Constant audible noise/ whine when CPU is idle

cpulaptopmotherboardnoise

I hope this is the right community for asking this question.

I got an HP ProBook 470 G5 (i7-8550U) and it makes a strange noise/ whine (here are three sound samples).

Since it has no HDD, I think it comes from somewhere on the motherboard and it may have to do with the state of the processor (i.e., in load 40% or higher the sound decreases in intensity).

Two possible solutions:

  • if I disable Turbo Boost in Bios, the sound drops considerably
  • if I change the settings in Power Options -> Advanced Power Settings -> Processor Power Management -> Minimum / Maximum processor state to less than 100% the noise decreases in intensity

However, for both solutions, the score in CPU Mark drops from ~ 8200 to ~ 5500. So, there is performance loss.

Other mentions:

  • I've tried the latest drivers, both from HP, and those from Intel
    this is the second ProBook 470 G5 that has the same problem (i.e., it's actually replacement to the first which I returned for the same reasons mentioned here)
  • about two weeks ago I had the same problem with an Envy 17-ae120nd with the same type of processor
  • my issue seems to be related to this post on the HP forums
  • this is the manual of the product in question

My questions are:

  • what is causing this noise?
  • is this a sign indicating that my laptop is defective?

Thank you for your help.

Best Answer

After listening to the sound samples I'm pretty sure that this is NOT an issue related to the fan on the laptop.

It sounds very much like a grounding issue to do with the audio port. If its happening on the systems internal speakers I'd say that yes, this is not normal. If its happening to speakers/headphones you have plugged in it could be an issue with the plug or speakers.

It makes sense that the noises are different depending on the CPU frequency, as you are effectively listening to the rapid changes in power draw which would be caused by the CPU doing stuff.

The problem could be a setting relating to the output device used for sound in your software. If its not that, its almost certainly a hardware rather then software issue.

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