Brand new noisy HP computer

Share your experiences about noisy computers and components, and vendors responses to your valid complaints.

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bowler484
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:42 pm

Brand new noisy HP computer

Post by bowler484 » Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:59 pm

I have an HP a1730n which is two weeks old. I was doing some work on the computer a couple days ago alone with no other sources of noise. Each time I'd scroll up or down and then stop, I'd get a very annoying buzz sound similar to what an LCD backlight sounds like when cranked on maximum brightness.

I thought it was my monitor of course so I unplugged that. I moved the scrollbutton up and down on the mouse and it was still there. Then I figured maybe it was my mouse because it's wireless so I unplugged that and use the oem serial mouse. Still there.

Here's where it gets interesting. Vista has 3 power modes. Power Saver, Energy Star and Performance. I was running Energy Star. I put it down to power saver and it's gone. I put it up to performance and the noise is there all the time even when you aren't doing anything. A constant buzz-buzz-buzz which is timed exactly to the blinking light on the front of the tower.

Called HP support. Very friendly but nothing we did found anything wrong. He figured it was the HDD because of the blinking light but all tests on the HDD did not replicate.

Went to Future Shop for an exchange today. I checked out two other HP products with AMD processors and they made the exact same noise. One HP that had the Inter core duo processor did not make it. I ended up keeping this computer because I wasn't willing to spend another grand to upgrade and get rid of this noise.

Anyone have any suggestions? Upon opening the case, it sounds like the CPU making the noise.

jaganath
Posts: 5085
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:55 am
Location: UK

Post by jaganath » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:03 pm

Upon opening the case, it sounds like the CPU making the noise.
Probably the coils in the voltage regulator section of the motherboard. Sometimes covering them in hot glue helps.

bowler484
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:42 pm

Post by bowler484 » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:15 pm

jaganath wrote: Probably the coils in the voltage regulator section of the motherboard. Sometimes covering them in hot glue helps.
What exactly would they look like?

jaganath
Posts: 5085
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:55 am
Location: UK

Post by jaganath » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:18 pm

Like this:

Image

bowler484
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:42 pm

Post by bowler484 » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:23 pm

jaganath wrote:Like this:

Image
I think you might be right. There are 4 of those little suckers around the CPU.

Hot glue eh?

bowler484
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:42 pm

Post by bowler484 » Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:32 pm

It is most certainly the coils. The two closest to the psu in fact. When I press on them with the tip of a pen, they change frequency.

Since HP doesn't recognize this as a problem, what's my best bet to get rid of this noise?

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