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Possible coil whine in my nMP
- Thread starter tylmad
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Very interesting that Apple admits this. There are people on the other thread that state theirs does not have this issue.
I call B.S.
There's no way Apple told anyone their new box is fundamentally flawed and they wouldn't try to fix problems with it. More likely is that Apple thinks the dude is OCD and doesn't want to waste time and money shipping a new machine out to replace another perfectly functioning one. Not saying that the coil whine isn't an issue, but that's probably what they think.
There's no way Apple told anyone their new box is fundamentally flawed and they wouldn't try to fix problems with it. More likely is that Apple thinks the dude is OCD and doesn't want to waste time and money shipping a new machine out to replace another perfectly functioning one. Not saying that the coil whine isn't an issue, but that's probably what they think.
So first you said no way Apple told them this, then in the very next sentence Apple did tell them this because they didnt want to waste their time with a OCD dude.
OK. To clarify, I don't believe this guy. At all. But supposing he IS telling the truth, then I believe Apple would be lying to him to get him to go away. Is that clear enough?
I never said every machine has this issue, but apparently it's big enough that they didn't feel it was worth it to ship another replacement.
As for people (like Zinn) believing me or not it's up to them, I've made recordings available here in the forum, if you can't hear the noise there (they're severely amplified) you will be fine. Calling people OCD to make a point is just common trolling, quite pointless.
I get absolutely nothing out of lying about this, the nMP was two months of waiting to get the order in and now two months of waiting for shipping and finally returning it. It's not like my case is the end of all things nMP, it's just a single event, people need to get a grip on understanding perspectives.
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I believe you. Yes mine has the whine too. Its not horrible and based on my surroundings I don't really hear it unless I listen for it but it is not acceptable for a machine of this price. I hope Apple will take care of this soon.
LoL. When you run into an Apple is Infallible Zealot. Smile and nod. Worse comes to worse, just agree with them so they will go away. There are many on this forum. They take personal offense to your criticisms for some reason or another. Likely, you'll be labeled a troll because your reality does not match up with theirs. It's pretty funny once you get over the initial WTF of it all.
Um, sorry for being such a ********. I was completely out of line.
Have you considered a DIY approach? Coil whine is fairly common in all high-power electronics. One fix that works for a lot of people is to find the coil that is whining and put a dab from a hot glue gun on it (obviously when the machine is turned off). You shouldn't have to do something like this, but if the problem is driving you crazy and you won't get a solution from Apple it may be worth a shot.
Anyway, I will try to be less of a snot bag going forward.
My MacPro has that coil whine sound but I can only hear it if I put my ear on top of the machine. It's certainly not audible 3 feet from the Mac Pro or at least I can't hear it unless I pay attention to it intentionally. And my room is totally silent.
So I'm betting it's a standard sound, but maybe it's louder on some models and shouldn't be.
So I'm betting it's a standard sound, but maybe it's louder on some models and shouldn't be.
The problem is I have not figured out how to trip the nMP into thinking the cover is on when it is off. I tried putting a small magnet around the area where the cover release switch is.
If I could figure this out I could put the ole paper towel tube up to the ear and isolate where it is coming from. At least that would tell us what is causing it (PSU GPUs etc). I still would not glue anything to the coils on a 5K machine lol.
The best way to demonstrate it is when you turn on the Mac and it boots up. I can hear the nice smooth fan then the coil whine kicks in while booting. Once booted its goes back to being faint. Ill admit its not terrible. Quieter then most non-sad hard drives but its just and annoying screechy sound.
If I could figure this out I could put the ole paper towel tube up to the ear and isolate where it is coming from. At least that would tell us what is causing it (PSU GPUs etc). I still would not glue anything to the coils on a 5K machine lol.
The best way to demonstrate it is when you turn on the Mac and it boots up. I can hear the nice smooth fan then the coil whine kicks in while booting. Once booted its goes back to being faint. Ill admit its not terrible. Quieter then most non-sad hard drives but its just and annoying screechy sound.
Um, sorry for being such a ********. I was completely out of line.
Have you considered a DIY approach? Coil whine is fairly common in all high-power electronics. One fix that works for a lot of people is to find the coil that is whining and put a dab from a hot glue gun on it (obviously when the machine is turned off). You shouldn't have to do something like this, but if the problem is driving you crazy and you won't get a solution from Apple it may be worth a shot.
Anyway, I will try to be less of a snot bag going forward.
Called Apple and the rep has never heard of the issue but took my information and transferred me to a senior. He will escalate my issue to the engineers and gave me his contact info. Other then that this is one sweet machine and for the most part is silent except for the little crickets that like to rub their feet together at times
There is a small magnet on the inside of the cover. Just take something magnetic and find this magnet, then you will know how to trick the nMP. (it's not by the cover release switch)
My room isn't totally silent (my central HVAC system's fan is always running), but I also have to put my ear to the top of my computer to hear the "coil whine." I certainly wouldn't return my computer because of it.
Maybe people with and without whine could post there specs...then maybe it could be narrowed down to some type of combo....least worth a try to see what others have.
That's a good idea... but (without reading the whole thread - my apologies)... has environmental stuff been completely ruled out by owners with noisy MPs? Have folks tried running it a different environment (office, home, etc) to see if there's anything related to how it's being powered that might influence the noise?
For the record, I have a 6-core/D500/32GB/1TB connected to MDP displays without any noise on a 120V60Hz circuit without UPS - just a plain old power bar.
2009 iMac - coil whine/buzz when the screen is off. Very real, no fix. I have one. Apple admitted to me it's a fault in the design, after sending 2 replacements.
Sadly Apple have a tendency to ship replacements that will not fix the issue. It was totally pointless me receiving 2 replacements, I even was reluctant but it seems it's how they deal with issues, ignore it and send you a new one with the same issue. Though one thing is for certain, publicly they never acknowledge the issue
I just did a quick read of all the posts and it seems maybe the 4c with both D300 D500 make whine (one of each) and the 6c D700 makes whine (4 posted)...
Could it be a issue where the 4c makes whine because it's trying extra hard to push video cards,and the 6c with the D700 is to much video card for the 6c to handle...
Could the sweet spot (none whine) be the 6c with the D500 video?
Could it be a issue where the 4c makes whine because it's trying extra hard to push video cards,and the 6c with the D700 is to much video card for the 6c to handle...
Could the sweet spot (none whine) be the 6c with the D500 video?
That is a good approach. This assumes Apple is sourcing components from different manufactures.
Though I believe it comes down to individuals, I am certain that if you get two people , one who hears the whine and one who does not and currently own nMPs get any nMP , put them in the same room, and one will hear it and the other will not.
I'll put money on all of them having it. As I stated in my previous post, my 2009 iMac had the issue, it does so to this day, though my housemate says he cannot hear it, while it annoys the crap out of me. Thankfully it only happens when the screen is off.
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Makes no difference in day to day use.
With all those configurations you listed the only time the machine would vary is under load in a stress test, when all components are pulling max power.
Also a 4c or 6c can push 2xgpu no issue at all. PC gamers have been running such set ups for a very very very very long time.
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If two people live near each other. One with the whine and one without and have experience changing hardware, I would recommend you guys get together, to see if you can hear each other's nMPs and possible swap GPUs. Though I am more interested if you can listen to each other's nMPs
My nMP has the whine as well! Exact same pitch/sound as the recording posted earlier.
8-core, D700, 64GB aftermarket RAM.
Makes the whine when plugged into a 120V UPS or into the wall (120V I think). USA. I'm 25 years old, good hearing.
It's not even that dependent on load - it creates the headache-inducing whine even when just sitting at idle!
I have this nMP in a recording studio so it's painfully evident. I can still hear it from 6 feet away even with a slab of 2" foam between the computer and me. One of the points of getting one of these machines was so that I could just keep it on my desk (or near it) and still have a dead-silent monitoring environment.
If it is a widespread problem... it's hard to believe none of the engineers would have heard it during R&D.
8-core, D700, 64GB aftermarket RAM.
Makes the whine when plugged into a 120V UPS or into the wall (120V I think). USA. I'm 25 years old, good hearing.
It's not even that dependent on load - it creates the headache-inducing whine even when just sitting at idle!
I have this nMP in a recording studio so it's painfully evident. I can still hear it from 6 feet away even with a slab of 2" foam between the computer and me. One of the points of getting one of these machines was so that I could just keep it on my desk (or near it) and still have a dead-silent monitoring environment.
If it is a widespread problem... it's hard to believe none of the engineers would have heard it during R&D.
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scuff marks from keycaps touching screens in laptops where thin is the goal, visible cracks or "mould lines" in acrylic where transparent / invisible is the goal, yellowing & cracking in white polycarbonate where clinical white coloration & strength is the goal, easily scratched off / through anodising on aluminium where a dark colour is the goal, and now an annoying whine in a computer designed to be silent.
Unfortunately, one of Apple's failings seems to be that they often use a material / process for an aesthetic outcome, which is heavily relied upon in their marketing narrative, before they're reliably capable of achieving that outcome with said material / process. Hopefully this'll be fixed and not relegated to being a "cosmetic issue which does not effect the performance of the product".
Unfortunately, one of Apple's failings seems to be that they often use a material / process for an aesthetic outcome, which is heavily relied upon in their marketing narrative, before they're reliably capable of achieving that outcome with said material / process. Hopefully this'll be fixed and not relegated to being a "cosmetic issue which does not effect the performance of the product".
Environmental?
I think we're all missing one key factor here; age.
As we age, our ability to hear certain frequencies diminishes (> 13 kHZ). Keep in mind this doesn't take into account any of the other noisy activities we participate(d) in (concerts, firearms, etc).
If someone is going to compile environment data on this subject, they need to include age as a factor (or at least bracket; 21-30, 31-40, etc).
The Wild Card (think Charlie Kelly) will be people who are easily annoyed by sounds. For example, in my office there are employees who refuse to work near the copy or print machines, citing that the noise drives them crazy. I can't empathize with them because I don't hear it and when I'm aware of the sounds, they don't bother me.
Best of luck
I think we're all missing one key factor here; age.
As we age, our ability to hear certain frequencies diminishes (> 13 kHZ). Keep in mind this doesn't take into account any of the other noisy activities we participate(d) in (concerts, firearms, etc).
If someone is going to compile environment data on this subject, they need to include age as a factor (or at least bracket; 21-30, 31-40, etc).
The Wild Card (think Charlie Kelly) will be people who are easily annoyed by sounds. For example, in my office there are employees who refuse to work near the copy or print machines, citing that the noise drives them crazy. I can't empathize with them because I don't hear it and when I'm aware of the sounds, they don't bother me.
Best of luck
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