macbook air fan noise

Tomorrow I will do what you are suggesting because I will be in a silent room.

Sure, now whe shouldn't be able to voice the problem without overcomplicating it by stating the "difference in dB, which in one case is ok because it isn't noticable and in another one, ...".

Well, I'd rather not. The problem is a VERY simple one. Even at it's lowest setting (2000rpm - fixed in the firmware, and the fan is always running per design) the MBA's fan produces a unnerving whining sound, while other Macbooks don't.

Apple Customer service distracts and ducks as it did with other big design flaws in the past, and tries to convince buyers it has to do with "the software they are running" instead of raising it to recognized fault status.

And there is the occational fanboy every few days that tries to reframe the problem - jedimindtrick in action.

The product support from Apple is the same as for any netbook out there - thats "nonexistant" in case your wondering, community support is quite slow as well, because for every one person who is willing to add to the substance of the problem, there are five others who are just interested in protecting the brand name, or their emotional investment - and for that you're paying premium rates for increasingly cheapening hardware - like the LCD used in the new Airs, which is the worst and probably cheapest Apple ever used. This counts for the fan as well, if you ask me...

I bougt mba late 2010 abt 10 ago .I totally agree with you guys. I got hard time to believe that this new MBA is design for performance of FAN at all. It's fan run really fast as I never seen in other notebooks. M really disappointed of this MBA, suck!!

harlekinrains wrote:

The product support from Apple is the same as for any netbook out there - thats "nonexistant" in case your wondering, community support is quite slow as well, because for every one person who is willing to add to the substance of the problem, there are five others who are just interested in protecting the brand name, or their emotional investment -

Or it could simply be that not everyone is having the "problem". Even if I press the MacBook Air against my ear (and my hearing is fine thanks) I do not have the noise levels you describe.

Even in a very silent room ? You should hear a kind of whining. There is this sound in every MBA that I have tried.

Message was edited by: JoZoz

I have this same problem in a brand new 11-inch macbook air. A constant whirring sound (sounds exactly like a small fan) is clearly resonating from the left side of the keyboard. In fact, when I can pinpoint it to below the Q W keys on the keyboard. If I press down on both of those it muffles the sound. Maybe it is just an insulation issue between the keyboard and the fan?

Don't think they will listen to you mate, they dismiss your arguments on emotional grounds and "jedimindtricks" (sic), therefore there's not much to talk about it... living in a basement with no noise and hearing only that annoying fan must be awful... indeed.

I brought my air to the Genius Bar because there was an audible whirring noise coming from below the W key. It turns out that there is a bearing loose on the fan and they have to replace it. I would suggest anyone who has this problem have it checked out.

This is an Apple Certified Refurb.

was the noise you heard like a whizzing noise or a buzzing sound? I'm trying to figure out if my fan is faulty too? I had an error code the other day after listening to constant clicking every five seconds all morning, then I tried running the hardware test and the fan went crazy spinning at max speed and stopped clicking and tested OK. AppleCare customer service said the fan is the ONLY moving part on the unit, so it must be the noise. It hasn't done much but the occasionally whizzing noise when i pick it up a certain way since. I don't want to have to be without a computer long!! Seems like a common issue though!

I definitely do not have a clicking sound. It could be called a buzzing sound. I bet your problem is the fan. It may be more severe than mine, hence the clicking noise. Everyone with an 11" on this discussion board sounds like they are having the same problem I have.

Supposedly, the old Air suffered from a clicking noise that had something to do with the processor. Check the old Air forums to see whether those symptoms sound more like yours.

Hello,

Is your buzzing sound audible only in a silent room ?

No but you can definitely hear it better in a silent room. I heard it in the store when I had my computer at the genius bar. Based on what I have read, unless the fan is running really fast because of some intensive program, you should not hear the fan.

You are saying that you should hear the fan even in a silent room ?

I am saying you should not hear the fan ever unless it is running at top speed.

If you bring it to the store they will tell you.