Acer TC 885 EB15 - Coil Whine

Ganggangdbl
Ganggangdbl Member Posts: 4 New User
Hi,

I bought a TC885 about 3 months ago and the "Coil Whining" problem existed since day 1. I thought it was normal until the electrical noise became very obvious and kept bothering me. It's definitely noticeable. I did some research online and realized it is Coil Whine. Now obviously it's too late to return/exchange it to the vendor so I contacted Acer Support as it's under warranty. I was told I had the option to ship it in but I have to cover outgoing shipping cost. In addition to the shipping process, it may take 7-10 business days to look into the problem. I do need the device for work at this point but also urgently would like to have it fixed.

I have a couple of questions here.
1)Will Acer technicians take "Coil Whine" issue seriously? I don't want them to call me saying it's normal and won't effect anything (the whining is quite noisy) after the long shipping process which is costly as well.
2)Has anyone experienced this? Any solutions? I see some posts regarding Coil Whine for Acer laptops but fewer for desktops.

After a 2-day study, I found it can lessen the noise if I turn off the Turbo boost by decreasing "Maximum processor state" to 99% or less. But the problem is it doesn't completely get rid of "Coil Whine" and I don't want to lose any performance of my brand new device. I probably have to contact Acer support again soon.

Any thoughts and/or recommendations would be much appreciated. The Coil whining/ electrical noise is truly annoying! Thanks guys.

Although the problem is not resolved yet, a kudo to Acer support online chat team. The guy named Carlos was patient and courteous. 

Base Features

Pre-loaded Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
Operating System Language
Bilingual
Processor Type
Intel Core Ci5-9400
Processor Speed
2.9 GHz
Processor Cores
6
Processor Cache
9 MB SmartCache
RAM Size
8 GB
RAM
8 GB DDR4 2666 MHz UDIMM
Hard Disk Drive Capacity
2 TB
Solid-State Drive Capacity
128 GB
Hard Drive Speed (Revolutions Per Minute)
7200 RPM
Optical Drive
DVD+/-RW
Graphics Card
Intel UHD Graphics 630
Dedicated Graphic Card
No
Audio Output
High Definition Audio with 5.1 Channel Audio Support
Cooling System
Air Cooling
Power Supply
300 W
ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes

Answers

  • 1) I don't know how the warranty works, if the device has a coil whine. You should check with technical support.
    2) When you disconnect the dedicated offboard video card, does the coil whine noise still occur?
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          

               
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    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
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  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    I suspect replacing the power supply will solve the problem. I had similar problem with one of my old computers. Replaced it with a spare power supply solved the problem. Hope you have a spare. Note that this probably will void the warranty.
  • Ganggangdbl
    Ganggangdbl Member Posts: 4 New User
    1) I don't know how the warranty works, if the device has a coil whine. You should check with technical support.
    2) When you disconnect the dedicated offboard video card, does the coil whine noise still occur?
    Hi egydiocoelho,

    Thanks for your reply
    1. Called twice. Tech support suggested me to ship the device back so their technician can check it.
    2. I don’t have a dedicated video card.
  • Ganggangdbl
    Ganggangdbl Member Posts: 4 New User
    ttttt said:
    I suspect replacing the power supply will solve the problem. I had similar problem with one of my old computers. Replaced it with a spare power supply solved the problem. Hope you have a spare. Note that this probably will void the warranty.
    Hi ttttt,

    I agree with you. I want to try another psu but I don’t have a spare. Possibly have to buy a new one. Have you tried uninstalling intel graphic card driver? 
  • Ganggangdbl
    Ganggangdbl Member Posts: 4 New User
    UPDATE 2020 JUN 10:

    First of all, may I still edit my topic? Didn't find the edit option. 
    Anyways, I called Acer again and was told to ship the device for checking which I can't yet as mentioned. 
    Now I have a new problem with the desktop. When I use it for a while, there is a different coil whine sounds like "high pitched electronical noise" which is VERY VERY annoying. It only happens when I use certain app for a while, somewhere between 2 - 5 hours. It goes away when I close the app but sounds again if I re-open the app. 
    I am considering some other options:
    1. Should I uninstall Intel Graphic Card UHD 630 driver? I only found the option to uninstall or disable the device (UHD 630) via Device Manager. Will I cause a black screen? Will the driver re-installed after re-boot?
    2. Considering buy a new PSU with higher watts. Which brand has least chance to get a coil whine and runs quietly? In case it doesn't work, does vendor normally accept a return within 15 days for PSU? My guess is most don't if PSU is opened, even for big vendors like Bestbuy. Is that true?

    After a couple of days of using a "quieter" device by decreasing the processor state, the new coil whine appears and drives me mad. It is worse than the old one. Any experience from TC-885 user? Is this just happening for my device? :(

    Thanks guys!

    By the way, it was too early to give kudo to Acer online chat team because apprently some information was misaligned with Acer Tech Support by calling. It would cost me more if I already shipped my device. Both good customer service though, just information was not acurate enough.
  • Are you still on the exchange term with the seller?
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          

               
      egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    Dear Ganggangdbl,

         Do you have an old computer or other computer so you can "Temporary Borrow" a PSU from that computer to try on this TC885 machine. Or if you have some computer enthusiastic friends, this kind of people may have some spare PSUs to loan you one.
    If your originally  intent to upgrade the PSU anyway (such as putting a dedicated graphics card for gaming), then it is a good time to get one. Having a spare PSU around is not a bad idea. If trying to get new PSU, make sure it has at least a spare 6 or 6+2 pin connector to be connected to future graphics card. What wattage needed depends on the requirements of the potential graphics card. Usually 500W will do, but 650W is pretty save for most graphics cards.

        I had the experience with one device ( a SSD mobile dock) that made very noisy and annoying sound. I could not believe it could be generated from such a small, 1 inch fan of the mobile dock. It took me days to narrow down to such a device. 
     
         What made you believe you should uninstall the Intel UHD 630 driver?  Even if you can download the drivers again from the Intel site, how you are going to re-install it again when you computer is "Temporary blind", having a black screen (or give you error message and will not boot). Using dedicated graphics card to replace the UHD 630 driver is another matter.


  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    Dear Ganggangdbl,

    If you happen to change PSU to test, be sure to use you cell phone to take video to record which connector goes where. I presume you will not have a motherboard user manual, as Acer will not give you one. 
              
  • Perhaps these photos can guide you:

    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          

               
      egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • eliazaasim
    eliazaasim Member Posts: 1 New User
    Can you please send me the document where those pictures were taken from.
    Thank you!

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Those images are from the Acer Service Guide and that is not publicly available. They let us post snippets though.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.