[turk.o]

hi all. i have had my dual G5 for 6 days now, and since the first day, first minute, it has emitted a weird Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN). Everything is working fine, I have added two gigs of memory on four chips, and added a second maxtor 160gb drive. i have the chirping sound that many others have reported on xlr8yourmac.com, but it doesn't really bother me. i can also hear the very low fan noise, and that doesn't bother me either, and when the hard disks do spin, i can barely hear them at all. ahhh, but the damn Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN) keeps coming, unrelentingly and it is driving me crazy.

i was hoping that after a few days it would go away, or i would get used to it, but that hasn't happened, at all. the sound in detail: it is a type of constant electronic hum, that oscillates, similar to a 'beat'--when two frequencies are similar but not exactly the same. waawaawaawaawaawaa, etc. about two beats per second. it is not the noise of air turned by fans, and the sound is very much present even when both hard drives are spun down. i have the 9600 pro which has no fan. pressing my ear to the front, back, and open side of the case it seems clear that the sound is coming from the bottom half of the machine. to see if it was something to do with the four fans for the two processors i (don't try this at home) reached in the case and manually stopped the fans very briefly one at a time to see if it affected the sound, and it did not. at this point i am fairly sure it is coming from the bottom thermal zone where the power supply is, which of course, i have no easy access to. this Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN) is by far the loudest sound coming from the machine, much louder than the fans, or the aforementioned chirping sound.

anyway, i have realized that it just won't do, as it continually aggravates and distracts me, similar to poe's tell-tale heart but without the murder, and as such an innocent i am going to talk to apple and try to get this fixed, but i first wanted to see if anyone else has a similar sound, and what their experience has been with it. mainly i want to try and figure out if this is how they are supposed to sound out of the factory, or if mine has some type of defect. until then i (seriously) have a table fan turned on next to my computer to mask the annoying Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN).

tales of y'alls experiences are greatly encouraged.

t.o

[Immortal K-Mart Employee]

The Apple boards are full of this.

It is not the fans, it is not the power supply. It is the G5's going in and out of sleep mode. If you download Apple CHUD tools you can turn the sleeping OFF and the sound will be gone.

http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]

[rplat]

Originally posted by turk.o:
hi all. i have had my dual G5 for 6 days now, and since the first day, first minute, it has emitted a weird Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN). Everything is working fine, I have added two gigs of memory on four chips, and added a second maxtor 160gb drive. i have the chirping sound that many others have reported on xlr8yourmac.com, but it doesn't really bother me. i can also hear the very low fan noise, and that doesn't bother me either, and when the hard disks do spin, i can barely hear them at all. ahhh, but the damn Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN) keeps coming, unrelentingly and it is driving me crazy.

i was hoping that after a few days it would go away, or i would get used to it, but that hasn't happened, at all. the sound in detail: it is a type of constant electronic hum, that oscillates, similar to a 'beat'--when two frequencies are similar but not exactly the same. waawaawaawaawaawaa, etc. about two beats per second. it is not the noise of air turned by fans, and the sound is very much present even when both hard drives are spun down. i have the 9600 pro which has no fan. pressing my ear to the front, back, and open side of the case it seems clear that the sound is coming from the bottom half of the machine. to see if it was something to do with the four fans for the two processors i (don't try this at home) reached in the case and manually stopped the fans very briefly one at a time to see if it affected the sound, and it did not. at this point i am fairly sure it is coming from the bottom thermal zone where the power supply is, which of course, i have no easy access to. this Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN) is by far the loudest sound coming from the machine, much louder than the fans, or the aforementioned chirping sound.

anyway, i have realized that it just won't do, as it continually aggravates and distracts me, similar to poe's tell-tale heart but without the murder, and as such an innocent i am going to talk to apple and try to get this fixed, but i first wanted to see if anyone else has a similar sound, and what their experience has been with it. mainly i want to try and figure out if this is how they are supposed to sound out of the factory, or if mine has some type of defect. until then i (seriously) have a table fan turned on next to my computer to mask the annoying Oscillating Buzzing Noise (OBN).

tales of y'alls experiences are greatly encouraged.

t.o

From what I've seen in various forums I suspect that the "OBN" is common among the G5 duals. My hearing is not the best in the world and noise really doesn't bother me. In my case I believe that the rigid aluminum case amplifies the sound and transmits it to the hard rigid table my G5 rests on. To counter this effect I placed a small piece of anti-static rubber mat under the front and real legs of the computer and now I can't detect any humming or "OBN" . This may or may not help others that are affected by the sound.

[turk.o]

Originally posted by Immortal K-Mart Employee:
The Apple boards are full of this.

It is not the fans, it is not the power supply. It is the G5's going in and out of sleep mode. If you download Apple CHUD tools you can turn the sleeping OFF and the sound will be gone.

http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]

i am NOT talking about the chirping that you are referring to, this is somehting different. i did mention this difference in my initial post, but . . . its monday so i forgive you.

[Immortal K-Mart Employee]

Originally posted by turk.o:
i am NOT talking about the chirping that you are referring to, this is somehting different. i did mention this difference in my initial post, but . . . its monday so i forgive you.

Well I really don't hear that sound on my G5 dual. Just the processor chirping.

[turk.o]

well, i did some searching on the apple forums and found three others who are having the same humming noise problems as me, which is actually fairly comforting. one has even sent his back for apple so they can replace the power supply.

here is the link to the discussion on the apple site, if the link doesn't work, search for "power supply humming"

they all agree that is is exceedingly annoying and it looks to be a defect that at least a few people have, so if anyone out there was thinking it was standard, it is not! send it back! i'll be calling apple tonight.

thank god, i was worried i'd have to put up with this noise forever.

s

[Jzilla]

Dual G5, 9800, extra 1gb RAM (Crucial - self installed)...

I have the chirp (that goes if I select reduced processor performance in the energy saver), and aside from a noisy Seagate 160GB (stock) HDD I have the OBN.

Also in EXACTLY the region you have it in.

I spoke to Apple - they said it was not a "known issue" and suggested it may be solved in Panther. Not specific enough for me.

I meanwhile roam the earth in a zombie state looking for an answer.

This thread hasn't solved my woes, but it's damn good to at least be sharing the problem.

[Ron Goodman]

I seem to have the same noise on my DP but it is very intermittant and not very loud, so it's not a big deal.

[Jzilla]

sounds like you have the chirp and not the hum. The hum is constant on my G5 and easily as loud as my G4 fans.

[mosch]

If you're having trouble locating the sound, I suggest taking a length of rubber hose, and listening through it. It's a very good way to locate sounds that are hard to localize just by moving your head around.

I know this sounds silly, but this was how we found weird automotive sounds when I worked at a garage back in high school. Worked like a champ.

[DeathMan]

Originally posted by Jzilla:
sounds like you have the chirp and not the hum. The hum is constant on my G5 and easily as loud as my G4 fans.

You sound like a special case. If its as loud as the fans in a different computer, you need to call Apple, and put the phone up to the computer so they can hear it. Tell them it is affecting your productivity.

[Jzilla]

Originally posted by DeathMan:
You sound like a special case. If its as loud as the fans in a different computer, you need to call Apple, and put the phone up to the computer so they can hear it. Tell them it is affecting your productivity.

"Special Case"? is that like a "special person"? ;-)

It's a different pitch to the G4 but as loud - it can be heard from the hallway before you get to my office. I've spoken to my Apple Store rep who has forwarded the issue elsewhere. For now I'm drowning it out with live Who CDs

[turk.o]

jzilla,

yep, we both have the same thing, and as i reported, i have found four others on the apple forums (see above link) who also have the EXACT same symptoms. so yours is not a special instance in that you are unique, as there appears to have been to some degree a defect in some of the components in the power supply and surrounding area.

i called apple last night and was told with great skepticism that it is not a known issue and that i should take it to a local Apple authorized service provider (there isn't one, i live in Olympia, closest one is 40 min. away) which is basically just the run around. my feeling is that this damn-well is a known issue and that many of us have called apple to let them know and they ignore us. this is not entirely surprising as their customer service strategy on things like this has been to deny, deny, deny, until they are FORCED to acknowledge the problem. thus i would like to encourage anyone who has this problem to post here, as to collect evidence, and also call apple and demand that they deal with this problem.

this sound is a manufacturing defect and needs to be fixed by apple, plain and simple. i purchased apple's most expensive machine, and as such i expect top level customer service and to be totally satisfied with my purchase, which i, as are others affected by this, am not.

i am sure there are many others out there who assumed it was how the computer was supposed to sound, but i have heard other G5s and they are much quieter than my machine, and have no sign of the OBN. we need all the people who have resigned themselves to the annoying sound to come out of the closet and talk to apple. the more a racket we raise, the sooner it will become a know-issue and the easier it will be for all of us to get it fixed.

ok, let's do it

t.o

[Roberto Castelletta]

Unfortunately I notice the same OBN here with my Dual G5. Apparently I never noticed it from the firt day, and in effect it came and go irregularly.

Sometimes it sounds like a compressor and it is very very annoying!

[Cadaver]

No OBN here (Dual 2.0, stock). Purchased at an Apple retail store 9/24. Open Firmware version 5.07f0.

Did have the "chirp," but could only hear it when the processor was set to "Highest" performance. CHUD Tools 'hack' eliminates the sound, even in "Highest" performance mode.

[JustinD]

Hey y'all,

Got my Dual G5 yesterday (finally! keynote day order!) and as expected, there was the chirpy sound. Showing the dock, progress bars, etc. all made the chirpy noise.

Downloaded CHUD, turned Nap off, and sure enough the whole computer got quieter. BUT! I pride myself on my keen auditory facilities. And even though it is MUCH quieter with Nap OFF, there is STILL chirping. It is VERY very low, but if you're in a quiet room, you can definitely hear it.

It's not annoying yet... guess we'll see how it goes. =)

[Jzilla]

Originally posted by Roberto Castelletta:
Unfortunately I notice the same OBN here with my Dual G5. Apparently I never noticed it from the firt day, and in effect it came and go irregularly.

Sometimes it sounds like a compressor and it is very very annoying!

It's genuinely driving me INSANE.

I am listening to music on earphones (minidisc - iPod on the Xmas list) and I can STILL hear my G5.

It's way louder than my G4.

I appreciate people with quiet G5's thinking some of us are just bitching for the hell of it, but this machine is LOUD.

I think I'll try the Chud tools as Panther is but a few weeks away and I'll be wiping this machine or sending it back soon, but the fact that some have the noise and others don't is crazed.

I seem to have noise from the Radeon 9800, the 'PSU' buzz at the bottom of the case (vibrates like heck underneath) and the chirp. Combined, they are driving me nuts.

I've spoken to Apple Care.... "not a known issue". Have spoken again to my Apple Store Rep who says someone will call me.

[AlphaQuam]

I purchased my Dual G5 from an Apple Store on 10.1 and I haven't heard any OBN. I did have the chirp, but I had read some posts here so I just went in and changed the processor slewing (?) setting (haven't tried the CHUD tools) and it hasn't come back. With that gone, my G5 is absolutely silent, I couldn't be happier. Of course... my previous computer was a dual Athlon. That thing was like a blow dryer, both in noise level and heat...

[turk.o]

ok, another little update here on the ongoing saga of me having a huge design project with a deadline quickly closing in and spending 10 hours a day in front of my G5, getting pounded by the damn OBN to the point of wanting to pull my hair out. at night, like right freakin' now, for instance, it is the worst.

i was thinking of a better way to explain it when i realized i have a mic on my powerbook, and so i recorded the machine for 5 seconds of OBN nastiness. of course, the mic sucks and the noise is hard to record well, but this will certainly give you an idea:

(option-click this, and save to disk)OBN.m4a

of course there is no way a recording can give you an idea of how 'loud' something is, since it is all relative, but here are a few of my experiences:

a) louder than my quicksilver dual 1Ghz (and much more annoying)

b) can be heard at night from at least 15 feet away.

c) can be heard over the phone.

d) two people have asked me 'what's that noise?' when walking into my office.

through these forums and the 91-post topic on the apple discussion forums i have found a handful of people who all describe the same exact symptoms and many who do not. this leads me to believe this is a real problem, one that we are going to have to push apple hard to address or else end up going insane.

some people have said that those of us with OBN are babies or whiners, but these people clearly don't have the OBN ringing in their ears 24 hours a day. all of us can attest that the sound is loud, penetrating and rigorously annoying, and certainly evidence of a defective product.

sadly, i am so busy that i have postponed dealing with apple until i am done with this project (i couldn't bring the computer in for repair anyway until i am done) which will be on the 14th. i am hoping by then, some progress will be made in having apple recognize this problem.

that is it for this update. has anyone else talked to apple about this?

t.o

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Take your computer to a service center first thing tomorrow.

[SF_VR6]

Read it here:

The CHUD "fix" is the way to go. Very easy to install. Your buzz/chirp sound will go away. No need to take it in or return your machine.

Here is what you need to do:
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G5/G5_noi....html#storytop

[Arkham_c]

Originally posted by turk.o:
i was thinking of a better way to explain it when i realized i have a mic on my powerbook, and so i recorded the machine for 5 seconds of OBN nastiness. of course, the mic sucks and the noise is hard to record well, but this will certainly give you an idea:

(option-click this, and save to disk)OBN.m4a

This is excellent reporting work. It makes it a lot easier for those of us who don't have a G5 to understand your concern.

Have you called Apple and held the phone up so they could hear it? I wonder how they would respond.

I am all set to order a G5 (mid November, to ensure I get Panther on it), but this is a point of concern. I wonder what percentage of users have this issue?

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by SF_VR6:
Read it here:

The CHUD "fix" is the way to go. Very easy to install. Your buzz/chirp sound will go away. No need to take it in or return your machine.

Here is what you need to do:
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G5/G5_noi....html#storytop

"i am NOT talking about the chirping that you are referring to, this is somehting different. i did mention this difference in my initial post"

[SF_VR6]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
"i am NOT talking about the chirping that you are referring to, this is somehting different. i did mention this difference in my initial post"

oh, my bad. I'm such a n00b at this.

[turk.o]

I hope for this to be the penultimate episode in my ongoing saga, battling against the oscillating humming noise of my new dual G5. here it is:

last week it was posted on the apple discussion boards about this, which is now by far the biggest topic for G5s (155 posts), that--if one were daring--one could in fact touch, and thus stop, the front fans on the power supply one at a time, by reaching finger around the bottom shelf of the inside of the G5. i used a flashlight pressed up to the grill to verify that the fans were in fact there, and then reached my finger down into the abyss, and in fact it was fairly simple, and i can say from experience (as the first thing i did was hit a spinning fan blade, and it was nothing) that it is not dangerous. i then pressed down on the hub of the left fan until it stopped and there was no change in the OBN, and then i stopped the right fan and--

hallelujah!!!

--for a few brief moments my G5 sounded like it was supposed to sound. and it was quiet, sweetly quiet, and then of course i let go of the fan and the OBN came roaring back. the OBN makes the computer AT LEAST three times as loud as it was with the fan stopped. it was a great moment because the mystery had been solved, and now i had a new challenge: how to fix it (or more properly, how to get it fixed).

a few days after i discovered that the right front power supply fan was the source of all the noise, i finished the print project i was working on and called apple again. as you may remember on my first call i was blown off and told to take it to a authorized service center (there are none closer than an hour to me) and they would �look� at it. i balked at that because this is my work machine and i couldn�t sit around for a week or more while they evaluated it, then ordered a part, then waited for it, etc. my second call was much more successful, i assume mostly due to the fact that i now knew exactly what the problem was. i explained the problem in detail to the tech support guy, who was very nice and polite, and also explained why i needed a solution to get this fixed with only a day or two of down time. he checked and found the part number for that particular fan, and confirmed that it was NOT a customer-installable part. he suggested that a service center could order the part ahead of time, and that i could just bring the G5 in and have the fan replaced. he gave me a case # that would smooth the ride at the service center, and i thanked him for being so helpful. i then called my favorite mac store in salem, oregon (the computer store) told them of the plan and the case#, and scheduled to bring it in next thursday and get it back by friday night (hello, panther?!). they ordered the part today and we should be in business.

so, everything is lined up for this problem to be remedied, for me at least. i will let you all know how it goes, and if it does, in fact, solve the problem.

t.o

ps: iPulse 2.0 rocks, esp. the HAL jacket!

pps: i'm sure we have all noticed the confusion over two seperate issues, both coming from the power supply area, let us all try to keep them seperate. a) the chirping noise that dissapears with the CHUD tools, and b) the oscillating noise that comes from the power supply fans. thanks.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Glad to hear it, now we just got to get rid of that stupid chirping and we will have one hell of a computer!

[DP867_User]

Just want to confirm the origine from the hum noise.
I put my finger on the powersupply's fans to stop them and I discover wat a silent G5 could be!
I had a dual G4 and I suffered a lot with the noise.
With my G5, the noise is more less BUT the frequency off the hum is really annoying when you use your mac all the day. The origin of this hum is (again) the powersupply's fans :-( I hope that someone will find a solution because without this hum, the G5 is a FANTASTIC machine!
Wait and see!

[DP867_User]

Sorry for the double post!
I just found someone which have change the powersupply's fan himself!
The saga of the dual G4 is coming again!
:-)
http://club.telepolis.com/soci22/g5_fan/

[Lyra]

I have a G5 1.8...

Does this only effect the dual processors in the G5 line?

[Orbit]

Originally posted by turk.o:
i then called my favorite mac store in salem, oregon (the computer store) told them of the plan and the case#, and scheduled to bring it in next thursday and get it back by friday night (hello, panther?!).

dude, there are much closer apple authorized service centers than that... the tacoma compusa for one... there's even a computer store in seattle...

but y'know, i guess if you were down in salem anyway...

[shawnce]

My dual G5 is almost completely silent. I can hear the hard drive in my Cube over the G5 (and the cube is twice as far away).

So it defiently doesn't affect all G5s.

-Shawn

[turk.o]

Originally posted by Orbit:
dude, there are much closer apple authorized service centers than that... the tacoma compusa for one... there's even a computer store in seattle...

but y'know, i guess if you were down in salem anyway...

you're joking about taking my new G5 to compusa, right? i'm not that brave.

i travel to salem frequently, sales-tax-free-land, and it is most convenient to get it serviced there. thanks for the concern.

t.o

[mcmullej]

hi shawnce -

which videocard have you got?

my 9800 is much much louder than my cube's harddisk

thx

[Leia Shoots Like a Girl]

Originally posted by Lyra:
I have a G5 1.8...

Does this only effect the dual processors in the G5 line?

Do you hear a problem in your computer, if not don't worry about it.

From that link of the guy who did it himself he has a single G5.

[brentsax]

It sounds (no pun) like the problem might be coming from your power supply or an interaction between it's hum and something else in the machine. Or, I wonder if something else on the electrical circuit that the computer is plugged in to (i.e., lights esp. flourecent or halogen) is interacting with the power supply's "natural" frequency (which you would expect to be around 60HZ). Maybe try turning off all lights, unplugging everything else in the room (including your monitor) and see if you get the same thing. Shut off all other circuits in your house even.

BRS

[tadd]

There is also an "Apple" store in Bellevue WA
http://www.apple.com/retail/bellevuesquare/

By the way, I have a G5 dual and have no OBN. I do have the chirp though.

[DP867_User]

Hi!
As I've got some time, I worked to make disappear the powersupply's noise on my G5 (1.8Ghz)
I followed the instructions above to take the powersupply out. Ouch! It took 30 minutes, it was more difficult than the same operation with the dual G4.
Finally I pulled back the powersupply and I put the fan's out.
First I used an air spray to clean the fan's axes and after, I put some special oil on the axes (careful just 1 or 2 drops). I builted up again the G5, 30 minutes again :-)
And when I turned it on and...
NO NOISE FROM THE POWERSUPPLY!
HURRAH (or Alleluia if you're christian ;-))
Bye bye hum!
I'am so happy to have at last a S-I-L-E-N-T mac :-)
No treeble noise just a low frequency noise from the air entrance.
I can sleep near my G5 !
I recommend to everybody who have same problem to do that.
There is just one problem...I don't want to do that every month!

[dmichaels]

Chirping problem and oscillating hum are two different issues. See other posts regarding chirping, but hum is related to Power Supply - PERIOD.

I am a Certified Apple Repair Specialist long since out of the repair field (into web development now) and recognized this problem as a few of the old PowerMac 8600's had the same issue. It just wasn't as noticeable because of the noise dampening of the case and fan noise.

Called Apple Support, fought through the first tier of tech support, got to second tier only to be told to take the unit in for service. I refused saying that my local shop had not even seen one and take an average of 10-14 days to make the simplest of repairs.

Guy puts me on hold. Comes back and asks if I would accept the power supply shipped directly to me. I said sure. Got power supply next day - replaced it. WARNING: unless you are very technically proficient - do not attempt this at home. Getting the power supply out requires is a B*TCH! Requires removing fans, processors, bottom plate. Unless you have the right tools - don't even attempt it. Replaced power supply, I have now the most serene environment! Quiet power! WOW! I went from Cube to a more quiet, and XXX times the power!

If you cannot do without your machine - here are two suggestions:
Fight with Apple to ship you the power supply. You replace it yourself; OR
GET A CASE NUMBER FROM APPLE
and take the power supply and G5 to your local repair facility - have them replace it.
A third option is to get a case number, call you local repair shop and have them order the part and you take you G5 in when it arrives.

Exchange takes about an hour.

It is worth it. The machine is awesome. Don't let the power supply issue deter you.

[shawnce]

Originally posted by mcmullej:
hi shawnce -

which videocard have you got?

my 9800 is much much louder than my cube's harddisk

thx

I have the 9800 in mine along with dual 250GB drives. Still very quiet in my experience.

I have the system sitting on a short pile carpeted floor, so any shell vibrations are won't resonate... that may be a difference?

..or possibly an out of balance fan on the 9800 adapter?

[kendofreak]

Thi is seriously one of the funniest posts I have ever read. Thanks for bringing tears to my eyes. I especially liked the allusion to Poe's Tell-Tale heart. Good stuff. Hope it all works out for you.

[turk.o]

ok, folks, here is the latest update, in the form of a letter to apple. I am simply too exhausted with this ordeal to reformat for here.in some other topic, somone said that he suspected people with G5 problems *wanted* to have them, so they could complain, etc. well, trust me, i'd be very happy if this never happened to me . . .


-------

To Whom it May Concern at Apple Computer,

I am writing this letter because although I have thoroughly exhausted all methods of communications made available by Apple, my case has yet to be resolved in any way, nor has it even been formally addressed. I feel that this is not due to the lack of attention or care by those individuals I have talked to during my many phone calls to Apple tech support, and in fact most have been friendly and made real efforts to be helpful. It has been my experience that these people have been undermined in their efforts to assist me by the support policies they are forced to adhere to as part of their employment. At this point, I am very frustrated with the entire experience and am considering calling my bank and Visa to discuss reversing the charges and returning the computer as defective and not as promised; this is an extreme stance to be sure, however I feel as though I have no recourse, and the irony of the situation is that only a minimal amount of communication and honesty on the behalf of Apple could easily remedy my situation. In the hopes of fixing this problem and altering the experience that I, and a fair amount of others, are having, I will provide a detailed history of the problem up till now:

I received my Dual G5 PowerMac on the first of October and right away noticed a loud hum or buzzing sound coming from it, loud to the degree that it was similar in volume to my Quicksilver Dual 1Ghz. The buzzing sound also oscillated in tone and volume and was inconsistent from hour to hour, making it even harder to adjust to. Also, and this is secondarily important, my machine made a screeching and chirping sound during certain actions such as scrolling through a long document or inputting text on a secure web page. At first I just decided to deal with it, but as I work eight or nine hours a day with my computer, the sound began to give me headaches, interrupt my concentration and interfere with my work. I visited an Apple store and listened to the machines on display and they definitely did not make the sounds that my computer was. So my first move was to research various Macintosh web sites, including Apple�s own site, and see if anyone else was having similar problems. Instantly I found many who were having the chirping sound and just as quickly found a fix that a non-Apple person came up with, which was to install the CHUD tools and disable �Nap��which completely eliminated the sound. It was more difficult to track down others who were having the hum and buzzing problem, but I did at last track them down on Apple�s own website in the G5 Usage discussion area, in a topic called �Power Supply Noise on Dual G5.� As I was among the first people to receive these machines, at first there were few posts, but as people began receiving their computers the posts increased and it is now by far the largest topic for the entire G5 section with over 400 posts.

Through communicating with these users, we deduced that the buzzing sound (as well as the separate chirping sound) was coming from the bottom section of the computer that housed the power supply. Shortly after, an adventurous soul stuck his finger around a blind corner and stopped the fans on the power supply to discover that it completely stopped the buzzing sound and rendered his machine as quiet as properly functioning G5s he had seen on display. The conclusion that I came to, along with other users on the forum, was that at least the power supply fans were bad, and perhaps the power supply as a whole. I used my finger to slow down my PSU front right fan, and magically the noise stopped.

With this new diagnosis, I called apple and told them about my problem and asked how to fix it with as little down time as possible, as I rely on my machine to make a living and being without it is extremely problematic. I was told by a product specialist that an Apple service center could order the part directly from Apple without me having to drop off the computer and that I could simply bring it in for the replacement procedure and hence cut down my down time. I then waited seven days for a part to arrive that never came, and called Apple again, and was told by a different tech that what the last tech had told me was impossible, and that I would have to drop my computer off at an authorized Apple service center to be diagnosed before anything could be done. When I objected by saying that it was already diagnosed by me, and that I could not afford the potentially long down time, I was told that I had no other options. I also informed the tech that there was no Apple Service Provider within an hour of my location and that I had no car and used a bicycle as my form of communication, thus necessitating me to get someone else to drive me two hours round trip. I asked for a replacement machine, and was refused. Left by Apple with literally only one option, I took the computer to Macforce in Portland.

Due to bungled repair work combined with Apple shipping the wrong part and then delaying shipment on the correct part for three days, it was 11 days before I got my computer back, when it should have been three or four at the most. This was very inconvenient and resulted in several difficult situations. Upon receiving the computer back yesterday, I plugged it in to discover that both problems still remained, although to different degrees. The screeching and chirping was much louder and the hum/buzzing was lower but still much louder than acceptable. In two days of use the loudness of the humming has steadily increased. So, the end result, after following the only course of action that Apple had provided me, was 11 days with out my nearly brand new computer, and then when I got it back it was even worse than to begin with. As one might imagine, this was very frustrating to me. I called Apple again and described the �new� problems, and was told, believe it or not, that it was not a know issue, and that the only thing I could do was take it back in to have the PSU replaced. I said that this is just what I did and I still have the same problems, and there was no reply. It seems as if I could keep doing this forever, never having my computer as it always in the shop getting it�s third, fourth, fifth PSU, and in the mean time I am out of $3,000 which is no small amount of money.

Am I frustrated by the sounds my computer is making? Yes. But I am INFINTELY more frustrated with the way Apple is dealing with this problem. Despite a fix that has been circulating publicly for more than a month, Apple has yet to make a single comment of the chirping/screeching noise. Apple has not acknowledged that it exists and has not posted any fix nor has it stated a plan or timeline in which to expect a fix, leaving its supposedly most valued users completely in the dark as to the fate of the top-of-the-line professional machines. The same can be said for the buzzing/humming sound, which has been thoroughly documented on the Apple�s own support forums, yet there has not been a single official acknowledgement of the issue, nor have any plans to fix it been posted or reported. To complicate things, people have been told a wide variety of stories when calling tech support, uniform only in that every one is entirely different. So, here I sit, with a clearly defective $3k computer, and the company I bought it from refuses to acknowledge any problem.

I have been an Apple user since I was 8, and for the last 18 years I have strongly supported the company and it�s efforts and never been dissatisfied, but this experience is turning every bit of good will and feeling completely on its ear. As of today I would estimate that I have spent 40-50 hours working on trying to solve this problem, and still have nothing but a defective computer to show for it: long phone calls with absolutely no results, continual browsing and researching the issue on the internet, and the many hours arranging and transporting the computer to be repaired. Is this the experience I should expect when purchasing, brand new, Apple�s top-of-the-line professional machine? If not, then please help me solve this problem.

While I understand that a problem like this is potentially very complicated and takes time to fix, I feel the least Apple could do is openly acknowledge these issues, and post a timeline and plan for getting them fixed, rather than dishonestly redirecting me to Apple Service Centers when the real fix is knowingly unavailable. That is simply unethical and shows a total disregard for my time and business. I want to remain a satisfied Apple customer and for Apple to do the right thing here, but it is reaching the point of no return�please address these issues.

Thank you for your time and personal attention,

[Arkham_c]

Originally posted by turk.o:
ok, folks, here is the latest update, in the form of a letter to apple. I am simply too exhausted with this ordeal to reformat for here.in some other topic, somone said that he suspected people with G5 problems *wanted* to have them, so they could complain, etc. well, trust me, i'd be very happy if this never happened to me . . .

Send it to [email protected]. The two times I have written to him over the years he responded to me directly.

[gabenydick]

I bought my Dual 2GHz G5 on November 2nd. I put up with the little chirp and soft scrolling sounds attributing it to regular circuitry sounds. I then found all of the OBN articles online and decided to get my system fixed. Well. I managed to get my power supply replaced at the store I purchased my system, but now, it's worse. Now all those little chirps and soft scrolling sounds are louder and whenever there is high network activity, such as transferring an iso image, my machine absolutely SQUEALS! So I brought it back and was told, we'll only replace the power supply one more time, because according to Apple, it is operating with-in spec and that I'd have to talk to Customer Relations to see if what they'll do if the 3rd power supply doesn't fix the problem. I was told by Customer Relations that that is the case. The first 2 replacements were a courtesy because the power supply is operating "within-spec" and that no more replacements will be authorized. In addition, the store at the Menlo Park mall in NJ would not let me return or exchange the system because it was outside the 10 day return/exchange period. Anybody got any ideas what I should do if the 2nd replacement doesn't get rid of the squeal that didn't exist when I bought the machine? The replacement power supply that the store put in added the squeal! In addition, just as a kicker, when I brought the system into the store, I could hear a piece sliding around under the motherboard. They dismissed it as a small screw loose inside the old power supply. So, when I picked up the system, took it back to my car, put it on the back seat, I heard the slide-bang again inside the case. I took it back, left it with them again and the had to replace the logic board because a heat sink on one of the system chips on the underside of the logic board is secured only with thermal paste and its own magnetization. Mine fell off because they said the thermal paste had dried out. Wonder what will happen in a year when all of your thermal paste dries out and your heatsinks fall off of your small system chip on the backside of your motherboards?

[SDDP]

Okay this noise is a NIGHTMARE!
I am using mine with a Digi 002 rack mount.
I have been on the phone with digidesign and apple many time and have ran numerous test.

Apparently the noise is FROM the G5. I took mine to the apple store and they said there is a LONG wait up to 7 bus. days to get my power supple replaced but that since its under 30 days can take it back and get a new one. I bought from a music store in LA that got the G5 from an authorized Apple dealer, so I went to the store that supplied the G5 to see if they can replace my the whole computer with a new one, but asked if I can first listen to the new one out of the box to see if it has the same problem, they were very helpful, pulled a new one out (of coarse after talking to the apple store at length to get a Case#)
We then hooked it up to some desktop speakers, I set the Performance in the Energy setting to Highest (note there are 3 options, Auto, Reduced and highest) since highest makes the chirping sound louder, and it was present loud and clear, in fact they hooked up the speakers to an adjacent G5 single processor and same thing, even moving the mouse around can be heard.

Apple told me to just take it in to one of there apple stores with my Case number to get the power supple fixed, problem is, it they say 5-7 business days, my studio has been down since I got this on the 24the of Dec and now another week.

Also talking to Digidesign at length on this matter a few times (and wow what a phone bill that's going to be) they are fully aware of this as many others have called in.

Bottom line, $3,000 for a computer that has one of the quietest fans, I should NOT have to go through this on going nightmare, not even for $1,500 computer.
This is EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING.

I have tried a TON of options, Expensive Monster Surge Protectors, RF AC Canceling devices from Radio shack, turning the Performance to reduced. Nothing helps.

Although one guy at the Apple store was kind enough to download CHUD and burn it on a CD for me.

[osxisfun]

what was the effect after installing the CHUD system pref and diabling "nap"?

[nerd]

Originally posted by gabenydick:
Now all those little chirps and soft scrolling sounds are louder and whenever there is high network activity, such as transferring an iso image, my machine absolutely SQUEALS!

This is the first post I've read about squealing during network traffic (I might not have read most of the posts close enough). I've had this since day one when transferring files to a 100BT connection, my 12" Powerbook. It is very noticeable. I am always connected to my Dual 533 G4 via 1000BT and a Netgear 1000BT switch and never hear squealing, only when I transfer to the Powerbook. I would relate it to 100BT network speeds.

Okay, I just tried this again to make sure I'm not smoking something before I posted. I only get the squealing when copying a big file FROM the remote computer (Powerbook G4 and an iMac 400) over 100BT to the G5. I'm connected form the G5 like this. G5-Netgear 1000BT-Netgear 100BT-Powerbook (or iMac). The dual G4 is like this. G5-Netgear 1000BT-G4.

How is your network connected up? Are you seeing the same thing?

Brad