[lovehelena]

Originally Posted by Madrag

ok, here goes:

1. open applescript (applications/applescript/Script Editor.app)

2. paste this code:
do shell script "hwprefs cpu_nap=false"

3. Now save it as an application, with a name (ex: disable_nap.app)

4. place it in a permanent place (like the applications folder)

5. go to the system prefs and inside the users prefs, go to the startup items; add (press the +) and select the recently created applescript.

that's it. Each time you reboot/login, the nap will be disabled

There may be other methods but this is quick.


About VNC, do a search please.

Thanks for your kind step-by-step explanation. But I am having difficulty

executing the app. because it is necessary I be the root to execute the script.

Do I have to be the root to execute the apple script?

[jhogarty]

When I get home I'll log on using my son's account, ie very limited access, and see if I can run the script(s). Currently I have never had to run as root, but my ID does have some admin rights.

J.

[jhogarty]

Tested with an account that doesn't have admin rights. My scripts run fine. Are you saving your scripts as applications?

J.

[lovehelena]

Originally Posted by jhogarty

Tested with an account that doesn't have admin rights. My scripts run fine. Are you saving your scripts as applications?

J.

Yes, I saved it as app. script, and others which all didn't run saying "effective user

must be the root". What is the way to log on as the root, not just typing sudo -s command

in the shell?

[mduell]

Originally Posted by lovehelena

Yes, I saved it as app. script, and others which all didn't run saying "effective user

must be the root". What is the way to log on as the root, not just typing sudo -s command

in the shell?

Type

Code:
su root

in the console.

[jhogarty]

Are you running OSX Tiger? I'm stumpped at to why you get that message.

J.

[Surly Dwarf]

I didn't even notice the chirping until I was looking on the internet for what exactly the allow nap checkbox does. After I noticed it I couldn't keep my mind off of it. I pinpointed the sound as coming out of the front grill below the processor air intakes, so it must be the power supply, as many have said before, or something else that may be lurking in the dark down there.

Another observation that I had that may help some people is that it only makes this noise when the CPUs are NOT under full load. I have confirmed this because I have my machine set up to run Folding@Home on a dual machine (running two of the processes locally). When I have both of the proccesses running and I open the RSS screensaver preview, there is no chirping. When I stop both the F@H proccesses, the noise immediately returns. I never turn off F@H, even while gaming because the proccesses are assigned a priority of idle and makes no noticeable impact on games (I'm not going to notice a 1% or 2% performance hit without hard numbers).

I guess one of the reasons I never really noticed the chirping is because I run F@H 24/7. This does not bother me because the A/C in my dorm room runs constantly (a faint whooshing sound) and I always have a fan on to circulate air (a whirring sound). The fan noise from the G5 just isn't loud enough to bother me.

[keno]

Wow - I never expected to find so many with noise problems. My issue isn't really the chirping, but a very high frequency squeal/whine sound that's very hard on my ears and actually causes headaches if I'm at the computer for 4-6 hours at a stretch.

This particular sound is not tied to CPU activity and is present at all times. It's impossible to discern exactly from where it is coming because it's such a high frequency. Fan noise doesn't bother me and it will ramp up with activity, naturally, but this is maddening.

I have dual Maxtor 250gb drives & an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro video card.

Does anyone else only have only this type of noise pollution? If so, were you ever able to stop it? My last recourse is a good set of headphones.

TIA

keno

[keno]

Originally Posted by keno

Wow - I never expected to find so many with noise problems. My issue isn't really the chirping, but a very high frequency squeal/whine sound that's very hard on my ears and actually causes headaches if I'm at the computer for 4-6 hours at a stretch.

This particular sound is not tied to CPU activity and is present at all times. It's impossible to discern exactly from where it is coming because it's such a high frequency. Fan noise doesn't bother me and it will ramp up with activity, naturally, but this is maddening.

I have dual Maxtor 250gb drives & an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro video card.

Does anyone else only have only this type of noise pollution? If so, were you ever able to stop it? My last recourse is a good set of headphones.

TIA

keno

I'm updating my own post.

Installed CHUD and used terminal to set nap to false. (hwprefs cpu_nap=false)

This made absolutely zero difference in the high frequency sound that's killing me, but according to Temperature Monitor my CPU temps jumped up 10 degrees almost immediately so I set it back to true.

keno

[booboo]

Originally Posted by keno

. . .

Does anyone else only have only this type of noise pollution? If so, were you ever able to stop it? My last recourse is a good set of headphones.

TIA

keno

This has been a major problem for me with Rev A B and C G5's.

Apple have acknowledged it, and I wonder if your issue sounds anything like any of these?

Apple's Acknowledgement

I also have another badly-titled thread here.

Glad to say my G5 2.0GHz Dual Core does not chirp AT ALL, not even the 1 per second faint pulse, although I still can't help but feel they've spoiled the ship for a ha'penny of tar with respect to their choice of fan, and the pairing of same-speed fans, and the ensuing 'beating' that results.

[jamil5454]

Hmmm... I've found that if I'm running SETI@Home or something similar which stresses the CPU, the chirping noise isn't present. Normally, the RSS Screen Saver almost guaranteedily (word?) makes my machine chirp, but when I'm crunching something in the background, nada.

[Al G]

Originally Posted by keno

Wow - I never expected to find so many with noise problems. My issue isn't really the chirping, but a very high frequency squeal/whine sound that's very hard on my ears and actually causes headaches if I'm at the computer for 4-6 hours at a stretch.

This particular sound is not tied to CPU activity and is present at all times. It's impossible to discern exactly from where it is coming because it's such a high frequency. Fan noise doesn't bother me and it will ramp up with activity, naturally, but this is maddening.

I have dual Maxtor 250gb drives & an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro video card.

The fan on the 9800 Pro is pretty annoying but it should sound like a high-pitched fan and you should be able to localize it to the rear towards the top of the machine.

If it's not a fan sound (though keep in mind the video card fan is about the smallest fan you can find) and really is a squeal sound it could either be a bad bearing in one of the other 9 fans or possibly an electronic squeal coming from one of the components.

This squeal doesn't vary in pitch or intensity at all?

[keno]

Thanks for the responses!

I've been busier checking this out and here's what I've found.

Via the Sys Prefs Energy Saver Setting there is no discernable difference between Reduced, Automatic or Highest setting.

However, when I tried the SystemLoad utility there is a noticeable difference when the system load hits 50%. Noticeable as in Big Relief! The downside is system temps shoot up almost immediately to apx 170F and it's probably not a good plan to push that percentage of load for hours on end or I'll be wringing my hands over a disk failure.

Odd that setting nap to false didn't make an appreciable difference. It appears as though my system needs at least a constant 50% load to really improve the situation.

To what does this point? Fan bearings?

The box sits in a slot inside a computer desk, which I suppose only serves to reverberate the frequency. As if the aluminum box isn't enough. I wondered about padding the walls on either side of the box with acoustic material. I've been researching the net for that possible solution.

One that high pitch frequency gets in your head/ears it doesn't leave right away either.

I'm probably going to try the acoustic stuff next.

keno

[keno]

Originally Posted by Al G

The fan on the 9800 Pro is pretty annoying but it should sound like a high-pitched fan and you should be able to localize it to the rear towards the top of the machine.

If it's not a fan sound (though keep in mind the video card fan is about the smallest fan you can find) and really is a squeal sound it could either be a bad bearing in one of the other 9 fans or possibly an electronic squeal coming from one of the components.

This squeal doesn't vary in pitch or intensity at all?

Al,

No variance in pitch, at least to my ears. It's either there or as I just posted, or it's gone/almost gone with constant 50% load.

keno

[Todd Madson]

Keno -
Any chance you could record the sounds of your Macintosh and upload an MP3 of the
sound you're talking about somewhere?

[badtz]

any word on getting the apple script to work properly on bootup?

[memory-minus]

Originally Posted by badtz

any word on getting the apple script to work properly on bootup?

Yes.

Code:
do shell script "echo PASSWORD | sudo hwprefs cpu_nap=false"

Where PASSWORD = your login password.

Save as a run-only application, place somewhere safe and set it as a login item in Accounts prefpane.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any theft or loss of data resulting from having your password stored in this manner.