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Alum iMac making a very odd, loud noise

A

AustinD

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 14, 2008
113
0
I have the base model 20" 2.0ghz imac and just got it for christmas. It has been running perfect besides the recently frequent problems with wireless, but after i got out of the shower not twenty minutes ago and brought the computer back from sleep it made this very odd, fairly loud noise.

Its not a noise ive ever heard a computer make, but it doesnt really sound bad. Ive never heard a fan on this computer so I couldnt tell you how it sounds compared to that. i hear the hard drive 'think' or whatever(i call it thinking :p) when i open pages, itunes, adium, and safari at the same time but it doesnt sound quite like that. I might just be a little paranoid here, but it slightly sounds like the noise dial up makes.


PLEASE HELP! i just got this computer and am loving it, i do not want to give up my baby already!!

thank you
 
hmmm not sure... Mine makes a noise like it's releasing air. It actually is comparable to a person waking, making a breathing stretch noise ...a sound of relief almost if that makes sense. I hope mines normal now that I think of it.
 
I downloaded that program and its not the fans. They usually run at or just above minimum fan speed (1000rpm ODD; 1200 HDD; 1200 CPU) and run around 95-100 degrees F.
 
My 24" 2.8 makes so much noise it drives me crazy, sounds like HD is gunna die at any minute and it isn't a month old yet. Really beginning to wonder if I made a mistake buying this thing.
 
I know no noise this thing could make would make me go back to a pc, but it does kind of bug me a little bit.

Then I go into the living room and try to do anything on the windows and realize why I begged my parents for a mac since 7th grade.
 
sako7stw said:
My 24" 2.8 makes so much noise it drives me crazy, sounds like HD is gunna die at any minute and it isn't a month old yet. Really beginning to wonder if I made a mistake buying this thing.
Click to expand...

Apart from the hard drive making a clicking sound when it's being accessed, there really should not be any kind of "noise" that should drive you crazy. What kind of noise is it? High pitched? Mine is pretty quiet and aside from the clicks you hear when the hard disk is working, there really isn't much sound coming from the thing.

Mick
 
Italchef said:
Apart from the hard drive making a clicking sound when it's being accessed, there really should not be any kind of "noise" that should drive you crazy. What kind of noise is it? High pitched? Mine is pretty quiet and aside from the clicks you hear when the hard disk is working, there really isn't much sound coming from the thing.

Mick
Click to expand...

It sounds like a CD disk in a drive that is out of balance. That spinning clicking noise. I pretty much have to turn my sirius on any time I am on it due to the noise driving me crazy.
 
Is it a vibrating type noise? It's probably the hard drive if it is.

I just got this iMac refurbished in November and mine has a constant vibrating/whining noise. Not too loud, but extremely annoying. Especially when I popped my old PC hard drive (from 2001) into my iMac G3 and it runs quieter then my new iMac.

I'd bring it to your Apple store if your close, or call Apple Care. We buy these things to be practically silent, or we wouldn't buy an All-in-one where the computer is right in your face at all times.

I haven't brought mine in because the closest stores about 2 hours away, but someday soon I'm going to, and I'm unsure what the Geniuses will say but I'll be pretty adamant I want a replacement hard drive.
 
i had such a noise once. i think it came for the superdrive which had a dvd in it.
however, it was only once.
 
sako7stw said:
It sounds like a CD disk in a drive that is out of balance. That spinning clicking noise. I pretty much have to turn my sirius on any time I am on it due to the noise driving me crazy.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know what sound you mean. When I first got my new iMac, the first or second time I used the drive to burn a DVD I heard it. Using a more reputable brand of blank disks got rid of it. Having said that, if its making that noise with nothing in the superdrive, I would say it is something to do with the hard disk. Not a good thing. I can hear mine spin down when I sleep it sometimes if its really quiet in the room, but other than that I have no sound or vibration from it. Back up all your data to an external drive if you can, then take it in and have it looked at. Let us know how you get on.

Mick
 
mine makes a noise when it is starting up, and accessing programs. is this normal? i have heard the sound sometimes, but usually it is more quiet than the imac. However, the computer i am used to had extremely loud fans, so that might explain it.
 
marsvolta176 said:
mine makes a noise when it is starting up, and accessing programs. is this normal? i have heard the sound sometimes, but usually it is more quiet than the imac. However, the computer i am used to had extremely loud fans, so that might explain it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, thats normal, most computers will make some sort of audible noise when starting.

My noise doesnt stop though :[
 
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