MacBook pro 13" makes static whining noise mid 2009

[Lucbert]

Hey guys!
I have a question.
My brand new MBP 13" (Mid 2009) makes a high pitched whiny sound that appears to come from the upper left corner ( where the MagSafe connector is).
It is not caused by the display because even when I turn it off (the display) the sound is still there. It goes away when I turn off the computer, tougth.
Also it's not caused by the MagSafe because when I disconnect it the noise doesn't stop.
I have used gogle and the forum search and found people with the same problem. Those people could fix it by starting photobooth. Same works for me.
So I guess it's the processor.
What I want to know is: is this normal? Because most of the other people who I found who have this problem had a 2006 MBP not a 2009 like me.

Please help!!

 

[DoFoT9]

i was always under the impression that it was caused by the magsafe.

my gfs early 2008 MBP make a wierd noise when she scrolls (i guess its from the GPU).

is there any chance that you can record it?

 

[Lucbert]

Not really but I can try when I get home.
The sound kinda sounds like the noise old TVs make when they are turned on. A really high pitched noise.
I am very sure that it is caused by the processor as it goes away when I use CPU intensive apps.

 

[DoFoT9]

Not really but I can try when I get home.
The sound kinda sounds like the noise old TVs make when they are turned on. A really high pitched noise.
I am very sure that it is caused by the processor as it goes away when I use CPU intensive apps.

use quicktime and the internal mic to record as the mic is (i think) at the left hand speaker - right where you say the noise is coming from.

it could be the CPU i guess, but idk why it would go away.

i am thinking the battery/magsafe/battery charging mechanism.

i dont see it as a problem.

 

[Lucbert]

I'm pretty sure it's the processor, I did some more research and as I said some more people have the same problem. Only wowed thing is that most of them have the 2006 mashine.
I also read that it's caused by the processor being in a low power state and that it doesn't use all the power it recieves from the battery or something and therefore makes a noise.
I really don't care about the noise it doesn't really bother me, but I want to make sure that it doesn't turn into a more serious problem.
If anybody has any info on the I'd be more than happy to hear it.

I will record the noise when I get home, I'm working night shift tonight.

 

[Lucbert]

am i the only one having this problem???

 

[jospalau]

I bought a MBA 2 weeks ago and I am experiencing the same problem all along. So far, the only way I have found to stop it in Mac OS X is by disabling one core of the cpu.
If you want to try it just type in the command line:
sudo nvram boot-args="cpus=1"

Then restart. If you want to use the 2 cores again:
sudo nvram boot-args=""

I have two more laptops at home and they all make similar noises. I am also running Windows 7 and the noise is there too but in Windows 7 I have found an easy way to sort it out. You have to go to the device manager tree and disable Allow the computer to save power in the properties of the generic Bluetooth Adapter.

So it seems that the problem has to do with the power modes of the CPU and Bluetooth.

I live in Spain, we have very high temperatures and this is not a problem at all because the fan is always running at 6000 rpm and there is no way to hear the noise.

You could try it in order to see if you are undergoing the same problem.

 

[tkermit]

So I guess it's the processor.
What I want to know is: is this normal? Because most of the other people who I found who have this problem had a 2006 MBP not a 2009 like me.

Please help!!

As far as I know this is a general "problem" that Intel's Core/Core2 series Duo CPUs (and possibly others too) have. You will find it on pretty much any and every other laptop, although there may be loudness variations. Some people hear it, others don't. As long as it doesn't seriously bother you, this is nothing to worry about.