27" iMac hard drive noise

1gb ssd wrote:
i got mid 2010 imac 27, i3, 1tb HD. the HD is a sumsung one, it does has the hungry grumbling noise when i open/operate apps, but not very loud and hope it wont get louder.
i am thinking, if i use a external SSD via FW800 to store OS X and apps and the HD as a storage for data. as all the OS and app are on the SSD, only the when access data will use the HD. by doing this way will be the imac be quieter?(i dont want to open the imac to install the SSD internal)
i know the HD and SSD will both running, but will the HD less noisy?
Please advice.

stefanvanduyn wrote:
It's ridiculous you should get yourself used to that kind of sounds. When you bypass the internal seagate like i described the noise is gone, if you keep it active for back up you will still hear it, but not as often.

i figured out the solution. apple sold these imac's to us, while knowing the drives were faulty pieces of popcorn sh*t. now seagate has discontinued the hd, because its popcorn sh*t. BUT there is a new version of itunes that plays loud enough to cover the noise. Just crank up the Slayer everyone, or get the runaround from apple.

FIX THIS YOU JERKS! I know you're reading this!

I spoke to an apple rep on the the phone, i brought this issue up that a lot of folks seem to be having and he dodged the my faulty drive question, by telling me, "well, mechanical things DO make noise, but that noise your hearing may be a problem. But im not saying its a problem, but you should get it checked out." They know about this issue and aren't being honest bc of the problems that could arise. We all know there are loud-annoying HDs in these machines, give us some solutions besides replacing it with other crappy HDs.

I smell class-action suit. Any lawyers out there? 🙂

Hi Guys,

Thought it might be worth sharing my experience in case it's useful.

I had been very happy with Apple in general based on my experiences with 2 pro version laptops; one is 5 years old, still being used extensively and performing very well.

Last May I decided to get an iMac27 i7 over a mac pro, it arrived with a Seagate hard drive 1T. I have to say I wasn't aware of the noise until early this year the noise was so obviously and extremely annoying, around March this year the general performance became very sluggish, even when only safari's on, the computer freeze all the time, of course all associated with the hateful grumbling noise, oh, the ridiculous thing was when it’s on sleep, the noise didn't stop at all, we could even hear it in the bedroom! (well, to be fair two rooms are pretty close).

I used the third party S.M.A.R.T utility to check the status; it said it's failing, while the disk utility reported as normal. After a few calls to Apple care I decided to send it back when i finish my current project.

After a couple of weeks, i was just about to back up my data, i happened to open system disk utility to have a final check, great, even that said my disk was failing.

Finally imac went back to Apple UK, i strongly asked for WD as replacement, but it didn't work out, since replacements are sent by apple to the repair companies, although many users have complained about Seagate being noisy, users are not allowed to specify brands. Or the repair company can replace WD for you, but you lose apple care for the hard disk since it will be covered by WD AND, I would need to pay for the new WD hard disk!

COMPLICATED! Never mind, do whatever apple tells you to do, I said. After roughly a week, iMac's back with another Seagate hard drive, it has been a week so far so quiet we are not even used to it, i will see how it goes.

So if the noise freezes your machine as well, i would strongly suggest you to send it back for a replacement.

BTW i also asked them to replace my screen which had the yellow tint problem, thought the problem may have been solved, it's a good time to finally get a good screen - oh no, WORSE! My old screen was just slight yellow on the bottom part and now whole right area is yellow!

I have to say I still like Mac a lot, but definitely i have lost quite a bit respect to Apple.

This stomach grumbling in my iMac is driving me crazy! I've called Apple on more than a few occasions only to hear they have not heard any complaints about this issue. Obviously they are lying given the amount of complaints on this and other discussions forums. I remember the whole iphone issue where the antenna was an issue. Apple denied there was a problem and even Steve Jobes came out (only after the press had gotten ahold of the issue) and said “just don’t hold it that way”. Fix this problem Apple!!!!

Hi All,

I've had this problem since I got my iMac. I've been searching all around to find a solution to this problem because it is very frustrating, especially when watching quiet films where the noise is easily heard in the background.

This is the exact noise I was getting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTucTycgtnk

To me it always sounded like HDD noise somehow transferring through the soundcard and on to the amp. Generally it appears this is what everyone else thinks. However, I recently installed an app that shows HDD use. Interestingly the noise and the HDD do not appear to be directly associated with each other. For example, scrolling through a website made little HDD usage but the noise was loud. Transferring a file from USB to HDD had great usage but the noise was quiet.

Now. . . .I used to use a Laptop through a DJ system and I had a similar noise when using that. The solution was to unplug the laptop from the mains. This proved the issue to be a problem with the ground connections from the mix/amp and the laptop. Technically it's called a ground loop.

THE SOLUTION - THAT MEANS HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM

I temporarily disconnected the ground cable from the iMac by using an extension lead. Sorted, Fixed, the noise had gone. However disconnecting the ground cable from the iMac isn't a solution, it's far from perfect or even safe. I had only done it to ensure that this is a problem with a ground loop.

This issue has been around for many many years, just not with apple products. I believe a new / cheaper power pack in the new iMacs has caused this problem as it does not reduce or effectively remove ground looping. It's not anything to worry about as many computer devices share this problem, especially when using budget power packs.

In a few hours I am going to go out purchase a 'ground loop isolator'. It sounds expensive and complicated but it really isn't. It costs around £15 from the shops and as little as £5 online. It simply plugs inline into the phono connections between your mac and amp.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ground+loop+isolator

It should work, i can't think why it wouldn't, i'll report back with the result. If it works you all owe me a drink.

Nick

Okay, I've fitted an isolator. The absolute tiniest of noise still remains, but it's only audible when my 50W amp is turned up to full, previously the noise at that volume level was huge. There may be a small of reduction in bass quality to the signal but it's not what I would call noticeable. I spent £15 on the isolator, high end DJ ones are available for a little more. However £15 to fix a problem that was causing me a headache is pretty good.

Apple, I do feel that you should be fixing this problem for us.

Hope this helps guys.

Nick

Hey Guys,

I had the same problem from a grumbling iMac - I only had it a week. I called Apple they have taken it away and today I bought a new one from John Lewis that has 2 years free warranty.

Oh, and it's totally silent. 🙂

Joe

After reading most of your experiences with this noisy HD and the genius bar etc, im thinking it might just be better for me to buy the 2TB seagate HD and instal it myself..... what u guys think? Save me ****ing about and shud short out the sound issue

My only issue is would the machine still be warranty if i did the upgrade myself?

Thanks

Tommyboner,

How about you answer these questions. . .

Is the noise coming directly from the HDD? Or is it coming from the internal or more specifically external speakers?

Is the noise excessively band when scrolling up and down web pages?

Have you tried downloading the free app 'DiskLED'? This can help you monitor the HDD activity to see if the noise is directly associated with the HDD.

I say this because i was convinced the noise i was getting from my external speakers was HDD noise. However i noticed, using DiskLED that the noise had nothing to do with the HDD and was more likely to be related to the powerpack. I fixed my noise by buying a ground loop isolator which plugged inline into my amp and cancelled out the noise, which was infact a ground loop and nothing to do with the HDD.