MacBook whinning...

Hey there everyone. I have something interesting that might mean something or might mean nothing.
I recently bought a MacBook. And it has been perfect so far. Well... the battery doesn't fit quite nicely and the screws for the RAM access have been stripped but it's at 2GB anyways so no worries.
However what does worry me is that right now about, 2 minutes ago, a loud and I mean LOUD (standing about 12 feet away at the bedroom door) high pitches buzzing noise appeared. Now, I had a MacBook Pro that I returned that also aquired that noise (I returned it for other reasons). After a little bit of investigation I realized that while the laptop itself was making a low buzzing noise, the loud buzzing was coming from the power bar. Now that freaked me out. What I am wondering is, is that in any way dangerous to the laptop or me or other people around me... I wouldn't want a fire or anything like that happen while I am not near the computer. So should I be returning it or is this safe or what? I am a little concerned at this point.
Thanks for any help.

Heh. By no means am I hating on Apple. They make wonderful products. The sad part is that since their shift to Intel, I have had more disappointments than great experiences as I am used to. I have called Apple, and they told me to take it to the store where I bought it. And like I said already, their "Mac Specialist" wasn't there. So I am living with it until Monday at the least.
Anyways, as an update as to what it is doing, it is exactly mimicking the sound of the top left hand corner, only amplified. What I have also noticed is that it has become abnormaly hot to the touch. There is also another strange symptom, I am not sure if this is normal or not, but I know for the G4 PowerBooks it wasn't the case: it is at 39% fully charged right now, and it is calculated at 2:30 for fully charged. This is with Mail and Safari and iTunes open. Is this normal for MacBooks. I haven't actually payed attention to that until just now. I know the old G4 PowerBook took about 1 - 1.5 hours tops to get a full charge. But then again the battery on this thing is much larger as well as the screen and etc.
Well, I shall let you know what happens on Monday. Also, if this is a logicboard problem as some other posters have suggested: would the Apple Hardware Test pick it up? Thanks a bunch guys!

Similar Messages

The dreaded 15.4 MacBook whine...

This might sound ridiculous, but I've had my MacBook Pro a week and it has the infamous whine. At first I thought I could tolerate it, but when comparing the racket to my slient 2 year old iBook G4, and comparing the price tag, I feel very disheartened.
Out of interest, I work in PC World as a techie (also where I got the Mac) and if a customer brought one back whining, I'd be inclined to refund it. In light of that - its going back! I was wandering if I send it back faulty, will Apple bounce it back to our returns depot, as there has been no official comment from Apple declaring it as a fault?

People have reported using the Photobooth trick to make it stop. I use that if I ever hear it. Sometimes I can hear it, sometimes I cannot. Oh, if you want to continue using the Photobooth trick, just do not update your keyboard .

Macbook whines in OSX but not in XP

First off, just to be sure: the constant high pitch noise comes from the top left corner of the macbook keyboard is what people call "the whining" of the macbook, right? Although i can live with that, it's still nice to get rid of it, eh?
i just found this noise comes up every time when i boot into OSx. But when im in XP (w/ boot camp), i have never heard this noise at all. Anyone else noticed this?
i started wondering if this whining problem has to do with the power management scheme of the operating system. if the answer is yes, hopefully we'll see that the next OSX update should be able to fix the problem.

Your guess could be right, I cannot tell you more since my MAcBook not experiencing whining on both os X and boot camp XP.
But could be the XP (released around end of 2001, I could be wrong) is less intensively tasking compare to Tiger (released around 18 month ago, again I could be wrong). And running xp is an easy job for intel dual core processor rather than running tiger that is optimized to use all intel dual core processor resources.
But I could be wrong on this operating system compiling thing.
Hope this help.

How loud is the whine on the new 2Ghz MacBook?

I have been seeing alot of posts about people complaing about the whining thier MacBook is making. I was wondering how loud it is, and if its really anything to be concerned about. My old iBook makes some noise, but its not anything that annoys me, and you can't even hear it if there is some other noise in the room (i.e. TV, music, etc.).
Also, people have been talking about mooing, what the heck is that?
Thanks!

Mine doesn't. When plugged in I get a very very faint buzz from the charging but it's not the CPU whine like the 15" MBPs have and it's about 10x fainter in volume at least. I've gotten very good at hearing the CPU whine and this isn't it (at least on mine).
My black macbook whines too when the AC adapter is
plugged in

The Whiner is away, how do I get a good one?

After hours on the phone with techincal and sales support, they have agreed to refund me for my machine. I finally admitted that 2500 dollars was just too much to have to deal with the inconvenience of mirror widgets and battery draining programs.
They will be placing my money back in my card as soon as my package arrives in California. I will then walk down to my local Apple store (35 minutes away) and purchase a new Macbook. According to all you people out there who claim only a small minority of macbooks whine, I shouldn' get another whiner should I? My first 2 whined, we'll see about the 3rd.
It sounds like week 12's and 11's are pretty good machines. How would one go about getting a Macbook from these weeks or one that doesn't whine?

I am not sure what all the fuss is about the whine. I can't believe some people (many people) on this forum have excahnged their machines twice, even three times in hopes of some elusive "perfect machine".
I have the CPU whine, but it goes away when I plug the machine in. If I am on battery, I just launch "Quiet MBP" and the machine is dead silent. I also have a sticky "H" key and the occasional kernal panic (this seems to be under control now).
I have not seriously thought of returning my MBP because it is a wonderful machine. I guess I am way less picky than I thought--of course I have had to work through a lot of network/computer problems in the past, so maybe I am just more tolerant. But seriously, you could go through 10 of these machines and not get the one you want. There is no such thing as perfect when you think of the extrordinarily complex tasks this (and all computers in genreral) are undertaking on a second to second basis.
P.S. I also have the tilted eject key--who cares!

Macbook logic board, restart, exchange

hi everyone, as of last weekend, i became a happy owner of a black macbook....that is until when the weekend ended. that's when i discovered these forums.
unfortunately, i became a part of a 'growing minority' of ppl who have the random restarting problem, vertical lines, and sudden shutdowns. i spent all of last night researching this issue and found out two words that have become the kryptonite of macusers....logic board.
today i stumbled across some pretty interesting information about the logic boards. not sure about the source of the information but it's food for thought nonetheless. i had my macbook for 3 days until the random restarting started happening. prior to that, i had no problems with any whining, mooing or heating issues commonly associated to the early release of the macbook. i came across this http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Acknowledges-MacBook-Whine-And-Offers-Logic -Board-Replacements-31384.shtml
which states: Apple is now providing logic board replacements for the whining MacBooks with the expected time for repair being ten days after the machine has arrived at an Apple certified repair center.
i'm not sure if these mooing machines had the restarting problem but if they didn't, the 'new' logic boards are in need of change once again. i think this is important b/c if this is the case, all macbooks in production will sooner or later experience the same problem that is plaguing the rather large minority of macbook owners.
so, i'm left with the dilemma of exchanging my macbook for a new one or just get a refund altogether. i've read that ppl who have got new logic boards were left with the same problem only a short time after words meaning the logic boards they are using to replace the 'faulty' ones are the same ones being used in production.
i'm not sure if this is a case of lemons or if every macbook is a ticking time bomb. if i'm not mistaken, it was only released in may.
i have a week 27 black macbook. failed after 3 days of normal use. i just don't want my second machine to crap out on me on the 15th day and have to worry about repairing it indefinately. thoughts?

I have what I can only describe as a lemon. It discolored, trackpad button broke, and whining started within a month of owning it. After 3 weeks in repair, it came back without having the logic board replaced, which was supposedly the reason it was on hold for 2 of the 3 weeks.
At this point, I called AppleCare, talked with a guy, and ended up going into an Apple store 2 hours away from my home, and instead of fixing it on the spot like the AppleCare tech said they would, the "Genius Bar" techs kept it for a week, waiting for a logic board that they would actually PUT IN the unit this time around.
It just came back yesterday, and had the same whining problem. Apparently, replacing the board did nothing at all. I just decided to go with QuietMBP at the expense of some battery life to keep things quiet (10% false bottom on CPU activity at all times)... Chuggin' along just fine for a day, then just a few hours ago, it started to randomly shut off. I turned it back on a few times, but it would turn itself right off again. The unit was **** hot, too.
I ran a diagnostic and it turns out a fan failed on the logic board. Hence the auto-shutting-off due to high temperatures. Fantastic.
To summarize: I had the MacBook for 1 month, sent it back for repairs for 3 weeks, got it back (w/o a whine fix) for 2 days, left it at an Apple Store for 1 week, got it back (w/o a whine fix) for 2 days, and now a fan is dead. To top it all off, one of the Geniuses at the Apple Store said I failed their memory test, so my 3rd party RAM is bad as well.
Suffice to say, I am going to attempt to get a replacement, since a refund isn't do-able as I already spent more than $500 in software liscenses for Mac-only software...
You're not alone in your woes.

MacBook Pro Heat in Apple Manual

Appendix B Safety, Use, and Care Information 107
Using Your MacBook Pro
When you’re using your MacBook Pro or charging the battery, it is normal for the bottom of the case to get warm. For prolonged use, place your MacBook Pro on a flat, stable surface.
Do not leave the bottom of your MacBook Pro in contact with your lap or any surface of your body for extended periods. Prolonged contact with your body could cause discomfort and potentially a burn.
The bottom of the MacBook Pro case functions as a cooling surface that transfers heat from inside the computer to the cooler air outside. The bottom of the case is raised slightly to allow airflow that keeps the unit within normal operating temperatures.
In addition, warm air is vented from the slots in the back of the case.
Warning: Do not place your MacBook Pro on a pillow or other soft material when it is on, as the material can block the airflow vents, in particular the rear vents, and cause the computer to overheat. Never place anything over your keyboard when operating in closed-lid mode. This can cause your computer to cycle on and off which might create excessive heat and drain your battery. Never turn on your computer unless all of its internal and external parts are in place. Operating the computer when it is open or missing parts can be dangerous and can damage your computer.

Just an observation - I believe people when they say
that some MacBook Pro's run VERY hot. If I had one
that ran as hot as some are saying, I would not see
that reading the manual made much difference to me.
Also it is appearing there may be some reasons why
some are running hotter than others (heat sink
compound issue). Even if the manual clearly states
this it "appears" there is still a heat related
issue. I have a hard time understanding why a few
people can't see the reaasoning behind that. Then
there are some that say that all Macbooks whine even
after so many people have said they have one that
doesn't and have had several people test these, young
and old. My conclusions after reading this posts are
there are some that whine, some that have heat
problems and many that are having neither of these
problems. Why is that SO hard to believe ? And thanks
to the good explanation about our expectations in the
previous post. Very well said.
I believe it's the same with the new airport extreme card. Mine disconnects much more frequently than the other person in my office who has the same configuration macbook purchased at the same time. (And it's not the airport express we're running off of because mine disconnects at home too)

Would someone be willing to try this program as a possible whine fix?

First off I am assuming that the macbook whine exists while running bootcamp as well. IF this is the case would someone consider running SPEEDSWITCHXP while using windows. You can pick the lowest low power state for the processor with this program. If the whine is cause by low current to the proc raising the lowest state a stage or two higher should fix it.
Please don't flame me for this post if this has been suggested. There are far too many whine threads to sift through. I don't mean to be rude but if you do flame don't expect a response from me.
Kal

I hope you don’t consider it a flame, but I’d point out that when you’ve got distinctive keywords for searching, such as SpeedStep, you’ve got a good chance of homing in on the relevent posts pretty quickly with out a lot of “sifting.”
Randall Schulz

Macbook vs. macbook pro - are you kidding us?

what the ****...this is driving me insane. i payed more than 1k $ more just to get a faster graphic card and a bigger display? oh yeah and some ports i barely use...
am i missing something?

believe me, the integrated video memory of the macbook limits its high-end functions considerably (e.g., video editing is all but out with the Macbook; high-end gaming is all but outwith the Macbook; using Vista via bootcamp will be limited with the Macbook since Microsoft has created Vista to be best used with a dedicted video card).
Honestly, as a recent MBP customer, I would have been scraching my head a little if the Macbook had dedicted graphics cards.
When these things are benchmarked, you will see the difference in the scores. The Macbook will do well, but it will be significantly less impressive than a MBP.
Also, the policarbonate exterior stinks. I know aluminum scratches, but policarbinate is like a scratch magnet.
One thing i am interested in finding out is whether the Macbooks whine. then again, i could care less, if they do. i was more interested to know whether the 17" MBPs whine. apparently, some or all do.

What to do with the CPU whine?

I have a Core 2 Duo 2,16Ghz White Macbook bought a month ago. It has the infamous CPU (or logic board) whine - which Apple aknowledged on their MacBook Pro line. I have gone to the local Apple dealer where they said yes it whines but that Apple hasn't issued any orders as to what to do with the whine so try to put up with it... not very nice actually.
The Macbook whine behaves almost identically to the Macbook Pro whine, so you can minimize it using PhotoBooth and some other programs. And using a Apple Might Mouse Bluetooth also takes the whine away (because the cpu is less idle).
How can i get rid of the whine (high pitched noise-buzz)?

I've seen quite a number of posts on the whine from various manufacturers. HP has actually posted a BIOS update to address the problem (at a significant cost to power management):
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?docname=c00965412&cc=us&dlc=e n&lc=en&jumpid=regR1002USEN
As the MacBooks (and MacBook Pros) don't have a BIOS, Apple would have to push out an EFI firmware update. I would certainly prefer that if they go this route, they give you an option in preferences to either enable or disable the power saver features.
Here is another comment referencing the whine other machines:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=103747 (Toshiba, Sony, and HP)
Unfortunately... I don't see any easy fix to this. I would imagine it is possible that some logic boards may exhibit the problem to greater or lesser degrees, but there would be no way to guarantee that replacing the logic board would result in a machine with less whine.

Whine in new Logic Board

Hi,
I would like to know if the whine (CPU and powerbrick) is gone with the new logic boards.
My macbook whines and is getting a bit discolored at the trackpad so I was thinking if I could get rid of that unwanted noise.
Thanks

up

Time Bomb Theory - the attack of the lemons

i apologize in advance for starting a new thread. though i appreciate the replies in the previous thread, i didn't think that i was gettin my point across.
i want to differentiate this thread by re-introducing the idea of the illusion of getting the macbook repaired. my argument was IF the logic boards have been changed to fix the mooing (according to this article http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Acknowledges-MacBook-Whine-And-Offers-Logic -Board-Replacements-31384.shtml ), then the new boards are to blame. but if the restarting problem stems from the original batch, then we might be dealing with a massive case of lemons. if apple did start producing macbooks with the new boards, i'm assuming that this means that every macbook is a ticking time bomb. if i do get my logic board 'replaced', wouldn't it be the same on that is on the production line meaning that it's not getting fixed at all? although there are happy trouble free mac users out there, it might just take longer for the problems to surface on their machines.
and yes i'm ticked about my situation
previous thread can be found here http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=589635&tstart=0
thoughts on the "time bomb theory"

Your double negative notwithstanding, it doesn't matter that there are hundreds of thousands of satisfied people. I've been on the receiving end of many car and electronics recalls without ever seeing the problem the recall was designed to address. What is looked at is the probability over time that a component or system will fail under certain circumstances and the consequences of that failure. The shutdown problem appears to be widespread and serious enough to suggest that some type of recall may be necessary.

How much should wait for???

My situation
-3/03/2006 I call on the telephone apple center for substitution macbook (whine problem)
-3/03/2006 It comes communicated me the code RMA
-3/03/2006 I receive from appe an email with number of the new order (equal to the old one)
-3/03/2006 In the email the date of shipping expected is march 28
-7/03/2006 I sent my macbook to apple (TNT Courrier)
-9/03/2006 Apple receives macbook
How much time still I should wait for to have a new macbook???

My situation
-3/03/2006 I call on the telephone apple center for substitution macbook (whine problem)
-3/03/2006 It comes communicated me the code RMA
-3/03/2006 I receive from appe an email with number of the new order (equal to the old one)
-3/03/2006 In the email the date of shipping expected is march 28
-7/03/2006 I sent my macbook to apple (TNT Courrier)
-9/03/2006 Apple receives macbook
now the days for the delivery of the macbook became 7-10 Days but of my order it is not known nothing. .bacuse? because apple?? you are little seriousness

EyeTV reception stopped by Photo Booth Force-Quit

Force-quitting Photo Booth (to try to cure MacBook whine) caused TV reception on EyeTV with a Miglia MiniTV to stop working. Signal quality went to zero, giving "This channel not available".
Running Photo Booth again and then quitting normally restored reception.
You may have to log-out/restart too.

Hi Paul,
Some feedback is easier than others.
For instance iChat has it's own page http://www.apple.com/feedback/ichat.html
Photo Booth is one of those few Apple apps that does not have a Feedback page of that sort.
I would ask in Discussions Feedback stating how the problem occurred and how to repeat it. Some one there may be able to point to a better place for a specific feedback.
7:49 PM Tuesday; November 21, 2006

When does shipping only "whine-free" MacBook Pro's begin?

Does anyone have any info regarding when Apple plans on shipping only "whine free" macbook pro's?
From reading these posts:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=406180&tstart=0
It seems the problem has been resolved (noisy motherboard?)
I just ordered a new machine but I want to cancel my order if I can't be assured of getting a machine that doesn't have the problem.

its my understanding that the issue has been fixed... however there is no DEFINITE time of when they switched the parts used that caused this issue and on which model (1.8, 2.0 2.16)
MBP 2.16 http://www.menuserve.com/

MacBook whinning...

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