Please post here if your 1.83 GHz MacBook Pro whines & makes other odd noises

[jofarmer]

MBP 1.83 buzzing

Well, it arrived. Finally (ordered jan. 12th, delivered feb. 28th).

I had my fun having handbranke recode a DVD to H.264 in realtime and a DVD to iPod Video with 160 fps.

Great.

But: when dawn was closing in and I was looking forward to the illuminated keyboard, it dimmed down the Display too. And instantly I heard a noise from the area around the right hinge. Whenever the display was anything else that 0% or 100% on, I got a loud buzzing noise

So I guess I will have to send it back. Luckily I live in Germany, so that will come @ no costs to me, I just will have to wait another 3 to 6 weeks.

Now, yes, I googled and searched the board before and I did not find any answer to my upcoming question, forgive me if I should have: I hear of many problems with the MBP, but are they really only apparent on the 1.83GHz models? If so I will definitely go for the 2 GHz version (3.0x667MHz instead of 2.75x667MHz)

 

[Malcster]

This is from the apple discussion forums, looks like apple have found the cause for the whining... not going to be a software fix.. not sure if this is the only cause.

------

So I got a call back from the Specialist I was dealing with... just a couple hours after the initial phone call.

He said the engineers had identified the problem (based on my description and perhaps some whiny units on hand?) as a bad inverter for the display (like several people here have suggested), and I could either get a new machine, or repair my current one. The new one would take longer due to the supply issues, and of course I could end up with another whiny one, so I opted for a repair. Sounds like they will just go in and replace the inverter.

*crosses fingers*

Should get the box to send it in for repair today or tomorrow, and the machine back next week.

msykes

 

[cemorris]

My Powerbook (PPC 1.25GHz) has always made this noise. Occasionally it stops for a few minutes but it's buzzing away most of the time. It changes sound when I touch the trackpad.

Disappointed it's still a "problem", what, 2 or 3 generations later?

Exact same model here and exact same problem. I would also hope this was resolved by now.

 

[bpd115]

This is from the apple discussion forums, looks like apple have found the cause for the whining... not going to be a software fix.. not sure if this is the only cause.

------

So I got a call back from the Specialist I was dealing with... just a couple hours after the initial phone call.

He said the engineers had identified the problem (based on my description and perhaps some whiny units on hand?) as a bad inverter for the display (like several people here have suggested), and I could either get a new machine, or repair my current one. The new one would take longer due to the supply issues, and of course I could end up with another whiny one, so I opted for a repair. Sounds like they will just go in and replace the inverter.

*crosses fingers*

Should get the box to send it in for repair today or tomorrow, and the machine back next week.

msykes

Of note the Display whine and processor whine are 2 seperate issues. Mine has the processor whine (but it's almost inaudible) and does not have the display whine issue.

 

[jofarmer]

Of note the Display whine and processor whine are 2 seperate issues. Mine has the processor whine (but it's almost inaudible) and does not have the display whine issue.

Well, as I stated above, I see two different issues too: the display/CPU whine and the display inverter buzz. So are we up to 3 different rev.a illnesses?

 

[bpd115]

Well, as I stated above, I see two different issues too: the display/CPU whine and the display inverter buzz. So are we up to 3 different rev.a illnesses?

Just 2. The display inverter buzz and the cpu whine. As I said, mine doesn't have an issue with the display inverter....no whine at any brightness. Mine does have the CPU buzz, though it's inaudible.

Unless you want to count the bad right speakers on a bunch of units as 'issue 3'...I do have that.

 

[MacRumoron]

recieved my MBP today and im pretty pissed to hear that it DOES whine when its doing nothing

mark my word: THIS IS MY LAST REV. A MAC I WILL EVER BUY

first my loud imac g5, now this hissing MBP

other than the noise (which is annoying) the MBP is a nice laptop and fast

PS. Is there a solution to the MBP noise problem?

 

[macbook123]

Unless you want to count the bad right speakers on a bunch of units as 'issue 3'...I do have that.

Can you tell me more about this right speaker issue? I had a loud humming when trying out ichat with somebody, which made it difficult to hear the person. The speaker seems to work fine when I listen to music, system notification sounds, etc. Could you report at what occasions you have problems with the speaker?

 

[bpd115]

Can you tell me more about this right speaker issue? I had a loud humming when trying out ichat with somebody, which made it difficult to hear the person. The speaker seems to work fine when I listen to music, system notification sounds, etc. Could you report at what occasions you have problems with the speaker?

If you switch the balance between the left and right speaker in system prefs you'll notice the right to sound more..Hollow and tinny....When using iChat, the person's voice only comes out of the right speaker since the left speaker is too close to the microphone. Their voice may sound something similar to the teacher on charlie brown....The issue is not that noticeable when listening to music etc. if the speakers are balanced....other users on the Apple board have this issue and it's also on macfixit.com.

 

[bpd115]

recieved my MBP today and im pretty pissed to hear that it DOES whine when its doing nothing

mark my word: THIS IS MY LAST REV. A MAC I WILL EVER BUY

first my loud imac g5, now this hissing MBP

other than the noise (which is annoying) the MBP is a nice laptop and fast

PS. Is there a solution to the MBP noise problem?

As long as it's the CPU noise issue, open up either photobooth or open (and then quit) the mirror widget. The noise will be gone...sometimes bluetooth being on will also eliminate the noise.

 

[x0923]

i got one with cpu whine and lcd buzz.

was told i would get one week turnaround so i sent it in

now they are telling me one month.
i would have never sent it in if i knew it woulod take a whole month. i woud have waited.

but NOW they say that
theirs nothing i can do except file a complaint with apple..


anyone else?

 

[xav1379]

Noisy MBP - London, UK

Hi All,

Received my MBP this morning and had the bad surprise to see (I should say 'hear') that he had this high pitch noise defect that some reported here.

I called Apple in the afternoon and mentioned it to them. It is so bad that it is actually giving me headaches!

They said that they would send me another one in the next 72 hours. They also agreed to leave me my old one for a few days so that I can transfer (again) all my data (assuming the new one is not defective).
They were very helpful and he did not take me more than 20 minutes in total to sort this mess over the phone.

I bought an iBook G4 2.5 years ago and it died after a day. Apple replaced it and I never had to complain again. Hopefully, things should work out the second time around as it did with my iBook.

**** happends, but this is still a very nice laptop. I recommend it (without the defect of course).

xav1379

 

[x0923]

72 hour turnaround?????????

i just called them and they said that happens only in rare cases and all this other nonsence..
i have apple care just like everyone else.. yet i have no estimated date

just wait for the shipping email they said..
my data is just as valuable as yours

and i didnt get any option to keep the machine to xfer MY DATA. this is totally unacceptable

they actually TOLD ME that YOU probably know someone in the company to get that deal if your story is even true. i believe you,but this is totally unbelieveable

 

[BigMäc]

MBP 1.83 CPU whine

My MBP has the whine and I observed the following:

- Whine is gone after opening and closing Comic Life
- Reappears after Photo Booth is opened and closed

- It's also silent as long as a bluetooth mouse is connected (Logitech V270)

Hope this helps to ease the pain.

They shouldn't wear iPods at the testing department

 

[watchmainspring]

whatever man, computers make noises, they are all different. I have not noticed any function problems. Chill out y'all.

 

[bucksatan731]

Ok, took my Mbook pro 2ghz 7200 RPMHD 2 G RAM back to apple today. They did a documented teston it ad confirmed the noise and it's relation to the brightness. It appeared that the chnge in brightness did have some influence on the noie. They said it mine wasn't a BTO, they would have just swapped it if they could, if they had one on hand. He said that the report they generated would let apple know it is a confirmed problem. I therefore suggest that anyone experiencing this problem let apple know, if enough people do then they will most likely do something about it(remember the iBook logic board problems?)

 

[spinal1]

I checked out the MBP's for noise at the Apple store in a nearby mall. They had 6 MBP's there -- 3 1.83's and 3 2.0's. I put my ear to each, since the store was noisy, with both piped-in music and nearby doorway to mall. 1 of the 2.0's was making a very loud whirring noise, which could be heard several feet away. 1 of the 1.83's was making a different noise -- not as loud as the 2.0, but higher in pitch. That said, my 5 year old Dell PC at home is much louder. The other 4 MBP's were silent.

(SOT) I also checked the underside of the machines for heat. As has been reported, they were very hot, especially under left speaker. If I had kept my hands there (or if the machine were resting on my legs with shorts on), I'd feel burned after about 30 seconds. I checked out the nearby PB's, and they felt just about as hot. The screens on the MBPs were gorgeous. They were set at max. brightness, and I turned a couple of them down slightly for comparison. I did not notice the discoloration toward the bottom of the screens that some have reported, although I was focusing more on the noise issue. Finally, I'm not that familiar with the PB speed other than a bit of testing, but I did not find the MBP's to be super speedy. Obviously, however, others testers have, especially with universal applications, and they would know about this better than I.

I need a laptop asap and love the design and OS of the MBP, but would hate to play Russian roulette with the noise issue. Does Apple ever do assembly line hardware fixes on the fly, before waiting to release a new rev.?

 

[mo0805]

Here is a clip someone recorded of the sound. Its quite annoying (to me at least)

http://web.mac.com/alexmarkov/iWeb/Blog/Podcast/25CE557A-75EA-4888-B3F8-443D3F8F0E60.html

my powerbook g4 1.33 makes that noise sometimes. it's usually when the battery is low, so i think it has to do with the processor limiting itself. although i could be completely wrong.

 

[macrants]

I bought 2 1.83 GHz MacBooks yesterday. One exhibited the whining noise, and even though the room wasn't silent, it was audible and gave me a terrible headache. The speakers sounded great. On the other one (mine), I have had NO whining noise whatsoever, but my right speaker sounds like it's blown!

Weird, I'll be taking this one back for repair ASAP, I use the speakers often enough that it's a bad deal.

 

[tekmoe]

gotta love rev a's!

 

[Spies]

Won't be buying one until the problem is sorted. With a PC laptop you could maybe overlook it, but not with Apple where you're actually paying for their R&D in the price of the product.

 

[macrants]

I actually work at an Apple store (though not for long, I'm sure), and the Genius saw me buying the two MacBooks, and said I'm crazy to buy them in the first generation.

It's weird, though, it's not big things. The OS works like a champ, it's fast as hell, battery life is great, the screen is unbelievable. It's just one speaker, but that one imperfection is a dealkiller, my built-ins get a lot of work, and it sounds like the car stereo in a 1987 Corolla that's been cranked up one time too many.

 

[macrants]

Spoke too soon. I have that irritating whine. But to put it in perspective, I can barely hear it over the refrigerator in the kitchen. If I was doing any recording or other sound-sensitive work, it would be a Very Bad Thing, but for normal life, it doesn't bother my sensitive ears NEAR as much as the "blown" right speaker.

Although, when doing Video or Audio iChats, the other person reports that they hear a pretty loud buzzing in the background. I did an audio chat with the computer in the other room, and it was the SAME buzzing I can barely hear, amplified many times to become an actual problem!

 

[chosenwolf]

This is one thing I REALLY HATE about Apple. They are always in a rush to get things out without spending time to work out all the kinks and bugs. They made sure to get the nano out before any other company could release a similar design. The result??? A very scratch prone MP3 player.

I'm sure there will be a recall for this and the heat issue.

 

[daroe]

I used to own a Dell Latitude D610 which had similar whining issues as described in this forum. Two repairs later (which included replacing the MB) Dell still was not able to remedy the issue.

I eventually got a full refund and decided that I would buy an Apple notebook (I waited for the arrival of the MBP). I am very dissapointed that the MBP makes these odd noises and I will for sure not buy my - first ! - Apple before the issues are resolved