I have been researching Framework laptops for years and finally decided to take the plunge with the Framework 13 Pro (Batch 5) featuring the new Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor. I have seen various reports of motherboard issues over the years, but ultimately decided to go for it and was very excited to finally receive the laptop.
Unfortunately, it seems like the unit I received is producing an odd, very high-pitched noise whenever the fans spin up. The noise can continue for quite a while and is particularly noticeable under relatively light to moderate loads. Interestingly, if I put the computer under a heavier load, the noise usually goes away. It seems to occur most consistently somewhere around 20 to 30% CPU load, and the high-pitched sound gets pretty annoying after a while.
Could this be coil whine, or does it sound more like an issue with the fan itself? Has anyone else experienced something similar with the Framework 13 Pro?
OS: Windows 11 Pro
I am also going to send a separate email to Framework Support to see if they have any insight into what might be causing this.
Sorry to hear that this issue is going on with this pro configuration. There have been reports in the past of the tiniest of alignment being off on the fan and it causing an abnormal noise. Even a faint scrape can sound like a high pitch at just the right speeds.
Definitely get a ticket started with support, some pictures and videos will help them too. Maybe even just unscrewing and reseating the fan might help.
To help dicern if it is in fact coil whine the fan could be temporarily disconnected or forced super low (or even just a finger putting a little resistance on the blades carefully) if the pitch does not change with the fan speed then it could be coming from somewhere else.
Others have found the tiniest of debris in their fan assembly too can cause strange noises. Though this usually does not apply to a new machine. Just a few thoughts. Let us know how it turns out. That is an awesome processor to get on the pro model. Congrats.
Too diagnose this a bit:
use ectool or framework-tool (or equivalent on windows) to force turn off the fans (for a short time). If the noise goes away, it is a fan problem, if the noise stays, it is a noisy capacitor problem.
Thanks for the ideas! Since making this post, I’ve been doing some stress testing to make sure there aren’t any issues with the components. I’ve used OCCT and Prime95, and also ran some memory diagnostics to make sure there weren’t any issues with my RAM.
Over the course of these tests, I noticed the high-pitched fan scraping noise gradually becoming less and less noticeable. I finally rounded things out by using the “SubZero Framework” application made by TekuSPZ from Reddit ( GitHub - TekuSP/SubZeroFramework: SubZero Framework Edition - Fan control app for Framework Devices · GitHub ) to run the fan at maximum speed for a few hours. Since then, I haven’t heard any more noise from the fan.
So… I guess it probably was the fan scraping, like you mentioned. Maybe the edges of the fan were just rubbing against the housing, and running it at max speed for a few hours basically wore down whatever was causing the noise.