Well I guess I'm hard of hearing; I've had my MacBook Core Duo for 7 Months and other than occasional hard drive activity it's dead silent. My son loves the MacBook because his Compaq laptop is so noisy even I can hear his fan, which seems to run more often then not.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My third whining MacBook, second with screen flickering
- Thread starter other
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
other, I'm right there with ya, mate. Mine has the whine, and I don't think it's related to the Intel chip(s). I think it has more to do with the power inverter (?). The only time I don't hear it, thank goodness, is when I have it hooked up to a 19" widescreen and a bluetooth external keyboard.
Then all I have to contend with is the g*d d*mn fans spinning up because using the external monitor ramps up the CPU temps by about 5 or 6 degrees and opening, oh say, Dreamweaver when, oh say, just Entourage and Word are open causes the CPUs to say "J*sus, this guy really wants to work hard, doesn't he!?". I mean, good lord... It may be Intel's issue, sure, but how about that thermal paste, hmmm? Applied it correctly did we? Let's hope so.
Sometimes I think I was better off with my old 1.2Ghz P4 IBM Thinkpad X40 whose fan hardly ever spun up. And it was plenty fast for what I needed it to do.
Colour me a recent switcher who is having second thoughts when it comes to the hardware, but NOT when it comes to the OS.
/rant
Then all I have to contend with is the g*d d*mn fans spinning up because using the external monitor ramps up the CPU temps by about 5 or 6 degrees and opening, oh say, Dreamweaver when, oh say, just Entourage and Word are open causes the CPUs to say "J*sus, this guy really wants to work hard, doesn't he!?". I mean, good lord... It may be Intel's issue, sure, but how about that thermal paste, hmmm? Applied it correctly did we? Let's hope so.
Sometimes I think I was better off with my old 1.2Ghz P4 IBM Thinkpad X40 whose fan hardly ever spun up. And it was plenty fast for what I needed it to do.
Colour me a recent switcher who is having second thoughts when it comes to the hardware, but NOT when it comes to the OS.
/rant
From what I've read, it's very much related to the CPU. Or rather, to the logic board not being able to handle the second core's resting state or something. PC manufacturers have fixed it with a new motherboard design, Apple should be able to do the same.
Haha, I recognize that. Quite annoying when you're just doing basic work.
And I sometimes think, maybe I shouldn't have sold my iBook. Oh well.
Because I can't work with a computer that whines, it's very annoying and distracting. This kind of low quality shouldn't be accepted. And like I said, this MacBook also has a flickering screen. That is also very annoying.
You guys are seriously crazy.
The macbook (mine at least) is pure sex encased in a glossy polycarbonate shell. I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion however.
ps. silent.
The macbook (mine at least) is pure sex encased in a glossy polycarbonate shell. I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion however.
ps. silent.
Sorry to hear you've had such rotten luck with you MacBooks. I've only had mine for about a week now, but unless the fan is running high I do not hear anything. What is your build week? Mine is week 50, 2006.
Check your serial number. Third digit is the year it was built, fourth/fifth digits are the week.
ex. Serial Number: 4H6520U0WGP. 2006, Week 52
All computers make a noise, its just that some make less noise than others. The MacBook is very quite by my standards, even with the whining. I think its a case of all MacBooks make the noise, just some people can't hear it. But if your screen flickers, take it into
. I wouldn't take it in based on whining though.
To clarify that, to view the serial number go to the
Menu --> About this Mac, then click Mac OS X 10.x.x until you get the serial number.All computers make a noise, its just that some make less noise than others. The MacBook is very quite by my standards, even with the whining. I think its a case of all MacBooks make the noise, just some people can't hear it. But if your screen flickers, take it into
If the whining is "normal", then how come they fixed it for the MacBook Pro? And how come PC manufacturers have fixed it? That noise is not normal. But it seems my problem has been resolved, I will be getting my money back.
Ok, I just read the entire thread. other, just turn it in and try another one. Yes it will be your 4th one, but eventually you'll get one with a recent build week like the other guys here that say theirs are silent.
Why the Apple Gods have chosen you to be their test bed, I don't know, but keep trying.
Why the Apple Gods have chosen you to be their test bed, I don't know, but keep trying.
Ok, I just read the entire thread. other, just turn it in and try another one. Yes it will be your 4th one, but eventually you'll get one with a recent build week like the other guys here that say theirs are silent.
Why the Apple Gods have chosen you to be their test bed, I don't know, but keep trying.
My last MacBook is week 3 2007, so I don't think a new one will be any different, unfortunately.
I have the whine, too, but I won't exchange my MacBook. It doesn't bother me enough to send it back and live a few weeks maybe without it (shipping took almost 2 weeks when I ordered it). Except for that, I think my MacBook is perfect, I don't see the point why I should return it. I work mostly with the bluetooth mouse connected and if not I can only hear it when it is very quite in the room. I am also not very optimistic, that a replacement would be better since this seems to be an Intel-Problem (VAIO's and Co have the same problem).
Getting a replacement takes about a week. It's not as slow as ordering it. But yes, it seems to be a problem with poorly designed motherboards (that can't handle the CPU correctly), that's why some PCs also whine.
Mine whines, flickers and has macbook staining! Awesome! I need to take it in and get those last two fixed (hopefully).
Photobooth does stop the whine -- unfortunately, Photobooth is glitchy and has to be shut down before the computer goes to sleep, or else you risk having to shut down the macbook to get Photobooth to quit (it gets stuck.)
Photobooth does stop the whine -- unfortunately, Photobooth is glitchy and has to be shut down before the computer goes to sleep, or else you risk having to shut down the macbook to get Photobooth to quit (it gets stuck.)
Does the whine seem to "flicker"? Does it go away when you run this: http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/21714?
IF you answered yes all of these questions, then what you're experiencing is Intel CPU power management. It also goes away if you disable the second core and use it on single core mode.
I'm still anxious to see how #4 turns out.
There is no number four. Apple would rather give me my money back. They said they didn't want to send out another one since I've already gotten three, and really, I don't think I wanted a fourth.
Read my other thread, I've already mentioned all this.
There is no number four. Apple would rather give me my money back. They said they didn't want to send out another one since I've already gotten three, and really, I don't think I wanted a fourth.
Read my other thread, I've already mentioned all this.
Sorry to hear you weren't happy with your Macbook, just trying to help!
Btw I just got a replacement for my Core Duo which had significant CPU whine but the replacement Core 2 Duo is much quieter, I'd classify it as silent although I haven't really had a chance to strain and listen.
Sorry to hear you weren't happy with your Macbook, just trying to help!
Oh I understand. I hope I wasn't being rude.