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Macbook Pro: Strange Noise

For Sensative Ears Only

TBi said:
My friend who fixes computers pointed this out on older Powerbooks he worked with. He could hear a noticeable whine while the owners (who were older) couldn't hear a thing. Maybe the problem is that the Q&A people are too old to hear the buzz.
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Good Point! If this has occurred on previous models- does anyone know if Apple EVER acknowledged it, or better yet, did the later models get 'fixed'?

If the precedent has been set that the higher-pitched noise goes away on mature models- then we guess what path the MBP will take. Likewise, if it becomes an undocumented 'feature' to sooth some to sleep.

Personally, it falls into the slow-path-to-headache- so I'll be either fighting to replace mine (point please?)- or running apps unnecessarily to keep mine quiet.
 
So Pissed!

i bought my first apple 1 week ago (MacBook Pro 2Ghz) and i started hearing the noise immediately. the noise is very annoying to my ears so everytime i turn it on i activate the mirror widget or photobooth and it goes away. i called apple twice and went to the apple store and they told me it was a normal inverter sound. what the hell! i want this fixed now. don't tell me an engineering problem is normal because i expect more when paying $2,500 a computer. very dissapointed by Apple. I sould have stayed with Bill Gates!
 
i bought my 1.83 today, after spending all this time reading about the noise problems and such, thinking that maybe by now apple might have started sending out macbooks that have had this problem fixed. I am not experiencing any noise whatsoever, barely anything even when i put my ear to it. It is possible that apple has fixed this problem, as the employee at the store said that they received the shipment just today.

I hope this problem gets resolved for everyone who is dealing with it though.

Cheers.
 
My 1.83 has the lcd related buzzing noise (faulty inverter, silent at zero and full brightness but loud buzzing anywhere in between) called apple and they said the inverter problem was a known issue, didnt even have to plead to get it repaired, they wanted it back to fix it!

I don't seem to get the cpu noise problem, running photobooth or the mirror widget makes no difference, i dont seem to have the sound its meant to be getting rid of.

A box is on its way for me to get it back to them for repair.
 
What I don't understand is why does the problem go away when you have the camera running ? What is the system doing differently ?

Can this issue be resolve through software, without having the power drain of the camera running ? (drain on the battery)
 
A thing i've noticed about my noise (the 'mirror-fixable' noise) is that it changes when I'm using the battery instead of the powercord. Can somone else try this and tell me if I'm imagining it? The noise is much louder (and more random) when the battery is being used it seems, and is slightly lower pitched. The 'battery-in' sound can be heard occasionaly when the powercord is initialy put in, but I think thats just the battery turning 'off' as it were.

Anyone else have this?
 
joseph2166 said:
A thing i've noticed about my noise (the 'mirror-fixable' noise) is that it changes when I'm using the battery instead of the powercord. Can somone else try this and tell me if I'm imagining it? The noise is much louder (and more random) when the battery is being used it seems, and is slightly lower pitched. The 'battery-in' sound can be heard occasionaly when the powercord is initialy put in, but I think thats just the battery turning 'off' as it were.

Anyone else have this?
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NOISE PROBLEM SUMMARY:

#1 Noise related to LCD brightness: Ack'd by two on this board alone that Apple will 'fix' it (replace component or laptop, unknown), but nice to hear (no pun intended).

#2 Noise related to CPU: No such acknowledgement. It occurs when the laptop is in idle mode and changes when power is on/off. A few means have been shared (like running photobooth) to use the CPU(s) to keep the MBP quiet, but I'd be the first to cry foul for such a need.


Unfortunately, I fall in the latter category and opted not to return my MBP for the 10% restocking fee penalty. Apple Store in Irvine, CA, gave company line "it's working within parameters" and a less helpful "I didn't hear anything".

I'll keep contributing to this board as I learn more and HOPEFULLY find a resolution to have one of those highly coveted Quiet MBP's.

Please contact me if you have something to contribute to #2 above!!
 
joseph2166 said:
A thing i've noticed about my noise (the 'mirror-fixable' noise) is that it changes when I'm using the battery instead of the powercord. Can somone else try this and tell me if I'm imagining it? The noise is much louder (and more random) when the battery is being used it seems, and is slightly lower pitched. The 'battery-in' sound can be heard occasionaly when the powercord is initialy put in, but I think thats just the battery turning 'off' as it were.

Anyone else have this?
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I've noticed this. I got my 1.83 yesterday and didn't notice much sound (if you listen very carefully there was a very faint hiss, but that's exactly the same as on my work's Samsung laptop).

Now when I got it home and started using the battery the noise got quite loud at times. It does go away when the machine is doing something or I use Photo Booth and comes back when the machine is idling.

I hope they sort this out soon through a software update!
 
strange thing i've noticed - in the activity monitor (when the battery is being used) the noise stops/starts or at least changes pitch in time with the
change in processor usage. For example activity monitor is using 4.00% of processor, then the noise changes at exactly the time that the activity montor's usage changes to aprox. 3.20%. Without fail these changes in procesor usage happen at the same time in changes in the noise - i'd say two times a second. the noise is either changing pitch or changing volume. The noise is completley different (none of these regular frequent variations) when the power adapter is in. It's very wierd
 
I don't know if this will work for any of you, but I installed CHUD tools, ran it for a while on a single core, and the noise seems to have gone away on both single and dual cpu settings. The whine was fairly noticable in a quiet room and my machine seemed to only have the CPU whine that people have been reporting. All I can hear now is the very faint noise of the fans. I'll let you know if it comes back.
 
/dev/toaster said:
What I don't understand is why does the problem go away when you have the camera running ? What is the system doing differently ?

Can this issue be resolve through software, without having the power drain of the camera running ? (drain on the battery)
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With the camera running it increases the power draw. Sometimes a faulty piece of electronics will vibrate when running on low power and that vibrating will go away when the power is cranked up. You sometimes hear a lamp on a dimmer switch buzzing unless it is on full brightness, for example.
 
Someone has planted a seed or a thought in everyones mind regarding this noise. The only noise I hear is very typical of all laptops or computers for that matter. One might also relize that this is a very small meaning thin notebook so it is put together very tightly. The tight fit may cause fans and other electronic equipment to run a little longer or more frequently creating this noise that is very typical on laptops. I hear a slight fan noise every so often but nothing that makes me want to return this beautiful piece of machinery. The screen looks great the keyboard feels nice I have no complaints other than I really hated spending 2500.00 dollars but then after I got home it's been money well spent.
 
the noise I'M hearing isn't 'just' fan noise - why would it occur when the processor isn't being used, but not when it is? Anyway I'm not complaining that much - it would be nice to get it fixed but I don't care enough to return what I believe is a gorgeous piece of hardware..

And remember not everyone can hear it even if their computer has it because it is a high frequency - like noise from a tv when you turn the volume off: which some people can hear from the otherside of the house but others can't from the same room
 
has anyone sent theirs in and received the (hopefully) repaired product back? did apple fix the problem?
 
I have changed my 1.83 MBP to a new one. The Change took only one week but unfortuantely the new one has the cpu noise too. I have already requested to send it back by refund.
 
anmue said:
I have changed my 1.83 MBP to a new one. The Change took only one week but unfortuantely the new one has the cpu noise too. I have already requested to send it back by refund.
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This is why im not going for a new one, as it seems to be so widespread i'd rather someone took a look at it and see if it can be fixed rather than risk getting another with the same problem.

Altho my box still hasn't turned up to send it back and i called on tuesday, i wonder if so many are going back they ran out of boxes! :rolleyes:
 
personally the noise is neither irritating enough nor hard to temp-fix enough to send such a wounderful machine back.
 
joseph2166 said:
personally the noise is neither irritating enough nor hard to temp-fix enough to send such a wounderful machine back.
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The LCD screen buzz i have is not temp-fixable and is really quite annoying. Well i could put it on max brightness but that makes my eyes bleed! Otherwise im very happy, its a fantastic machine.

Believe me i would only send this back if i had too, and i do.
 
Noise? What noise?

Yes, there are those who need to complain about something.

As for the rest of us, the high-pitched (non-lcd-brightness issue) CPU-related noise is like a dull toothache. Some people get used it, some complain, and some try to do something about it. The one type of post I just don't understand is when someone who doesn't experience it says that its normal. Hello? And chemotherapy isn't that bad too.. of course, I've never been through it, but how bad could it be? Seriously, though- think about it this way:

We love Apple, OSX, the sheer beauty of our MBP's .. why would anyone so inclinded towards excellence want to spend time debating a non-existant issue? No seeds planted here- just an irritating noise if you're in a quiet office or the library.

I love reading the posts from people that tried a tool, called Apple, or found a means of testing a hypothesis.... that's what keeps me coming back!!
 
i think somewhere in this thread someone mentioned a way to have the second cpu always on, not just the chud tools or whatever that turns one off, but disables processor "napping"




r.
 
ocdan7 said:
We love Apple, OSX, the sheer beauty of our MBP's .. why would anyone so inclinded towards excellence want to spend time debating a non-existant issue?
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Couldn't have put it better myself
 
Clarification

joseph2166 said:
Couldn't have put it better myself
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Thanks for the support!! To prevent erroneous conclusions though, i.e., as if the problem were non existant, the full quote is:

We love Apple, OSX, the sheer beauty of our MBP's .. why would anyone so inclinded towards excellence want to spend time debating a non-existant issue? No seeds planted here- just an irritating noise if you're in a quiet office or the library.

Tomorrow I visit an Apple Authorized Service Center for a 2nd opinion.
 
ocdan7 said:
Thanks for the support!! To prevent erroneous conclusions though, i.e., as if the problem were non existant, the full quote is:

We love Apple, OSX, the sheer beauty of our MBP's .. why would anyone so inclinded towards excellence want to spend time debating a non-existant issue? No seeds planted here- just an irritating noise if you're in a quiet office or the library.

Tomorrow I visit an Apple Authorized Service Center for a 2nd opinion.
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I phoned with apple. They said: it is within specs. So i send it back and get a refund.
 
pity - I hope you get another apple product! I'm enjoying my macbook pro more and more despite the noise... It's either too soft to hear (for example when music is playing) or too easy to get rid of (e.g. putting the mirror widget 'cheat' on whenever I'm doing quiet, processor unintensive takss such as internet browsing
 
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