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My video card is loud

Cooknn

Cooknn

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 23, 2003
2,111
0
Fort Myers, FL
I think it's my video card anyways. I have the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB. When I'm working with large images I can hear it 'squeeking', for lack of a better term. At first I thought it was my hard drive, but I know what that sounds like and this aint it. I'm working with a lot of large images, now more than when I first bought this box. I shoot from an 8Mpx camera and create QuicktimeVR.

Would a better video card be advantageous in my situation? Not necessarilly because of the noise - just wondering. I only ever upgraded for gaming in the past...
 
Cooknn said:
I think it's my video card anyways. I have the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB. When I'm working with large images I can hear it 'squeeking', for lack of a better term. At first I thought it was my hard drive, but I know what that sounds like and this aint it. I'm working with a lot of large images, now more than when I first bought this box. I shoot from an 8Mpx camera and create QuicktimeVR.

Would a better video card be advantageous in my situation? Not necessarilly because of the noise - just wondering. I only ever upgraded for gaming in the past...
Click to expand...

I don't think the 9600 is actively-cooled (on-board fan), I think it just has the heat sink, right?

A better video card would be good for a lot of things, but I'm not sure that your 9600 is really what's squeaking. Have you really pinpointed it to that?
 
keysersoze said:
I don't think the 9600 is actively-cooled (on-board fan), I think it just has the heat sink, right?

A better video card would be good for a lot of things, but I'm not sure that your 9600 is really what's squeaking. Have you really pinpointed it to that?
Click to expand...
Haven't pinpointed it - just guessing since it's always when I'm working with images. It's got me stumped. Memory doesn't make noise does it?! Maybe it is my hard drive :confused:
 
Usually if a computer is making noises it is either a fan or a hard drive. If your hard drive is "squeaking" you better run some backups! :) I would think most likely it is a fan that is getting squeaky when it gets rev'ed up because your machine is heating up when doing intensive work (large images).

I would open the case and get the noise to happen and then try to pinpoint it, much easier with the case open.
 
I have to support Cooknn on this one. The 9600 Pro is actually squeeking when working with GPU intensive tasks. Tiger utilizes GPUs in a far more efficient way than any other OS X version, and after updating I notice this in almost any game or for example Dashboard, Preview, etc.

I'm 90% sure it's the graphics card making the noises. And it's weird because static transistors like that shouldn't make noise when they transfer electrical power. Maybe it's the PSU making noise, like when it chirps... I doubt it.
 
feakbeak said:
Usually if a computer is making noises it is either a fan or a hard drive. If your hard drive is "squeaking" you better run some backups! :) I would think most likely it is a fan that is getting squeaky when it gets rev'ed up because your machine is heating up when doing intensive work (large images).

I would open the case and get the noise to happen and then try to pinpoint it, much easier with the case open.
Click to expand...
Thanks. It doesn't sound like a fan, and it doesn't sound like a hard drive. I guess I'll have to get off my ass and open this thing up.

[EDIT]
Zenith said:
Tiger utilizes GPUs in a far more efficient way than any other OS X version, and after updating I notice this in almost any game or for example Dashboard, Preview, etc.
Click to expand...
Come to think of it, this did start when I upgraded to Tiger :p I suppose if this means my GPU is working harder I'm okay with it.
 
The card in my G5 does it too, I have the Geforce card. Whenever I use Expose, open up Dashboard, or do anything that may be graphics intense, it makes that noise. Just a minor annoyance I live with.
 
I also have this squeakiness problem and I think its my graphics card. It is a very high pitched sound, and if i do something like expose or minimize a window, the squeaking stutters. It's very annoying. It seems to just happen randomely though, there isn't really any sort of application that makes it do it.
 
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