Here are some of the most commonly received coil whine related questions we receive at our Micro Center stores:
Q: What is coil whine?
A: Coil whine is a high pitched noise or “whine” generated by cables or wires inside electronic devices. It is usually outside the range of human hearing, but when it is audible, it can be highly irritating.
Q: Is coil whine harmful to my computer?
A: Though it can be annoying, coil whine is not harmful to your computer.
Q: Can I do anything to remove coil whine?
A: Once a component begins to produce coil whine, there’s not much that can be done to fix it. Your best course of action is to isolate which component is responsible (most often your Video Card or Power Supply) and replace it.
Q: Is there anything that can reduce the coil whine?
A: Whine can be reduced with sound dampening materials (be careful not to insulate your PC too much though as airflow should never be obstructed) active noise cancellation or noise dampening headphones.
Q: Can I replace my video card or power supply if it has coil whine?
A: If purchased from Micro Center and within the return period, you are free to bring the item back to the store. https://community.microcenter.com/kb/articles/28-what-is-the-return-policy Most manufacturers, however, will not replace the component under warranty for coil whine alone.