Noisy processor!

[CrippsCorner]

Thought I'd start a new thread for problems with machine No.2 :eck:

It still has the same issues as my previous one, i.e. light bleed, slow Wi-Fi and lagging Bluetooth... but the Bluetooth is slightly better so I just thought sod it I'll keep it. However! I've now noticed, the processor is really noisy! Or something like that. Basically when doing literally anything like even scrolling down one line in a browser, or highlighting some text, the processor makes like a static sound, if that makes sense? I noticed my original Surface Pro doing it every now and then, but this new one is way, way worse.

It's frustrating because no fans is a blessing, I absolutely love it, but if I'm sitting in silence I now have this other sound annoying me! Has anyone else noticed this? I'm running the i5 by the way.

If everyone else's is just the same then I'll guess I'll have to live with it.

Please try and comment if you can, thanks!

 

[anon(5327127)]

Disable your audio in device manager just in case it's something weird to do with audio. Worth a shot and it, at least, rules out one thing.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Thanks tried that, no change. I did find this, although it didn't help unfortunately...

Fan noise and Clicking/Buzzing Noise on Surface Pro 4 in Windows 10 | Microsoft Surface tablet

 

[anon(5327127)]

Really, really odd situation! I'll see if I can get any noise from my Core M SP4 later at home.

 

[realwarder]

It should be silent. One of the issues with a fanless design is that people can hear every little noise of course!

It could be symptomatic of a hardware fault like capacitors prematurely failing, something not grounded correctly etc., but it could equally simply be a driver issue that will get fixed in an update.

Then again, I swapped my Xbox One S 3 times until I found one quiet enough so like things to sound as they should.

Would suggest checking Store units in person to see if they sound different or all make a noise.

Perhaps others here who own units can comment on how quiet their devices are.

 

[DCW1000]

Really sorry you are having the problem, but I haven't encountered it on the SP (i7/8/256) that I got shortly after release day and have now been using on and off for about six weeks. I have heard the fan on mine a couple of times, but it is not obtrusive. I can't produce the sort of buzz/crackle sound I think you are describing when I try the actions you mentioned. I think the suggestion of going back to the store and listening closely to the floor samples is a good one.

Is the text selection/scrolling association there under all circumstances, or is the noise heard with one control device like mouse or trackball, but not with another like the touchpad?

Bluetooth was a little glitchy when I first got my machine, but after installing recent Fast Ring builds I don't seem to have a problem any more. All in all my SP is quite satisfactory.

I fear MS may owe you SP number three.

 

[CrippsCorner]

The thing is I suspect 95% of people wouldn't even notice the noise, and the other 5% probably wouldn't care lol. But... I've still got my 4 year old Surface Pro here (it's going to my mum when I get a working replacement) and if I compare it to that, the old one performs much better. Makes me wonder why I bothered buying a new one!

The noise will happen when doing literally anything, using the mouse, the trackpad or the touchscreen.

Unfortunately here in the UK we don't have any Microsoft stores, and the resellers we do have take months to get new models in, so I cannot go and try others :unhappy: it doesn't help that their online support is terrible, but I'm talking to someone now about getting another (third time lucky right)

On the plus side, I love the keyboard lol.

 

[Ekhangel]

Had that on my PC's motherboard once. It's got something to do with capacitors. Try playing around with power settings that change voltage levels, maybe that will help.

Sorry to say you're not having luck with your units. It sucks to have to replace them all the time online, without access to physical stores. Living in Poland, I tremble on the thought of my unit going down too one day, and then having to live three weeks or so without any mobile computer. In fact, my unit's battery performance is still under observation.

 

[MrElectrifyer]

No noise complaints with my Surface Pro 2, still going strong.

 

[drptlecter]

Have the same problem with my Surface Book i5. It’s completely silent, but when I scroll a web page I can hear the same static sound that you are describing. My first SB did not have this issue. Very disappointing.

 

[david90531]

Which model do you have?
My 3-year-old SP3 does have some loud noise with the fan, but my new SP with the fanless i5 is definitely silent, no noise whatsoever.

 

[WaBonaMhlope]

It should be silent. One of the issues with a fanless design is that people can hear every little noise of course!

It could be symptomatic of a hardware fault like capacitors prematurely failing, something not grounded correctly etc., but it could equally simply be a driver issue that will get fixed in an update.

Then again, I swapped my Xbox One S 3 times until I found one quiet enough so like things to sound as they should.

Would suggest checking Store units in person to see if they sound different or all make a noise.

Perhaps others here who own units can comment on how quiet their devices are.

It's only nosey when the fan speeder up during a software upgrade, otherwise, it is whisper quiet, and I have hearing aid....and....it is lightning fast, 4seconds to hop on wifi, considering the robotics in assembly plant, it could be a quality control issue,

 

[CrippsCorner]

Sorry to hear of your issues, but at the same time glad I'm not alone! I'm so close to not bothering sending it back but I finally received my delivery label (after days of trying - thanks again Microsoft Support!)

They obviously vary one by one so lets see how the next one gets on (maybe my original one was better but I never checked!)

 

[psh_vermont]

Fan noise in my SP3 -- acceptable, could be better

When I first started using my SP3, at first I thought the wind was blowing outside when the fan first came on. For some reason, the fan noise got much better after a little use. My house is generally cool so that helps. When the fan goes on, I notice it, but it's not a bother, and it doesn't go on much.

I do music production -- at first I tried to use "gaming" laptops, but many of them have enormous fans that sound like tornados. I also had a Rain laptop -- high-end, optimized for music -- but even that had fan noise, actually more than the Surface. The designers told me that's life with high-powered computers, and if you really want quiet (say, for recording) you need to soundproof the computer somehow (i.e. use a desktop that's in another room or in a soundproof enclosure.) Not something I need, though.

I'm planning on upgrading to the Surface Pro 2017, and am encouraged that reviews say it is quieter than the SP4, which is quieter than the SP3. (I need the power of the core i7 so can't get the fanless core i5 model.)

There is one other noise I have lately on my SP3 -- a very low level electrical buzzing sound when I open and close the touch cover. No problem, because I'm not using the computer when that happens, but I'm just curious what it is. Definitely electrical noise, not mechanical. Any ideas what might cause that? Just curious!

 

[CrippsCorner]

So my 3rd Pro came... same issues

Very noisy capacitance noise, laggy Bluetooth and light bleed on the bottom of the screen. Slow Wi-Fi seems to have been resolved though. Very disappointed but am just going to keep this one as there are some things I love about the machine such as the keyboard and screen (well 90% of it lol)

 

[hatemicrosoft]

So my 3rd Pro came... same issues

Very noisy capacitance noise, laggy Bluetooth and light bleed on the bottom of the screen. Slow Wi-Fi seems to have been resolved though. Very disappointed but am just going to keep this one as there are some things I love about the machine such as the keyboard and screen (well 90% of it lol)

I am having the exact same problem. Since unboxed, my SB sometimes had a scratching sound. Now it alos has high pitch ticks coming the bottom of the screen.
It's getting annoying. I can even hear it when I am away from the computer.
The noise is there even when in sleep mode.
I had a ****ty Acer from 2007 with this exact same noise (although louder). I would have never imagined a 2015 computer would still come with this ****.
Can this be fixed? Even old android tablets do not have this issue... it should be possible to fix.. replace some crappy hardware maybe?
Do microsoft give replacements for this issue? I see that the people who got replacements was not able to actually fix this issue... so not even newer units are good

 

[anon(5327127)]

I've still got my 4 year old Surface Pro here and if I compare it to that, the old one performs much better. Makes me wonder why I bothered buying a new one!

There's no way, ever, that a Surface Pro would perform better than a Surface Pro 5 i5, let alone a Core M SP5. We now have 5 SP5 devices and no-one, yet, has expressed an annoyance. (You could always pop to PC world to have a look at the display model).

 

[anon(5327127)]

I've still got my 4 year old Surface Pro here and if I compare it to that, the old one performs much better. Makes me wonder why I bothered buying a new one!

There's no way, ever, that a Surface Pro would perform better than a Surface Pro 5 i5, let alone a Core M SP5. We now have 5 SP5 devices and no-one, yet, has expressed an annoyance. (You could always pop to PC world to have a look at the display model).

Maybe you have tinnitus that starts when you approach a metallic object

 

[CrippsCorner]

There's no way, ever, that a Surface Pro would perform better than a Surface Pro 5 i5, let alone a Core M SP5. We now have 5 SP5 devices and no-one, yet, has expressed an annoyance. (You could always pop to PC world to have a look at the display model).

Maybe you have tinnitus that starts when you approach a metallic object

I meant it performs better in terms of not being as noisy, the screen not having light bleed issues, no lagging on Bluetooth devices and no problems with Wi-Fi speed... not actually in terms of raw processing speed etc. which is obviously going to be better on the new ones.

 

[anon(5327127)]

Time to return for a refund and move on. You've been very unlucky.