If you’re experiencing a persistent buzzing sound from your laptop, there’s a good chance that the problem is related to an overheating fan. In this article, we’ll show you how to fix the issue without having to take your laptop in for repair. ..
Our electronic devices can occasionally surprise us with unexpected and extremely irritating noises, so finding a solution is a priority. But what do you do when all the usual ‘suspects’ are not the cause of the problem? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has some helpful advice for a desperate reader.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader Szabolcs wants to know how to silence a non-HDD, non-fan related buzzing sound on his laptop:
Is there a way to silence an irritating buzzing sound like this?
This is not HDD noise (there is a separate normal sound when the HDD is working). It is not fan noise (that is also present and it is different/quieter). It is also not coming from the speakers (the noise does not respond to volume control).
The buzzing noise is correlated with CPU usage. Low CPU usage results in a loud noise while high CPU usage results in no noise. For example, continuously scrolling in the browser will shut it up.
I know that electronic components can make noise, and I believe that this is the case. Is there anything I can do to shut it up? The buzzing is just as loud as the HDD’s noise, but it never stops and becomes really annoying.
The Answer
SuperUser contributors Josip Medved and Roger have the answer for us. First up, Josip Medved:
Followed by the answer from Roger:
It is hard to tell whether it is serious or not, but I would definitely look into replacing the laptop if it is still under warranty as a big shift in DC-to-DC switching frequency can quite often have an impact on the voltages it generates.
Even if it is currently working without problems, you might find some of more sensitive components just dropping dead one-by-one over the long-term.
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
My problem was solved by switching off D-States in the BIOS. Amazingly, neither the computer support at our company nor the two engineers DELL sent out to fix the noise could solve my problem. Luckily, I found the answer on the Internet.
