New MBP (Late 2008), fan? sound coming from left speaker?

[cornelius1]

Update: (Summary: Getting a replacement MBP because of the fan noise)

I took my MBP (CTO) to the Apple Store Monday morning. I played the sound I recorded (linked above) to the Genius, and he was able to hear the fan noise itself, which wasn't at its full loudness then. He agreed that it wasn't normal and checked if they had any replacement fans, but they didn't. He said, in general the arrival of replacement parts usually takes between 30-60 days from the launch of a new product and that I could either wait for a replacement fan or get the MBP replaced. I didn't want to wait that long for the fan, so I asked for a replacement MBP, which seemed like the better option anyway as mine also had the slightly-crooked-top-row-keys problem. So he made a phone call to initiate a MBP replacement and told me that I would get a Fedex label by email in 1-2 days.

I received the label email that evening and dropped off the box at the Fedex location Tuesday morning, immediately after which the Apple guy taking care of my replacement placed the order. The order status page says "Ships: 3-5 business days" (overnight shipping), and it seems to be "Prepared for Shipment" now.

I was impressed by the way that they deal with customer problems, but not that much by their quality control procedures at the factory (or lack thereof).

I shall post again about the replacement once I receive it in a few days.

 

[abrownman]

same problem here..

i've tried blowing compressed air in the vents...but the sound is still highly irritating.

grrr!!

I just got this thing, it's my first Mac

and

already this thing has to have problems!?

 

[cornelius1]

Update:

Good news. Received my replacement MBP yesterday morning. It's been perfect so far. It doesn't have that geiger-counter-like fan noise. It also seems to be running at least a few C degrees cooler than the previous one (better fan?) and the top row keys are more or less flat unlike those of the previous one.

@abrownman: This was my first Mac too. I recommend calling Apple or taking it to an Apple store after making a Genius bar appointment. They should either replace the fan or replace the whole thing.

 

[holdingpattern7]

Clicking / buzzing issue started today (made recording)

Glad I'm not alone. I just got my new MBP (2.4 GHz, 2GB RAM, 5400 RPM drive) a couple weeks ago. The noise began tonight. The system has been running for about 30 minutes under minimal use (only Safari open). I've linked to a recording along with a bit of narration about the fan speed and temps using iStat. I'll be contacting Apple tomorrow, and will post updates here. I hope that I'll have the same experience as others have had with the Apple Store folks. Wish me luck

Left fan clicking / buzzing noise recording: http://www.box.net/shared/8es2zamoqc

Update: Recording of varying the fan speed using smcFanControl (again, the intermittent clicking is just the iPod's hard drive - the Belkin mic is a bit too sensitive): http://www.box.net/shared/kozj1in22s

Update 12/19: A few dozen people have downloaded the recordings I made, so I'm happy they've been of help! Sorry for taking awhile to post an update. I contacted Apple Care about the problem. The support rep didn't seem aware of the problem, so I explained to him the comments on this forum that others had posted. He said it wouldn't be a problem to replace the entire computer (!!), but I'd have to take it to the local Apple Store to verify the problem firsthand. He did issue a support tag number, however that I could bring with me to the Apple Store.

I scheduled an appointment at the Genius Bar for later in the week. I repeated the conversation and gave the tech the support tag number. I took the recording with me just in case, but the tech simply asked to hear the fan noise directly. Of course, at the slower speed, there was absolutely no noise, but when I sped-up the fan, the tech finally heard the noise. She said that I had two options: I could request a replacement computer, or leave the computer at the store for repair, which would take a few days since they didn't have the replacement fan in stock. Unfortunately, since I didn't purchase the computer at the store but through the Apple website, the store wasn't able to give me a replacement; rather, I'd have to contact Apple Care again to have a replacement sent out.

When I again contacted Apple Care, I explained to the rep my recent visit to the Apple Store and that the tech said a replacement was to be issued. The Apple Care folks were extremely helpful and apologetic about the whole situation (sidebar: Far unlike my past experience at a big-box store where the tech's first statement to me was, verbatim, "What's your problem?" ). The next day I was able to print out the RMA return labels from an email I'd received. Fortunately, I had kept all the original shipping and packaging materials, so I didn't have to wait longer for Apple to send out a new shipping box.

Although it took a couple weeks to negotiate the return of my old computer and the shipping of the new computer from Shanghai, China, I've not -- yet -- experienced any further issues.