MBP High Pitch Noise

[mshepherd]

So I sent my computer in to apple to repair the high pitch noise it was making. When i received it back it was still making it. They asked me to make a recording of it so I did, when they received it they claimed they could not hear the noise. I want to make sure I am not loosing my mind here. Can you guys here the noise when I plug in my power? Here is the link:

http://www.pupsandus.com/noise.m4a

 

[rychencop]

I heard nothing.

 

[mshepherd]

Hmm, did you have your volume turned up? Maybe I am just sensitive to high pitch noises.

 

[jaydub]

Some people are sensitive to high pitched sounds. For example, I can hear when a tv is on from another room - even if it's muted. Perhaps your mbp is emitting a similar sound, but it's most likely not a "defect" as much as it's just something your hearing is sensitive to.

 

[nre999]

I second (or third or fourth) the noise thing. I find that I can hear above the normal spectrum well, but my hearing is for crap with low pitched noises (no Barry White for me).

It is to the point that I could tell a netgear wireless router was broken because of the sound it was making that no-one else could here. Freaky sometimes, but hey everyone is different.

Go into a retail store or to a friend with the same laptop and see if you hear the same noise. If you do, then it may have a very sensitive inner-ear (as that is what "senses" the vibrations in sound waves). If not, then your computer may have a problem.

Some HD are known to emmit high pitched noises.

 

[bananna]

you're not crazy!

don't worry! my computer does the same exact thing. and when it happens, my computer freezes for a moment and it's driving me insane! it comes and goes, sometimes months go by with no noise. but i have no clue what's wrong with it! mine still makes the noise even when i turn the computer off, but not when i unplug it. i think that it's an overheating issue, so i just disconnect it from the power completely and leave it like that for maybe an hour or so. that's the only solution i've discovered so far. hopefully this helps and it's the same issue that you have!

 

[840quadra]

So I sent my computer in to apple to repair the high pitch noise it was making. When i received it back it was still making it. They asked me to make a recording of it so I did, when they received it they claimed they could not hear the noise. I want to make sure I am not loosing my mind here. Can you guys here the noise when I plug in my power? Here is the link:

http://www.pupsandus.com/noise.m4a

ouch!

Yeah that would drive me absolutely nuts! I can't stand high pitch sounds!

I too hear CRT devices in other rooms, often with doors closed. Some of us don't listen to our iPods with the volume way up .

Here is a link to some good hearing tests.

http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/

I am currently 30 and can hear 29k Hz, not bad for an old guy .

It is to the point that I could tell a netgear wireless router was broken because of the sound it was making that no-one else could here. Freaky sometimes, but hey everyone is different.

Yeah I can hear that too sometimes, and when ballasts are going bad in those little "energy saving" bulbs. My Powermac G5 made really annoying high pitched sounds when I did anything graphics intensive, it was a known issue, but it hurt my ears, and drove me nuts. I ended up having to sell it .

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

If your MBP has a CFL backlight - try toying with the brightness, it may be the PWM you're hearing for the backlight. (it tends to get louder at a dimmer setting, and quieter on a brighter one)

Ditto the PWM (pulse width modulation) noise for the fans, and even your power supply (if charging the battery, or under a heavy load they can "whine")

Hard drive motors can make some whining from the main motor, too. Though many 7200rpm drives I've found to be quieter than 4200 or 5400 drives. On the other hand, 10krpm drives get loud again.

CD Drive can be noisy.

I've even heard CPUs making noise before (I forget the reasoning behind it - some weird harmonic thing from current induction affecting the heatsink) anyhow, just find something to make more noise so you won't have to listen to it.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Well, Matt Shepard, I don't know what I heard exactly. I heard a PWM type sound - but it also could be just noise from the MP3 encoding.

Try different things to see what causes it to change pitch / intensity. Render something with the GPU, encode a movie file to tax the CPU, change the volume (if it has a digital amplifier), plug in headphones to rule out speakers / audio amp / change brightness of the display / eject a cd if one is in the drive / unplug the power connector with it running / and finally - if you have a backlight keyboard, turn the backlight on and off (or cover the light sensor if it has one) - if the keyboard is organic electroluminescent backlighting - they have a hi voltage inverter - and those too can be noisy.

Does this help any?