[cycloneX]

Hi all.

I've been forced to live in the Windows World for a while but now I want to switch back to the good side.

I wonder:
I want a QUIET 15"er. I know there is a revision around the corner. The speed of the current linup is more than sufficient for me. Is the current 1.5 15" silent regarding fan noise? (fan shouldn't run during surfing, email, itunes and Word).

Or should I wait? The new models will certainly have some speed bumps. But I'm afraid they will get louder as well (more heat). On the other side I hope they get a permanent fix regarding all the screen problems I've been hearing about.

So to make a long story short:
Do you think the new PBs are going to be louder (more fan usage) than the current line up?

Thanks,
Chris

[icruise]

That's impossible to say. Just because there is an increase in speed doesn't necessarily mean there will be an increase in heat (and therefore fan noise). The 550mhz Titanium powerbooks ran very hot if I recall correctly, but the models that came afterward were faster and cooler.

But I don't really think any PowerBook is particularly noisy. I use mine with an external display, which seems to trigger the fan more often, but even with it on it's hardly noisy.

[Maflynn]

Originally posted by Icruise:
That's impossible to say. Just because there is an increase in speed doesn't necessarily mean there will be an increase in heat (and therefore fan noise). The 550mhz Titanium powerbooks ran very hot if I recall correctly, but the models that came afterward were faster and cooler.

I'm not scientist but don’t the laws of physics dictate that it will run hotter. As you increase the megahertz, the faster the electrons are hitting the transistors (creating heat), also the resistance increases as you push things faster which also generates heat.

Now improvements in the architecture of the cpu and better cooling solutions are more likely the cause for the cooler running PBs after the 550MHz model, in fact the 12” PB has been known to run very hot due to its small enclosure and lack of space to mitigate the heat.

[icruise]

Originally posted by Maflynn:
I'm not scientist but don’t the laws of physics dictate that it will run hotter. As you increase the megahertz, the faster the electrons are hitting the transistors (creating heat), also the resistance increases as you push things faster which also generates heat.

Sure, if you had two absolutely identical computers and you ran one faster than the other, the faster one would be hotter, but my point is that changes in the chip design, cooling system, etc can have great effects on the heat a machine produces. It's not just a question of faster=hotter.

Now improvements in the architecture of the cpu and better cooling solutions are more likely the cause for the cooler running PBs after the 550MHz model...

Isn't that what I said above? A new powerbook model isn't just an overlocked version of the old powerbooks -- they include new CPUs and often other design changes as well. So the next powerbooks might well run cooler than the previous ones, just as has happened in the past.

[urrl78]

Depends on the user what is noisy. The least of my concerns is noise with my 17", yet people complain of sizzling sounds, which I only hear if I put my ear 1 inch from the keyboard. I suppose this means all Powerbooks are not equal in noise output. This is the quietest Powerbook I have ever owned out of 500 Mhz/667 DVI. The 1 Ghz 17" I previously owned was pretty much the same way; I now have a 1.5 Ghz. If you come from a PC world where your laptop fan sounds like a mini hoover vacuum like I did then the 15" would probably be a blessing. But if slight noises annoy you I don't know what to say. Again, others complain of heat in the 17". I expect using it for hours on ones lap with graphically intense software would get uncomfy, but I bought this thing as a desktop replacement and rarely use it on my lap. When people complain the handrests get too hot I just don't see it. I have never had the Powerbook handrests to get uncomfy with normal use of editing video all day. Under intensive tasks the fan will be noticible, but I have yet to find a laptop that does not make some noise. If you or anyone can find one that does everything a Powerbook can do; a HIGH END laptop that makes no noise let me know. Even then I would not buy it though; like I say for me noise in my 17" is hardly an issue worth even thinking about. I would get more annoyed and toss a shoe at a purring cat perhaps, but that's just me.

[cycloneX]

Originally posted by Icruise:


[/b]
Isn't that what I said above? A new powerbook model isn't just an overlocked version of the old powerbooks -- they include new CPUs and often other design changes as well. So the next powerbooks might well run cooler than the previous ones, just as has happened in the past. [/B]

Man, I hate this kind of gamble with Apple.

Basically, the current machines seem ok for my use (no one answered my noise question about the 1.5 15" though), but I know I'm going to bite my ass if they come up with additional cool features beside the speed bumps... GRR!

And the thing is: You can't get the older machines once the newer ones are announced (well at least not from Apple directly). Hmm. Hmmmmmmm.

[cycloneX]

Originally posted by urrl78:
Depends on the user what is noisy. The least of my concerns is noise with my 17", yet people complain of sizzling sounds, which I only hear if I put my ear 1 inch from the keyboard. I suppose this means all Powerbooks are not equal in noise output. This is the quietest Powerbook I have ever owned out of 500 Mhz/667 DVI. The 1 Ghz 17" I previously owned was pretty much the same way; I now have a 1.5 Ghz. If you come from a PC world where your laptop fan sounds like a mini hoover vacuum like I did then the 15" would probably be a blessing. But if slight noises annoy you I don't know what to say. Again, others complain of heat in the 17". I expect using it for hours on ones lap with graphically intense software would get uncomfy, but I bought this thing as a desktop replacement and rarely use it on my lap. When people complain the handrests get too hot I just don't see it. I have never had the Powerbook handrests to get uncomfy with normal use of editing video all day. Under intensive tasks the fan will be noticible, but I have yet to find a laptop that does not make some noise. If you or anyone can find one that does everything a Powerbook can do; a HIGH END laptop that makes no noise let me know. Even then I would not buy it though; like I say for me noise in my 17" is hardly an issue worth even thinking about. I would get more annoyed and toss a shoe at a purring cat perhaps, but that's just me.

Hmm. Thanks.

I do come from the PC world, but my Centrino notebook NEVER runs its fans unless I give it some really heavy processing tasks. And even then, the fan stops 10 seconds after the processor is in idle mode again. So, yes. You could say that I'm pretty demanding concerning the noise level of my new machine.
However I've heard a 1.25 machine and it has been perfect as far as I could tell. There was some sizzeling but that didn't bother me. I don't like the fan running all the time while doing simple tasks like browsing or email, word processing etc.
So if the 1.5 is just like the 1.25 regarding the fan noise, I'd be pretty happy.

[Voch]

Maybe you'll want to try an iBook. They're "quieter" IMHO but always slower than the corresponding generation of PowerBooks (disclaimer: I haven't used the iBook/G4s much, though).

I'm torn between an iBook 12" and a PowerBook 12" for my next upgrade (slower but cheaper vs. faster but potentially hotter/potential fan noise). PowerBooks offer more bang-for-buck, I think...and even if I get the 1Ghz 12" iBook it's not that much of an upgrade to what I have now so I'm waiting...

Voch

[runejoha]

Originally posted by cycloneX:
Hi all.

I've been forced to live in the Windows World for a while but now I want to switch back to the good side.

I wonder:
I want a QUIET 15"er. I know there is a revision around the corner. The speed of the current linup is more than sufficient for me. Is the current 1.5 15" silent regarding fan noise? (fan shouldn't run during surfing, email, itunes and Word).

Or should I wait? The new models will certainly have some speed bumps. But I'm afraid they will get louder as well (more heat). On the other side I hope they get a permanent fix regarding all the screen problems I've been hearing about.

So to make a long story short:
Do you think the new PBs are going to be louder (more fan usage) than the current line up?

Thanks,
Chris

The PB 15" today is quiet and has a lot of power. I had the same problem as you in Mars, but in the end I just bought a PB 15", which work very good. I am happy I did not wait for a G5. I used the PB under heavy work at CERN without rebooting one single time :-)

To take a good guess the first PB G5 will be a 17" (easier to remove heat), probably released in February 2006 or later. I guess you have to wait 1 year before a new 15" is here.

And most important, for laptop work a PB 15" today is more than enough, even for me :-) :-)

[iMacfan]

One thing I think that everyone is forgetting is that you can run the processor at a slower speed to conserve energy, BUT this also reduces heat output. So, if you were to wait for the next rev, they would probably run close to current speeds at the slower setting (anyone know what the current ones clock down to - 1.33 and 1.5?) This should be fine for Word/iTunes etc. Then, on a cold winters day, WITH plenty of ventilation AND a bucket of liquid nitrogen, you might fancy a speed boost...

David

[iREZ]

The 12" gets hot when using it for more then an hour, or doing processor intensive things. The 15" gets hot when using processor intensive things for awhile. The 17" gets hot when using processor intensive things for longer than the 15". If you want the coolest PB, get the 17". Don't get me wrong the 15" is a cool machine as well but the 17" has the most surface area, and generally runs the coolest out of the bunch, IMO.

[runejoha]

Originally posted by iMacfan:
One thing I think that everyone is forgetting is that you can run the processor at a slower speed to conserve energy, BUT this also reduces heat output. So, if you were to wait for the next rev, they would probably run close to current speeds at the slower setting (anyone know what the current ones clock down to - 1.33 and 1.5?) This should be fine for Word/iTunes etc. Then, on a cold winters day, WITH plenty of ventilation AND a bucket of liquid nitrogen, you might fancy a speed boost...

David

Haha, it sounds like having a Ferrari but driving slow in order to save gas costs But it works. I believe it is better to buy a PB 15 G4 today and buy a Rev B G5 15" in 1 1/2 -> 2 years.the mac makes your everyday pretty simple, the machine "never" fails. Everything called worms and virus, OS crash and updates (at least every week) is history, reboot is very seldom necessary etc. The mac delivers much more than I thought.

[MacBoston]

I posted this in another post on what made me fork over the cash for PB sooner rather than later

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228527

[JKT]

Just to answer the original question - from my experience and assuming you are using it in a relatively benign room temperature (below 25deg C), the fan(s) of a 15" 1.5GHz PB will not come on while you are browsing or writing e-mails or listening to iTunes. They do come on if you are doing something CPU or GPU intensive such as watching the visuals in iTunes, watching a DVD, playing movies in Quicktime, playing games, but for day-to-day usage, the machine is practically silent. This is on the highest performance setting, fwiw.

[ryju]

I've only had this fully loaded 15inch for a few days but so far the fan has yet to come on. I use Final Cut Express quite a bit. It's very quiet.

[Ruahrc]

Yeah I have only heard the fan come on on two occasions (or situations I guess). One is when I was using the Apple Hardware Test CD, when the fans came on full blast for a few seconds (my guess was that the AHT was testing the fan function), and the other time(s) when I hear it go on is when I play Warcraft III. When I play games however the fan only comes on at low speed and then turns off after a few minutes.

The fan on full blast was actually kinda loud, and if it ever ran like that for a long time during real usage I could easily see someone being bothered.

The fan on low while playing War3 is much, much, quieter although it is audible. Again it only runs for a little while (few minutes) before turning off. I suspect that if the laptop were cooled better (placed on one of those stands or something) as opposed to just sitting on my desk like it is now the fan would turn on less yet.

Those two times are the only two times I hear the fan. Surfing, email, word processing, etc, (even watching DVD movies) are all fanless and virtually silent. A lot better than my friend's laptop whose fan turns on even in normal windows usage (and it is loud!). I'm very pleased with this PB's sound performance, and I think I am picky like you are (this coming from the guy who watercooled his PC and put fan speed switches, etc to be able to control the noise).

And yes the comment about the processor speed is true. I have my settings to be at reduced processor performance whist on battery power, and I had my laptop on my bed (i.e. not very good circulation) and I played a game of Warcraft III and the fan didn't even turn on!

Ruahrc

[cycloneX]

Thanks guys for your reports.

I'd go to the next Mac store if I hadn't read about the corrosion issue.

The thing is that I know my sweat is VERY agressive. Touching anything metal that is not stainless steal will rust in a matter of days. I think the armrests will be f**** in a couple months, and getting protection pads is not an option because they're ruining the look of the machine.

WHY, OH WHY??????

I hope the next revision of Powerbooks is made either of glass or hmm....plastic? :-(

[MrForgetable]

why won't apple listen and make one out of carbon fiber

[cycloneX]

Originally posted by MrForgetable:
why won't apple listen and make one out of carbon fiber

Could be neat.
What are the thermal qualities of carbon?

[m01ety]

If you need it now, get it now. I am incredibly ana1 and picky about computer noise (it drives me mad and I can't hear myself think), and even when the fan in my 1.5Ghz 15" comes on, it is well within tolerable limits.

That is, if I, who often wear earplugs when using PCs, am not disturbed by the minimal noise this PowerBook might make, you'll be fine, too.