Noise in absolute silence

[Haldi]

Hei,

Stupid question, i know, but has any of you ever put your ear on the Surface Pro 3 in near absolute silence?
Okay... absolut silence doesn't exit! But take a realy realy realy silent room! Don't heat the Tab so the fan doesn't run. Your Surface Pro 3 is absolutly silent? Right?
That's what i tought too!

But then i watched a video, muted the sound, and tought i could still hear the video!
So, as foolish as i might look, i put my ear on the front display where the CPU is situated!

And i heard a noise.... somewhat hard to describe... maybe like a realy silent running HDD.... maybe a high (though not too high) pitched beeeeeeep
So just to be sure i restartet my device, tried again and it sounded more like the heads of a HDD working.
Then i tried on the Backside, where the CPU is situated, and hear a synchronous scratching, maybe like the fan that was running/stopping/running/stopping at a realy low RPM.
And right now i hear a ticking like tick/tick/tick/tick that goes kinda fast paced.

Sure i agree that this is absolutly irrelevant as you can't hear anything as soon as there is a little noise like breathing or you're further than 10cm away from the tab. But still there is my curiositiy (lucky i'm not a cat!) and i'd really know what is making this noise!

Logically thinking it's either the fan (the only rotating device in this Tablet) or the transistors working (remeber that case with the AMD GPU's ?)

So, what do you guys think?

 

[Liam2349]

I hear nothing if I press my ear to the corner next to the CPU, when the tablet is idling.

 

[Gavin Lewarne]

Probably well documented and unavoidable resonance of the CPU, Memory and maybe the voltage regulators on the motherboard.

Most, if not all, laptops produce some incidental electronic noise. With the component density on modern, small motherboards with every single component integrated there are unavoidable capacitive couplings between components that create the noises you hear.

Google "cpu whine" for more info

 

[GreyFox7]

I'll have a glass of that CPU wine. but I'm going with fan noise on this one.
Unfortunately there's not a fan speed indicator or sensor that I have ever seen read anything on an SP3 which would be the most direct way to rule it in or out. Absent that we are left to speculate short of some X-ray technology or something that could confirm if the fan is moving or not. Perhaps an array of ultra sensitive microphones places strategically on the Surface could isolate and map the noise.

 

[Gavin Lewarne]

I'll have a glass of that CPU wine. but I'm going with fan noise on this one.
Unfortunately there's not a fan speed indicator or sensor that I have ever seen read anything on an SP3 which would be the most direct way to rule it in or out. Absent that we are left to speculate short of some X-ray technology or something that could confirm if the fan is moving or not. Perhaps an array of ultra sensitive microphones places strategically on the Surface could isolate and map the noise.

hehe, I doubt xrays would penetrate the magnesium alloy shell to any usefull degree.

how about fleas with tiny cameras on their backs?

 

[GreyFox7]

hehe, I doubt xrays would penetrate the magnesium alloy shell to any usefull degree.

how about fleas with tiny cameras on their backs?

I think fleas are too big you would need to use mites with mitey small cameras

 

[GreyFox7]

How about very fine iron filings sprinkled on the screen and maybe some vibration to help them mobilize. if they form a circle in the fan area its the fan.

 

[Gavin Lewarne]

How about very fine iron filings sprinkled on the screen and maybe some vibration to help them mobilize. if they form a circle in the fan area its the fan.

iron filings on a touchscreen on a device covered with powerfull magnets? should be fun! i think you should test the theory

 

[GreyFox7]

iron filings on a touchscreen on a device covered with powerfull magnets? should be fun! i think you should test the theory

I just used the last of my supply the other day so I'll have to make some ... oh drat out of iron bars too... guess I'll have to get some off the train tracks tonight

 

[Gavin Lewarne]

How about using a glass cutter to cut a large circle though the screen, lever it p with a screwdriver and take a look. then just superglue it back togther when done

 

[GreyFox7]

How about using a glass cutter to cut a large circle though the screen, lever it p with a screwdriver and take a look. then just superglue it back togther when done

Sounds risky... I'll try my way, you try yours.

 

[Haldi]

CPU whine, thats the name i was looking for, thx. Might verry well be that. But it sounded more like a scratching.

Anyone ever tried SpeedFan or hwinfo64 on a surface Pro3? For Fanspeed indication.


While i do agree that the Idea with iron fillings and cut&glue both sounds wonderfully interesting i think an academic approach would fit better.
No one here has a Seismometer ? Simply put the Surface3 on a huge block of stone, the seismometer on top, measurements with the device offline, and then when in idle an fan is supposed to be offline, and when the device is getting hot.

Anyone has a good idea how to create a cheap DIY seismometer ? xD