Why Computers Don't Beep at You Anymore

Learn about old internal PC speakers and their surprising abilities.

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[mokahless]

One thing you glossed over is that at some point in the mid 2010s, motherboard makers seemed to stop including PC speakers as a cost cut, because case makers were including them. Also, case makers seemed to stop including PC speakers as a cost cut, because motherboard makers included them. End result: No one included them.

Working tech shops back then, I'm sure we're all familiar with our hoard of PC speakers in a drawer suddenly starting to dwindle.

[DrSardonicus]

There was an entire symphony of sounds coming out the PC. The HDD spinning up **wwffffzzzz** or the floppy disks groaning **nnngggrrrdd** and that grinding **chg chg**

Using a computer in the 90s was a very noisy experience even without speakers.

[BobMotster]

Still have a speaker from a 2003 Albatron build. Beeps cheerily at me every time I turn on my PC.

[jswrenn]

In grad school, while my advisor was away for travel, I orchestrated the PC motherboard speakers of a 80-machine computer lab to be controlled in realtime by a MIDI keyboard or file. If you played multiple notes at once, they'd be distributed to the computers in proportion to their relative loudness. The notes were allocated in a round-robin fashion, so the music would gently sweep around the room as you played.

The computer lab had been donated years prior by Sun Microsystems, so we dubbed the virtual organ "Vox Solaris" ("the voice of the sun"), a play on "vox humana" which is a traditional organ stop. We held a few performances with a live pianist, and plenty of late night experimentations with black MIDI files.

[Pyrobob]

I grew up with computers that had these, but by the time I got around to building my own PC (not just tinkering with pre-builts), the speakers had gone. A few years ago a friend of mine bought a super low end motherboard for a project, and it actually came with a speaker! I convinced them to let me have it, and now my modern, mid-range, RGB filled gaming PC has that delightful, classic startup BEEP. I love it more than I should.

[redpheonix]

1 long beep + 3 short beeps is a sequence that's burned into my mind from so many failing AGP cards in recent years

[jeremyg]

I wrote malware in the early 00's that would play fun jingles through my friend's speakers, like the Super Mario theme. It was a fun prank at the time.

[MajorMokoto]

100% still have a PC speaker in my tower. It's how I know it turned on. I couldn't imagine not having it.

[vorno]

My PC still has a speeker that I use for debugging if it won't start. I'd miss that beep!

[WolfBearHybrid]

I still use it, the sound is kind of different, but I really like that beep at the start up (call it nostalgia) besides, the post codes are really useful.

[jeral]

Yep.. I have a stack of piezo speakers with the default 4 pin connector.. still install (when there is a header) and turn on POST beep in bios.. I have heard my pc rebooting (for some reason) from anywhere in the house.. love it.. and yes.. I Started working on PC since 1983 LOL..

[audioengineUS]

You know you've made it when your speakers are mistaken for the original PC speaker! 😎 Thanks for the shoutout, Linus Tech Tips!

[shenghe]

The Sound Blaster cards have a socket for the PC speaker so that sounds from old games (as well as system beeps) will play through the desktop speakers.

[FireFoxDestroyer]

PC Speakers still beep at you when the computer doesn’t POST

[Guitartube]

Bought a PC case like two years ago and it came with one of those speakers. Never had one of those so I plugged it in and enjoy the reassuring beeps every time I boot up my PC, knowing that things are okay and if they are not I will be informed immediately without having to pry open the side panel.

[mikrohamster]

1:58 For anyone interested: the game/soundtrack is the selection screen from Pinball Fantasies (1992, from Digital Illusions, which today is known as DICE). If you want the best version of the soundtrack, look for the Amiga500 version. Imho, to this day, one of the best videogame soundtracks ever

[vampcorpse]

i work a t a PC repair shop and we keep and internal speaker handy to help us diagnose stuffs, we even built a usb speaker to help with laptops

[marenjones]

I keep one in my machine. It's nostalgic, and post codes are a lifesaver when things get bad.

[Moustair]

My laptop makes sounds too. When i play a game and laptop heats up the fan lets me know that the laptop is hot by making violent vibrations, violent sounds and at times shaking the whole desk.

[Jennifur]

My PCs beeps...I always put a speaker on the motherboard.