Both new and old computers can experience what’s called “coil whine,” which is a high-pitched noise that comes from the computer. It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the noise is a sign of major computer failure or that something is broken, loose, or about to explode.

Fortunately, coil whine is normal behavior. When you hear a high-pitched sound from your computer, there's no reason to assume that your computer is toast, that your hard drive is about to die, or anything like that.

In fact, this high-pitched noise is really nothing more than an annoyance. If you can bear the noise, you don’t need to do anything to fix it. There are, however, some things you can do to reduce or eliminate coil whine if it’s too much for you to handle.

What Is Coil Whine?
Coil whine is a high-pitched sound some devices inside the computer case can create under certain situations. This hiss or squeal resembles a dull, boiling teapot sound, only usually much quieter.

These coils in your computer have an electrical current passing through them, one that normally fluctuates, which is what the coil is there for: to try to stabilize the current to provide a more regular stream of power. When the electrical current is increased to a certain point, the magnetic field around the coil can cause it to vibrate, which produces the whiny sound.