Vibrations under the right palm rest?

Question

Level 1

12 points

Vibrations under the right palm rest?

I recently bought a Retina MBP, and I noticed that the laptop case made a creaking/cracking noise as I used it. I brought it to the Genius Bar, and the Genius said that because my laptop is so "high precision," some cracking noises are to be expected. Still, she proceeded to tighten the screws on the back of the laptop and this seems to have eliminated the cracking noises. Unfortunately, there's now a pulsating vibration under the right palm rest. This is very annoying.

I'll have to take it back in and hopefully they can adjust the screws to the precise setting between cracking and vibrating. I'm wondering, if I buy my own pentalobe screwdriver, can I adjust the screws myself to get them just right? Is any kind of adhesive (e.g. Loctite) applied to these screws when they are adjusted?

Posted on Sep 24, 2012 6:31 AM

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Answer 1

Shootist007

Level 6

16,709 points

Sep 24, 2012 6:36 AM in response to freyr

You need to have Apple fix it. Trying to fix it yourself could void the warranty.

If they are unable to fix it to your satisfaction then request a replacement.

What the Genius said is a LIE. There should not be any creaking or cracking as the only movinig parts in a Retina is the fans and the keyboard when you are using it.

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Answer 2

Courcoul

Level 6

18,684 points

Sep 24, 2012 6:42 AM in response to Shootist007

And as we can observe from IFixIt's Retina teardown, the fans are nowhere near the palmrests. Back to the store it goes, just be sure to back up all your stuff in case you get a new one. Apple's warranty is responsible for getting you a working Mac, no responsibility at all as to your files and apps.

(Photo courtesy of IFixIt.com. Lid hinge is to the top)

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Answer 3

freyr Author

Level 1

12 points

Sep 24, 2012 8:02 AM in response to Courcoul

Oh, interesting, the palm rests are right above the battery.

So I checked with a friend, and she couldn't feel the vibrations. Then I checked my work computer, and again felt faint vibrations on the right-hand side. I rested my right hand on the table, and felt the same pulsating vibrations. Now I'm realizing my laptop is fine, and the problem is my hand. Rather than visiting the Genius, I should probably see a neurologist / psychiatrist.

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Answer 4

Courcoul

Level 6

18,684 points

Sep 24, 2012 8:23 AM in response to freyr

Paging Dr. Freud.... Paging Dr. Freud....

BTW, the "battery" consists of the bunch of 6 black boxes on the bottom row. Takes up the bulk of the space and weight of the thing, in order to boast "up to 7 hours runtime" . The RAM is the neat pair of rows of chips right in the middle between the fans and the storage device (aka "drive") is the daughtercard just below the left fan and held with a single Torx screw.

And as a side note, at least OWC has managed to reverse engineer the thing and is now offering replacement "drives" for the Retina. Ain't cheap, but if you picked the "little'un" and are now yearning for the "big'un", an upgrade path now exists.

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