Loud ... Loud ... Loud ...

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Loud ... Loud ... Loud ...

I ran the update to my Mac Pro (I guess 10.7.5) yesterday. Ever since it has been running really loud. I'm a bit scared that its getting ready to take off into the great blue sky (seriously sounds like an airplane ready for take off). Any suggestions?

I'd love to schedule an appointment to bring it in, however, I am dealing with a broken ankle and the thought of crutches, the heaviest computer ever and the masses of people trying to get the new i-phone have me ... well ... I'd rather just maybe sit here and cry instead.

I use this computer to make a living so ... any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!!!

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2x2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon

4GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Sep 22, 2012 7:42 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 22, 2012 9:04 AM in response to Parislv8707

The first thing to try is a SMC Reset.

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Answer 2

Parislv8707 Author

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Sep 22, 2012 9:26 AM in response to Martin Pace

Thank you for your reply.

Did the SMC Reset (following below instructions) but nothing changed.

Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.

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Answer 3

Sep 22, 2012 9:41 AM in response to Parislv8707

Try again, adding step:

2a. Press and hold the power-on button (with cord unplugged) for 15 seconds to discharge the power capacitors in you Mac Pro (65lb tower).

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Answer 4

Parislv8707 Author

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Sep 22, 2012 11:38 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Hmmm. It might have helped a little bit. It seems quieter than before, but it still running a little loud. It was really nice and quiet for about 4 minutes. Then I tried opening up a few applications to see if it would stay that way (opened Excel, InDesign, Safari, Mail, Firefox) and it started to get louder again. I'm not sure that it is as loud as it was before, although it could just be that my house is louder now that it is later in the day so it isn't quite as noticeable.

Does anyone know if I'll do more harm to it if I use it while it is running loudly? I imagine I can get over the noise, but I don't want to make it worse by using it. Supposedly in about a week I should be able to walk on the cast without the use of the crutches. I just can't imagine going into the apple store with crutches with the release of the new iphone!

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Answer 5

Sep 22, 2012 12:46 PM in response to Parislv8707

Your MacPro uses a feedback system to determine fan speed under software control. Temperatures of a number of components are measured with sensors, and fans speeds in nearby area are increased to increase airflow in an attempt to reduce those temperatures.

If you have a sensor that is misbeahving (or if the limits have been tightened up a little) you may now be seeing increased fans speeds due to percieved "too hot" temperatures.

I suggest you run Apple Hardware Test, if possible.

It may also be helpful to get a temperature monitoring program to check for sensors that are trending out-of-bounds. For example, if one RAM sensor says the RAM is really hot while the others say, "it's fine".

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Answer 6

Parislv8707 Author

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Sep 22, 2012 1:09 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I'm thinking that there is probably a ton of dust inside the machine ... its old and has basically been sitting in the same place for years. Although it is strange that this happened right after I installed the update yesterday afternoon and all was basically fine before then.

My issue with the hardware test is that involves using the CD that came with the machine, correct? And my CD drive is broken. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I can do that from just using 'disk utility' that is in the utlities folder - tried testing everything in there that it would let me and all was fine.

Thank you for all your help today!

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Answer 7

Sep 22, 2012 1:35 PM in response to Parislv8707

Apple Hardware Test:

If you are running the same Hard Drive that shipped in the machine as your Boot drive, try holding the D key at restart. Sometimes it was installed on that drive, and is still there.

Dust Bunnies:

The "Approved method" is to move the machine to a don't care area, like a garage or out side, and blast the dust up and airborne and out of your Mac with compressed air. Household vacuum cleaners' plastic tools make huge static charges that can kill electronics long before they give you a static shock.

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Answer 8

Feb 6, 2013 12:17 AM in response to Parislv8707

If you disabled a core which before is dual core so it went very slow when runing a single core.

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