Surface Laptop 3 Faint Buzzing Sound

Anonymous
2019-10-23T21:50:20+00:00

Hello,

I’ve got the i5 8GB Surface Laptop 3 (13.5-inch), and today, while browsing the internet, I noticed a fairly faint  buzzing sound coming from under the keyboard. It was faint enough you couldn’t hear it from a couple metres away, and sometimes buzzed continuously, other times buzzed in short repetitive bursts.

It didn’t sound like the fan to me, so I opened up the task manager to see if browsing was straining the computer in some way.

I have updated the computer completely, but the buzzing persisted.

Is this a normal electronics problem? Is it actually just the fan? Or is it possibly a defective unit?

Edit/Update:

I took the device into the MS Store today to see if there was something wrong. The staff took it into the back and tested it. They found increasing the computer's workload caused the sound to increase and described it as a popping static-y sound. They replaced the device and I have a new one now. Unfortunately, I've found through usage that this one is also making the sound. I am waiting to see if a firmware update reduces the noise since it seems pervasive across the devices.

Surface | Surface Laptop | Install and update

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-03-17T03:44:42+00:00

    I have a horrible buzzing.  Continuously.  The only way to get rid of the buzz is to turn the machine off.

    I just went thru diagnostics.  NOthing changed

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-03-08T20:00:11+00:00

    If you are still suffering from battery life and the heat, try running this command in cmd:

    reg delete HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Processor /v Capabilities /f

    It removes that registry which disables processor idle states and let you benefit from energy saving again, but of course this command brings back buzzing sound. I personally dont mind the noise because I can't hear it at working distance.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-03-08T06:27:03+00:00

    Thought of doing this REG edit a month ago 

    However i may end up messing it up more by doing this

    Just 2 days ago - the laptop died (0 battery) in 7 hours. It wasn't connected to screen 

    however i ran 2 to 3 Skype for business conf calls. regular work

    This overall FAN speeds and Laptop constantly becoming super hot has already had its effects on battery i think. It will be interesting to see what "Microsoft Store" has to say after they keep it for few days and test it. 

    By the way to other - Using DELL Dock or Microsoft Dock did not matter - same fan noise and overheating issues

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-03-08T00:29:30+00:00

    This buzzing sound is probably caused by idle states of processor. Here's a way to resolve this problem but I can't guarantee.

    1. In your search bar search for cmd and open it as admin.
    2. copy and paste the following command:

    reg add HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Processor /v Capabilities /t REG_DWORD /d 0x0007e066

    1. This command will disable processor idle states. Run it then reboot laptop.

    However, processor working without idle states will decrease battery life and turn on fans a lot. This solution is a trade-off. Better backing up your laptop before messing with registry.

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