Audio poping and volume issues on new MBP

[powersurge]

Heya guys I just received my new MBP and so far its been mostly smooth getting Vista, games, and my apps on both OS's installed and up and running but I am having a small issue with my audio.

First off I'm having a small bit of pop both with internal speakers and headphones under Vista (unsure of OSX. Spent most of my time this morning getting my windows apps and games installed as I'm a recent first time mac owner. Going to spend more time on it later after I finish more installs) while listening to music and playing games. It doesn't happen very often mostly when launching the player app or game but I was wondering if this is a driver issue? I've got the latest 2.1 boot camp drivers.

Also the volume difference between internal speakers and headphones is drastic. I have to make sure to turn the volume down when switching or I'm afraid I'll blow my ear drums Is there any way to balance this out? My old pair of Sony MDR-CD50's were originally designed for stereo use so there isn't a volume nob either.

Oh and one other quick question thats a bit off topic. Is there any way to disable the trackpad without disabling it in the device manager? When I'm using my wireless mouse I sometimes bump it around while typing.

 

[powersurge]

I'm still not 100% sure but I have yet to hear any audio issues under OSX so its got to be boot camp/vista related. Has anyone else running Vista or XP on their new MBP had audio issues?

 

[themcduffster]

Wifi might be the issue

Yes, I have Vista 32bit installed and installed a couple games and noticed popping/crackling from the audio every few minutes. Looks like wifi drivers were the culprit last time around and looks like they still might be the problem. I have yet to try turning off the wifi and seeing if that works.

 

[singaporesling]

I'm having the same problem as the OP in vista! Except for me it happens every 40 seconds and videos lag too.

 

[steve31]

Same audio popung here too with Vista and games. Must be a driver problem.

 

[powersurge]

I really hope this is fixed soon. Boot camp was one of the big selling points for me making the switch to mac a lot easier.

 

[Encanto]

Hello guys,

Well, your not alone. I have the same issue with my previous generation Macbook Pro. I just bought mine less than a week, been having the same issue. Every so random there is a popping/hissing sound. I strongly feel that the audio has nothign to do with it. I had my macbook pro on mute and there will be popping every so often. I m taking mine back today. I have windows xp installed and use my MBP for AUdio editing. This is a big issue for me because of the work I do. Take it back, they will fix it or replace it. Good Luck guys.

 

[powersurge]

Problem with mine anyway is its only in Windows. It doesn't happen while muted and it doesn't happen under OSX. I'm guessing its a boot camp driver issue.

 

[snake101st]

Problem with mine anyway is its only in Windows. It doesn't happen while muted and it doesn't happen under OSX. I'm guessing its a boot camp driver issue.

Same here, every couple of minutes in games in boot camp I get popping sounds, really strange, and osx is fine.

 

[duffyanneal]

I have popping but it isn't the audio. The popping sound is coming from the spring tensioned screws that hold the heat sink on. I can replicate by doing the following:

1. Tilt the MBP completely onto its left side and hold it for 30 seconds to a minute.
2. Immediately tilt the machine to the right side.

or

1. Tilt the front of the machine down a little (rear end up a little like it is sitting on a coolpad).
2. Tilt the machine 90 degrees so the rear is facing the ground.


I can make the popping sound occur about 80% of the time. It varies by the temp of the components in the machine.

I disassembled my MBP to figure out where the sound was coming from. I initially thought is was one of the cooling fans striking something. Turns out it is the way the heat sinks attach to the MOBO. The captive screws that hold the heat sinks to the MOBO have springs on them to maintain the correct tension between the heatsinks and the CPU/GPU. When tilting or moving the machine around the two heatsinks can induce a temperature differential on the metal plate sandwiched between the heat sink pipes and the CPU/GPU. The plate seems to flex a little which causes the springs to click. You can see the heatsinks below along with the silver colored screws.