User profile for user: keikojaa
keikojaa Author
User level: Level 1
20 points

iMac 20" Noisy HD or fans???

Hi! Can you hear the noise from your HD continually? I got a 20" iMac and a 250 GO HD with ref. like that : WDC WD2500JS-40NGB2. Is it a Maxtor?

Anyway. Everybody is talking about silent iMac 20"!! Mine is noisy... I've been told that you can just hear a fan if you put ear near to the iMac... I can hear it yes but i really have to have my ear next to the iMac. That's not the problem here.

The problem is i can continually hear another noise that drives me crazy.... Working in a silent place, it's really annoying. It's like a fan running but with a razor noise.... Being at 2 meter from my iMac I still can hear that noise.

May this could be the HD noise? It comes from the left of the apple on the front side of the iMac!

Is it normal or not? I can't read no experience like that with 250 HD.

Thanks for any info or advices

iMac Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.4.4), 2 GO, 256 VRAM, 250 GO HD

Posted on Feb 19, 2006 12:45 PM

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77 replies
User profile for user: Richard Platt
Richard Platt
User level: Level 6
9,230 points

Feb 19, 2006 1:16 PM in response to keikojaa

Up to this point I have used nothing but G5 PowerMacs and to my ears my new iMac Intel Core duo, 20" is essentially silent (comparing it to my G5, dual 2.7 PM). But, noise like beauty is in the eyes (or in this case the ears) of the beholder. It appears that your drive is a Western Digital drive. I also have an internal Western Digital 250 GB drive and I frankly don't hear it.
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User profile for user: keikojaa
keikojaa Author
User level: Level 1
20 points

Feb 19, 2006 1:18 PM in response to flappospammo

I had a eMac before so i know what noise means 😉 ... But with this iMac it's more like a rasor noise than a fan noise... Maybe it's just because the iMac is thinner but i'm asking myself why the noise comes from the left front side, next to the apple and not from behind the iMac where there is space for the air to go out. So i guess that must be the HD. As i can remember, i cannot hear a noise like that from my eMac. So i'm a bit disappointed! because with time passing, this noise is really really annoying for the ear and the nerves 😉. I'd rather ear fans louder than this razor noise....
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User profile for user: keikojaa
keikojaa Author
User level: Level 1
20 points

Feb 19, 2006 1:26 PM in response to Richard Platt

I don't hear it when it's writing or stuff a hd do. There is just this "razor noise" coming from the left (one more time 😉 ). I don't even know where is placed the hd in the new iMacs. I just was guessing it could be the HD... Has the HD a fan for itself? My iMac is not HOT, and i checked Monitor Activity. All seems NORMAL.. So i don't know what is the cause and the origin of this noise?
But here when writing, this bzrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr enerves me. Me who thought i was deaf 😉
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User profile for user: iMacfly
iMacfly
User level: Level 1
25 points

Feb 19, 2006 3:39 PM in response to keikojaa

"Hi! Can you hear the noise from your HD continually? I got a 20" iMac and a 250 GO HD with ref. like that : WDC WD2500JS-40NGB2. Is it a Maxtor?"

WDC WD would be Western Digital drive, not a Maxtor. I have the 17" with a WDC WD1600JS-40NGB2 and my machine is very quiet, almost silent. You might have a fan that is causing the noise. Deal with this as soon as possible because if the fan is bad or just noisy it may get worse. The same goes for the hard drive.

iMac 17" Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.5)
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User profile for user: vk1bf
vk1bf
User level: Level 1
5 points

Feb 20, 2006 1:47 AM in response to keikojaa

The sound you might be hearing is coming from a fan located on the lower left hand side of the unit. It is a continuous clicking - possibly from a fan out of balance and the blades catching on something. This noise appeared in my machine about 2 weeks after purchase. Your right it is very annoying, in my case it has diminished somewhat over time-but frustrating to hear it when the room is quiet.

I can't afford to be without the Mac for the 2 weeks lead time thaat the local Apple Repair Center needs to look at it.
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User profile for user: keikojaa
keikojaa Author
User level: Level 1
20 points

Feb 20, 2006 2:33 AM in response to vk1bf

Exactly that. THANKS! It appeared after 4 days on my iMac.
Guess i have to bring it to a near applecenter. Hope they don't tell me they hear nothing and they will be able to test it in a silent room!!!!! Anyway i cant go on with this noise anymore!!!... I cant make it without mac too.. i guess i ll have to find a solution while reparation if its the case ...

Is there anyone with this problem too?

i checked imac g5 discussions and it's seems this noise is also present on 20" g5 isight... Is it due to the new cooling design of the iMac???
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User profile for user: Doug Pierson
Doug Pierson
User level: Level 2
239 points

Feb 20, 2006 4:26 AM in response to keikojaa

I just got a 17", 2 ghz G5 that was brand new. It was a great price. Anyway, I've got the same noise that seems to be getting a little quieter over time. I agree, I think it is a fan, too. To me, it doesn't really sound so much like a bad bearing or blades rubbing, as it does just the sound that a small motor makes when running. When I open it up to put in some more memory, maybe I can see the thing. But, you're not alone.
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User profile for user: keikojaa
keikojaa Author
User level: Level 1
20 points

Feb 20, 2006 2:25 PM in response to keikojaa

At this address (svm mac french mac magazine) you can see a video about the inside of the 20" iMac and they're talking about the cooling system of the iMac.. it seems to be cooled not by water but with vapor...

Anyway in this video you can see a big fan in the left corner , just under what it seems to be the hard disk.. This is exactly where my noise comes from!!!

This one is running as STRONG as i can FEEL it running, turning. When posing my hand on the iMac, at this place, it is trembling, vibrating.. CRAZY... if i touch the place where is the other fan (on the right side).. i can hear it but it's not running fast as the other one who is making this ()&)&)"/(ç?%=?* noise 😉

http://svmmacblogs.vnunet.fr/2006/02/limac_refroidi.html

One more time, people with iMac Core Duo 20" , can you feel it too vibrating?
This is the noise i'm complaining about...
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User profile for user: tempeteqatar
tempeteqatar
User level: Level 1
0 points

Feb 21, 2006 3:21 AM in response to keikojaa

Question : when you have 2 Go of RAM, access to hard drive sould be less often solicited, right? so why this fan is running like a mad after 5 minutes? I can't hear my HD working too, and the fan is not SCREAMING AIR (like after you reset SMU) but running so quickly that it makes vibrate the iMac.. and make noise like a little motor or razor.. yes... Is there a way to control speed of fan and to see if it is normal? Software? Something in the develop tools?
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User profile for user: RDH
RDH
User level: Level 4
1,350 points

Feb 21, 2006 5:51 AM in response to tempeteqatar

As a former eMac owner nothing compares to the racket that monstrosity made.

My iMac is noisier than it was on day of purchase. Fans do seem a bit more active than originally were.

As for the vibration, mine started making a buzzing noise that was driving me crazy. Then it occured to me, it's my desk!

I bought a white IKEA MDF desk to match iMac and the sound is resonating through it and amplifying it big time. When I put some books down on the desk the noise it stopped. When I took them away it started again.

It sounds obvious but worth looking at. I am going to gaffer tape a weight on underside of desk to see if this helps.
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iMac 20" Noisy HD or fans???

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