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MacBook "MOO" fix?

nermal0 said:
Stupid analogies. A car makes car sounds, every car does. But this laptop makes sounds I NEVER heard on any laptop I owned before. This guy has no idea what causes the moo and what it sounds like. And I bet he would return his car if it'd sound as if the exhaust pipe fell off.
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Haha funny. Ever leave your car idle on hot day. The engine fans will kick on for a bit then off for a bit. Resulting in a moo noise. Almost every car I've seen experiences this and makes sense. Once the crit temp is reached, then bingo the fans kick in and cool it down and the cycle repeats. The issue is the the computer heats up so it needs to cool.

I would hope that they would lower the crit temp that the fans kick in and have the fans on in longer intervals but not as high speed, resulting in the same avg temp
 
My iBook G4 makes a noise which could be interpreted as a "moo" as well. But it does it only when I wake it up and only for less than a second. So I guess that it's really a fan that kind of starts. Otherwise, my iBook works just perfectly.
 
dukebound85 said:
Haha funny. Ever leave your car idle on hot day. The engine fans will kick on for a bit then off for a bit. Resulting in a moo noise. Almost every car I've seen experiences this and makes sense. Once the crit temp is reached, then bingo the fans kick in and cool it down and the cycle repeats. The issue is the the computer heats up so it needs to cool.
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Absolutely right. But my Macbook doesn't just moo on hot days. It moos all the time, no matter if outside in direct sunlight or at night on a cold table. If you car's cooling fan would moo every day, turning on and off every two seconds, in any weather and no matter how long the drive is, you would return it, too.

This noise drives me NUTS!
 
Mooing Macbook

I've been on the discussion forum at Apple.com, and several people have the same problem. It's not a minor annoyance, but a pain in the rear. This fan doesn't even stay on long enough to cool anything, it goes on for couple of seconds and then it shuts off and turns on again in another two to three seconds. It is a high rpm's as well. The average person would find it irritating. It appears that some Macbook owners were lucky to have been spared this defect. I've read about some people taking apart their Macbooks and tightening screws; they've said this has elimintated or reduced the problem. Also, the temperature on the upper left side where the power plug goes in is very warm; this could be because the fan is not cooling properly. This is a defect that Apple needs to address. Maybe their quality control in China needs some improvement.
 
Arch said:
Also, the temperature on the upper left side where the power plug goes in is very warm; this could be because the fan is not cooling properly. This is a defect that Apple needs to address. Maybe their quality control in China needs some improvement.
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That's a design issue, not a quality control issue.
 
Abulia said:
This "issue," more than anything, is what bothers me. I have very sensitive hearing (I went through THREE backplanes on the Rev A. G5 iMac) and this could well bug me so much as to ruin the enjoyment of a new laptop.

I guess there's something said for "ignorance is bliss," because now everyone is listening for the "moo"-ing...and finding it! :)
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i agree that "ignorance is bliss." most desktops and laptops have fans that run all the time so a little "mooing" is normal and ive never payed any attention to it. i notice my macbook "moos" now though because of all the attention it gets. if it "moos" nonstop even at low temperatures then there's a problem and it should be fixed. otherwise put some headphones on and listen to itunes.
 
Sigh, I just exchanged my moobook this morning and I'm on my second macbook right now and it still moos. However, it moos a lot less on this one and it seems to run a lot cooler than my other one and has a better responding trackpad click. I think I'll just keep this one and wait for firmware upgrades. The only thing that is annoying me is that the plastic is not perfectly smooth; there are like two small dots that stick out a little bit on the right rest pad. However, that's just me being a nitpicky bastard. Firmware will fix the moo right?
 
ok, nm. ON AC this thing still moos like every 10 or so secs. It's alot quieter than the one before so I'm not as annoyed, but it still freaking moos...WHAT SHOULD I DO!? :(
 
potential fix

Hi, guys. My macbook had been mooing since the day one. And im currently in the process of getting it replaced but apple told me to check it first at the retailer. Apprently a report is needed from the authorised apple repair agent stating the problems before i can get mine replaced. I think its a reallll hassel.

So i had been trying to find a cure and i think i had found one. You can install QuietMBP and set the slider to 250 to utilise your cpu more so that the temp reaches to above 71 c. The reason it stops the mooing is becuase when my temp reaches above 71c, the fan will just keep on spinning without coming down, thus make the moo disapeear. You can try on yours as each macbook's mooing kicks on at different temp.

Hope this helps!
 
blitzydog said:
To the people who say it's nothing but a regular fan starting up:

No, you're wrong.
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Have you watched the video linked on page 1 of this thread? Obviously, it's caused by a fan. To me the problem is bad fan control. It should not spin up and down, but maintain more of a consistent speed.
 
uaaerospace said:
Have you watched the video linked on page 1 of this thread? Obviously, it's caused by a fan. To me the problem is bad fan control. It should not spin up and down, but maintain more of a consistent speed.
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Yeah it is the fan. Apple needs to update the firmware so that the fans kick on sooner. However, the whining sound may be here to stay :(
 
yhe15 said:
So i had been trying to find a cure and i think i had found one. You can install QuietMBP and set the slider to 250 to utilise your cpu more so that the temp reaches to above 71 c. The reason it stops the mooing is becuase when my temp reaches above 71c, the fan will just keep on spinning without coming down, thus make the moo disapeear. You can try on yours as each macbook's mooing kicks on at different temp.
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This "workaround" is completely unacceptable. Putting constant load on the CPU to keep the fans up at all time increases power usage and therefore heavily decreases battery life. The Macbook is hot at all times and there is low but constant fan noise. Why would I pay for the latest laptop CPU with advanced power management features (speed stepping) to maximize battery life and then prevent it from idling and slowing down the clock speed?
 
The original Macbook Pros had this exact issue (mine included). Apple released a firmware update (SMC) that fixed all of the moo-ing Macbook Pros. It took a couple of months though. Just make sure you keep telling Apple about it so that it gets attention. I wouldn't return a unit for it though. It will most likely get fixed by a similar update on the Macbooks.
 
Hi, guys, Mac OS X 10.4.7 upgrade will release in a few days. Do u think it might fix the mooing issue for macbook? I really do hope so cause im really just cant be screwed to bring it back to store and posibly wait for another 2 or 3 weeks getting another one which still moos.
 
FWIW, it was a separate firmware update (not bundled with an OS update) that fixed the mooing on the MacBook Pros. :)
 
I heard some of the MacBook Pros have the same mooing issues. Have the firmware update released earlier fixed the mooing for macbok pro owners?Someone please confirm this.
 
dialo said:
Here's a video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4490733167064230159

You can't really here much in the video, though
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If that's ALL the "moo" is, you people are either over-exaggerating, or I've suddenly gone deaf:eek:

And besides, I have NO issues with my MB, and I thought I was just lucky, by not having this mooing sound etc, but even if I did have it, I don't think I would even notice it.:)
 
dextertangocci said:
If that's ALL the "moo" is, you people are either over-exaggerating, or I've suddenly gone deaf:eek:

And besides, I have NO issues with my MB, and I thought I was just lucky, by not having this mooing sound etc, but even if I did have it, I don't think I would even notice it.:)
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You've gone deaf. If you have the problem it is extremely noticeable, even when I have the TV on. Music would have to be blasting for me not to hear it.
 
grrr... I can hear the moo! :( :mad:

At first my macbook was perfect... a little later a tiny whine appeared... and now a moo. :( Worst of all, running "quiet macbookpro" to get rid of the whine causes the moo to appear.

:SIGH:

Neither is terribly loud, but I can certainly hear both, and both are annoying. I'm really hoping apple can fix at least one of these with firmware updates...
 
IIRC, MacBook Pro moos went away with the SMC update, so here's hoping the MacBooks something similar! :)

Haven't heard anyone get the whine fixed yet though.
 
aristobrat said:
IIRC, MacBook Pro moos went away with the SMC update, so here's hoping the MacBooks something similar! :)

Haven't heard anyone get the whine fixed yet though.
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as long as they can get rid of at least one... I can silence the whine with "quiet macbook pro" or photobooth, but that just starts it mooing. So as of now, it's pick your poison.
 
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