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
    2021-05-03T13:37:41+00:00

    I've noticed this, but your particular observation can be fixed by not using the Netflix app. It's something with the sounds files that makes the speakers buzz, so I just use the browser.

    your right thank you that fixed it :-) Also I noticed the app works and doesn’t buzz if you use 2.0. The buzzing happens when surround sound 5.1 is selected in the app.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-05-03T13:47:03+00:00

    Also, the oscillation you're talking about isn't the same issue as the rest of this thread really, which is more likely coil whine or some other electrical problem.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-05-03T18:15:54+00:00

    To confirm an earlier post, this problem also affects the Surface Laptop 4.  I was not previously aware of the issue, but I noticed it as soon as I started to set up my new device (13.5", i7, 16GB RAM). 

    I have started a new thread with a nearly identical title: "Surface Laptop 4 Faint Buzzing Sound".  It summarizes the situation and lists some of the workarounds identified in this thread. 

    A key question for me is whether this problem affects all Surface laptops (so there's no point in trying a new or different one) or only some of them.  The noise bothers me, but I can imagine that most people are probably willing to live with it.  I wish that Microsoft would say either "it's a fault that only affects a minority of units, send it back" or "it's just the noise they make."

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-05-04T07:09:00+00:00

    Hi Peak_man

    Thanks you and everyone for the informations given here, I see I am not alone and so far the MS agents only have "restart your device again " and "reinstall everything for the 3 time" kind of solutions. 

    I bought a SL4, 13.5, I7 and i have the same thing. 

    To my opinion this makes it not usuable, I work a lot by typing in a quiet environnement and this is very audible. 

    If anyone knows if it's happening on all units or some only please let us know, I think this is a fantastic laptop, with a no go flaw. 

    All the best

    Pierre

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-05-04T07:26:33+00:00

    If anyone knows if it's happening on all units or some only please let us know, I think this is a fantastic laptop, with a no go flaw. 

    I don't think anyone here can say whether it's happening on all units, but we have three reports in this thread with the Intel SL4 in the first week of release, and of course 34 pages worth of SL3 reports, so it seems as though it'd be safe to say it is by design.

    I agree with you, it's a fantastic laptop, possibly the best Windows laptop of this sort yet. Unfortunately, if you're sensitive to that sound and work in a quiet environment - as I am and do - it may indeed be a no go.

    Since we're years into this issue at this point I'd imagine it won't change any time soon, and also the majority of people must not notice it.

    For me, it's a terrible design.

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