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mac pro (early 2008) makes a hum like a fridge, is it normal?

If it is on a hard surface, stuff something under it to soak up the vibrations.

Like the cheap $5 mouse pads made out of thin neoprene, a couple cork tiles, etc.

Edit: sometimes the hard surfaces don't damp vibrations and still allow a device to ring, and if the reflected vibrations set up a beat frequency -- it can sound a lot louder.
 
fridge sound gone

hi,
i replaced the power supply/fan unit on my MacPro. it is now absolutely whisper quiet. that fridge rattle has gone.
i also have the suspect ati graphics card - but that is really quiet on my Mac even after the firmware update.
my western digital drive in bay 3 is behaving.
i'd strongly recommend the original poster getting the power supply replaced.
cheers!
 
Mac Pro humming

I too have the same resonance issue. Not sure if it is the fan or power supply. One thing I do to stop the sound, is grab the top front handle and lightly push or pull, this somewhat bends the frame fractionally and stops the harmonics. Might take two or three tries. Sometimes I pick up the front end of the Pro and reposition. But don't pick up the frame and slam it back down, thats a good way to destroy your hard drive!
 
i had this humming for a long time too
at the time my mac pro was resting on hardwood floors

i finally read up on it and found that the hdd sliders in earlier mac pros don't have the right kinda insulation on them; ie the ones they have let the drives vibrate too much

i solved this by putting one hdd in the front bay, and the other in the rear bay, with two empty bays between them. this balanced out the resonance issues and i haven't had a humming noise since.
 
little bit of foam fixes the resonance issue

with three hard drives I had an annoying resonance that repeated in a sine wave every few seconds. The foam trick in the hard drive sleds hasn't made my machine any quieter, but it has completely eliminated the annoying resonance.
 
irritating hum

My early 2008 mac pro sounded like a fridge running. Figured out the fan for the graphics card was making all the noise. I blew compressed air into the fan and now the computer is running quietly again.
 
Like diemondCrook eluded to check on all the Mac Pro video cards because these modem video cards have dust in the entrance and exit ports on those video cards talked about in this blog. It is worth checking out your video card ports once in awhile.
 
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