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MacBook "MOO" fix?

dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,170
4,166
5045 feet above sea level
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
 
Mr MacBlue

Mr MacBlue

macrumors newbie
Sep 16, 2005
29
0
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.
 
N

nermal0

macrumors regular
May 31, 2006
140
36
Germany
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!
 
A

Arch

macrumors newbie
Jun 7, 2006
4
0
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.
 
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aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
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.
 
C

chairguru22

macrumors 6502a
May 31, 2006
668
159
PA
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.
 
W

WillMak

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2005
957
0
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?
 
W

WillMak

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2005
957
0
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!? :(
 
Y

yhe15

macrumors newbie
Dec 7, 2005
11
0
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!
 
U

uaaerospace

macrumors 6502
Feb 15, 2005
396
0
Alabama
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.
 
Chrispy

Chrispy

macrumors 68020
Dec 27, 2004
2,270
524
Indiana
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 :(
 
N

nermal0

macrumors regular
May 31, 2006
140
36
Germany
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?
 
H

Harryc

macrumors member
Mar 22, 2006
33
0
New York
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.
 
Y

yhe15

macrumors newbie
Dec 7, 2005
11
0
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.
 
A

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
FWIW, it was a separate firmware update (not bundled with an OS update) that fixed the mooing on the MacBook Pros. :)
 
Y

yhe15

macrumors newbie
Dec 7, 2005
11
0
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.
 
D

dextertangocci

macrumors 68000
Apr 2, 2006
1,766
1
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.:)
 
brbubba

brbubba

macrumors 6502
May 20, 2006
485
0
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.:)
Click to expand...

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.
 
QCassidy352

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,066
6,107
Bay Area
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...
 
A

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
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.
 
QCassidy352

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,066
6,107
Bay Area
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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