Macbook Pro 2011 making noise in lower right corner

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nubinatub Author

Level 1

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Macbook Pro 2011 making noise in lower right corner

Hello everyone,

Ever since this morning my macbook pro has been making this noise from the lower right corner.

http://i.imgur.com/HGIHA.jpg

At first I thought it was the fans, but it turns out it's coming right from that corner.

It doesn't make a sound when it's in sleep mode, but the second it comes out of sleep mode, the noise starts. It's never happened til today either.

Does anyone know what this could be and how I can fix it?

I also downloaded istat pro, and according to it my cpu is currently 97% idle and both fans are at 2000 rpm. And my laptop is not warm either. All i'm doing is browsing safari.

iPhone 4

Posted on Sep 7, 2012 6:59 PM

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Answer 1

Courcoul

Level 6

18,558 points

Sep 7, 2012 7:24 PM in response to nubinatub

Uh, oh, that's where the HDD lives. However, your link shows a pic and not a sound so we can't judge whether it is nornal. Go into Disk Utilities, click the HDD device and see what S.M.A.R.T. status shows up. Anything different from "verified" means the thing is about to go kaput. So back it up ASAP and hightail it to an Apple Store if still within the warranty period to get a replacement.

BTW, fan speed is the normal idle.

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Answer 2

nubinatub Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 7, 2012 7:38 PM in response to Courcoul

I'm about to upload a video, and the smart status shows up as verified.

It just sounds like it's constantly running a program even though i'm just browsing safari and nothing else. (A humming noise as if it's running)

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Answer 3

Courcoul

Level 6

18,558 points

Sep 7, 2012 7:40 PM in response to nubinatub

Put your ear on the case and determine if it sounds like a mechanical scraping noise and if it comes from there. If you can confirn it does indeed come from the HDD, you better start planning on a replacement before "verified" turns to "dead". They're not serviceable and circle the drain quite pronto once noises start.

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Answer 4

nubinatub Author

Level 1

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Sep 7, 2012 7:42 PM in response to Courcoul

It doesn't sound like a mechanical scrapping noise. It just sounds like it's spinning really fast.

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Answer 5

Courcoul

Level 6

18,558 points

Sep 7, 2012 7:45 PM in response to nubinatub

If it is the drive, it spins at 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM, depending on model. So yes, it is fast.

Does it vary in pitch as you work with the Mac? The drive speed is constant, whereas the fans spin up and down. If it were to vary, that would mean it is a fan and would be a lot less worrysome than a noisy drive.

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Answer 6

nubinatub Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 7, 2012 7:53 PM in response to Courcoul

It's a constant pitch. Doesn't change at all, except for when I booted up the game (more on that later in this post).

I just booted up a game, and it is definitely seperate from the fans. The fans kicked in to about 3800 rpm and were near the top, and the HDD did speed up a little bit and got a little bit louder. When I turned the game off, it sped back down to where it was before.

I'm pretty sure it's just the HDD spinning really fast, it's just weird though becuase until this morning i've never been able to hear it when just booting up my macbook or browsing the internet.

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