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My iMac is making a Dull Rumble

PurpleCliff

PurpleCliff

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
160
0
Australia
I'm not ABSOLUTELY 100% CERTAIN - but I am quite sure that just in the past few hours my iMac has developed a low rumble - which is actually quite off-putting. It is just about as loud as my air-conditioner - and I am worried.
Is there any way if I can tell if it is 'problematically loud' or just 'normally loud'? I only just got it 1 week ago.

Thanks for any help!!
 
iMacs are pretty much silent. During the hot months, the fans might fire up for a bit but mostly, they don't. All the one's we have here are silent and I look after about 30 if not more. If it's so new, go back to the store.
 
any chance of recording the sound? Could just be the hard drive heads:confused: or maybe some pet hair or a giant dust bunny got lodged into one of the fans.
 
edgew8 said:
any chance of recording the sound? Could just be the hard drive heads:confused: or maybe some pet hair or a giant dust bunny got lodged into one of the fans.
Click to expand...

If it were the hard drive heads, the machine would not work. There's no room for the heads of a drive to "rumble" without doing serious physical damage to the disk.

Usually a rumbling inside a computer is a fan issue (ie, a bad bearing or a wobbling blade). I'd take it back to the store for a real diagnosis. It's impossible for anyone here to tell you for sure what the problem is, but a genius will be able to.
 
Thanks all! I'll call up Apple as soon as I get a chance.
Just wondering - what do you think will they do? Would they send me another one even though it has the GT 130 (instead of the base model's GT120)? And would I then have to box up and send back my current one?

Thanks!
 
Also, when does the 14 day return policy begin? When I place the order online or when I receive the mac?
 
Hi,

your reference to the air con made me think immediately it was some kind of interference. Does the throb have the same tempo as the aircon? Doe the throb continue if the air con is off? Have you relocated computer to a different room just to see if there's an environmental cause? Just a thought.

best, and.
 
And said:
Hi,

your reference to the air con made me think immediately it was some kind of interference. Does the throb have the same tempo as the aircon? Doe the throb continue if the air con is off? Have you relocated computer to a different room just to see if there's an environmental cause? Just a thought.

best, and.
Click to expand...

Good thought, but it is still there if I turn off the air-conditioner. :D
Thanks!
 
Noise

When I've had noise like this with a fully functional computer it's because something has gotten in the way of a fan. Something slipped in/around/whatever and is hitting the blades. I've never had one of the newer iMacs, so I don't know if you can see/reach a fan, but since it's new I would strongly suggest you take it in. It could also be a fan with a missing mount so that it vibrates against something or even a bad fan that vibrates. Any strong vibration will cause the sound you are describing. It is very unlikely that the problem is with the drive.

Mooch
 
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