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
    2020-01-06T19:27:10+00:00

    No, buzzing is gone while on battery. Didn't test it while charging.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-01-06T19:22:09+00:00

    I have also executed the registry command mentioned above and as described the buzzing sound is gone after restart of the device. Unfortunately I had not enough time to measure battery life, but for me this workaround is more important than approx. one hour of battery life. The sound is really disruptive. 

    Buzzing sound gone while charging? Mine gets super hot when charging and fan/noise is loud.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-01-06T19:13:50+00:00

    I have also executed the registry command mentioned above and as described the buzzing sound is gone after restart of the device. Unfortunately I had not enough time to measure battery life, but for me this workaround is more important than approx. one hour of battery life. The sound is really disruptive.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-01-06T18:35:24+00:00

    Same buzzing sound from my brand new Surface Laptop 3 i7 512gb 16MB 13". Sounds like an old laptop I forgot in the garage. I'm worried about this. Noise level varies, but in a quiet office environment, it's enough to be disruptive.

    Noise persist while plugged in or battery. Best performance or Best battery life.

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-01-05T11:13:55+00:00

    Bought mine (SL3 i5 8gb) yesterday and have this problem too. Am a student and find it impossible to study in the quiet with this sound in the background - extremely irritating. Microsoft please help in any way. To the community: Do you think they will fix this or should I just get a refund?

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