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New iMac makes buzzing sound

A

Arne

macrumors regular
Original poster
Hello,

my new iMac (2,93 ghz, 4GB, nvidia 130, 1TB storage) makes a buzzing sound. It does not stop if I lift it from the desk, so it is not vibrations that cause my desk to do the sound. I suspect the HDD or the fans. Should I be worried?

Arne
 
I would be worried - your iMac should be quiet as a mouse.

Do other electricals buzz when plugged into the same plug socket? Might be worth checking if you don't know - my TV buzzes if the dimmer switch for the lights in the same room is down too low...
 
stujmac might be on to something, electrical interference is a possibility. all i can hear on my new imac is airflow and the slight clicking of the hdd when active. i couldnt imagine a fan bearing bad already, but anythings possible.
 
I'm not shure about electrival interference, since there is no sound if it is in standby-mode and the sound doesn't kick in until like a second after the iMac has woken up.

I have heard about some diagnostics tool, that allows the fun to run at full power for some time to solve problems. do you think this might help? if yes, how do I start it?

Thanks for your help!
 
me too

I have it too. It becomes less obvious when lifting up the imac, but it is still there. I think it is the HDD.
OH jeh, I've got one deadpixel, but it is so tiny and in the upper left corner, that I missed it the first 15min.
The main thing is I find it a bit to high compared to my ACD. Needs lowering.
 
hm sucks... I'll probably never get an apple product without any flaws -.-
 
What kind of buzzing is it, exactly? Like a fly? Or is it more of an electrical whine, like the first-gen MBPs had?
 
neither of both. I know the sound from my external harddrive when I place it on my desk. When I lift it however, the noise disappears. I think its vibrations. It also helps to put something soft underneath it.
It must be the harddrive...
 
Arne said:
neither of both. I know the sound from my external harddrive when I place it on my desk. When I lift it however, the noise disappears. I think its vibrations. It also helps to put something soft underneath it.
It must be the harddrive...
Click to expand...

Yep I think that also. It is the HDD. With music on it is barely noticeable. I still have a small gradient issue in my screen. Will see the next days if it will even out or something or ... well ... do not want to think about sending it back.
It is bright though.. .. jeesz
 
well I will see how much it annoys me over the weekend. If it annoys me too much I think I will send it back. I have spend an aweful lot of money on this machine...
 
Its the fans, the bearing aren't bad because they have no bearings.

I have a description of a possible solution here>https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/654353/
because I had the same problem with my iMac. Your best bet is to see if Apple will replace your fans with quiet ones, but they probably wont and just call your problem "normal operation and not a problem"
 
stujmac26 said:
I would be worried - your iMac should be quiet as a mouse.

Do other electricals buzz when plugged into the same plug socket? Might be worth checking if you don't know - my TV buzzes if the dimmer switch for the lights in the same room is down too low...
Click to expand...

How quiet should it be really? The buzz, though not that loud, is constant. I can feel the vibration even just placing my hands on the desk where the iMac is placed. Is that normal? Should I get used to it?
 
Appleness said:
How quiet should it be really? The buzz, though not that loud, is constant. I can feel the vibration even just placing my hands on the desk where the iMac is placed. Is that normal? Should I get used to it?
Click to expand...

I feel NOTHING when placing my hands next to or on my 24"/2.8. In normal operation I can't even HEAR the HDD nor the fans.

You may want to download and install one of those fan control apps, and then crank your fans up to see if the buzzing gets worse. That will at least help you isolate the problem.

If it were me, off to the Apple store I would go.
 
Arne said:
Hello,

my new iMac (2,93 ghz, 4GB, nvidia 130, 1TB storage) makes a buzzing sound. It does not stop if I lift it from the desk, so it is not vibrations that cause my desk to do the sound. I suspect the HDD or the fans. Should I be worried?

Arne
Click to expand...

I just got mine and it does it a little bit. Only when opening applications and stuff. i think it might be the HDD working.
 
I have the same spec as the original poster and mine is silent. 🙂

I think you should be contacting Apple support and getting a replacement.
 
I will be interested to know what Apple has to say / how it resolves these problems. Seems to me Rev A of the new 2009 iMac is troublesome - at best.
 
I already spoke to Apple care. The person I spoke to had me install the OS X updates and made me Hold CMD+ALT+P+T while the iMac restarted 3 times in a row. It didn't help. I'm taking it to a certified store (I'm in germany, we don't have (many) Apple Stores) on wednesday. I will insist that they exchange the HDD. Here in germany law has it, that you can send back anything you ordered online or by phone within the first two weeks without paying any fees. That can't be what apple wants so I hope they just exchange the HDD...

BTW: I downloaded smcFanControl and let the Fans spin on maximum, and that didn't have any impact on the buzzing, so it's not the fans.

Thanks for your help guys
 
if it is because of the HDD, is this buzz all we can expect, or could it bring any worse issue in the long term?

I ask it because I am considering to "live" with that buzz, as far as I hate even thinking of returning my iMac and having to wait weeks for a new one...
 
Replacement?

So anybody have a replacement? I think I'll try a replacement, I also got a slight gradient. I did not see any gradient in some store where the 24" were displayed. I'll take the gamble.
 
I took it in. Today the guy called for the second time, they can't hear it. Maybe something changed due to the transport or so. I will pick it up on friday.
 
I got it back, nothing changed. I guess I will have to live with that. The next time I buy a computer I will seriously consider buying something else than apple. My macbook has this whine, my iMac makes this noise... come on...
 
Put it on the ground, seriously!

Davieis said:
My friend who just bought a 24" BTO iMac claims to have the same issue.
Click to expand...
Well I'm convinced this is vibration through the iMac stand into the desk. At least that is what it is over here. I placed the iMac on the ground and another desk and no vibration. I have a nice looking Ikea desk, but the wood (some sort triplex) of the desk itself is relatively thin. So I guess that with the RPMs of the disk the desk resonates with it due to its own frequency (eigenfrequentie).
 
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