G4 aluminum powerbook makes a sputtering fan noise

I have taken great care of my 1.67ghz g4 powerbook aluminum, and never dropped it or anything.
Lately, its started to make a really faint sputtering noise, like the fan is going dead or something. Any ideas?

OH no! My powerbook started making the same noise! I use it every day for homework and if I had to send it away for a week I would be screwed. I'm glad I found an answer though, and I probably am going to call up and schedule a time to get it fixed.

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My 2008 Macbook Pro makes a loud fan noise.

Hello -
I bought my 15" macbook pro back in October 2008. I was very happy with my purchase due to the machine's performance. But over the past year I have noticed an increase in the fan noise. It almost sounds like it's hitting against something at a very high speed, hense this irregular fan noise. The noise also increases drastically when I am working on Photoshop or InDesign. I also partitioned my hard-drive to hold windows so I can work on AutoCad.....noise increases also as I work on my machine.
Why is this happening? Could this loud fan noise damage any internal component to the machine? Should I bring it in to Apple immediately?
Thank you!

Some of the applications that you mention are somewhat CPU intensive which creates heat and results in fan speed increase and hence additional noise (to state the obvious). However if you are experiencing excessive noise when CPU loads are modest it could be that your fans are failing as all mechanical devices eventually will or you may have 'schmutz' inside that is the cause of the unwanted noise.
I suggest you open the MBP and see if there is any dust in the fans that may very well be affecting their performance. After 4 years, this is not an uncommon situation and it could be the solution to the problem.
If not, then you may consider getting replacements from iFixit or Powerbook Medic and replace them your self. It is not rocket science in this instance. If you suffer from chronic fingerfumbilitis, then have the Apple store do it for you.
Ciao.

My powerbook makes a very loud noise for hours!

i dropped my powerbook off my lofted bed the other day and it landed on the ground on the very left side. the charger is a little bent and split (the actual thing you insert into the computer), and the very left side where the charger whole is is a little bent.
however, there's been a noise coming out of my computer like a tktktktkttk noise constantly. it's very loud and disturbing. the powerbook runs fine except for this noise. i don't know if a fan is broken or something. the noise will stop when i put the powerbook to sleep and usually will stay quiet if i'm either running just safari or Word, but if i open itunes or ichat or anything where it needs to start something up the noise goes on for hours.
it started last night for a few minutes, then stopped, and now it's been doing this the entire day.
my questions are:
1. is this a problem with the fan?
2. is there anything i can do to stop it?
3. what is the problem?
4. how much will it cost to repair? i have applecare, but that runs out in feb., and i knwo they won't cover it for accidential damages.
5. any other advice?
6. has this happened to anyone before?

Hi ...
If the sound you hear on startup sounds like a "chord" being played, that's ok. That's telling you your Mac passed it's startup diagnostic tests. But a "whirring" noise.... no, that should not happen.
If it doesn't sound like a chord, probably best to take it back for a replacement. You have 14 days from the date you received the product for an exchange. Beyond that, your iMac has a one year limited warranty.
edited by: cs

My iMac makes louder whirring fan noises and gets really hot.

Should I go to the service center and have it checked out?

Before you do, do a SMC reset and download and install iStat Pro (Google it) and post the actual temps.
SMC RESET
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord and ALL peripherals.
Wait 15 seconds.
Attach the computers power cable.
Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on the computer.
PRAM RESET
Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

Imac makes fan noise when it turns off or goes to sleep

Hello,
I bought a new iMac from bestbuy during the last week of april 2013.
Recently when I turn the iMac off or put it to sleep, it begins to make a loud fan noise at the back above the place where the power goes into the iMac. However, the moment I turn on the computer the sound goes away.
I left the iMac on for a few hours thinking the noise will go away on its own but it didnt. Now I always have to turn off the iMac and take the power out of the wall in order for it to not make noise.
Does anyone know what I can do to solve my problem? I have tried the SMC reset and the Pram reset however it does not seem to do the trick for me.

I would recommend resetting the SMC at least 3x back to back, sometimes it does not work the first time. If you don't know how please navigate to https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3603 for detailed instructions. If that does not help, you have 90 days of free AppleCare telephone coverage or if you already bought AppleCare (VERY STONGLY RECOMMENDED) this will extend your 1 year warranty to 3 years and includes 3 years of phone support. If you are in the USA you can buy it from B&H Photo for as little as $122 vs. at BBY or Apple for $169.

Why is my imac (mid2011) doing a loud fan noise?

I had my imac since 2011 and never had a problem with it, until 1 month ago. It started to make a loud fan noise. I already reset the SMC, (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964) but I keep hearing it. Also checked in disc utility and everything is fine (not a disc problem).

I run Apple Hardware Test and gave me this:
4SNS/1/C0000008: TL0p-- 124
(during the test the imac went silent for a couple of seconds)

G580 loud fan noise

Well a lenovo, used for a year and a buzzing loud crackling fan noise problem... Aren't we surprised!!!
Useless to ask for a BIOS update for a essential product, they didn't care to give one for a thinkpad.
Here's the problem though...
The laptop makes a buzzing fan noise. That is not a fan running at full speed. This noise is more like a buzz of a large fluoroscent tube. And will stop, well, if you tap it, knock it, or use your acquired accupressure massage tricks for the revered Lenovo products. Problem is it will reappear after a few minutes or seconds depending on your luck.
Lenovo don't seem to provide any off shelf fans at least in India for the product. Even the cpu temp seem to be rising. It has touched 70C for i53210m.(room temp at 26C, load 100% for arnd 30 sec, avg load 6%)
My question is with the temperature on the higher side, and the fact that I cannot feel much air from the fan, how do I know the gurgarating buzzing loud fan is actually working or needs to be changed?

Hi pkj5ue,
You can get access to the fan by removing the bottom cover and taking the 3 screws out and removing the keyboard. The fan will be visible at the top left. Blowing come compressed air in through the vent and vacuuming out through the fan should suffice for a simple cleaning.
Here's videos showing disassembly of the various components.
If you need to replace the fan or reapply the thermal paste, yes, you will have to disassemble the laptop.
Regards,
Dave
T430u, x301, x200T, x61T, x61, x32, x41T, x40, U160, ThinkPad Tablet 1838-22R, Z500 touch, Yoga Tab 2 Windows 8.1, Yoga Tablet 3 Pro
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IBook or iMac? Fan noise?

Hey, I am thinking about getting either an iBook or an iMac.
I have read that the iMacs make allot of fan noise? Is this so? That might be a problem, as I will be using it for recording guitar and vocals quite often.
Anyone here use an iMac to record stuff in garageband?
Cheers
see ya

my G5 iMac sits in the only room in my house that does not have AC and even with the processor averaging about 165*F I barely hear anything over a purr. the room is a sun room, and I live in Santee, California, which isn't exactly cool during the day if you know what I mean. the SuperDrive is the biggest improvement, even though it is audible during use, my old G4 used to sound like it was trying to take off like a turbofan engine. while the heat of the thing scares me a little, I feel confident that it can handle it. I've not really tried to max it out, but in a room that averages 85+ degrees during the day she's holding up well I never used my G4 to record in garage band, but I've made simple techno songs, just by clicking with the mouse, and adjusting things, it took for-freakin-ever to do it that way, so I will be getting better equipment now that the new imac can handle things better.

My Powerbook G4 make some fan noise. Please help!

From last night my PowerBook G4 makes fan noise. It sounds like fanning sound when the computer is overheated during hot summer. But my room temperature is aroung 70 degree.
It happens when I open many windows but I need to open them to trade some at TDamertrade.com site. To check other sites too.
I would very appreciate any suggestions I can try to fix this fan sound.

It is possible that you are having these issues because you installed the MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.3 by mistake:
*http://support.apple.com/downloads/MacBookPro_SMC_Firmware_Update_13*
I remember when this was released that PowerBook G4 owners were seeing this update via their Software Update application. Sometimes I just install those updates without closely reading what they are for exactly. Anyway, I know it says for high work loads, but you would be surprised how easily the fans will turn on high just from simply web browsing.
I suggest that you first try resetting the PMU:
*If the computer is on, turn it off.*
*Disconnect the AC Adapter and remove the computer's battery.*
*Press and hold down the power button for 5 seconds and then release the button.*
*Reconnect the battery and AC Adapter.*
*Press the Power button to restart the computer.*
If the above works for you (great), if not, try resetting PRAM and NVRAM:
*Shut down the computer.*
*Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.*
*Turn on the computer.*
*Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.*
*Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.*
*Release the keys.*
If the above works for you (great), if not, try archive and installing:
*http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1710*
If the none of the above worked for you (not so great), do the following:
Go to your closest  Store next week after making an appointment with a Mac Genius:
*http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/*
I hope that I helped you solve your problem, but do post back if not and I will help you narrow down what is going on even further. Personally, I feel that I am better than going to see a genius because most of them are just trained for Intel machines these days out in CA, where as, I know all the way back to PPC and Mac OS 7. Best of luck.

Macbook pro retina start to make loud fan noise and work slow

I bought macbook pro retina display less than one years ago. For some reason my macbook pro has been making loud fan noise for about five mounth. Whenever macbook pro makes the noise, all the programs start to run slow. Typing, opening safari, and etc takes forever. It takes 20min to 40min for the noise to stop. At first, the macbook pro made noise once or twice in a day, but now it's making the noise frequently; It happens every 2-3 hours. It got to the point where it start to annoying me. Is there a way for me to fix this issue? If not, can I use one year warrenty to fix this problem? Thank you.

If your Mac works slowly when fans turn on, it's quite possible that there's a process which is eating the CPU and/or RAM.
Open Activity Monitor (in /Applications/Utilities), select "All Processes" above "Show" (in the toolbar) and then, order the processes by CPU usage. Do you see any process which is consuming more CPU or RAM? If so, tell us the name.
Additionally, you can reset the SMC > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

When I run multiple Microsoft powerpoint files at a time on my MacBook Air, it simply gets hotter and generates little noise (most probably fan noise). Will this make any effect on life span of MBAir??

When I run multiple Microsoft powerpoint files at a time on my MacBook Air, it simply gets hotter and generates little noise (most probably fan noise). Will this make any effect on life span of MBAir??

Theoretically, yes.
Heat, and heat cycling certainly do take a toll on even solid state components. I have several "very old" Macintosh computers, and the logic boards exhibit the effects.
The fan too, running at higher speeds, does eventually cause wear. More than anything, the higher airflow leads to a higher propensity for dust accumulation on the fan, and the heat exchangers.
In practical terms though, maybe not so much. If you plan on having your computer exhibit a reasonable useful life before you retire it or upgrade, you may never experience any of the detrimental effects. I rarely use a computer longer than 3 years, before I sell, give it away, or just stop using it.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. Your computer is well designed to give you a long life, even in the manner in which you describe. Take care of it, but use it for what you bought it for. Nothing you mention is in any way, abuse.

Is normal in the mac book pro with the retina make fan noise al the time ?

Is normal that the new macbook pro with retina make fan noise all the time?

Hi everyone.
I just bought an mac book pro retina , 15 inches , 2 GHz, Core i7, 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3. I'm a programmer , so, I really don't give to the mac book an exhaustive use, so the performance of the machine is good for me. But recently , I discovery some kind of issue : a noise fan when I reproduce a video from Internet, in full screen mode.
I download the iStatus Menus program for mac, to has a complete dashboard of the situation , and I got this :
1) When recently start the mac book, the statistics are
All in order, the revolutions of the fan are OK, no fan noise at all.
But , just opened a video in full screen , a few seconds after opened start it, the machine increase the temperature from (normal) 40° to 98° (so high), and the statistics change dramatically , as follow :
As you can see, the fan revolution increase 3x , from 2000 to 6000 . The use of Google Helper increase over 200% . And obviously the noise fan make me crazy,
I've only seen this "issue" on that scenario, ( internet video full screen reproduction ). That's not happen , even when many applications are open.
Should I worry about this ?, or, this is a normal behaviour on the machine ?.
I'll appreciate any advice or answer.
Kindly regards.

Why does my MacBook Pro suddenly turn really really slow and make a really loud fan noise?

Whenever I turn on my MacBook is runs perfectly fine for 2 minutes but then it turns really slow (to the point that it takes ages to move the mouse cursor and to type) and make a really loud fan noise. What should I do to fix this?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
There's a process that is taking up the RAM and CPU. Open Activity Monitor (in /Applications/Utilities), and select "All Processes" above "Show" in the toolbar. Then, order processes by CPU, and tell me which processes you see that are consuming more CPU

Macbook fan makes a lot of noise, in particular on safari with flash

Hi,
Whenever I turn on Safari, my macbook starts to make a lot of noise, in particular on sites with flash. I guess this is not normal. I have the latest flash installed and my mac software is up to date. I have a mac with 2G memory attached to a 23" cinema-display. Any suggestions?

Have same problem with mac mini g4. sample site is http://www.wakfu.com/ stay a bit longer and fan noise starts up.
Also, playing flash game makes the fan starts spinning (this never happened some time ago, 2 years and a couple of months before)

My iMac monitor makes a "fan" noise that won't shut off. What is and how do I shut it off

My iMac monitor is making a "fan" noise. What is it and what do I do to shut it off?

Fans run to stablize temperatures on your iMac. The fans cannot be turned off.
If you think the fans run excessively, try Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

G4 aluminum powerbook makes a sputtering fan noise

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