27" iMac Hard Drive Noise

frenchie0101 · Oct 21, 2009, 05:04 PM

Is anyone noticing if there hard drive is making an annoying noise, ive gone from the 24" which had a 640gb in and all of sudden with the 27" im getting loud hard drive noise, i have time machine backing up which goes to the time capsule.... and lets say i open up iphoto it goes into a bit of frenzy..anyone got similar noises

xxaesaxx · Oct 22, 2009, 11:08 PM

i just got my 27" today and it was running fine at first. Then about an hour in, the fan came on. I shut down, restarted, downloaded istat. everything looked normal, but the fan will not shut off unless the computer is off. It's really annoying and I have a headache from it now. I've done all the troubleshooting apple support recommends. No change. The fan just keeps running loudly. I think I'll have to take it to the apple store tomorrow.

GadgetAddicted · Oct 23, 2009, 01:58 AM

is anyone else having problems like these?

toxthexnines · Oct 23, 2009, 02:52 AM

I got mine earlier today and its been super quiet the whole day.

Sir Cecil · Oct 23, 2009, 03:55 AM

My 27" has been getting plenty of use today and has been as close to silent as I could wish for. I've only done light photoshop work on it so far and I'm not a gamer, but in general use this iMac is quieter than my 17" Unibody Macbook Pro which exhibits sporadic sounds from the HD.
No fan noise to report either.

Jay122 · Oct 23, 2009, 04:55 AM

yes annoying noise from the hard drive is there. like a tick every few seconds.

imac 27

hkhammer1486 · Oct 24, 2009, 12:58 PM

my 21.5 iMac's 1TB hdd got this problem too, so annoying

bigdaddyp · Oct 24, 2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxaesaxx

i just got my 27" today and it was running fine at first. Then about an hour in, the fan came on. I shut down, restarted, downloaded istat. everything looked normal, but the fan will not shut off unless the computer is off. It's really annoying and I have a headache from it now. I've done all the troubleshooting apple support recommends. No change. The fan just keeps running loudly. I think I'll have to take it to the apple store tomorrow.

Is the fan running full blast? if so I would not be surprised if a temperature sensor failed or the connection to it came loose. If not then perhaps flash is running?

J&JPolangin · Oct 24, 2009, 01:14 PM

...if you must buy a Rev A product at least wait and check out display models a couple weeks after they hit the shelves at the

store

bigdaddyp · Oct 24, 2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay122

yes annoying noise from the hard drive is there. like a tick every few seconds.

imac 27

Is there a pause for a few seconds before the click? I recently had a brand new 1.5 Tb Seagate that would seem to freeze for a few seconds then make a loud click. I have the same drive that I put in my imac and it did not exhibit this kind of behavior. It would do this every 30 seconds or so. Returned it and bought a new identical drive and the problem was solved.This was in an external Fw drive. In your case this may maybe a firmware issue but I would not trust the drive until apple replaces it or updates the firmware. Imho.

frenchie0101 · Oct 28, 2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frenchie0101

Is anyone noticing if there hard drive is making an annoying noise, ive gone from the 24" which had a 640gb in and all of sudden with the 27" im getting loud hard drive noise, i have time machine backing up which goes to the time capsule.... and lets say i open up iphoto it goes into a bit of frenzy..anyone got similar noises

well it drove me mad so i took it back and got it replaced, guess what this one is exactly the same........ffs what now????

cardwizard · Oct 28, 2009, 03:00 PM

I noticed the HDD noise to , my previous 640GB HDD in my 24" iMac was super silent

The 1TB HDD in my new 27" iMac makes much more noise and that irritates me

frenchie0101 · Oct 29, 2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardwizard

I noticed the HDD noise to , my previous 640GB HDD in my 24" iMac was super silent

The 1TB HDD in my new 27" iMac makes much more noise and that irritates me

its irritating me and seriously dont know what to do, performance is fine its just the noise !!!!!!!!

cardwizard · Oct 29, 2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frenchie0101

its irritating me and seriously dont know what to do, performance is fine its just the noise !!!!!!!!

I think there is nothing we can do because technicly (spelling ?) there is nothing wrong with it , the hdd's Apple used for the new iMac is just not that silent as for the old iMac

frenchie0101 · Oct 29, 2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardwizard

I think there is nothing we can do because technicly (spelling ?) there is nothing wrong with it , the hdd's Apple used for the new iMac is just not that silent as for the old iMac

you may have a point, maybe because i have had the 20" and the 24" you start to compare to them, if this was my first ever mac i don't think i would take any notice

NATO · Oct 29, 2009, 02:55 PM

Apple are currently using Western Digital Caviar Black hard drives for the 1TB model, these are the fast version of the 1TB drive - the Caviar Blue is slower and quieter. I use Western Digital drives a lot myself in external enclosures, the little 'tick' you hear seems to be the hard drive parking the heads, I think it's part of the power management for the drive.

frenchie0101 · Oct 29, 2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NATO

Apple are currently using Western Digital Caviar Black hard drives for the 1TB model, these are the fast version of the 1TB drive - the Caviar Blue is slower and quieter. I use Western Digital drives a lot myself in external enclosures, the little 'tick' you hear seems to be the hard drive parking the heads, I think it's part of the power management for the drive.

so what your saying is that its typically normal then?

NATO · Oct 29, 2009, 06:16 PM

Yeah, it's something you'll just have to live with. On the upside, it is a fast hard drive...

alangsam · Oct 29, 2009, 06:59 PM

I saw some performance comparisons on 2TB sata drives. Anyone know what brand apple is using in the 27" imac? you can find out by going to about This MAC and then Serial-ATA

wesleyh · Nov 17, 2009, 03:55 AM

So, is anyone not hearing the HD ticking noise? Download something big to test.. Would like to know if everyone has this or just a subset of users. Also specify if you're using the 1 or 2TB HD. Thanks.

Kronie · 09:11 AM

I can hear mine. Sounds like my iMac stomach is grumbling.

EDIT:
I have the Seagate 1TB. Model ST31000528ASQ

wesleyh · Nov 17, 2009, 05:28 AM

Do you also hear it when just browsing the web, it's quite annoying, like every 10 seconds..

DrNelly · Nov 17, 2009, 09:19 AM

I am also experiencing the problem, it sounds as if it was either indexing spotlight forever or backing up to time machine when neither of those things actually happen.

I had a similar problem with an external WD drive that never stopped spinning. It could be the hdd firmware or it could be SL messing around with pre-caches or similar...

wesleyh · Nov 17, 2009, 09:24 AM

Do this command in terminal:

sudo fs_usage -f filesys

I see alot of mds and mdworker when it's not actually indexing anything in spotlight. Also lots of safari reads/writes when I'm just browsing the web..

Xip Xero · Nov 17, 2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alangsam

I saw some performance comparisons on 2TB sata drives. Anyone know what brand apple is using in the 27" imac? you can find out by going to about This MAC and then Serial-ATA

alangsam, where did you find the 2TB performance comparisons? Have you had any response to the 2TB drive Apple is using? I'm trying to decide on which i7 to order (1TB or 2TB). I may order the 1TB and replace the drive with a WD 2TB Caviar Black - when they're available.

Thanks.

Oct 21, 2009, 05:04 PM	#1
frenchie0101 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2009	27" iMac Hard Drive Noise Is anyone noticing if there hard drive is making an annoying noise, ive gone from the 24" which had a 640gb in and all of sudden with the 27" im getting loud hard drive noise, i have time machine backing up which goes to the time capsule.... and lets say i open up iphoto it goes into a bit of frenzy..anyone got similar noises
	0

Oct 22, 2009, 11:08 PM	#2
xxaesaxx macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	fan noise i just got my 27" today and it was running fine at first. Then about an hour in, the fan came on. I shut down, restarted, downloaded istat. everything looked normal, but the fan will not shut off unless the computer is off. It's really annoying and I have a headache from it now. I've done all the troubleshooting apple support recommends. No change. The fan just keeps running loudly. I think I'll have to take it to the apple store tomorrow.
	0

Oct 23, 2009, 02:52 AM	#4
toxthexnines macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lost in Oklahoma	I got mine earlier today and its been super quiet the whole day. __________________ iMac 27' (Late 2009), MBA 13' i5 (Mid 2012), iPad 64GB (First Gen), iP4, iP5
	0

Oct 23, 2009, 03:55 AM	#5
Sir Cecil macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2008	My 27" has been getting plenty of use today and has been as close to silent as I could wish for. I've only done light photoshop work on it so far and I'm not a gamer, but in general use this iMac is quieter than my 17" Unibody Macbook Pro which exhibits sporadic sounds from the HD. No fan noise to report either. __________________ 17" Macbook Pro (2.53, i5); 24" Apple LED Display; Apogee Duet 2-channel audio interface; Focal CMS65 powered monitors.
	0

Oct 24, 2009, 01:14 PM	#9
J&JPolangin macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Japan...at the waters edge...	...if you must buy a Rev A product at least wait and check out display models a couple weeks after they hit the shelves at the store __________________ 2011 21" iMac, AEBS, iPT G1 & G4, 2009 2.0Ghz nVidia 9400M WB 4GB RAM & 128Gb SSD, 2011 13" MBP w/ 512Gb SSD/8Gb RAM & iPad3 64gb 4G PC's: AMD X6, H60, 12Gb RAM, 3Tb HDD's, 64Gb SSD
	0

Oct 23, 2009, 01:58 AM	#3
GadgetAddicted macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2009	is anyone else having problems like these?
	0

Oct 23, 2009, 04:55 AM	#6
Jay122 macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	yes annoying noise from the hard drive is there. like a tick every few seconds. imac 27
	0

Oct 24, 2009, 12:58 PM	#7
hkhammer1486 macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	my 21.5 iMac's 1TB hdd got this problem too, so annoying
	0

Oct 28, 2009, 03:00 PM	#12
cardwizard macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Netherlands	I noticed the HDD noise to , my previous 640GB HDD in my 24" iMac was super silent The 1TB HDD in my new 27" iMac makes much more noise and that irritates me
	0

Oct 29, 2009, 02:55 PM	#16
NATO macrumors 68000 Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Northern Ireland	Apple are currently using Western Digital Caviar Black hard drives for the 1TB model, these are the fast version of the 1TB drive - the Caviar Blue is slower and quieter. I use Western Digital drives a lot myself in external enclosures, the little 'tick' you hear seems to be the hard drive parking the heads, I think it's part of the power management for the drive. __________________ "Don't bother trying to join the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It turns out they're apparently against all three." — Wiley
	0

Oct 29, 2009, 06:16 PM	#18
NATO macrumors 68000 Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Northern Ireland	Yeah, it's something you'll just have to live with. On the upside, it is a fast hard drive... __________________ "Don't bother trying to join the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It turns out they're apparently against all three." — Wiley
	0

Oct 29, 2009, 06:59 PM	#19
alangsam macrumors newbie Join Date: Sep 2009	anyone have the 27" with 2TB drive - what brand is apple using I saw some performance comparisons on 2TB sata drives. Anyone know what brand apple is using in the 27" imac? you can find out by going to about This MAC and then Serial-ATA
	0

Nov 17, 2009, 03:55 AM	#20
wesleyh macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2007	So, is anyone not hearing the HD ticking noise? Download something big to test.. Would like to know if everyone has this or just a subset of users. Also specify if you're using the 1 or 2TB HD. Thanks.
	0

Nov 17, 2009, 05:15 AM	#21
Kronie macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2008	I can hear mine. Sounds like my iMac stomach is grumbling. EDIT: I have the Seagate 1TB. Model ST31000528ASQ Last edited by Kronie; Nov 18, 2009 at 09:11 AM.
	0

Nov 17, 2009, 05:28 AM	#22
wesleyh macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2007	Do you also hear it when just browsing the web, it's quite annoying, like every 10 seconds..
	0

Nov 17, 2009, 09:19 AM	#23
DrNelly macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NJ	I am also experiencing the problem, it sounds as if it was either indexing spotlight forever or backing up to time machine when neither of those things actually happen. I had a similar problem with an external WD drive that never stopped spinning. It could be the hdd firmware or it could be SL messing around with pre-caches or similar...
	0

Nov 17, 2009, 09:24 AM	#24
wesleyh macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2007	Do this command in terminal: sudo fs_usage -f filesys I see alot of mds and mdworker when it's not actually indexing anything in spotlight. Also lots of safari reads/writes when I'm just browsing the web..
	0

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