Constant noise from MacBook Pro with Retina display

[spooned12000rpm]

(Following on from my other thread regarding my dying Mid-2010 MBP) I purchased a new 13" rMBP base model from a local reseller at the weekend, and whilst I'm really impressed by the performance (which also highlighted how slow my old one had become) I just have a question regarding a noise I'm hearing...

I assumed that without the constant thrum of a HDD that the machine would be 100% silent (like an iPhone or iPad save for the occasional burst of fan noise) but instead it has a constant high-pitched electrical sound, like a mixture of scratchy beeps and buzzes (similar to the noise some chargers or routers make).

The noise isn't loud, but in a quiet room it's noticeable from a normal working distance and if I hold my head over the left side of the keyboard, quite pronounced. Increasing workload (downloading big files or opening an app like Photoshop) increases the noise slightly but at idle it never goes away regardless of screen/keyboard brightness, wifi on/off.

I've searched about and seem similar queries (mainly for the 15") but their noises either emit during specific tasks or only under load.

So I'm more looking to see other people's experiences and whether this is considered normal?!

 

[BoneDaddy]

It's odd you post this. I have a 15" and a few days ago, for the first time, it sounded like a hard drive was spinning up. Of coarse there is no hard drive. It could have been the fans, but they were already kicked on and there was that scratchy beep right before the swoosh sound.

I'm starting to think that tiny mice are running these things and every now and then, one gets zapped, and then lets out a death fart.

Seriously though, I don't think I'll ever find out what that was. Good luck.

 

[maflynn]

The noise isn't loud, but in a quiet room it's noticeable from a normal working distance and if I hold my head over the left side of the keyboard, quite pronounced. Increasing workload (downloading big files or opening an app like Photoshop) increases the noise slightly but at idle it never goes away regardless of screen/keyboard brightness, wifi on/off.

Could it be the fan?

 

[spooned12000rpm]

I'm 99.9% certain it's not the fan (in fact I'm not sure I've even heard the fan spool up on this computer yet) looking at the teardown on iFixit the fan is on the opposite side (under the O, P and L keys) where the sound I'm hearing is emitting from the Q, W and A side where the SSD is located.

I've done some more searching online and have found a few more references to the same issue, suggesting noises from components on the board producing 'Coil Whine', CPU's in low power states and also reference to noisy SSD chips (some people stubbornly believe this is impossible however).

I showed the computer to my other half and she shrugged it off as "Just sounds like computer noises to me, when you said your new laptop was making noises I was expecting something catastrophic", I refrained from explaining that this one doesn't have a physical disk...

 

[Freyqq]

It's either coil wine from the CPU or the power brick making some sounds. I've experienced both in computers before, but never in macs.

 

[spooned12000rpm]

It does it both on battery and when plugged in.

What's even weirder is is it makes a faint whistle when switched off, so not sure what/how that's even possible?!

 

[Fishrrman]

Make a recording of what you're hearing and post it here.

 

[jerryk]

Since it is a brand new unit why not take it in. If the retailer has another unit you can compare it to your unit. If worse comes to worse just ask them for a new computer.

 

[spooned12000rpm]

I've tried recording the sound on my iPhone and it just doesn't pick it up at all. Next time I'm near an Apple stockist I'll have to try and get up close and personal with the display model, though I doubt in a busy shop i'll be able to hear the sound.