New DP MDD FW800, not quiet!!

[spacepower]

I am kinda pissed off. Really pissed off.

Apple claims that they fixed the noise problem. I don't have much experience with the old MDD Macs, just checked them out several times in the store. My brand new DP 1.25 FW800 is LOUD!!!!

First off, the fan under opitical drives, which cools the DPs and HD is always on!! As soon as I boot, it turns on and never shuts off. The DPs don't even get hot until after 4+ hours of use. The first 4 hours, the air coming out the back of the CPU is room temperature. So why do I have to listen to that 120mm fan all the time!!! I have had this CPU for 3 days and each day the fan has a higher, even more annoying pitch. I do believe that apple changed the power supply or at least the fans in it. My optical drives fan, located on the motherboard, has never turned on yet.

The noise coming from my cpu is unacceptable. Way too loud to be used in an audio or video production studio. Way too loud for a home office. It might be acceptable in a busy environment like compusa or an apple store where there is always loud background noise or music. This is unacceptable!! I have been reading about the problems with the first MDD all over the net for awhile. Just now, complaints about the new "quieter" MDD FW800 are starting to surface.

Supposedly apple may do something for the older MDD owners (with applecare), but i believe they also need to fix the current production line.

If anyone else with a MDD FW800 has the fan problems, i'd like to hear from you.

Also check out www.g4noise.com


Peace

 

[MacsRgr8]

Not that bad...

I just go my new dual 1.25 Ghz, and its not loud.
Only when I (re)boot my machine the optical drive fans seem to lift off, but that takes about 20 secs. When I see my login screen, its all gone quiet to the "normal" noise level (same as my Sawtooth I had before).
It seems that what I hear for about 20 seconds (acceptable, not nice though...) you hear all the time? Jeeez, go back to the store!

Good luck!

 

[Freg3000]

This is the problem with this situation-loud is not a number, it's a description.

To a cube user, the new MDD Powermacs will be very loud. But to, say a rock musician, they might be just normal.

Until we figure out a way to mathematical figure out a way to measure the noise level, we'll continue to argue.

Oh well.

 

[solvs]

Originally posted by Freg3000
This is the problem with this situation-loud is not a number, it's a description.

To a cube user, the new MDD Powermacs will be very loud. But to, say a rock musician, they might be just normal.

Until we figure out a way to mathematical figure out a way to measure the noise level, we'll continue to argue.

Oh well.

Uh... ever hear of Decibel levels.

 

[Sun Baked]

Originally posted by solvs


Uh... ever hear of Decibel levels.

Not sure I heard of them, but are they the noise measurements that vary according to distance and where (in the 3d space around the machine) you take you're measurement from?

 

[zoetropeuk]

Check out this page from G4noise.com http://home.centurytel.net/chunhsu/mac/noise/recording/index.html you can record the noise your G4 is making and then analyse the results to work out which fan or fans are causing the problems.
I just replaced all the fans on my MDD 867 and it is much, much more quite now. I can actually hear the hard drive working away. I'd say if you can hear your hard drive then you've got one of the quite ones.
If you expect your G4 to be silent then you are sadly mistaken. Dual processors give of alot of heat and therefore require alot of cooling. I'm sure people would prefer a LOUD fan to a dead CPU.
You have to remember that these fans have to possibly cool 4 internal hard drives, 2 processors, 2 optical drives, a graphics card and possibly four PCI cards. This can add up to a very hot G4 indeed. If you plan to run your G4 as standard than you can replace the fans with much lower CFM ratings. If you only have the combo then you can pretty much disconnect the fan on the motherboard.
Just be happy that you've got a dual G4 in the first place.

 

[Freg3000]

Originally posted by solvs


Uh... ever hear of Decibel levels.

Uhhh.....I have heard of decibels, but I don't happen to have a way to measure my computer noise in decibels. The best I can do is my ears. . .

Edit: Maybe I can do better than my ears. Thanks for the link zoetropeuk. I'll check it out.

 

[benixau]

Originally posted by zoetropeuk
Check out this page from G4noise.com http://home.centurytel.net/chunhsu/mac/noise/recording/index.html you can record the noise your G4 is making and then analyse the results to work out which fan or fans are causing the problems.
I just replaced all the fans on my MDD 867 and it is much, much more quite now. I can actually hear the hard drive working away. I'd say if you can hear your hard drive then you've got one of the quite ones.
If you expect your G4 to be silent then you are sadly mistaken. Dual processors give of alot of heat and therefore require alot of cooling. I'm sure people would prefer a LOUD fan to a dead CPU.
You have to remember that these fans have to possibly cool 4 internal hard drives, 2 processors, 2 optical drives, a graphics card and possibly four PCI cards. This can add up to a very hot G4 indeed. If you plan to run your G4 as standard than you can replace the fans with much lower CFM ratings. If you only have the combo then you can pretty much disconnect the fan on the motherboard.
Just be happy that you've got a dual G4 in the first place.

LOUD!!!! my MDD2002 is a DP 1G. it sits in my room with a pc about 5-10 metres from it. this pc is an AMDXP1800+ on an nForce 1 mobo. 2x opticals and a seagate.

now - the pc is so lod that when i turn on my mac i can not hear it. i only notice my macs noise when the pc gets shut down.

the macs are not as quiet as they used to be, no arguing there - BUT - they are alot faster then they used to be too

 

[giovanni]

I also don't really understand all this bs about noise. My dual 867 is may be a bit noisier than my old b&w G3, but while seating right next to the monitor, it does not disturb me at all. Some dudes must have gotten bad machines, others must be way too sensitive. Even for music, I am not sure there are computer that would be silent enough....
In fact the big noisy fans in my dual kick in so rarely that I sort of miss it. In fact, I love it when I hear them, mostly at "restarts" !!!!

 

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by zoetropeuk
Check out this page from G4noise.com I'd say if you can hear your hard d...sits on a shelf just to the right of my desk.

 

[BIGgui_X_]

MDD CPU FAN

Anyone know the exact specs of the MDD dual 1.25 12 inces CPU fan ?
I plant to replace it, but i would like to know what are the specs, CFM at lower speed, DBA at the lower speed, too !

any recommendations

thanks

 

[DrBoar]

Got a dual 1.25 bought last spring (note included in the PS replacement) and it is really loud. The main culprit is the 120mm Delta fan. It is a distinct buzzing noise that can be modulated a bit by poking the fan case with the finger.

Take a look at the test at
http://www.materiel.be/refroid/120mmfans_2/page1.php
The Panflo fans looks very good, combining good performance and low noise

The Delta fan I have is a AFB1212SHE
A 12V fan that operate between 13.2 and 4.0V 1.05A and 12.6W resulting in
3700 rpm 4.3M3/min (152CFM) and a noise of 53dBA!
Articles in G4noise.com has claims of CFMs at lower volates but if they are valid I do not know.

I am pretty sure I can run a slower quiter fan and still have the CPUs at the same temperature by.
1. Moving the HD to the bay in front of the fan, and then put in a flowguide that will make all air coming out of the case go into the heat sink.
2. Installing a PCI slot fan it lowers the temperature in the case as well as the CPU by several degrees

My Dual sound more than the G4/400 and the B&W G3 across the room. My wife bought a Pentium 4 box last weekend despite a hot 2.8 GHz CPU is is whisper quite making the dual G4 even more embarrasing... The lame G4 CPUs is not primary Apples fault but the fans sure are. As Dell and many other PC vendors has shown there are many ways to build quite computers at good prices there are no reason for that crap Apple has been inflicting upon us. The G4/400 is quite noisy as well but far from that irriating buzzzzzzzzzz of the Dual

 

[5300cs]

Let me know if anyone's is as noisy as this:

http://homepage.mac.com/time_pilot/xserve.avi

 

[Horrortaxi]

I've got a MDD dual 1ghz. Apple says it's one of the quiet ones. It's in a room with a Gigabit Ethernet G4 and a Cube--they're both silent so obviously it's louder. It's also in a room with a PC I use sometimes for Linux and that's louder than the MDD--even across the room.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Not to sound cocky but they didnt call them wind tunnels for nothing also after the wind tunnels Apple went to extremes to make a almost silent pro tower G5. Just more of the G4 Fiasco and all the crap that came with that chip.

 

[Godfather]

FW 800 is not the windtunnel, that's the generation be4 the FW800, the MDD. (yes both are available in dual 1.25, but this is the FW800)

And I agree. I really was amazed @ how people could whine on the internet when I got my G4 (FW800). It seems that the fan was too loud. I couldn't imagine what it was, since I did not have these problems. But, since a few months, I do. Normally, when I used to reboot or startup, the fan would kick in very loud. But it would also quit if I was @ the login section (OSX boot). Then I never heard it again unless using many apps which require alot of CPU power.

Nowadays, It's CONSTANTLY on, and I am NOT kidding, it's on now, and sometimes goes higher just a tiny pitch (not louder, but higher). I bet the Decibels are the same, but it's just demanding a bit more power. It's really annoying, since I can't even listen to all the examples on the internet on what sound the people's computers make, since my computer is louder even with a good headset on (plantronics DSP 500, isolating earpads)

@ first I didn't have any problems with the constant noise, but now it's annoying. And my parents won't let me leave the computer on during the night, since they can hear it on the 2nd floor! It's that serious. I really wonder if it's not the fan which is causing troubles, but the sensors and meters. I downloaded some apps which register the temperature, but it's a constant 61,3 degrees celcius. It can't be constant! No way, all the time?

I really am pretty desperate on what to do, since I have 0 technical skills. If some1 could advice me here I'd be very happy.

thx in advance!

edit = subscription to thread

 

[homerjward]

hey spacepower, youre lookin for this
or maybe you'd rather stick with a mac