Noisy MacBook Pro?

[ninjaboi21]

Hey MacRumors,

got my MacBook Pro yesterday and so far I love it! It's fast, it's cool and super, awesome design. Was wondering a thing though: is my MacBook Pro making unusually noise?

I got the top end 15" MacBook Pro - with the AMD 6750M graphic and BTO 500GB 7200RPM instead of 750GB 5400RPM. When sitting in silence you can hear what seems to be the fans, but aren't. I downloaded smcFanControl and tried to kick the fans up to 2500RPM to see if that sound I hear will get bigger. It won't so I can conclude it's not the fan. Now I am wondering, can it be the 7200RPM harddrive or the graphic?

Let me say I have to kick the fans up to a total of 3500RPM before it cancel out the other noise - is that normal?

If in the integrated graphic is in use, does the AMDs fans still spins? I also tried to download gfxStatusCard and only enable the integrated or discrete graphic, but I still hear the sound. How is yours MacBook Pro? I am not sure how I can describe the sound, I just know it's noticeable.

I am not sure wether the noise is big enough to be annoying... so any answers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ninjaboi21]

Does anyone have an opinion on this one? If it's supposed to sound like that because of the hardware vs. the lower end 15" - I might return it, but I only have a limited time.

Thank you.

 

[mtip]

It's probably the hard drive you're hearing, 7200rpm drives tend to be quite noisy compared to 5400rpm models.

 

[markdaster]

hey,

sorry i don't hav a mbp (yet ). But, afaik the cpu and gpu are cool by a single heatpipe. so i think the fan speed belongs to both components.

my conclusion is the noise must be generated by the harddrive.

 

[MacDaddy80]

Does anyone have an opinion on this one? If it's supposed to sound like that because of the hardware vs. the lower end 15" - I might return it, but I only have a limited time.

Thank you.

is it like a rattling sound like when you open applications?

 

[dusk007]

You are most likely referring to the hard drive. In idle it is spinning quite fast and even though it is a little more sound isolated than a fan that is usually significantly louder than the fans.
My 5400rpm drive is in idle quite a bit louder than my fans on 2000rpm. And a 7200rpm drive is again quite a bit louder than 5400rpm.

You can hear this in any notebook unless the fans are louder. I once had 4200rpm drive which is what I would call almost silent. 5400rpm is clearly audible at night at home with almost no other source of noise.

You want it quite get an SSD. I am thinking about getting one now. It will be interesting to see how loud the fans actually are at 2000rpm.

 

[ninjaboi21]

Damn, now I wish I hadn't chosed that BTO... I would say it's enough to bother me, if I sit on it for several hours straight.

Why does those SSD have to be so freakin' expensive? It's atleast 120$ for 60GB here in Denmark, maybe I should invest in a slower harddrive, how much would you say a 500GB 5400RPM harddrive cost?

 

[Petronas]

How much louder is the 7200rpm drive anyway?

I accidentally ordered my new MacBook Pro with a 5600rpm drive and was going to send it back to fix up my order but now that I have read this I am having second thoughts.

Is the noise worth the extra speed of the 7200 over the 5600?

 

[Petronas]

Damn, now I wish I hadn't chosed that BTO... I would say it's enough to bother me, if I sit on it for several hours straight.

Why does those SSD have to be so freakin' expensive? It's atleast 120$ for 60GB here in Denmark, maybe I should invest in a slower harddrive, how much would you say a 500GB 5400RPM harddrive cost?

Mate I will gladly swap with you! PM me if you want to go ahead with a swap. (Read my post above)

 

[Grouchy Bob]

Damn, now I wish I hadn't chosed that BTO... I would say it's enough to bother me, if I sit on it for several hours straight.

Why does those SSD have to be so freakin' expensive? It's atleast 120$ for 60GB here in Denmark, maybe I should invest in a slower harddrive, how much would you say a 500GB 5400RPM harddrive cost?

You can find 500GB drives for under $70. Swap the 5400 for that 7200. Then get a cheap $10 enclosure+usb cable for the 7200 and use it as your time machine backup drive.

 

[adnoh]

buy an SSD in a few months, prices will be down with the release of the next gen drives.

 

[ninjaboi21]

Mate I will gladly swap with you! PM me if you want to go ahead with a swap. (Read my post above)

I am sorry, but living in Denmark
I would not able to wait that long tbh.

You can find 500GB drives for under $70. Swap the 5400 for that 7200. Then get a cheap $10 enclosure+usb cable for the 7200 and use it as your time machine backup drive.

Have you tried to compare the 7200RPM to the 5400RPM: if so, how big different where you able to hear?


Will it harm my warranty if I swapped out the 7200RPM with a 5400RPM? I'm not sure wether I should return it and wait a new one from Apple, or just pay the price of 80-90$ and swap it myself...

 

[maerz001]

it will not harm your warranty. there's even a guide how to swap in the apple user manual.
i would sell the hdd on ebay or use it with enclosure and put a ssd in. in 2 weeks the vertex 3 will hit the shelf. get this one or hope for a price drop on the vertex 2 ( 120gb now for 170€)

 

[shoegal]

What you're hearing is indeed the hard drive. My 2010 mbp was very silent and when I got my new 2011 high end 13" I was shocked by the noise. Returned it buy new one is the same. I've read others having the same experience: same noise with replacement.

 

[grahamnp]

I have a 320GB 7.2k RPM Hitachi and it is silent, quieter than the stock Apple drive although that stock Fujitsu would be a few years old now. It may be your drive but it could also be that the drive is defective.

 

[shoegal]

I have a 320GB 7.2k RPM Hitachi and it is silent, quieter than the stock Apple drive although that stock Fujitsu would be a few years old now. It may be your drive but it could also be that the drive is defective.

As I wrote here before, when you return it the noise will be there! I returned mine and experience the same noise. I've read about others having the same noise with their replacement. So no, I don't this the HDD is defective!

 

[dusk007]

Look here for prices.
Up to 120gigs they are starting to get affordable. I hope that the next gen. Vertex 3 and Intel 510 will put some more pressure on prices.

It is not really that expensive considering the speedup you get and the silence. I would really love the silence. Sometimes at night when I just sit there reading stuff (like pdf) I wish the hdd would spin down but it never does, even though I set it to spin down after 2 min idle and it is only 5400rpm. I always knew I don't want a 7200 because that would be only annoying and never worth the little bit of speedup. I rather wait for cheaper ssd to get the best of everything.

The only trouble is that everything past 120GB is still really expensive and with bootcamp that is very little space. I always though 240 is the least I need or I would need some optibay hybrid solution.

 

[polkunus]

I don't understand how this is "noisy" to you. I spend around 5-6 hours a day on my mbp and I don't even notice the sound. The sound is around 6-9dbs? And you're willing to drop performance for something that small?

 

[ninjaboi21]

I don't understand how this is "noisy" to you. I spend around 5-6 hours a day on my mbp and I don't even notice the sound. The sound is around 6-9dbs? And you're willing to drop performance for something that small?

I can assure you it is not just 6-9 (teehee) decibel. The best way to compare is to download smcFanControl and turn your fans up to 3500RPM. That's pretty much the noise they produce.

Well, my plan was to call Apple later today and hear what they can offer me plus call the Apple Premium Resellers and hear if they should have any hi-res in stock.

If that fails, I'll buy an enclosure for this HDD and swap it out with a low-noise 5400RPM HDD. I just don't know which one to buy...

 

[psychedelia]

Pretty sure it's not your harddrive man, I just installed a 7200 RPM, 750GB Seagate in my MBP 2.3/8GB today, and I really can't tell much of difference in loudness level from the stock 5400 RPM.
However, the fans ARE loud, well especially with some heavy usage. But again, can't really tell much difference in sound level from the stock hard drive.

Psych

 

[Miss Terri]

I'm now suddenly very interested in your thread. My 2010 MBP 13" is basically new, and the hard drive is really loud (constant hum) and makes the whole palm rest/trackpad vibrate. Sitting on a table the whole table makes a noise from the reverberation.

It's not clicks or any "failing hard drive" kind of noise, but just loud/vibration/hum. I hate it! It's the stock Apple drive, by the way -- Toshiba, 250gb, 5400rpm. I guess some are just loud, but in all my Mac laptops over the years none have been like this. Guess I was lucky.

Now I don't know what to get.

1) SSD's are expensive and I don't really NEED one. 128gb would make me have to worry about every little download. I would rather keep this in my "future" plan but not now.

2) Replacement HD's seem to be hit or miss on quietness; I could buy one and then just use this drive as a backup, but... which one to buy? I can't find a solid recommendation that says "buy this one" to me

I hope you post back; I'll be interested to see how it goes for you.

Meanwhile, this is my first Mac laptop where I turn it off and go "Ahhhhhh."

Psychadelia: It is not the fan, at least on mine. I can put my ear by the "6" key and hear the fan just faintly (2000 rpm). This is much louder, more vibratey, and is definitely coming from the hard drive (under right palm rest).

Miss Terri

PS: Mine will not spin down and get quiet either, even with only finder open and just sitting there for 15 minutes or more (spin down set to 2 minutes and selected).

 

[psychedelia]

Miss Terri:

If you are going for a replacement hard drive, I would either go for the Western Digital Scorpio Black 750GB/7200RPM, or the Seagate Momentus 750GB/7200RPM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148599&Tpk=seagate momentus 7200 750)

I was debating between those two, and finally landed on the Seagate. I'm a sound engineer and very sensitive to loud sounds, and I have to say I'm happy with the noise level for the hard drive so far.

I do think the fans are a little bit annoying though - like you said, at around 2000RPM they emit a slight hum/white noise type sound.

 

[Miss Terri]

Thanks for the recommendations, Psychedelia. One thing though: I was figuring that a 5400 rpm drive would typically be even quieter? And I don't really think I need the 7200. I WOULD get it if it was quieter for some reason.

Also, does a faster drive use more battery power? I have to minimize my power consumption.

It's nice to hear from someone else who is sensitive to noise/quiet. (Not that everyone should be, but it can be frustrating when you just want some peace and quiet and other people are "Well I can't hear anything"

With the current HDD, this is the first computer I've had where I feel like "Ahhhhh, that's better" after I put it to sleep. Not a good feeling.

Thanks,
Miss Terri

 

[TomCondon]

Thanks for the recommendations, Psychedelia. One thing though: I was figuring that a 5400 rpm drive would typically be even quieter? And I don't really think I need the 7200. I WOULD get it if it was quieter for some reason.

Also, does a faster drive use more battery power? I have to minimize my power consumption.

It's nice to hear from someone else who is sensitive to noise/quiet. (Not that everyone should be, but it can be frustrating when you just want some peace and quiet and other people are "Well I can't hear anything"

With the current HDD, this is the first computer I've had where I feel like "Ahhhhh, that's better" after I put it to sleep. Not a good feeling.

Thanks,
Miss Terri

an SSD is exactly what you want... less power consumption and no noise.

 

[ninjaboi21]

Thanks for the recommendations, Psychedelia. One thing though: I was figuring that a 5400 rpm drive would typically be even quieter? And I don't really think I need the 7200. I WOULD get it if it was quieter for some reason.

Also, does a faster drive use more battery power? I have to minimize my power consumption.

It's nice to hear from someone else who is sensitive to noise/quiet. (Not that everyone should be, but it can be frustrating when you just want some peace and quiet and other people are "Well I can't hear anything"

With the current HDD, this is the first computer I've had where I feel like "Ahhhhh, that's better" after I put it to sleep. Not a good feeling.

Thanks,
Miss Terri

I'm just like you when it comes to sound, I hate it and the kind of humming my HDD produce is... killing me. So now I'm also wondering about which HDD to get, I just want one which does not produce large amount of noise and heat and I heard just to much negative talk about the Seagate Momentus.

I am choosing between a Samsung SpinPoint M7 or a Western Digital Scorpio Blue. What I really like about the Samsung SpinPoint is the features: SilentSeek and NoiseGuard, but I can't for sure say it's more quiet than any other HDD.

What will you guys advice me to choose. If I order it online, I will have 14 days full refund.

an SSD is exactly what you want... less power consumption and no noise.

...but way too expensive compared to regular HDD. If I should get a SSD, it's should be at least 320GB and that's still too expensive.