markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I realize this is certainly not a photography issue, but this constant whining really bothers me. It is not totally constant, but is there most of the time.
Perhaps one of the tech/PC gurus on UHH has insight to the possible cause? I have searched, but have not yet found much available information.

As always, I appreciate the feedback.
Mark

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

No moving parts in a SSD to cause a whine. I would look at the air fans, including the power supply fan. These are the most likely culprit.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I realize there are no moving parts in SSD. Thanks for the conjecture about fans.
Mark

woodworkerman Loc: PA to FL

Typically, this is a fan noise. And they are easy to replace. Your neighborhood teen geek might be your best bet, unless you 'really' want to go to BestBuy.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi Mark, I would be quite concerned about such a noise. It probably isn't the SSD as there are no moving parts, now you are conscious of this whining it becomes more and more obvious to you.
I would remove the side of your PC or the back off your laptop and listen to your PC very closely to see if you can track the noise down, it could be the fan of course which may have some dust in it or needs some lubrication. Another suggestion is to touch each component very gently to ensure they are located securely and also you might "feel" the noise. In my case it was the fan which made some irritating noise, I put a couple of drops of sewing oil and let them filter down overnight, it did help a lot although there is still a very slight hum.
Best of luck,
John.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

If it is a fan noise, would it be sporadic or constant? My noise goes from 0 to louder, particularly as I open programs or open more windows in browsers.
Thanks,
Mark

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks, John. I'll give that a shot.
Mark

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

Yes very possibly sporadic. Depending on the set up the noisy fan could have variable speeds dependent on the temperature

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

The fan in my laptop changes speed depending on how hot the processor gets. (Hotter->faster) Which varies depending on what I am doing.
The more it is processing (opening new processes) the warmer it gets.
I don't notice the fans on my tower which is on a shelf under the desk.

Sounds like a fan MAY need replacement, definitely if it starts screaming.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks, Rich. Very helpful! I suppose I could disconnect fans and test to see if a particular one is the culprit.
Mark

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Hey Mark--

I agree that the culprit is most likely the fan. You don't indicate whether your computer is a desktop or laptop. Replacement will be easier if a desktop.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you will almost certainly need a specific direct replacement fan, since almost all fans used today contain either a temperature sensor or a tachometer sensor (sometimes both) that send(s) information back to a dedicated connector on the motherboard. In a laptop, the fan generally mounts directly to a "CPU cooler," with specific mounting requirements and similar connection requirements.

There used to be a business in Dallas that specialized in computer fan replacement. I haven't found them yet this morning via a search, so they may not still be around. If you have a MicroCenter or similar, you might be able to work a deal where they order a fan (prepaid) through the service department.

By the way...disconnecting the fans may or may not work. Some motherboards will sense for fan operation and shut down if they don't see confirmation that the fan is connected and operating. I once had a small form factor ("cigar box") PC that would not even start up when a fan failed.

This is a pretty common repair issue for "experienced" PCs, The only question is whether parts are still available, pretty much like for cameras these days.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

Do you have a stethoscope? Or a small funnel and a length of tubing?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Or you can just (carefully) touch the tip of a Phillips screwdriver to the fan mounting and put your ear against the end of the handle. Easiest if you have a helper.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Also...if your computer has a built-in speaker, you might try to check whether something might be going on with the audio...

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

LOL, I bought a cheap stethoscope too many years ago to count, for trying to locate which was the noisy tappet. It has come in handy for many other noise tracking missions since then