iMac i7 / 2TB Harddrive fan noise

[Noisy]

iMac 2011 noise/hum

Larry, I don't know whether you have 27'' or 21.5'' iMac. Mine is 21.5'' custom built, and it is 100% ABSOLUTELY silent, but only when the HDD is not working (my primary drive is SSD). The problem is you cannot just turn the second HDD off forever until you need it - nor in a Mac, nor in Windows. It starts again after sleep, reboot etc. BUT - the important thing that my 2 TB HDD is the ONLY source of noise for this model. I was really amazed that even in modern 3D games I do not hear any fans even in a perfectly quiet room! I have i5 CPU. I heard that i7 models are more noisy cause of CPU fan and more heat. I intentionally purchased i5 to reduce noise, and now this HDD is a problem... grrr... Actually if Apple allowed to install any third-party HDD instead, it would be better, but in 2011 iMacs there are proprietary HDD models, which are not easy to replace yourself. So Apple somehow forces people to (over)pay for poor HDDs without any chance to get a good model they want! While Hitachi drives seems to be reliable, it's the most cheap 2Tb drive! That's why it's there. such a shame, Appple!! 3000$!!!! 3000$!!!

 

[Larry2012]

iMac hum

Hi Noisy, it's a 27" i7 iMac. Just ordered an Audioquest Sorbothane 6" x 6" self-stick sheet yesterday to dampen the iMac chassis. When it arrives I'll bring my iMac to the Apple store and work with a technician to install it. I'm thinking that maybe the hum is at least partially related to chassis resonance because I hear the hum of the fan when I put my ear to the rear vent. But the hum from the front of the computer is deeper, more resonant, and more irritating. It's fairly quiet but after a while it just becomes a fatiguing drone inside my head. I'm not even sure the fan is the problem because at times the resonance becomes more or less pronounced from in front of the monitor and even disappears for short periods while the sound from the rear by the vents seems to be constant. Hopefully one of the Apple technicians can figure out a solution.

 

[Noisy]

iMac 2011 HDD noise

My sound is not that strong, but it's hi-pitched and constant - and very annoying, especially after my older iMac which is dead silent. I don't want to spend lots of time explaining my problem to Apple tech , cause they are far away and seems not to be interested to fix "noise" problems. Really not sure what to do. That's insane for so expensive computer.

 

[AppleNewton]

For sure the reason of the noise is Hitachi 2 Tb HDD in iMacs 2011. I so regret I paid for this option and I'm unhappy with it. I have a second SSD drive and when I unmount the 2TB HDD, my iMac becomes perfectly silent, even in games. I clearly hear how that 2 Tb HDD is starting to rotate and then the noise is getting persistent and reminds fan noise, not like in my previous iMac. I regret I did not return this iMac in time. Now Apple services seems to claim it's a normal noise (for $3000!) and they cannot help me for free. That's a real shame for Apple to select so poor HDDs for so expensive models, and it's really impossible to replace the HDD in iMac 2011 without Apple service. BEWARE TO BUY 2011 IMAC WITH 2 TB HDD, ESPECIALLY HITACHI! IT'S JUST DOES NOT WORTH MONEY PAID! APPLE - SUCH A SHAME!

Brand really isn't too much of a factor, my iMac 2011 has the 2tb hitachi and it's quiet, I also have at least 7-8 of the same exact hitachi 2tb hard drives in external enclosures that are just as quiet and noise free. It could be the torque of the stand offs in the iMac holding drive in causin got make more noise,the surface the Mac is on, etc. or if it's making excessive noise could be a bad drive.