[mnm2004bft]

Hey guys,

I'de like to start a thread where all Macbook Pro users can post their Week number of their Macbook Pro and state whether they are having any of the following known issues or if they're Macbook Pro's are running perfectly:

1. A hissing noise often described as a whine, found to be caused by an idle processor. Software workarounds and the effect of screen position and power source on the issue have been reported.
   
2. A 'mooing' noise, potentially fixed by the recent SMC Firmware update.
   
3. Excessive heating, apparently caused by the application of excessive quantities of thermal grease on the processor during manufacturing. Reporting on this issue by an internet forum subsequently led to Apple threatening to sue for releasing images of confidential internal publications. Recently, some tests have challenged this explanation of heat issues, showing a minimal (one or two degrees F) drop in temperature when thermal grease was re-applied.
   
4. Early models (serial numbers starting below W8610) had a screen hum emitting from the right side of the machine present when display brightness was set somewhere between maximum and minimum brightness.
   
5. In some early models the supplied battery is faulty, and may eventually start swelling while losing capacity. Due to very limited clearance above the battery this can cause permanent damage to the touchpad if left unfixed.

"Although no official tests have been conducted, many users are reporting that many of these issues have been fixed in later models (week 11 and onwards." - Source Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Pro

Well the reason for this thread is because many people have asked me if the Macbook Pro problems have all been fixed, and the honest answer I give them is that I have no clue lol. Let's try to clear up the fog and try to find out whether buying a Macbook Pro and getting a perfectly good machine is still considered 'lucky' or to just confirm that most Macbook Pro's out there seem to be running fine and that we only have the perception that most Macbook Pro's are full of errors.

I'll also be posting this on other threads so that I can begin to compile a graph of the data

Oh and to keep this organized, when you post your reply, please include your Macbook Pro Week Number so that we can see if the issues decrease or increase and list the Number of the issue(s) that you are having unless you'de like to go into detail

[Lundh]

Had one from W20 with:

• The hissig sound.
• Random crashes.
• Problem waking up when opening the lid.

The replacement a W21 unit:

• Hissing sound (alot worse then the previous) with charger connected really high frequency, on battery slightly lower frequency but higher volume.
• Random crashes.
• Problem waking up when opening the lid.
• Squeaky sound from space-key.
• Slightly misaligned keyboard, the top right corner is lower then the other.

[troyw2000]

I guess mine is week 24? Serial starts with W8624.

MacBook Pro 17" / 1GB / 120GB 5400rpm / 8X Superdrive / Matte Screen

No problems.

[Lundh]

Got my third MBP now... WITH the new logic board and the whining sound is definatly not gone.

[abordercollie]

MBP W8612, 1.83Ghz, 15.4

1. No hiss
2. Minimal (lot les than XP) random crashes
3. No battery swell
4. No screen hum
5. No appearent extreme heating... seems comparible:
6. Whine and keyboard...

There were some keys on the key board that would catch the edge of a piece of paper. Keyboard was replaced. Now there is an intermittent whine when there is no CPU useage, and the keybaord illumination works intermittently. The MBP is due to go back for repair ASAP.

[kam61799]

There is another issue that seems to popping up in quite a bit of MBPs that hasn't been mentioned: faulty logic boards that cause kernel panics whenever Airport is turned on. There's a lengthy discussion of this issue in the Apple forums and my week 20 MBP 2Ghz had this problem, as well as the now infamous processor whine.

My replacement machine, a week 17 (go figure) has so far performed well, although the whine is still there and much more pronounced than the previous machine. Also, the screen casing on this MBP is bent which causes the screen not to sit flush against the palm rest when the lid is closed. Apple has already agreed to send a replacement out to me and I have my fingers crossed that this third MBP has no major issues.

As for the excessive heat issue: the first MBP I had (week 20) seemed unnaturally hot (and this coming from a PB G4 Titanium 1Ghz user), while my second MBP (week 17), while still running hotter than my old Titanium, generates a bearable amount of heat.

**Bonus Issue: In case we haven't covered enough defects in engineering or construction in this current batch of Apple's pro notebooks; there seems also to be an issue with Airport signal strength in mixed Wifi networks. I was dropping packets left and right while positioned not three feet from my wireless router and after digging around the web found that other MBP users were experiencing similar issues when operating in mixed (b & g) networks. Switching my home wireless network to a g only setup has solved this problem, but this isn't really an ideal work around because I have older machines that are set up with 802.11b cards.

After all the complaining I do want to take a second to say that I have been really impressed with Apple's customer service. The MBP is the forth notebook I have bought directly from Apple and while the first three didn't have any problems at all, the MBP has been a headache so far. Apple customer service reps, however, have been exceedingly nice and helpful in trying to resolve the issues and have been quick to set up exchanges when it became clear the the machine was not performing adequately.

[Lundh]

Oh, forgot to mention that the replacement MBP i got are built week 26. It is without a doubt the hottes laptop I have ever used. I cant touch the underside of it for more then a second, not even when it has been ideling. (But the CPU is about 4 K cooler then the previous one, but still hotter then the first one.) And as I wrote before the whine is not gone and get worse over time. The only difference is that it is at an even higher frequency now.

[seventn]

Got mine today. No issues yet. No whine, heat is at 46°C after hours of surfing etc.

Had purchased a Black Macbook and took it back for a Pro and I don't regret it! I can't explain but this thing is a lot faster.

I love it

[02gtstang]

mine WAS working properly, but now the fan on the rightside of the case is at full blast
and sounds like a small boat propeller. It goes to Apple tomorrow. I hope it is an easy fix
and it doesn't come back with a wiped HD, even though I plan to back mine up later tonight.

[cold aspiration]

So you can tell the week it was built with the 3rd and 4th numbers in the serial number? If so, mine is week 22. The only problem is the whine. I am afraid of an exchange because i Might get a worse one =/

[Rumz]

Got mine in late March (don't have it with me to verify serial number) and it has one problem:

Recently a fan on the right side of the unit has begun to make a racket (after being cranked up for a short period of time). Taking it in to have it replaced soon.

[gotanproject]

I have a MBP 2.0ghz with 256vRam 2GB ram.

The serial number is W8609, I got it sometime in March here are my problems with this $3k piece of paperholder.

1) The battery does not get fully charged to 100%. Whenever I run my MBP on battery it will unexpectedly shut off, this happens whenever I use the battery power source. I do not get the battery swelling though.

2) I get the hissing sound (very high frequency sound from the display). It is getting on my nerves!!! (It is a variable problem though, it does not happen all the time so how do I prove this to the ). The mirror widget does not fix it...

3) Also the heat issue is a very big problem. MBP is a laptop and whenever I have it on my lap I can possibely get burned or even the keyboard rest (where I rest my palms to type) gets too warm....

What should I do? Should I goto the apple store and just ask for a replacement or are they gonna give me BS and not replace it?

I am afraid they might just try to fix it and throw this poorly made $3k mbp right back at me. After all it is working, but working with horrible, horrible and annoying issues...

How do you guys like the after-service anyways (Customer Service)? I never returned a mac before to have it fixed so if you have any advice please give me heads up.

Thanks

[Simon]

Originally Posted by gotanproject

The battery does not get fully charged to 100%. Whenever I run my MBP on battery it will unexpectedly shut off, this happens whenever I use the battery power source. I do not get the battery swelling though.

Call Apple and ask them to send you a new battery. I had the same happen to my MBP and they sent a new battery within two days after I called at no charge. The new battery seems to be perfect.

I get the hissing sound (very high frequency sound from the display). It is getting on my nerves!!! (It is a variable problem though, it does not happen all the time so how do I prove this to the ). The mirror widget does not fix it...

Does the sound depend on the display brightness setting? If so, it's the inverter whine and Apple will probably fix it. If not, it's likely it's the CPU whine; Apple doesn't seem to have a consistent policy about it. Some people are getting motherboard swaps, other's aren't. Call Apple, ask for a fix. Be polite, but firm. BTW, which HDD do you get? Some 'hiss' louder than others; I got the 7200RPM 100GB from Seagate and I can hear it well in a totally silent room.

Also the heat issue is a very big problem. MBP is a laptop and whenever I have it on my lap I can possibely get burned or even the keyboard rest (where I rest my palms to type) gets too warm....

Actually, Apple doesn't call them laptops and officially advises people not to use them in direct body contact. They do get very warm indeed. Yet Apple considers case surface temps of up to ~48C/118F 'within spec'. It helps to use the MBP on a flat solid surface. If you need to use it on your lap for longer periods of time, you might consider putting the MBP's sleeve or bag in between.

[gotanproject]

Thanks a lot for the very informative reply simon.

Yea the hissing sound from the display varies by the brightness setting and also it comes on and off frequently.

Is it better to goto the apple store and have it fixed there or is it better to call the apple support? (BTW I did purchase the 3 year warranty plan)

[imitchellg5]

My PowerBook 5300cs whines when there is no CPU usage too.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by gotanproject

Yea the hissing sound from the display varies by the brightness setting and also it comes on and off frequently.

Good. That should make it easy to demo to Apple support.

If it's not too much of a drive, I'd take it to an Apple Store and demonstrate the battery shutdown and screen brightness dependent whine issue. Ask them to repair both issues. If you get the impression that they aren't being very cooperative, you can still tray another Apple Store or call Apple support and arrange sending it in. Always remain polite, but make it clear that this isn't acceptable and demand a fix. Just stay calm and it'll work. Good luck.

[gotanproject]

Thanks Simon,
I scheduled an appointment with a mac store here at Philadelphia region. I will let you guys know how good or bad the customer service was.

[onlykaria]

This is my fourth replacement machine. the first one (w12 or w11 i think) 15inch had:
-whine
-kernal panics (maybe related to the logic board, thought the logic board was replaced and the issues continued)
-dead/faulty dvd drive
-problem waking after opening the lid
-extreme heat.

current 17 in mbp week 21
is fine on all counts save heat, which may be expected in a 17in i dont know.

[cambro]

W8611 MBP 1.83 here.

• Loud idle processor whine (I have to run QuietMBP, which cuts battery life)

• Popping noise when warming up & cooling down

• Delete key keeps popping off

My machine runs pretty cool and I'm happy with performance. The delete key and popping are, I think, driving me sufficiently crazy that I'm going to take it to an Apple Store and see if they can do anything.

[unixphreakg3]

I have had numerous incomplete (half of the contents are readable)/failed burns, incomplete rips of movies (legally owned movies) and incomplete encoding of legally owned movies. The dvd drive when in operation will constantly squeak while writing or reading discs. Anybody else with these problems? other than the processor whine this is the only annoyance. Most operations are done with Toast but some have been done with the Finder's built-in burning capabilities, so application issues should be moot. has to be hardware related. Any takers?

thanks ahead of time

[yomike]

Hey everyone,

I have a build (w8628) week 28 15" 2.16 Macbook Pro. Two things I noticed is a popping noise occuring on the left side of the keyboard area. It sounds like someone flicking a tab on a soda can. It annoys me but I don't know the level of severity of the issues. Also, I noticed black color casts on the bottom left and right corners of the monitor. Is this doe to the screen being put on too tightly? Again, easy to fix? No excessive fan noise but the DVD player is sure damn loud!

[Simon]

How often does that 'popping' noise occur? Could it be coming from the HDD? Maybe the 'clonk' you hear when the disk re-calibrates?

[jvicinanza]

Originally Posted by gotanproject

I have a MBP 2.0ghz with 256vRam 2GB ram.

The serial number is W8609, I got it sometime in March here are my problems with this $3k piece of paperholder.

1) The battery does not get fully charged to 100%. Whenever I run my MBP on battery it will unexpectedly shut off, this happens whenever I use the battery power source. I do not get the battery swelling though.

2) I get the hissing sound (very high frequency sound from the display). It is getting on my nerves!!! (It is a variable problem though, it does not happen all the time so how do I prove this to the ). The mirror widget does not fix it...

3) Also the heat issue is a very big problem. MBP is a laptop and whenever I have it on my lap I can possibely get burned or even the keyboard rest (where I rest my palms to type) gets too warm....

What should I do? Should I goto the apple store and just ask for a replacement or are they gonna give me BS and not replace it?

I am afraid they might just try to fix it and throw this poorly made $3k mbp right back at me. After all it is working, but working with horrible, horrible and annoying issues...

How do you guys like the after-service anyways (Customer Service)? I never returned a mac before to have it fixed so if you have any advice please give me heads up.

Thanks

2) I get the hissing sound (very high frequency sound from the display). It is getting on my nerves!!! (It is a variable problem though, it does not happen all the time so how do I prove this to the ). The mirror widget does not fix it...

-- This is the screen inverter. I had the inverter replaced and the noice stopped. On my machibe if I move the screen very slightly the tone of the noise would change. When I received the machine back after the inverter fix the 'mooing' sound had gone but I still had the whine.


What should I do? Should I goto the apple store and just ask for a replacement or are they gonna give me BS and not replace it?

--- Take it back to apple and ask them to fix the screen inverter and by the way get them to check out the whine. Apple has reconised this problem and is replacing the LB. I may take my machine to apple today for a LB replacement. I have heard that the replacement LB also helps the heat issues.

[alphasubzero949]

http://appledefects.com/wiki/index.p...le=MacBook_Pro

[Troll]

W8608 2GHz here.

* I have the Inverter Whine - high-pitched whine that changes tone when you adjust the brightness.

* I have the Processor Whine - disappears while iSight is running.

* My battery gave up the ghost completely 3 months after I got the computer.

But the biggest issue I have is the unbelieavbly poor service I'm getting. When my battery went, I called Apple and was told to take it to an Apple Centre immediately. I did so and they said they would repair all three problems. They estimated 15 days for the repair! I was stunned. I could do the job myself in 2 days. I asked if I could keep the machine while they ordered the parts and they insisted that they had to keep the machine for the full 15 days. I called for an update as it has been 15 days already and they say it will be another week at least. Apple isn't answering emails.

[yomike]

Originally Posted by Simon

How often does that 'popping' noise occur? Could it be coming from the HDD? Maybe the 'clonk' you hear when the disk re-calibrates?

Simon, it's occuring every 2-5 minutes or so. It's not consistent. Is the HDD located on the left side of the computer? I usually don't hear that clonk sound often when using a laptop. Is it normal? Or should I take it in? It's just annoying to hear that sound when you are in a quiet room. Grrr.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by yomike

Simon, it's occuring every 2-5 minutes or so. It's not consistent. Is the HDD located on the left side of the computer? I usually don't hear that clonk sound often when using a laptop. Is it normal? Or should I take it in? It's just annoying to hear that sound when you are in a quiet room. Grrr.

If it's the HDD calibration sound, there's no reason take it in because it's normal and there's really nothing you can do about it. But that's just if it's the HDD.

Yes, the MBP's HDD is on the front left side, right below the left palm rest.

Try this: Go to System Prefs > Energy Saver and check (for battery and power adapter settings!) if 'Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible' is checked. If it is, uncheck it and see if the sound still occurs.

[Troll]

Just to let you guys know, I got my MBP back today and no more problems at all. The processor whine is gone, the inverter whine is gone and I've got a brand new battery.

They replaced the inverter and the motherboard according to the receipt. So it appears that there is a solution to the problem.

PS Although the heat never bothered me before, the MBP is noticeably cooler all round.

[mnm2004bft]

Hey guys,

Sorry I've been out for a while. I myself purchased a Macbook Pro in July, and it has no problems whatsoever, it is a W27.

Also, thank you to all of you who took the time and contributed to this thread, and a great thanks to everyone who went the next step and put in their time to help others. That is what makes forums such a wonderful place for both input and help.

I am recieving many many posts from other forums also, and I will be putting together a graph and possibly a database to show if the problems in the MBP have ceased to exist as we approach the Core 2 Duo processor.

A friend of mine on another forum asked a question the other day: "Is it possible that once the new Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro comes out, wouldn't we have to again wait a year for Apple to work out problems/bugs?"

haha well, we'll see

[mudman2]

Keyboard mis typing, unusable
Trackpad jumping all over, very inconsistant.
Drive not ejecting discs first time can take 6 tries, its not lining up inside.

Picked up by courier today.

[chenyichung]

quick question, when you guys send in your macbook pros for repair, does it come back feeling just as solid?
are there scratches on your mbp that weren't there before?

also if your machine get damaged cosmetically, will apple take responsibility?

-Yi Chen

[mikochu]

I first had a week 31... random screen flicker at low brightness

I now have a week 24...same issue. My sister's week 24 has the same issue, too.

[jvicinanza]

Originally Posted by chenyichung

quick question, when you guys send in your macbook pros for repair, does it come back feeling just as solid?
are there scratches on your mbp that weren't there before?

also if your machine get damaged cosmetically, will apple take responsibility?

-Yi Chen

I dont know if Apple will fix any cosmetic problems, you would need to ask them. My MBP has been in for repair twice (In Paris, France) Once for the screen inverter and once for a new logic board. The only problem (if any) was that when it came back from the logic board repair a couple of the screws were not fully screwed in. I tightened them myself. A sloppy error by Apple though.

[EdipisReks]

Apple has damaged the casing on every portable i've ever sent in for repair. they always take it back to fix the cosmetic damage they caused. unfortunately, more often than not, they damage it again and it has to be sent in a third time. eventually i quit caring unless the cosmetic damage is very noticeable.

[chenyichung]

ok cool, thanks
i wish they would just allow us to do it ourselves

[zac4mac]

Got a 15" 2GHz MBP when they were announced. Its s/n starts with W8608 -
* No whines or moos
* Hot as a pistol when CPUs maxed, quite cool if BOINC is turned off
* Orginal battery crapped out, Apple sent new one posthaste
* Left fan died, sounded like baseball cards in bicycle spokes - Apple fixed real quick.

Now it's rock solid - very sweet portable workstation, holds its own against my DP2.0G5
Which I find amazing for such a tiny machine.

[poynter]

I've only had my MBP for 3 days.
I have the idle processor whine and am using quietMBP.
Other than that I have had no issues with the hardware.
I was really scared since I never bought a refurb.
I called applecare and made a record of the whine and the use of QuietMBP.

Machine Name: MacBook Pro 15"
Machine Model: MacBookPro1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 2 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP11.0055.B02
SMC Version: 1.2f10
Serial Number: RM625258VJ1

[EdipisReks]

Originally Posted by poynter

I have the idle processor whine and am using quietMBP.

try ShhMBP, it's much less resource intensive, in my experience.

[poynter]

Originally Posted by EdipisReks

try ShhMBP, it's much less resource intensive, in my experience.

Thanks, Ill check it out.

[MattJeff]

wow lotsa Probs w/ it. im glad im waiting till santa rosa.