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I can feel my HD vibrating on the palm rest

sukanas

sukanas

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 15, 2007
684
1
i installed a new hitachi 7200rpm 320gb hd in my mbp and i could feel the hd always spinning
i always felt it before w/ the stock 250gb hd too

i was wondering if it was ok cause i read somewhere that aluminum is not good at absorbing the shock at all??
 
kobefan234 said:
there might be a problem with the hard drive because my MBP does not do this.
Click to expand...

so it feels completely still and 'dead'??
ie. would you be able to notice if ur computer is on just by resting your hands on the palm rest?
 
I can feel a low hum like vibration on mine. Very obvious if you place your palm on the HD spot. But no so obvious if it's just my wrist (like if i was typing).
 
I have the EXACT same problem. I'm taking my machine in this weekend to properly diagnose the problem. Apple Care advised that I do this as well; they acknowledged it as a problem. I've never had a 7200rpm HD before, but I'm fairly sure that this vibration is not normal. I find that the vibration is worst on hard surfaces such as a desk.

As a general test, sit your machine on a desk and then lightly touch the back of your screen on the right side. If you can feel a slight vibration like I can, then I think we have a defective part.

I've been doing some research and as of right now, the cause can be either a faulty HD or a faulty fan. Some other customers have had an associated problem with a 'tingling sensation' - something related to a grounding issue, I suspect. As for myself, I think the issue is related to the HD because that's where the 'hum' is most intensive. I removed the battery cover and ensured that the HD was mounted properly - the problem still remains. As of right now, here are my issues:

- Vibration resonating from palm rest
- Loose/clicking battery cover
- "i" button squeaks like crazy

I can't say I'm pleased with Apple's QC right now...
 
All 7200rpm drives make more vibration/hum than 5400rpm drives. This shouldn't surprise anyone and doesn't make the drive faulty. It's simple physics. Some notice this more than others.

If vibration is the main factor then don't buy a 7200rpm drive. It's pretty simple. Between the drives, it seems most agree that the Seagate is a little better, but it still produces more vibration than a stock 5400rpm drive from Apple.
 
if the hard drive is 7200rpm it should spin but not so much that it would be bothering you!
 
*sigh*

ALL 7200rpm drives will cause a slight hum/vibration through the aluminum. Completely normal. Did this with my 7K200 Hitachi 200GB 7200rpm, and now my Scorpio Black 320GB Western Digital 7200rpm drive. Normal, normal, normal.
 
I want to also add, make sure you don't have something vibrating your desk like another computer/external HD or anything like that. That will definitely make your laptop seem like it's vibrating more than it is.

Secondly, on casual use, it really feels like the laptop is dead still, but if you put the palm of your hand on the palm rest where the HD is, you will feel it.

And about the display vibrating, I don't know if that's a good test. Personally even when it's at the point where it's -like- dead still, there's still a little tickle feeling vibration from the display.
 
iwanttogarden said:
I want to also add, make sure you don't have something vibrating your desk like another computer/external HD or anything like that. That will definitely make your laptop seem like it's vibrating more than it is.

Secondly, on casual use, it really feels like the laptop is dead still, but if you put the palm of your hand on the palm rest where the HD is, you will feel it.

And about the display vibrating, I don't know if that's a good test. Personally even when it's at the point where it's -like- dead still, there's still a little tickle feeling vibration from the display.
Click to expand...

Well, after speaking with an "Apple Genius" over the phone, I've been advised to request a direct replacement. Apparently, this vibration issue is not normal.

I just finished speaking with a product specialist and now they're sending out a replacement computer. Keep in mind that I had a very minor issue with the battery cover and the "i" key as well. Either way, I suggest you take the computer in. Personally, I would have preferred a repair instead of a replacement, but 'them the breaks' I guess.
 
nope7308 said:
Well, after speaking with an "Apple Genius" over the phone, I've been advised to request a direct replacement. Apparently, this vibration issue is not normal.

I just finished speaking with a product specialist and now they're sending out a replacement computer. Keep in mind that I had a very minor issue with the battery cover and the "i" key as well. Either way, I suggest you take the computer in. Personally, I would have preferred a repair instead of a replacement, but 'them the breaks' I guess.
Click to expand...

The hard drive thing is normal, but good luck with the rest of the stuff being fixed! :)
 
nope7308 said:
The Apple Care representative just told me that it's not normal...
Click to expand...

Quite simply, he's wrong. I felt vibration of some sort on my previous generations TWO MacBook Pros, and BOTH my new 2.53Ghz MacBook Pro systems with the 320GB 7200rpm drives in them.

Now, of course what one person thinks is a lot of vibration may not be what another considers any vibration at all, but I can assure you that SOME vibration is 100% normal.
 
nope7308 said:
The Apple Care representative just told me that it's not normal...
Click to expand...

Good luck, but I've had at least a dozen 7200rpm drives of different sizes. Your next one will vibrate just the same. It's simple physics, why would you expect a faster drive to not vibrate more?
 
Are you sure it's the drive? Take off the battery cover and feel if the hard drive is vibrating. One MBP I tried had this vibration, and it seemed to be caused by the fans... it was pretty strong :eek:
 
WilliamG said:
Quite simply, he's wrong. I felt vibration of some sort on my previous generations TWO MacBook Pros, and BOTH my new 2.53Ghz MacBook Pro systems with the 320GB 7200rpm drives in them.

Now, of course what one person thinks is a lot of vibration may not be what another considers any vibration at all, but I can assure you that SOME vibration is 100% normal.
Click to expand...

I agree (320 WD 7k2 user here)... the thing is there is little in the way to discern for subjective quality, as well there are likely different degrees of actual vibration due to harmonic resonances caused by variations in tolerance.

So claiming "the apple support tech said it's not normal" as a blanket statement is odd, esp from what I can discern from this thread. It sounds normal to me. But if one calls up and is freaking out about something small, they are more likely than not to be agreeable to make the customer happy.

On my machine the vibration is there, but it is subtle enough as to imagine most people wouldn't notice it unless spending significant time with the machine. And all the same I can imagine most of the more picky users wouldn't find it acceptable. It is definitely more present than the stock 5400 200gb Fujitsu.
 
Agreed that the vibration (some!) is normal, but the noise coming from this machine is most definitely not. I've had 2 MBP's prior to this (last series), both with the faster drives, and neither of them made this noise - ever.

In the case of this machine, you can hear the vibration when holding the MBP in your hands or on your lap, ie. EVEN when it's not in contact with a surface of any sort. The noise is *definitely* coming from the machine. If you remove the battery cover, you can clearly tell it's coming from the drive. The fact that you can 'push' the drive around inside the battery compartment with just your finger doesn't really inspire confidence. Surely it should be fixed in place, and at the very least there should be some vibration absorbing material around it (of which there is none).
 
twynne said:
Agreed that the vibration (some!) is normal, but the noise coming from this machine is most definitely not. I've had 2 MBP's prior to this (last series), both with the faster drives, and neither of them made this noise - ever.

In the case of this machine, you can hear the vibration when holding the MBP in your hands or on your lap, ie. EVEN when it's not in contact with a surface of any sort. The noise is *definitely* coming from the machine. If you remove the battery cover, you can clearly tell it's coming from the drive. The fact that you can 'push' the drive around inside the battery compartment with just your finger doesn't really inspire confidence. Surely it should be fixed in place, and at the very least there should be some vibration absorbing material around it (of which there is none).
Click to expand...

The drive should have four bolts attached which mount into rubber holes in the mounting. Maybe a bolt or mounting point is missing? Also if the screw that holds the mounting plate for the drive is loose then that might cause the problem. If you can actually move the drive with your finger than something in the mounting is wrong or missing.
 
bcaslis said:
The drive should have four bolts attached which mount into rubber holes in the mounting. Maybe a bolt or mounting point is missing? Also if the screw that holds the mounting plate for the drive is loose then that might cause the problem. If you can actually move the drive with your finger than something in the mounting is wrong or missing.
Click to expand...

I've just opened it up and had another look. The entire drive assembly, including the screws, has movement of 1-2mm in any direction. There is actually a gap between the drive and the black plastic spacers on both sides. There appears to be thin material of some sort between the spacers and the drive, but it's not even in contact with the drive - and I don't really see how it ever could be in the current design.

Does anyone else see the same?
 
Me too

Hey hey,
I can feel it too! I've got a totally stock 2.53 (5400) and I can feel it humming...

I don't want to take it in and look like an idiot because it's such a slight hum... But I can definitely feel it... What should I do??

I swear I couldn't feel this on the first few days of use though!

Identiti
 
i felt my friends white mb and his felt dead still...
i can feel the vibration on my wrist.. im beginning to think this is the poor shocks on the HD
i havent been able to go to an apple store and feel it but ima go check it out asap when i do ill post
 
I can feel a very super super slight vibration--If this is what you guys are complaining about, it's not an issue. That's just how the laptop is; these hard drives have moving parts, after all.
 
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