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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > The inescapable question: Macbook 13" whine?

The inescapable question: Macbook 13" whine? (Page 2)
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pxlshftr
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May 24, 2006, 07:45 PM
 
Mine whines ever so slightly when on AC power. The Adaptor also whines when the long cord is plugged into it. This confirms the suspicion that the whining was coming from the electrical components in the Power supply when the CPU stepped to lower voltage usage.

NOTE: My Macbook whines much quieter than my Macbook Pro did before I returned it, and the Macbook Pro whined WORSE when NOT on AC power. This is in contrast to my MB which does not whine at all when not on AC power

edit: Black stock.
     
luisito
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May 24, 2006, 07:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by pxlshftr
Mine whines ever so slightly when on AC power. The Adaptor also whines when the long cord is plugged into it. This confirms the suspicion that the whining was coming from the electrical components in the Power supply when the CPU stepped to lower voltage usage.

NOTE: My Macbook whines much quieter than my Macbook Pro did before I returned it, and the Macbook Pro whined WORSE when NOT on AC power. This is in contrast to my MB which does not whine at all when not on AC power

edit: Black stock.
On your MacBook, is the whine loud when it's plugged in and the battery is not fully charged and is in the processing of charging? I noticed last night that mine whines, but that the whining is loudest when the MacBook is charging and I'm using it at the same time. I put it aside for a while to do other things; when I came back, the battery was fully charged, and when using it I noticed that the whine was much quieter.

Wondering if yours is doing the same.
     
andreas_g4
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May 24, 2006, 08:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by musicjunkie
On your MacBook, is the whine loud when it's plugged in and the battery is not fully charged and is in the processing of charging? I noticed last night that mine whines, but that the whining is loudest when the MacBook is charging and I'm using it at the same time. I put it aside for a while to do other things; when I came back, the battery was fully charged, and when using it I noticed that the whine was much quieter.

Wondering if yours is doing the same.
This is the behaviour I notice, too. But since it can be "fixed" by running photobooth in the background, I assume there will be a real fix delivered via software update.
     
luisito
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May 24, 2006, 11:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by andreas_g4
This is the behaviour I notice, too. But since it can be "fixed" by running photobooth in the background, I assume there will be a real fix delivered via software update.
Yeah, opening Photobooth does "fix" it, though it's too bad we have to open another program to fix a strange noise. I hope that there will be a software fix -- and that the whine isn't a hardware issue (such as a problem with the CPU, motherboard, power supply, etc.).
     
chadseld
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May 26, 2006, 09:48 PM
 
I have good hearing and my MB does not whine. My hearing is still good enough to hear high-pitch sounds like the fly-back transformers inside the TV's, but I can't here anything like that from my MB.
If your computer stops responding for a long time, turn it off and then back on. - Microsoft
     
Simon
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May 27, 2006, 03:26 AM
 
My MB does not whine. My MBP does.

Also, the MB is much more quiet in general. I think the 7200 rpm disk in the MBP might be rather noisy compared to the 5400 rpm drive in the MB.
     
hsl
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May 30, 2006, 09:15 PM
 
My MB does whine, its only when there's under 10% cpu usage,
when i turn iTunes on and mute the sound the whine is gone.

when the magsafe is plugged in, the same whine from my computer
is comming out of the adapter. yesterday i thought it was just the
adapter..... damn,.. i'll call apple for a replacement tomorrow.
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mduell
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May 30, 2006, 11:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by Simon
Also, the MB is much more quiet in general. I think the 7200 rpm disk in the MBP might be rather noisy compared to the 5400 rpm drive in the MB.
According to several manufacturers, the difference in sound between 5400 and 7200RPM disks is a handful of decibels (4dB for Seagate and Hitachi if I recall correctly), right around the limit of human perception (3dB) for different noise levels. The metal enclosure may be transmitting the noise generated much better than the plastic does.
     
Simon
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May 31, 2006, 02:47 AM
 
I know what the manufacturers claim and that's also why I went for the 7200 RPM disk when I bought it.

Fortunately I own both machines and don't have to rely on any specs/forums/etc. now. And from that experience I can clearly say that the MBP's 7200 RPM Seagate disk is noisy compared to the MB's inaudible 5400 RPM Fujitsu. If you boot both machines in a cold state you have zero fan noise. If you then sit in front of both Macs in a silent room, you can clearly hear the MBP's disk. The MB's is inaudible. In order to even hear that the MB's on, I have to put my ear right above the keyboard. In the case of the MBP it's clear by just sitting in front of it at a usual working distance. That is a very substantial difference.

To see if it has to do with the disk itself or with the case design (vibration damping, resonances, etc.) it would be nice to do the same test with a MBP with the 5400 RPM disk. But, I'm really not planning on getting another MBP just to check that out.
     
gjbeprise
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May 31, 2006, 04:23 AM
 
Sounds like some people here are misinformed/led to believe they are hearing a processor whine when in fact they are hearing a SD/general computer sound...of course the problem exists in some units, but I believe some of these reports are accidental mistakes of a different sound.
     
hsl
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May 31, 2006, 04:25 AM
 
Originally Posted by hsl
My MB does whine, its only when there's under 10% cpu usage,
when i turn iTunes on and mute the sound the whine is gone.

when the magsafe is plugged in, the same whine from my computer
is comming out of the adapter. yesterday i thought it was just the
adapter..... damn,.. i'll call apple for a replacement tomorrow.
jeej! they're going to replace it.

the tech guy from apple thought it was a combination of the DC board and the CPU.
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Simon
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May 31, 2006, 05:16 AM
 
Originally Posted by Mongoos150
Sounds like some people here are misinformed/led to believe they are hearing a processor whine when in fact they are hearing a SD/general computer sound...of course the problem exists in some units, but I believe some of these reports are accidental mistakes of a different sound.
I think both whines can be easily identified.

If a whine depends on the screen brightness setting, it's the inverter whine and Apple will fix it. Actually, has this whine even appeared on the MB or is it just a MBP problem?

If a whine depends on the processor state meaning you can get it to stop when you prevent the processor from stepping down into the deepest sleep state (like turning on the iSight or running XP), it's the CPU whine. AKAIK the is no fix/upgarde/recall for this whine. You can only work around it by preventing the CPU from stepping down to the deep state.

Then there have been reports about whine from adapters. I'm not quite sure what people are referring to though. Does the whine come from the transformer brick or from the MagSafe plug? The latter is likely just the normal CPU whine. The former could be something new. How do people hear that at all? My adapters are somewhere below my desk buried in the deepest cable mess - I could never hear a whine coming from there.
     
galarneau
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May 31, 2006, 05:43 AM
 
My AC adapter whines like crazy.

I showed it to my wife, and she said "That's not normal"

I'm not sure if she meant the AC adapter, or me obsessing about an AC adapter that makes noise.

Either way, I'm going to talk to someone at the local Apple Store and see if it's normal.
     
antdroid
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May 31, 2006, 05:45 AM
 
im not sure if my macbook is faulty or just annoying,

its quiet under normal load, web browsing etc, but i got it for logic pro,
i find that when the procesor hits 30% usage the loud mooing starts,
i dont see what at 30% the fans should go on and off ?....surely thats not normal..

but even worse is at around 50-90% the high pitch mosquito sound appears, and its pitch goes up slowly drawing attention to it and driving me crazy...

is that normal ?....i read here that only 1% of macbooks sold have these probs, but im not so sure they all dont have them, and people think theyre silent because they dont push them past 30% ...for the moo, and 50% for the whine / buzzzz

i really want to send it back and get one that has a whooosh fan rarther than a mosquito fan is thats possible, fans are fine, but high pitch..ow !

apart from that the macbook is great...its very warm on left side corner, but not burning..so fine..

temps go up to 81 degrees when at 70%....

what do you guys think ?....normal ...(meaning i wont get a mosquito less one no matter how many i replace ?) or send it back for a new one today ?

please help...
     
hsl
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May 31, 2006, 05:57 AM
 
Originally Posted by galarneau
My AC adapter whines like crazy.

I showed it to my wife, and she said "That's not normal"

I'm not sure if she meant the AC adapter, or me obsessing about an AC adapter that makes noise.

Either way, I'm going to talk to someone at the local Apple Store and see if it's normal.
that's the same problem i have, but mine is in combination with probably a faulty DC board/CPU.
can you check if the AC adapter still whines like crazy when you start up photobooth?

:-)
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rhythmicmoose
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May 31, 2006, 10:54 AM
 
I ended up returning a MacBook Pro because of the whine and the fact that it had something loose rattling around inside the right half of the computer. I replaced it with a black MacBook and in the brief time that I have had it, I can definitely say that the MacBook's processor whine is quieter and less annoying than the Pro's. I still hear it, but the volume is lower, and there is less warble or chirpiness to it.
     
Yakov  (op)
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May 31, 2006, 11:13 AM
 
deleeted
     
photoeditor
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May 31, 2006, 11:53 AM
 
Maybe there's some variation in the processor itself? I know there have been reports that the voltage is not entirely consistent even for a given processor speed, and some of the earlier MacBook Pros in particular which were running very hot also were running over the specified voltage.

So I have a question. Are the whiny ones also the hot ones? If so, it could be linked to the voltage being out of specification.
     
Frans
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Jun 17, 2006, 07:03 PM
 
I'll have to correct myself, my black MacBook DOES whine....

I've also noticed why, coincidently. I'm using the CoreDuoTemp program to monitor the CPU-temperature. What happens between 67º and 69º Celsius is that the fan starts up. The temperature immediately drops 2º and the fan stops. The cycle repeats itself every 5 seconds or so.

This typically happens when I'm doing simple stuff, like writing. When you're doing more CPU-intens tasks it won't happen.

it's not a loud noise, but since the MacBook is such an amazingly silent machine you can notice the whine. To me it's acceptable, however I would prefer an option to set a lower temperature for the fan to kick in. I would also LOVE an option to be able to choose lower temperatures and more fan-noise, because in an airplane or an airconditioned room you really don't hear the MacBook-fan....

Steve, please ?
( Last edited by Frans; Jun 17, 2006 at 07:11 PM. )
After 18 years of MS-DOS and Windows working very happy on Mac, now on a 15" MacBook Pro 2.2 Ghz - 2Gb memory - 200 Gb HD with a 20 and 23" screen. I've been waiting for the iPhone for quite a while, let's role it out in Europe. Just one wish left for now: a light mac (2-3 pounds) with 8 hours of working time. They can do it... :-)
     
Frans
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Jun 17, 2006, 07:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by antdroid
im not sure if my macbook is faulty or just annoying,

its quiet under normal load, web browsing etc, but i got it for logic pro,
i find that when the procesor hits 30% usage the loud mooing starts,
i dont see what at 30% the fans should go on and off ?....surely thats not normal..

i really want to send it back and get one that has a whooosh fan rarther than a mosquito fan is thats possible, fans are fine, but high pitch..ow !

temps go up to 81 degrees when at 70%....

what do you guys think ?....normal ...(meaning i wont get a mosquito less one no matter how many i replace ?) or send it back for a new one today ?

please help...
It sounds quite normal to me, apart from the sound of the fan. Go to the Mac-store to check that.

You shouldn't look at the CPU-load, but at the temperature. I found that my CPU-temp never gets above 81º (the fans really kick in at 75º), while it can get above 70º easily even with 15% load and on 1500 Mhz.
After 18 years of MS-DOS and Windows working very happy on Mac, now on a 15" MacBook Pro 2.2 Ghz - 2Gb memory - 200 Gb HD with a 20 and 23" screen. I've been waiting for the iPhone for quite a while, let's role it out in Europe. Just one wish left for now: a light mac (2-3 pounds) with 8 hours of working time. They can do it... :-)
     
ginoledesma
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Jun 24, 2006, 05:04 AM
 
My MacBook doesn't have the whine, but it does make the "mooing sound" and my AC adapter makes a whining/sizzling/cracking sound now and then. Apple's sent me a replacement power adapter (85W, too), so all that's left is the bovine-split personality.
     
TomR
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Jun 24, 2006, 07:16 AM
 
Mine starts the whining/mooing at 63c. No big deal IMHO, you only hear it when it's real quiet. It's the cooling fan. Mine is the 1.83 w/ 1 gig of RAM.

Tom
     
mavherzog
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Jun 24, 2006, 07:53 AM
 
No whining nor mooing out of my 1.83Ghz model. (upgraded to 2GB ram and a 120GB hdd)
     
Tijer
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Jul 2, 2006, 10:18 AM
 
Have anybody tried using ShhMBP on their MacBook non-pro? (it says its supposed to be used on MacBook Pro's) - but it should be the same fix (disabling the idle-cpu state that causes the whine)
There's more to this signature than you
think.
     
Ruddigger
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Jul 2, 2006, 11:03 AM
 
Mine didnt used to whine, after a couple weeks of use it does now. Not very loud, but enough to notice it. Oh well, no moo, and no yellowing yet.
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silverlode
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Aug 8, 2006, 07:11 PM
 
Same here. It used to not whine, now it does unless Photo Booth is running. I'd say Photo Booth removes about 80% of the noise, but removing the AC power removes all the noise. I have some yellowing, too, and the mooing. Triple threat! I will be sending it in for the yellowing problem sometime before the warranty is up.
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hsl
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Aug 8, 2006, 07:17 PM
 
well, i'm on my fourth macbook now, and haven't got it on this one.
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silverlode
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Aug 8, 2006, 08:13 PM
 
How'd you manage to return 3 MacBooks?
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hsl
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Aug 9, 2006, 02:38 AM
 
i bought them through the apple store, and each time you have 7 days to return it, no matter what. normally they will only replace it two times and give your money back the third time, but i arranged a deal with a supervisor that he would replace it in 3 weeks from that date because de tech guys told me that it probably would be solved then.
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HouseSold
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Aug 9, 2006, 12:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by hsl
i bought them through the apple store, and each time you have 7 days to return it, no matter what. normally they will only replace it two times and give your money back the third time, but i arranged a deal with a supervisor that he would replace it in 3 weeks from that date because de tech guys told me that it probably would be solved then.
What week build did you end up with that is quiet?

Your sig shows you have 100gig hard drive; did you order that each time, or the Apple store stocks those or just swap out your original HD?
     
hatim
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Aug 9, 2006, 04:04 PM
 
Mine whines until I force quit photoboot + sleep
     
Gregarion
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Aug 9, 2006, 10:47 PM
 
Stock macbook, whines. Applecare telephone wouldn't do anything about it. Would taking it to a store help?
     
HouseSold
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Aug 9, 2006, 11:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by Gregarion
Stock macbook, whines. Applecare telephone wouldn't do anything about it. Would taking it to a store help?
Possibly, if you find a sympathetic manager......or mac genious.

Try calling first, find out who's the store manager and try to build some positive rapport 1st, before going in (unless, of course, you already know someone working there).

Don't fly off the handle like someone I saw recently at the store.
     
Gregarion
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Aug 9, 2006, 11:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by HouseSold
Possibly, if you find a sympathetic manager......or mac genious.

Try calling first, find out who's the store manager and try to build some positive rapport 1st, before going in (unless, of course, you already know someone working there).

Don't fly off the handle like someone I saw recently at the store.
Well, I don't really know any of the employees at the Apple store or the manager. What should I do, just call and ask to talk to the manager?
     
HouseSold
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Aug 9, 2006, 11:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Gregarion
Well, I don't really know any of the employees at the Apple store or the manager. What should I do, just call and ask to talk to the manager?
Ask whomever answers the phone, 'who is the manager?' After they name who it is, ask to speak to that manager.

Keep notes and any receipts together and document time and dates, cuz you will surely not remember later.
     
Gregarion
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Aug 10, 2006, 12:14 AM
 
Originally Posted by HouseSold
Ask whomever answers the phone, 'who is the manager?' After they name who it is, ask to speak to that manager.

Keep notes and any receipts together and document time and dates, cuz you will surely not remember later.
I called AppleCare 3 time, and they won't give me a replacement. Will it really make a difference by going into a retail location and asking?
     
HouseSold
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Aug 10, 2006, 12:34 AM
 
Some are reporting yes; what have you got to lose, since you may encounter a sympathetic manager who knows yours is not the first and only MacBook to have this problem.
     
 
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