New Retina Macbook Pro - strange whining Sound

Hi everyone,

I've just installed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro update 2.0, hoping this will fix it! I've turned Automatic Graphics Switching back on - will report back 🙂

Squealing noises from computer are very likely to be a failing or poor quality capacitor. It has been some years now that manufacturer know this and use higher quality solid state capacitors instead of electrolytic capacitors.

It is very common in Graphics cards and around power areas of motherboards. Does anyone have a link to a recording of the noise, it will generally get louder as you have more ampere draw through the capacitor.

I purchased a MB Pro 13 Retina Last week and tonight it began making this noise. I really hpe I did not buy an unreliable piece of ****. I am going to take mine back and demand a new unit from the retailer I made the purchase.

And Oh by the way!!!! If any Apple comments on this matter are forthecoming then please do tell!!!!

Maybe Microsoft is not as bad as we all believe.

with mine it is not a discharging capacitor. if you hold the unit vertically the noise stops and resumes again as soon as the machine is horizontal. A capacitor problem is non dependent upon axis orientation.

I just discovered mine doing this yesterday. I thought I was hearing things until I heard it again this morning. I noticed it was occuring after watching YT videos.

I have the 15 inch 2.3, 8GB, 768 custom config. I've had it no problem since August. Then again, I'm usually listening to music and might not have heard the noise from before.

If it does it again, I'll have to get a video and take it in to leave a note in the iRepair system. Honestly it sounds like a mass problem so I'm going to get the AppleCare for this mac and wait it out. See if they do some mass recall thing like they did with the iMac drives. At the moment though I'm not going to swap this out.

I came to the conclusion that it was probably a defective bearing on a cheap chinese fan assembly, since I am an Engineer in the Electronics Industry with over 30 Years Experience including 4 Manuacturers (2 Japanese) and 2 Defense Contractors on my resume.

I ended up calling Apple care and making an appointment with an Apple Store. They looked at it and concluded it was a software problem, (SURE) however offered to replace the fans later if the problem persisted. I was OK with this and planned on returning to have the fans replaced as soon as possible.

I received a call from Apple the next Day and the Representative I spoke with informed me they wanted to replace my machine with a new one. He made an appointment with the Apple Store, I walked in and waited about 25 minutes and left with a brand new (ABSOLUTELY SILENT) machine.

Try this when the machine is making noise. Tilt it vertically and if the noise subsides then it is the fan or fans. Period End of Story.

The fact Apple was proactive and offered to replace my machine in this case makes me much happier with Apple and their products. I turned around and purchased a few accessories including a Time Machine that day and I am goind to purchase a Mini to use as a server on my home network and rid my self of Microsoft PC's forever.

OK, so it is NOT a fan issue, I tried tilting it, even had the fans replaced by apple and the noise is still there. Apple said they would help me replace whatever needed to be replaced if I can pinpoint what the cause of the noise is, so what exactly should be replaced ?

Hi harmsangha, I'm also having a problem with my macbook retina making a whining noise, apple said they would help me replace the part if I could determine what it is. So what is the part exactly that's making the noise?? I was thinking of asking them to just replace the logic baord..

Unfortunately I don't know the exact part making the noise but from my experience building and repairing pcs I would say its coming from a capacitor. Apple shouldn't be asking you to find out what part is making the noise, that is their job. They first told me that the noise was from a fan, but I knew that is no the noise a fan makes. I insisted and pushed for a new laptop as mine was about a month old and the way apple has built these computers, everything seems to be soldered to the logic board. I didn't want them messing with it an giving me a messed up machine. After I spoke with the store manager he agreed to replace my machine and the noise hasn't returned since. I'm sure that there is a batch of these laptops with some faulty parts. The "genius" told me to trust him and said that it can't possible be a bad capacitor and had to be a fan. I refused to believe that apple was immune to receiving a few bad components from the manufacturers. They are made in china like many other computers so that is just a big farce. Now that I hear that they replaced your fan and it continues to make the noise, it tells me that I might be correct. Go to the store and get that pc replaced because bad capacitors only lead to further problems down the road. It's not your job to tell them what the problem is.

I wouldn't mind replacing the whole laptop but I went through **** to get a display without image retnention, ( this isn't my first macbook retina), so I don't want to play the lottery again and end up with a macbook with that problem again. That's why I'm trying to have apple replace the part but it doesn't seem like the genius bar can figure out what the problem is.. which is why I'm trying to decide myself which part I want them to replace.

sorry I dont' know much about the hardware but where are capacitors located, on the logic board? They offered to replace that for me if it was a logic board issue.

You as the User can not change any part in a retina MBP. Bacsically not even Apple can do that. Either the whole system must be exchanged or just the logic board. Which on the retina models is next to impossible.

You can try to find and change the part but your warranty will be out the window.

edited

It very well may be. That may be the only part that can be replaced. Batteries are Glued in. Screen is Glued to the aluminum shell.

Good Luck.

anonymous4a wrote:

apple said they will replace the parts if they are replacable, they told me logic board was replacable

Like Shootist said, the parts in the RMBP are not intended to be user replaceable and apple themselves will likely not do it. They would be better off just replacing the whole logic board or computer itself. If you want to risk future problems to keep your display then that's a choice that you will have to make, but if I were you I would get it replaced. I'm pretty sure the image retention issue was addressed by apple already, don't know for sure though. Capacitors in general are located all over the motherboard but are usually concentrated around the cpu socket/gpu. Parts that need the most power.

I heared a noise from the left side of my Macbook Pro Retina 15" after one month of use.

It is possible to hear the clatter noise only in a silent condition and placing the ear near the left air holes in slow velocity fan condition.

When fun rise the velocity is not possible to hear the noise.

Is this the problem?

Thank you