HDD constantly revs up and down

[bidda55]

Hey Everyone,

I have an older imac - 2Ghz PowerPC G5 that constantly sounds like the hard
drive or some kind of drive is revving up and down. This especially happens when attempting to watch video or bring anything up with lots of graphics on the page. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Erendiox]

What you're most likely hearing is the fans revving up and down. Unfortunately this is normal behavior. I don't think there's anything you can do about it. The G5 processors run pretty hot and need to be cooled.

 

[bidda55]

Thanks for the reply,
I've had this Mac for quite awhile though and it has become louder just recently. Most of the time it occurs while running videos.
I could sit with a page up with mostly text and not hear much of it. As soon
as I move to another page with videos/graphics. Would there be any kind
of maintenance to ensure if the fans are running properly?

 

[Erendiox]

You could try running the hardware test that came with the machine, if you still have the original disks. I believe there's something on there that tests the fans. You could also pop it open and see how dusty it is in there... if it's a jungle of dust bunnies, a good vacuuming may be all it needs.