Mac Pro Loud Fan Noise

Question

Level 1

2 points

Mac Pro Loud Fan Noise

Does anyone have the vacuum noise with the Mac Pro. The Fan runs 90% of the time on high and is so annoying I can't think straight. When I purchased it they said it was silent. It's anything but silent.
I recently ha the logic board and superdrive/optical replaced (superdrive sounded like a vacuum) - The
DVD plays more quiet than before but now the machine fans run constantly.

Any help would be appreciated.

Map Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Aug 4, 2008 11:05 AM

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Answer 1

milesdreyfus Author

Level 1

2 points

Aug 13, 2008 3:15 PM in response to gerogev

I did the istat and found everything is 100 or slightly above. The fans run loud from the time I turn it on cold. I shut it down and unplugged it for awhile, then restarted which kept the noise down for a short period of time and then it shifts back into loud mode. I can't see that it's rational to have to unplug the computer to keep the noise down. Not only is the fan noise loud, it's the high pitch while spinning that makes it unbearable. Do you find that it generates a lot of heat?

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Answer 2

JTA411

Level 1

0 points

Aug 4, 2008 11:52 AM in response to milesdreyfus

I am in the same boat as you except the fans run all the time on high. From my searching on these forums you might want to try a SMC reset.

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Answer 3

Aug 4, 2008 11:54 AM in response to milesdreyfus

First of all... we need a little bit more information about your computer... model... configuration...etc.

Than install the iStatPro widget to get exact information about which fan is running at which speed, and how the temperatures are.

OK...? ...after that we can go further 🙂

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Answer 4

milesdreyfus Author

Level 1

2 points

Aug 5, 2008 1:28 AM in response to Matthias Wahl

Hello,

I just picked up the computer today after having the hard drive replaced. They said it wasn't making the vortex sound today. It's still relatively loud at times not as loud as before. When it gets loud I have to shut it down, unplug it and restart. The vacuum sound lessens for awhile and goes from loud to semi loud. Constant spinning sound. It's sound distortion = chinese water torture. Hard to work when it's constantly running so high.

I have been on my imac while this was in the shop and it runs close to silent = relief.

I had the logic board, HD, optical drive replaced etc. It's had problems since day one.
Is this just a bad machine? I forked out the $$$ to get something solid and stable...

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 9 GB

ATY RadeonX1900
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-7170A

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Answer 5

gerogev

Level 1

8 points

Aug 10, 2008 3:32 PM in response to milesdreyfus

I am in the same boat. Brand new out of the box single 4-core processor. Tried the "soft" SMC reset. Worked for about a second. I am going to pull it apart and try the "hard" SMC reset.

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Answer 6

gerogev

Level 1

8 points

Aug 10, 2008 7:59 PM in response to milesdreyfus

I have checked and istat is showing that ALL temperatures are below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and my exhaust and CPU fan speeds are holding steady at 2700 RPMs.

This makes no sense. I have tried the reset and it does not seem to work.

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Answer 7

Lazlo666

Level 1

21 points

Aug 24, 2008 10:10 AM in response to Matthias Wahl

Mac Pro 8-core
320gb hd
1tb hd
1tb hd
2-ati 2600xt video cards

iStatPro indicates my CPU fan is zero

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Answer 8

Aug 25, 2008 2:30 PM in response to milesdreyfus

anyone experiencing extra loud fan noise at startup, and also seeing red lights inside their computer? I can see them thru the fan grid on the back of the computer....
many thanks in advance.

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Answer 9

gerogev

Level 1

8 points

Aug 25, 2008 7:49 PM in response to milesdreyfus

I finally brought mine in to the Apple Store. I ran the Extended hardware test and it came up with an error message that seemed to indicate a problem with the Logic Board

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Answer 10

nextnext

Level 1

0 points

Aug 26, 2008 6:01 AM in response to milesdreyfus

The same with my Mac Pro, just 3 weeks old.

I opened the Mac Pro and figured out, that it is the fan on the graphic card which is making this nasty noise only. It´s an ATI Radeon HD 2600. I did a SMC reset and I did the Apple hardware test without any result.

Here is my data:

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro3,1
Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 8

Any further ideas concerning this issue out there?

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Answer 11

SpechtME

Level 1

0 points

Oct 13, 2008 1:23 PM in response to milesdreyfus

I have similar issues:
-Loud Fans
-Never runs Silently
-On Start Up, Must turn computer on and off at least twice in order to get it to boot.

-Extended Hardware Test came up with nothing.
-Disk Utility Came up with nothing.

Here is my info:

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 3 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
Chipset Model: ATY,RadeonX1900

iStat Pro Information:

Fans:
Exhaust: 617rpm
CPU Fan: 505rpm
Power Supply: 680rpm
HD/Expansion: 503rpm
Temps:
HD1: 117°
HD2: 106°
HD3: 110°
CPUA: 121°
CPUB: 122°
Ambient: 81°
Expansion Slots: 115°
HD Bay1: 99°
HD Bay2: 99°
HD Bay3: 97°
HD Bay4: 92°
Mem Bank A1: 126°
Mem Bank A2: 119°
Mem Bank A3: 119°
Mem Bank B1: 115°
Mem Bank B2: 113°
Mem Bank B3: 113°
Mem Module A1: 149°
Mem Module A2: 146°
Mem Module B1: 137°
Mem Module B2: 153°
NorthBridge: 189°
Power Supply1: 130°
Power Supply2: 124°

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Answer 12

SpechtME

Level 1

0 points

Oct 13, 2008 2:39 PM in response to milesdreyfus

I SOLVED my fan Problem. I decided to clean my computer on the inside. While doing so, I decided to look up how to take out the front cooling fan on the internet, and I stumbled upon this article http://macsaregreat.com/?p=63

My fan problem was caused by a solid layer of dust built up on the heat sink of my ATI Radeon X1900 Graphics Card. If you go to the article linked above, you can see a picture of how it looks.

If you aren't looking for it, you will easily miss it because it will be a solid layer of dust covering the heat sink (plus its not the best viewing angle to see).

I cleaned the heat sink to my card, booted my computer, fans ran loud for 5 seconds and then slowed down and started running quietly!

I can't vouch for other video cards, but this totally fixed my problem, even the booting up twice problem!

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Answer 13

Oct 18, 2008 6:05 PM in response to SpechtME

Thanks SpechtME!

Your post fixed it and now my MacPro is silent. I had tried cleaning out the dust but I missed that spot in the video card.

Thanks!

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Answer 14

blotch

Level 1

5 points

Oct 25, 2008 11:21 AM in response to SpechtME

I worked for me too!!!

Thanks SpechtME!! I can hear the voices in my head again!!... just kidding... but I can concentrate on my work again.

Thanks a lot!

Message was edited by: blotch

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Answer 15

Evildead

Level 1

0 points

Oct 28, 2008 6:45 AM in response to nextnext

I had this same problem. The way I fixed it (and it seems pretty stupid) is to make sure there is no dust clogging the vent on your video card. I just wiped it with a Q-Tip and everything is fine. Hope this fixes your problem!

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