macbook superdrive REALLY LOUD when burning :(

[ttttaylor]

i've got a mid '09 whitebook, and whenever i am burning cd-rs in itunes (haven't tried just burning data discs) it seems like the speed is wayyy too high and it is extremely loud and makes the whole computer vibrate. the "preferred speed" on itunes is set to "maximum," but it's always been set to that and this sound isn't normal. it's been like this for a while, so i've just avoided burning cds as much as possible. but something just doesn't seem right about it. i mean, it still reads and writes, but i feel like i'm going to break it! this can't be normal can it? or does anyone else have this problem?

thanks for your help.

 

[Darth.Titan]

You've got a disc in that optical drive spinning up to about 5000 RPM. That tends to create sound and vibration.

Optical drives are noisy. I've never seen one that wasn't. Don't worry, it's normal.

 

[chill.]

is it a matshita uj-868? i think the apple superdrives are kind of poor, whenever i use a dvd it starts grinding and screeching like crazy. my old computers were never nearly as loud

 

[sml238]

i agree my macbook also seems louder than any of my other drives.

 

[unixfool]

My superdrives in my Macbook is no louder than my Dell laptops (work and home). I've yet to see none that are quiet...all are loud IMO.

 

[Disc Golfer]

My last mbp had a horrible loud superdrive. It sounded like it was grinding grooves into the cd. The replacement isn't as bad but it makes a grinding/whining noise if you pick it up, particularly if the laptop is picked up other than in a "flat" position and particularly if there's any pressure put on the case area around the drive. Also if the grinding/whining noise happens during a burn the burn will usually fail. It almost seems like the body of the laptop is just barely too small for the optical drive.

 

[kdum8]

In my experience Apply Superdrives are fairly poor quality. In all the years that I have owned PCs, never once had a drive failure.

Two Superdrives have failed on my MBP so far and I know a few other friends have had problems too. It does seem that the Matushita drives that apple is using are not very reliable. Makes one wonder why they haven't replaced the company by now. This has been a problem over many years.

 

[J&JPolangin]

...I find my tray loading PC drives to be quieter than my iMac or whitebook superdrives... I think it has part to do with the fact that the tray mechanism blocks out some of the noise vs. the open slot on the macs?...