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Can someone explain why the back of my surface pro 4 (only when the brightness isn't 0% or 100%) makes a noise?
For example, when it is on 25% of brightness it starts making a strange noise slight like a whistling...
Can someone help me?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
The varying high pitch noise you are hearing - especially with the m3 because of its total absence of mechanical noise source from the inside - are originating from the CPU/chipset and likely associated with the power state changes.
If you watch closely, the pitch vary according to the activity - scrolling, touching the screen and so on.
Hello,
I've had 3 units. The first one definitely had the clicking noise you described, I believe it was the fan controller not having a sufficiently large hysteresis (so it was turning on and off quickly). All units have the high pitch noise, yeah it can be a little annoying.
As for the high pitch noise, this is almost certainly a switching convertors wine. This cannot be fixed if this is the case, it is because of a few reasons but I'd say the inductor that is used in the convertor isn't potted in resin and its wires are what is moving.
The other possibility is that there is a ferromagnetic shield above the convertor (not unlikely) and the shield itself is being vibrated by the changing magnetic field through the switching convertors inductors.
Thank you for adding your thoughts on this issue too! :-D
What's weird is that I never had this high-pitched noise/whine issue with my SP3. Only with the SP4. And for me, the noise I'm hearing for the SP4s is more of a high-pitched whine, not so much a clicking noise. Also, I hear the whine at multiple points around the device, though it's most loud near the camera sensor.
Do you think this is an issue with the Intel Skylake components, or something else? I'd say that's one of the biggest changes from SP3 to SP4
Hello,
I've had 3 units. The first one definitely had the clicking noise you described, I believe it was the fan controller not having a sufficiently large hysteresis (so it was turning on and off quickly). All units have the high pitch noise, yeah it can be a little annoying.
As for the high pitch noise, this is almost certainly a switching convertors wine. This cannot be fixed if this is the case, it is because of a few reasons but I'd say the inductor that is used in the convertor isn't potted in resin and its wires are what is moving.
The other possibility is that there is a ferromagnetic shield above the convertor (not unlikely) and the shield itself is being vibrated by the changing magnetic field through the switching convertors inductors.
No good sign if it is common and to i5.
Well as i said earlier its all about been lucky not to have that issue.
MS need to fix that.
This issue is common to m3 version not i5/i7.
Me too not have issue with my i5.
Actually, from what I've observed, it is very common with the i5 version. Every i5 version I have checked has the electrical noise issue. I checked multiple units at a Microsoft Store and Best Buy. Granted, these might be early / pre-production units. However, I have used three different i5 units myself that were not pre-production, and every one had the high-pitched electrical noise.
