Can PC Coil Whine Worsen Tinnitus?

[LateNightArt]

Recently, I have been playing a lot more games and have become a bit obsessed with a game called Elite Dangerous. However, I have noticed that after playing for a few hours, my tinnitus seems to get quite a bit worse for a while. I think it is linked to my PC having quite a bit of coil whine because I play games quietly and don't use headphones, so I shouldn't be having issues with games being too loud. It might be because it is a high pitch noise that seems to be a bit grating for my ears, so I'm thinking it could be psychological but I'm not entirely sure whether it is safe. I seem to be very sensitive to stuff like the high pitch noises from old CRT TVs so I'm not sure.

I can hear it when I am sitting from my desk because my PC is like a metre away. I admit that my PC is generally very quiet but the coil whine is still pretty bad. It sounds a lot like electronic hissing when doing something intensive that I can still hear a bit over the game.

I'm going to try and sort it out in the future by replacing stuff but for now, would it be safe to keep gaming on my PC and is there any chance it is doing any harm?

 

[Michael Leigh]

Recently, I have been playing a lot more games and have become a bit obsessed with a game called Elite Dangerous. However, I have noticed that after playing for a few hours, my tinnitus seems to get quite a bit worse for a while. I think it is linked to my PC having quite a bit of coil whine because I play games quietly and don't use headphones, so I shouldn't be having issues with games being too loud. It might be because it is a high pitch noise that seems to be a bit grating for my ears, so I'm thinking it could be psychological but I'm not entirely sure whether it is safe. I seem to be very sensitive to stuff like the high pitch noises from old CRT TVs so I'm not sure.

I can hear it when I am sitting from my desk because my PC is like a metre away. I admit that my PC is generally very quiet but the coil whine is still pretty bad. It sounds a lot like electronic hissing when doing something intensive that I can still hear a bit over the game.

I'm going to try and sort it out in the future by replacing stuff but for now, would it be safe to keep gaming on my PC and is there any chance it is doing any harm?

Some people with tinnitus, especially noise induced tinnitus, are affected by PC/computers that use a conventional spinning internal hard-drive and fan. If this is the type of computer you have and you're close to it, then be careful especially if you use it for long periods - the tinnitus can become gradually worse for some people.

I am affected by PC hard-drive and fan noise. I got around this by placing the computer base unit in another room and using a wireless keyboard, mouse and monitor. I have used this configuration for many years.

Times have move on and I now use a PC that's fitted with a Solid State hard drive ( having no moving parts) and very quiet almost silent fan. The base unit is just 3ft/1 metre away from me and I have no problems. My laptop uses a Solid State hard drive and no internal fan. I can use it for hours and the tinnitus doesn't increase.

Michael

 

[PeteJ]

The coil whine is sometimes the graphics card. But, it could be the fans.

What is your GPU and what fans do you use? If you have the $, you can replace the fans with Noctuas. I have watched videos that compare fans and Noctuas make the most pleasant noise. If fans make an irritating noise, it's usually the fan motor and Noctua has a rather pleasant hum.

Other ways to minimize noise is to use hard drives in enclosures and only turn them on when needed. Use SSDs instead of HDDs if you can. Try changing fan speeds to see if there is any change in your computer's noise. Certain speeds sometimes change the motor noise from acceptable to irritating.

Some gamers claim their GPU has coil whine. It's mostly a few models and probably because a gamer is pushing the performance. If the case fans or HDD don't seem to be causing the coil whine, you could try adjusting the fan speeds of your GPU and see if the noise goes away.