Hard Drive Static Noise

No paranoia here chaps, just a disappointed customer. And please remember that it is possible that some of the hard drives might be noisier than others.

What would be useful to a mac amateur like myself is confirmation that this "feature" is not evident on the 20" versions and/or whether there it is possible to get a 17" version with a 160 non- Seagate, quiet HD.

Thanks for your help

Cliff

I've been through 2 iMacs (with Core Duo) and it still is making that
noise. It's driving me crazy! I'm returning it again. Don't think
I'll get another.

iMac Mac OS X (10.4.4) Intel

I have a 20" IMac and it makes a bit of a hard drive "click" when I move a file from one folder to another. Nothing other than that. When copying or pasting a file (fully saved file) it makes this little noice followed by the normal chime of having completed it. Not sure if this helpd you guys with 17" monitors, but if anyone else has heard this, please let me know. Thanks.

My imac (build # ***71) came with factory installed 2GB and while it has a multitude of problems it has never made a sound.

I've actually never even heard it...

I had the same issue. I bought the new iMac where the hard drive noise was enough to drive me crazy. I returned it again getting another iMac with the SAME PROBLEM. I returned it again to Apple. Now, I'm going to wait another month so that APPLE CAN GET THE BUGS OUT OF THE HARD DRIVE NOISE.
Two iMacs with the same problem is a big issue. Apple needs to fix this issue.

Please return you iMac because nobody needs to live with that NOISE.

Would you please let me know how it went? I came
back from a local Apple Authorized Dealer and they
told me the noise is 'normal' drive chatter. There
is nothing they can do for me...

So what to do? Return it and pay the re-stocking
fee, or swap out the drive?

I have the same issue. I've returned 2 Intel iMacs with the same exact problem. I'll keep returning them until Apple get the noise out of their hard drives.
This is a common problem. Don't let Apple tell you that you can't return it.
As far as I'm concerned it's a DOA, with STATIC HARD DRIVE NOISE.
It's anoying and wrong! Do not give up with Apple.
Return, Return, Return!!!! It's Apple's problem, not yours. You invested good money in a computer. You could buy a Sony with better luck.

You deserve the best!

Have the same noise with my brand new 17" iMac (EU
version). It seems that some application/process is
accessing the HDD in the background, which is causing
this ticking sound. My iMac came also with a 7200rpm
Seagate Barracuda - and these buggers are well known
to be on the noisy side during R/W operations.

I got my iMac from the Developer Transition Kit
exchange program, so it was equipped with only
512MByte of RAM. I already ordered 2GB of RAM - and i
hope that the noise is gone, because with enough
memory there is no need for background swapping
operations. Can anybody tell me if the noise occurs
with 1G or more memory?

Another solution could be to switch the drive into
noise reduction mode (most of todays SATA drives have
this feature) - i'm going to ask Mr.Google if there
is a tweak (-ing application) available for the Mac.
I'll post the results when i got more information.

Cheers

Hans-Joachim

I've returned (2) iMacs (1G memory) both with the static noise problems. I hate it! I'm looking forward to #3 being noise free.
Return it to iMac until they get it right.

I had the same problem 2 times with the iMac. I'm waiting for my 3rd iMac to arrive. I hope this one doesn't have that problem!
I'm going to keep returning them until they get it right. Everyone should do the same. We deserve the best!

I ended up returning my second iMac with the noise problem and gave up on trying out a new one since there was no way of knowing whether or not it would be equiped with the same loud HD. I bought a 20" Apple display instead and I am going to use my mini until they get the bugs worked out with the intel macs. I have to say that I love using this display and there is no way I'm going back to an iMac. I'll keep my eye out for the intel mini and power macs (whatever they will be called). All in all I'm happy with how this ended up.

Mac Mini G4 1.42GHz 1GB, 20" Apple Cinema Display Mac OS X (10.4.5)

I can't imagine returning a computer because I can hear the hard drive working. Before I changed to Macs (about a year ago - now I have 7 in all) I'd used endless PC desk and laptops that made this sound - only with a lot more noise from fans on top. Also, my old iMac 350 has a much noisier drive.

I'm genuinely wondering if these people sufficiently incensed by it enought to retun their iMacs are actually hearing the same as me. I have the Seagate drive and it's pretty audible - but just sounds like a hard drive as I said before. Is this noise actually coming out of the speakers for some of you?

Today my 2G of PC2-5300 Kingston RAM arrived. Despite the fact that i killed one of the modules mechanically (but this is another story) the ticking background hdd noise has been nearly stopped. Only when launching an application - or opening a document - i can hear some noise from the hard disk drive (as it should be).

The constant swapping operations in the background - even if the system was idling - are gone.

Conclusion: Upgrading the RAM from 512M to 1.5G helps a lot.

Hans-Joachim

iMac 17" Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.5) owns also a bunch of PPC Macs

I'VE GONE THROUGH 2 iMACS TOO!

WE DESERVE THE BEST. KEEP RETURNING THEM UNTIL APPLE GETS IT RIGHT!
APPLE NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM OF NOISY iMACS.

Ok...I can fully understand why people would freak on this issue...I believe that Apple should of really tested for acceptable noise levels.

It's funny...I am a longtime PC user and a Network Engineer for H&R Block, and I have always accepted the HD clicks to be normal. There is a big difference between a dying HD and normal head access, and if some of you are getting replacement units with the same noise, then I am sure all is fine...minus the noise.

BTW...I don't hear the HD chatter on my 17" Intel IMac with 512 ram. Maybe I am used to noisier PC, but it seems just as quiet as my Mac Mini.

Apple will quietly source new HD's from another manufacturer to get rid of the complaints and will never admit to a problem.

I think that because the capacity and speed of hard drives has increased and the physical size has decreased, the read/write heads are moving so quickly over a short distance that this noise is perceived as static.

Jim

I'm completely with you. The "noise" is a characteristic of the Seagate drive, is not static, and I don't believe it has anything to do with the sound card, or interference of any kind. It's just a bit louder than the others in the 17" models...and is MUCH quieter than most drives/systems out there. There's always gonna be something that someone won't like. For instance...why does this dang thing only come in WHITE?!? ;O)