completely quiet room) and I notice it just because I disconnected the cooling pad fan, otherwise the noise is unnoticeable. It seems like a quiet HDD reading/writing, if you know what I mean, except that there aren't any mechanical disk in my computer now.
    If you disconnect the AC, the noise completely stops.
    It is the first time I'm experiencing something similar on a notebook, but if the fan activates even at low speed you can't hear it, because it is very faint.
    Is it normal ? Or do you suggest to contact Dell about it ?
    Thank you.
     
    MaxIT, Jun 4, 2020
    #1
  2. Sentential

    Sentential Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    76
    Messages:
    328
    Likes Received:
    272
    Trophy Points:
    76
    If it sounds like a mosquito you're hearing coil whine. Coil whine is a known issue with some devices either across all of them or a result of subtle defects with the power regulation that are either normal or a sign of imminent failure. Example listed below (first hit off youtube)

    Possible fix, replace the charger?



    TLDR what is coil whine:
     
    Sentential, Jun 4, 2020
    #2
    MaxIT likes this.
  3. MaxIT

    MaxIT Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I don't know... I know about coil whine, even if I didn't experience it directly, but coil whine seems to be a more high pitched sound. This is more like an HDD writing ...
     
    MaxIT, Jun 4, 2020
    #3
  4. MaxIT

    MaxIT Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I heard the videos, and while it is quite different from the one on the second video (the GPU coil whine), the noise seems to be quite similar to the one depicted by the first video (Dell XPS 13), so it most probably is coil whine. I doubt Dell is going to do something about it, I presume. You basically need to replace the whole motherboard to get rid of that.
     
    MaxIT, Jun 4, 2020
    #4
  5. Sentential

    Sentential Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    76
    Messages:
    328
    Likes Received:
    272
    Trophy Points:
    76
    That or possibly the power supply
     
    Sentential, Jun 4, 2020
    #5
  6. MaxIT

    MaxIT Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Do you think the power brick could cause noise in the computer ?
     
    MaxIT, Jun 4, 2020
    #6
  7. Sentential

    Sentential Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    76
    Messages:
    328
    Likes Received:
    272
    Trophy Points:
    76
    Bad power adapters can exacerbate the issue
     
    Sentential, Jun 4, 2020
    #7
  8. MaxIT

    MaxIT Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I contacted Dell customer care... I don’t know what they will say.
     
    MaxIT, Jun 4, 2020
    #8