Macbook Pro with SSD – noise and fan issue

[Karlington]

Hello!
I have a MBP (late 2011) in wich I've installed an SSD drive from OWC. First I had some problems (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1289342/ – I first installed the SSD where the optical used to sit). This issue was resolved by switching place with the old HDD. So now my HDD is where the optical used to be and my SSD is where the HDD used to be.

No to my problem. I'm not quite sure how much noise a brand new MBP should emit but I've got a feeling that, after doing the whole SSD-thing, it's now making more noise than before. It's like a constant fan-like noise that seems to be coming from the region where my HDD drive is. Can it be the HDD or is it the fans that is running on slow speed? Did maybe the old optical drive "isolate" the computer and therefor making it less noisy? I have an oooold MBP and that one isn't making that much noise at all.

Another problem is that the fans cranks up to max when I for example render images in Cinema 4D (3d-app) and sometimes also when working with heavy files in Photoshop. Is this normal or is there something wrong with my fans?

Thanks for your answer!

Kind regards,
Karl

 

[Karlington]

Ok... Is there perhaps any way to shut down my HDD while the computer is still running (I only use the HDD for storage. OS and apps is on my SSD).

Kind regards,
Karl

 

[mrobit]

Hello!
I have a MBP (late 2011) in wich I've installed an SSD drive from OWC. First I had some problems (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1289342/ – I first installed the SSD where the optical used to sit). This issue was resolved by switching place with the old HDD. So now my HDD is where the optical used to be and my SSD is where the HDD used to be.

No to my problem. I'm not quite sure how much noise a brand new MBP should emit but I've got a feeling that, after doing the whole SSD-thing, it's now making more noise than before. It's like a constant fan-like noise that seems to be coming from the region where my HDD drive is. Can it be the HDD or is it the fans that is running on slow speed? Did maybe the old optical drive "isolate" the computer and therefor making it less noisy? I have an oooold MBP and that one isn't making that much noise at all.

Another problem is that the fans cranks up to max when I for example render images in Cinema 4D (3d-app) and sometimes also when working with heavy files in Photoshop. Is this normal or is there something wrong with my fans?

Thanks for your answer!

Kind regards,
Karl

If the HDD is spinning, then the vibration from it might be the cause of the noise. Also, your fans may be spinning up because they are resource heavy apps. Rendering 3d, video, etc. is processor-intensive for sure.

 

[randy98mtu]

I think my HDD goes to sleep when it's not being used. I had to wait for it to spin up last night when I clicked on it. As for the fans when you are rendering, that is pretty normal. My 17" gets both fans up to 5500 rpm when I'm exporting a batch of RAW files in Lightroom. You could try (if you feel qualified) to reapply thermal grease. I have read that can help, and I bought it but haven't tried it yet. Do some searches here as it's a pretty hot topic.

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If the HDD is spinning, then the vibration from it might be the cause of the noise. Also, your fans may be spinning up because they are resource heavy apps. Rendering 3d, video, etc. is processor-intensive for sure.

That made me wonder, what did you use to mount the HDD in the optical bay? I have the OWC Data Doubler. I can't hear the HDD if the room isn't dead silent. Is everything secured in place inside?

 

[dusk007]

The HDD bay has rubber mounting which reduces vibrations and is all around enclosed by aluminium to reduce sound coming out too easily.
The optical bay is just a noisier place with worse mounting.

If it is a 7200rpm drive you may want to switch it for a 5400rpm to reduce noise and especially vibrations. Some 7200rpm are prone to vibrations but no 5400rpm is.

Open Terminal
type

sudo pmset -a disksleep 2

to set the disk to sleep in 2 minutes. Some say it doesn't work in the optical bay but I think it should. Default is 10 and you need to check put hdd to sleep in the energy settings.
If it does not try google and look for "unmount disk script osx". Install Alfred and call a script to unmount & mount the drive when you need it or not.

 

[Karlington]

Well I'll be damned! I dismounted my HDD and eureka! No sound what so ever! It's definitely the Toshiba drive that makes the noise. I also used the Data Doubler from OWC/Macsales to install it in the optical space. Pretty sure I did it correctly... The sound it makes is more of a stable fan noise than "loose parts noise"...

Now what to do? Should I go and by myself a new silent drive or what are the options here?

Kind regards,
Karl

 

[Karlington]

Thanks for your help guys!
Noob as I am I hadn't even checked the putharddrivestosleep-box, but now I have and I also typed in the command to makes my little Toshiba go to sleep after two minutes.

Let's se if this works!

Kind regards,
Karl

 

[Karlington]

FYI: Turn of Spotlight indexing for the HDD, otherwise it will wake it up every five minuets or so.

 

[dusk007]

A silent drive won't be that much more silent.
5400rpm is still about as loud as the fans running at 2500rpm.
You can try to emulate it with smcfancontrol when running of the hdd.
At what point are the fans more noisy than the hdd and the hdd in turn doesn't matter anymore.

Platters spinning at a few thousand rpm make a noise. At least the constant jerkying of the seek head is now largly in control. Modern drives hardly have any seek noise anymore with old drives being really noise in that regard.

Spin it down and live with the noise when it is spinning.