Question to current MBA owners! Please Help

[jlanuez]

Silent

...Before I decide to buy the MBA I was wondering if anyone with one has had a similar sound, or if it's silent like the mbp...

Using our new MB Air for the first full-day today!

Had to return right back to my Apple store (30 miles R/T) after buying one yesterday morning due to a dead pixel in the center of the screen.
Second time is a charm. All works well. VERY quite.

I did the compete re-install of the OS using the perfect directions from here.

We did buy the external drive. If you are doing this and loading other software, it came in VERY handy as the wireless crap did not work at all. maybe too much GB to transfer???

Did not install a bunch of stuff like: GarageBand, Drivers, language support, etc... to save room and have a cleaner install.

I can tell you that the wireless transfer from old Mac to this Mac did not work! Got hung up after hours of chugging way.

I used TuneRanger to transfer all the iTunes files wirelessly that worked great. Moved some eBooks via DVD. Used iDisk to transfer all other types of files.

Selling the 17" C2D MacBook Pro tonight.

.

 

[sir. mac]

Yes (w/ caution) and Yes (to no avail).

I bought CoolBook after seeing the glowing reviews here and I've found that it does nothing for me. I'm not sure if I'm using it right, but I've read through the thread, read all the manuals, and I'm simply not seeing the drops that everyone else magically is. If you want to do what I am doing, in Terminal:

/Applications/smcFanControl.app/Contents/Resources/smc -k F0Mx -w 60e0

(that's the default 6200 RPM)

/Applications/smcFanControl.app/Contents/Resources/smc -k F0Mx -w 3e80

(That's 4000 RPM Max)

I obviously gain a few degrees C when limiting to 4000, but at least my MBA shuts up. I wouldn't watch 720p mpvs w/ this, but 99% else, it's great.

I think most people are seeing a placebo effect w/ CoolBook (or they are not including values for the full 1400 and 1600 settings).

Thanks! Will most def try this.

Also, as for Coolbook, I agree on the placebo. Clearly I can monitor my voltage w/ using coolbook, and already the cpu is pretty tightly throttled on mhz and voltage already.

 

[sir. mac]

Yes (w/ caution) and Yes (to no avail).

I bought CoolBook after seeing the glowing reviews here and I've found that it does nothing for me. I'm not sure if I'm using it right, but I've read through the thread, read all the manuals, and I'm simply not seeing the drops that everyone else magically is. If you want to do what I am doing, in Terminal:

/Applications/smcFanControl.app/Contents/Resources/smc -k F0Mx -w 60e0

(that's the default 6200 RPM)

/Applications/smcFanControl.app/Contents/Resources/smc -k F0Mx -w 3e80

(That's 4000 RPM Max)

I obviously gain a few degrees C when limiting to 4000, but at least my MBA shuts up. I wouldn't watch 720p mpvs w/ this, but 99% else, it's great.

I think most people are seeing a placebo effect w/ CoolBook (or they are not including values for the full 1400 and 1600 settings).

Thanks! Will most def try this.

Also, as for Coolbook, I agree on the placebo. When I monitor my voltage w/o using coolbook, already the cpu is pretty tightly throttled on mhz and voltage.

And I just decided that I will either ask for a new one or sell this. The pitched sound is driving me crazy. Dont think I can get my hands on another MBA in a silent room anytime soon, though.

 

[eboroian]

And I just decieded that I will either ask for a new one or sell this.

Does that mean that your going to give another MBA a try? Do you think that the hissing might not be on all MBAs, but only on certain ones? Thoughts??

E

 

[sir. mac]

Does that mean that your going to give another MBA a try? Do you think that the hissing might not be on all MBAs, but only on certain ones? Thoughts??

E

I just tried listening near the vents (on the left side facing the monitor) and the sound is extremely loud from there whenever I´m tapping the touchpad. As far as I know the hdd is behind there. I will go tomorrow and ask them to check if the drive is the problem.

Will report back. They might not even be interested in getting it back unless I have a new service# from apple, we´ll see. Would be really happy if hdd was the problem. Apart from this the machine is perfect on all accounts.

 

[sir. mac]

Apple Europe phoned me up today and said that I will get my MBA replaced because of the noise. Hopefully it will be a brand new one.

Looks like I´ll get my hands on another MBA to check in a silent room afterall

 

[eboroian]

Apple Europe phoned me up today and said that I will get my MBA replaced because of the noise. Hopefully it will be a brand new one.

Looks like I´ll get my hands on another MBA to check in a silent room afterall

That's great man! Could you please report back to me once you've got the new one and let me know if the sound is still there. I'm really interested to see if this is something that is on all MBA or is just something that is audible to certain people (me being one) on all machines...When do you expect to recieve it?

E

 

[evirob]

Mine won't make much noise except when system resources are really taxed...

The fans are pretty audible....Can only hear them when spinning in 5 - 6K rpm..

My mini seems quieter maybe cos the fans do not spin as fast though.

 

[Scott6666]

Yes (w/ caution) and Yes (to no avail).

I bought CoolBook after seeing the glowing reviews here and I've found that it does nothing for me. I'm not sure if I'm using it right, but I've read through the thread, read all the manuals, and I'm simply not seeing the drops that everyone else magically is. If you want to do what I am doing, in Terminal:

/Applications/smcFanControl.app/Contents/Resources/smc -k F0Mx -w 60e0

(that's the default 6200 RPM)

/Applications/smcFanControl.app/Contents/Resources/smc -k F0Mx -w 3e80

(That's 4000 RPM Max)

I obviously gain a few degrees C when limiting to 4000, but at least my MBA shuts up. I wouldn't watch 720p mpvs w/ this, but 99% else, it's great.

I think most people are seeing a placebo effect w/ CoolBook (or they are not including values for the full 1400 and 1600 settings).

So this really works? And is reasonably safe?

smcFanControl is a 3rd party app, is it not? I looked at their web page and did not see anything regarding setting fan max, just fan min. Why don't they promote this on their page?

Why is this not mentioned in all the heating forums? Seems simple enough; simpler than Coolbook.

If this really worked I would buy one again!

 

[pgharavi]

So this really works? And is reasonably safe?

smcFanControl is a 3rd party app, is it not? I looked at their web page and did not see anything regarding setting fan max, just fan min. Why don't they promote this on their page?

Why is this not mentioned in all the heating forums? Seems simple enough; simpler than Coolbook.

If this really worked I would buy one again!

Trust me, it works. smcFanControl is a 3rd party app, but you don't even need it running for this little command to work.

I even found a command that had the fans going up to 8500 RPM but I thought the MBA might implode so I stopped that ASAP...heh.

Like I said, I don't think coolbook is working. People are saying they have drops in temps but 1) coolbook reports lower temps then either iStat or smcFanControl (anywhere up to 3 degrees C), and 2) placebo effect.

I hope I'm wrong on this, to be honest. But I'm sure I have my settings right.

 

[sir. mac]

Trust me, it works. smcFanControl is a 3rd party app, but you don't even need it running for this little command to work.

I even found a command that had the fans going up to 8500 RPM but I thought the MBA might implode so I stopped that ASAP...heh.

Like I said, I don't think coolbook is working. People are saying they have drops in temps but 1) coolbook reports lower temps then either iStat or smcFanControl (anywhere up to 3 degrees C), and 2) placebo effect.

I hope I'm wrong on this, to be honest. But I'm sure I have my settings right.

Did you actually try coolbook or is this just a theory of yours?
I think what many reported also was that the MBA got more stable on higher freq, and didn´t downthrottle as much as before the manual voltage settings.

 

[pgharavi]

Did you actually try coolbook or is this just a theory of yours?
I think what many reported also was that the MBA got more stable on higher freq, and didn´t downthrottle as much as before the manual voltage settings.

See attachment.

 

[Thomi]

See attachment.

Me too, I gave CoolBook a try, but couldn't see any dramatic difference, apart from having frozen my MBA twice.

So I've de-activated it. Sometimes I am still running it in passive and hidden mode just to monitor voltages and temps in the top menu bar as a nice feature.

Back to topic: I think that all MBAs might emit a very very silent "buzzing/hissing sound"! Some or most users won't even notice it. I can notice it but it is far away from disturbing me and never comparable with the level of sound coming from higher fan rpms or other machines hard drive or whatever. (The sound coming from the spinning HD in a normal MB is even much louder that what I can hear from my MBA)
But finally it’s an individual question “which” sound is annoying one and which not.
Cheers

 

[JasO]

My fan gets a bit annoying when i've got it on my bed, but it's usually only on there to just do late night browsing then i go to sleep, so nothing that major.

 

[Dekimasu]

Hi! It seams that I am one of these "high sensitive" audible users too.

Hmm. I don't have a MBA (yet), but I do always notice a high-pitched sound coming out of my Nintendo DS, particularly when plugged in - and no one else I know can hear it. So I think it's quite possible that we're just "blessed" with sensitive ears.

 

[aussieinrome]

Hmm. I don't have a MBA (yet), but I do always notice a high-pitched sound coming out of my Nintendo DS, particularly when plugged in - and no one else I know can hear it. So I think it's quite possible that we're just "blessed" with sensitive ears.

My wife's Vaio laptop does the same thing - when I remove the battery and run it off the mains, it's totally silent.

 

[BeachChair]

I'm not sure what you guys mean by hissing, but I know desktop PC's will sometimes make a very highpitched noise (inaudible to some) that afaik comes from vibrating transistors on the power supply. And thats the power supplys fault.

Could the same thing be happening here?

 

[bence8810]

Hi

I had a White MB and now the MBA. Both had/have the high pitched noise coming approximately below the Q and W keys. Its the CPU and the nature of the chip used.

Try this. Visit a website, for example this that you are reading now. Put your two fingers on the touchpad, and place your ear right above the Q and W keys. Now scroll the page, stop sometimes, scroll again, etc. You will see that the sound changes. Its when the Core 2 DUO chip is on idle, and does nothing.

I have gotten used to it, and worry not about it.

Ben

 

[Thomi]

Hi

I had a White MB and now the MBA. Both had/have the high pitched noise coming approximately below the Q and W keys. Its the CPU and the nature of the chip used.

Try this. Visit a website, for example this that you are reading now. Put your two fingers on the touchpad, and place your ear right above the Q and W keys. Now scroll the page, stop sometimes, scroll again, etc. You will see that the sound changes. Its when the Core 2 DUO chip is on idle, and does nothing.

I have gotten used to it, and worry not about it.

Ben

Yep, I think you're right. Although I can't notice this on the actual MB, may be due to its louder hard drive. But I pretty much believe that you will find this "sound" on every machine based on the Core 2 DUO chip. If not, either it (the machine) is emitting other noises which are overlapping this “sound”, or some software doesn't allow the cpu to be idle, or you are just not one of those sensitive peoples to this "issue"… The fact that with the MBA the “sound” is even noticeable is just proofing how quite it is overall…

 

[ceehjayem]

Mine was quiet as well until I realized the fan wasn't turning on causing one of the cores to shut down. I love the computer overall. I just want this problem addressed.

 

[bence8810]

Mine was quiet as well until I realized the fan wasn't turning on causing one of the cores to shut down. I love the computer overall. I just want this problem addressed.

If your fan is not turning, thats a whole different story. I would visit an Apple store for repairs.

As for the high pitch non HDD related sound, its normal.

Ben

 

[pughchrism]

coolbook

if you know how to use coolbook then it is not placebo. and... i was a pharmaceutical researcher and i know what placebo means.

you must not be using it right. search some of my posts and you'll see my results. i've seen the same problems on 3 diff mba's. i tried coolbook on two of them and i've basically seen the same fantastic results. all of my mba's have been 1.6/80 (maybe the 1.8/80 or 1.8/60 don't have the same incorrect settings from the factory?)

no, i don't work for, nor am i associated in any way with coolbook. i've just thoroughly tested it and it works to reduce heat and to eliminate video stuttering and improper core shutdown.

apple hosed the settings and coolbook enables you to fix it. yep, i read intel's data sheet on the 1.6 processor and the core isn't supposed to start shutting down until ~ 100 C. apple had a core shutting down at as low as 69 C. hence, we see some of the problems such as video stutter. the actual problem was apple setting the core to shutdown with a large video load in addition to temp based shutdown - there is no reason to shutdown a core under high video load. this was just an incorrect setting by apple.

and then there is another fact. processor voltages are set relatively high to make sure they will work without any tweaking on each individual unit. thankfully, once your receive your mba you can use coolbook to "tune-in" your specific/individual processor to the lowest stable voltage.

if you think coolbook is just placebo then do some more work to learn how to use it right (that's not meant to be a sarcastic comment but coolbook is worth the effort). if you can't figure it out then find someone who can help you. coolbook has made a night and day difference in the usability of my mba's.

 

[pgharavi]

What are your exact CoolBook settings. I would love to be wrong, but it's not like I am lying. In fact, I wish I was

My settings:

 

[stakis]

if you know how to use coolbook then it is not placebo. and... i was a pharmaceutical researcher and i know what placebo means.

you must not be using it right. search some of my posts and you'll see my results. i've seen the same problems on 3 diff mba's. i tried coolbook on two of them and i've basically seen the same fantastic results. all of my mba's have been 1.6/80 (maybe the 1.8/80 or 1.8/60 don't have the same incorrect settings from the factory?)

no, i don't work for, nor am i associated in any way with coolbook. i've just thoroughly tested it and it works to reduce heat and to eliminate video stuttering and improper core shutdown.

apple hosed the settings and coolbook enables you to fix it. yep, i read intel's data sheet on the 1.6 processor and the core isn't supposed to start shutting down until ~ 100 C. apple had a core shutting down at as low as 69 C. hence, we see some of the problems such as video stutter. the actual problem was apple setting the core to shutdown with a large video load in addition to temp based shutdown - there is no reason to shutdown a core under high video load. this was just an incorrect setting by apple.

and then there is another fact. processor voltages are set relatively high to make sure they will work without any tweaking on each individual unit. thankfully, once your receive your mba you can use coolbook to "tune-in" your specific/individual processor to the lowest stable voltage.

if you think coolbook is just placebo then do some more work to learn how to use it right (that's not meant to be a sarcastic comment but coolbook is worth the effort). if you can't figure it out then find someone who can help you. coolbook has made a night and day difference in the usability of my mba's.

I second that... I never see my CPU temp go higher than 80C... EVER!!!

 

[sir. mac]

I second that... I never see my CPU temp go higher than 80C... EVER!!!

But, like I said earlier, the CPU is already being throttled and voltage-reduced automatically, and also pretty low. I guess the one advantage of Coolbook, is that you can find the "best fit" for your machine and hence maybe lower the temps a bit. But I guess on some machines the best fit will be pretty close to the original settings, making the app more or less useless for some.