jshire

Q: noisy hard drive 2013 macbook pro

I won't go into all the details as this macbook (purchased new from Apple in 2015) has had various issues from new & i'm still having an ongoing struggle with Apple to get them to repair or replace it etc. However:

 

one side issue (from the main problems) was that the hard drive was always noisy - the sound was a bit like the crunching, grinding sound of a failing drive but also slightly different so it wasn't that. I have been told be Apple & the various Apple engineers that have looked at the macbook for its other issues that the noisy hard drive was either 'normal' (not true as i've never come across a macbook this loud & I work in the arts where more or less everyone has one !) or that simply some hard drives are noisier than others. now:

 

1) Apple's reputation in music & the arts was partly built on the fact this its generally a much quieter machine than a pc laptop. They don't seem to be concerned about that now.

 

2) the macbook recently went in for another repair - this time a logic board replacement. While it was in I requested that I was allowed to remove the hard drive & use it in an enclosure with an older macbook as I had some important projects to work on. Whilst it was in the enclosure it was as quiet as it could be. This therefore proves that there is some other reason why, when in the new macbook pro, it sounds noisy. Does anyone have any ideas why that might be ? is it a design issue with how the drive sits in the machine, or more likely to be some software interaction issue. I did see a post elsewhere that claimed Apple were deliberately configuring OS to not favour spinning drives.

 

thanks.

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Sep 19, 2016 1:44 AM

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Q: noisy hard drive 2013 macbook pro

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  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Sep 19, 2016 3:34 AM in response to jshire
    Level 9 (52,353 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 19, 2016 3:34 AM in response to jshire

    Is the MBP a non-retina model?  If so, the probable noisemakers are the fan(s) and DVD drive.

     

    Ciao.

  • by jshire,

    jshire jshire Sep 19, 2016 8:30 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (17 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 19, 2016 8:30 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    it is a non-retina mbp but the noise is from the hard drive - not the fans & not the dvd drive.

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Sep 19, 2016 2:22 PM in response to jshire
    Level 9 (52,353 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 19, 2016 2:22 PM in response to jshire

    The contradiction that I find difficulty in resolving is that you said when the HDD was taken out and operated in an enclosure, the HDD was silent.  The only situation that I can think of is that the HDD was not installed properly or the mount is faulty and vibrations were introduced via the mount causing the noise. 

     

    I would test by installing a different HDD and see what the results are.  Run the new drive externally as well.

     

    I have 4 MBPs of various vintage and all HDDs that have ever been installed have been very quiet.  I have changed HDDs in each at least 3 times.

     

    Ciao.

  • by jshire,

    jshire jshire Sep 19, 2016 3:25 PM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (17 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 19, 2016 3:25 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

    the hard drives (spinning) from 2013 onwards have been prone to being more noisy that earlier ones, as they swapped to a cheaper manufacturer.

     

    I know 1000's of musicians & artists that use macbooks & usually they are indeed quieter than pc's but lots of folks with newer ones mention them being nosier. The official word from Apple on this one is 'its pot luck. Some are quiet and some aren't'.  I've been told by an Apple engineer that it being quieter when in an enclosure is perhaps due to usb power being less & it not running at opt. speed (though it functioned ok) + the story of recent OS's not being ideal for spinning drives.