[Zook]

Recently I noticed that while playing TES Skyrim my CPU buzzes whenever I pause the game to access the pause menu. It is quiet during gameplay and other demanding games such as NFS Most Wanted, Batman Arkham Origins, AC Black Flag, etc. 

 

For reference my build is here, http://pcpartpicker....k024/saved/2WmI

 

Any idea what the problem might be? I'm thinking (hoping?) it just needs a cleaning but why it only acts up in the pause menu of a single game is beyond me. 

 

Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor   $299.99 (Purchased)       CPU Cooler

Corsair H90 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler   $69.99 (Purchased)       Motherboard

Asus Maximus VI Gene Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard   $203.99 (Purchased)       Memory

Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory   $182.42 (Purchased)       Storage

Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk   $169.99 (Purchased)        

Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk   $179.99 (Purchased)       Video Card

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card   $259.99 (Purchased)       Case

NZXT Phantom 820 (White) ATX Full Tower Case   $195.98 (Purchased)       Power Supply

Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply   $149.99 (Purchased)       Optical Drive

Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer   $66.99 (Purchased)       Operating System

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)   $0.00 (Purchased)       Wireless Network Adapter

TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter

Edited by phillpower2, 03 May 2014 - 11:43 AM.
Computer specifications added.

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Hello Zook

 

Have you tried using another keyboard to see if the issue is replicated.

[phillpower2]

Hello Zook

 

Have you tried using another keyboard to see if the issue is replicated.

[Zook]

Tried two different keyboards, no luck.

[phillpower2]

Did you try them on both the front and rear USB ports, if yes and the issue remains then it would suggest that it is specific to TES, have you checked the Skyrim forums to see if anyone has post there regarding the same problem, one suggestion that I found for sound issues is copy/paste below;

 

 

How do I fix some sound issues, such as hearing static during NPC dialogue?

1. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Sound
2. In the Playback tab, right click on Speakers (or whatever has a green tick next to it), then click Properties
3. In the advanced tab on this new window, select 24 bit, 44100Hz (Studio Quality) in the drop down menu

 

Skyrim forum

[Zook]

Yep I tried several different ports with no luck. I posted in the skyrim forums so hopefully something comes out of that. 

 

I managed to record the sound of the buzzing here, https://soundcloud.com/zook024/buzzing

 

As you can hear I pause and unpause the game, making the buzzing start and stop. At the very end I close the game. 

 

Truth be told I cannot say for certain it is coming from the CPU, just that it is coming from that general area inside the case, could be coming from the motherboard or graphics card for all I know. What baffles me is why it would only be occurring in the menus of Skyrim and nothing else. 

[phillpower2]

Do you have a set of headphones that you can connect to the computer to see if the noise comes through those.

[Zook]

Well it does not come through the audio devices. I have played it with speakers and headphones and that does not make a difference. The buzzing is coming from within the case itself. 

[phillpower2]

Audio device apparently ruled out then so it is possibly a cooling fan working harder than it normally would when the computer is not under load, this will be hard to pinpoint and you may actually need to take off the side of the case and watch the behaviour of each internal cooling fan when the computer is idle and then when the game is paused.

 

 You could also stress test your video card with Valley Benchmark (free) and pause that to see if you get the same noise, Valley Benchmark

 

Also worth checking is Process Explorer to see if anything is spiking when the game is paused, no need to download it just use the Run Process Explorer option here

[Zook]

Thanks for the references. Because it is only occurring in this one game I have to assume the problem is exclusive to it and as I said I run other games that are more demanding with no problem. So with that said the big thing that makes Skyrim unique is the mods used with it. What I've proceeded to do is completely uninstall the game and wipe all files related to it and start from a fresh install. I will then see if the buzzing remains in the base game. Because I have been slowly adding mods overtime, I've got to believe that is the problem, and a certain combination started causing this. I will update you with my results once the downloads and I try it out.

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the update Zook 

 

Good call on starting with the game afresh and thank you for keeping us in mind regarding the outcome, you just may help to avoid others having to put up with the same annoying noise 

[Zook]

Well I am happy to report that after performing the clean install and trying it out the buzzing is gone. Very happy that it wasn't a hardware problem! So moral of the story is I just need to keep better track of my mod installs if something funky comes up again. 

 

Just out of curiosity, why did you think it may have been the keyboard being a culprit?

[iammykyl]

Gday.

If the buzzing starts again.   I used this for tracking down odd engine noises, works for a computer.

A short length of flexible tubing, (hose pipe at a pinch) Hold one end to your ear, move the other end around inside the case.  Careful not to stick into a fan. 

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the follow up Zook and a job well done 

 

Keyboard/USB port/s signal producing the noise when the game was paused was what I was asking you to check, unless a software problem is blindingly obvious uninstalling and reinstalling is often a last resort, especially if it concerns an OS, checking the basics first as a process of elimination which in this case was the keyboard and USB ports is one step in the troubleshooting process.

 

Have you post your solution over on the Skyrim forums.

 

Thanks for the additional support iammykyl