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November 3, 2008 6:30 AM PST

Late-2008 MacBooks: Fan noise

by CNET staff

Users are beginning to report excessive fan noise emanating from Apple's Late-2008 MacBooks and MacBook Pros. One MacFixIt reader writes:

"The first day with my 2.53 GHz unibody macbook pro all was silent, after a day the top left fan is now making a lot more noise all the time and can clearly be heard. I have read on macrumors forum and apple forums of a few people with similar issues."

Excessive fan noise can be caused by spiking processor usage and various other factors. See this tutorial for more information on killing hung processes cthat can inordinately spike processor usage. In some cases, simply killing a process and allowing it to restart will alleviate the issue.

Apple issued SMC updates for the previous generation of MacBooks that dramatically reduced excessive fan noise.

Though not a viable long-term solution, some users have found that turning off one of the MacBook Pro's processor cores eliminates that noise.

In order to turn off one processor, you need to install Apple's Developer Tools (from the install discs included with your MacBook). You will then have access to a System Preference pane labeled "Processor" that can toggle between single and dual-core operation.

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    by deltagroup November 3, 2008 3:37 AM PST
    OK, some of us are discovering another dimension to what it means to be a Mac "FAN-atic"... In some respects, thermal management seems to have taken a back-seat to appearance in these new pro models; the battery~hard drive compartment imposes new barriers to dissipating heat & the internal fans now appear to be exhausting thru the grilles on either side of the keyboard, making fan operation more noticeable. Activating the high-performance graphics mode, keyboard backlighting, &/or following Apple's official suggestion to crank the screen brightness in order to punch-thru distracting reflections, can also significantly boost power used & heat generated - with resultant increased fan operation. Users may find that old advice will take on new importance with these models; place your notebook on a hard surface whenever it will be used for more than a couple of minutes, & always operate with the cover fully-open, even when using an external display.

    If your notebook is typically used in a fixed location for much of the workday, consider using an aluminum stand & bluetooth mouse/keyboard; I prefer the models which allow air to circulate around the bottom, rather than those with embedded fans - which actually contribute to the very problems they're intended to alleviate...

    ---
    Deltaman
    Reply to this comment
    by steven.schwartz November 3, 2008 3:37 AM PST
    <class="merchant"><span>&#62;</span><div class="datestamp"><i>This is a reply to a previous comment by deltagroup</i></div></class><br />
    Or it could be a defective fan. I had to have a fan replaced in my daughter's MPB about a year after we bought it. Don't know if the new Macbooks use the same fans however I'd bring it in if under warranty if all else is not working.
    Reply to this comment
    by Mathue November 3, 2008 3:37 AM PST
    <class="merchant"><span>&#62;</span><div class="datestamp"><i>This is a reply to a previous comment by deltagroup</i></div></class><br />
    Mr. Rhodes, the new MBP still exhausts out the back. I'm not sure how you have determined it's exhausting out the speaker grills. The right side speaker has the optical drive under it. There is certainly some air movement, but that's not a primary outlet, the holes are simply too small and easy to clog with dust. They do allow air in however since dust is more easy to remove from the outside than the inside.

    http://static4.ifixit.com/igi/RJNdtkvPDvpTymoX.large

    The heat pipes lead to the back of the machine to the main radiating elements and the fans push out through them.

    http://static4.ifixit.com/igi/XNtRlNUt2sh2sKnA.large
    Reply to this comment
    by lkrupp November 3, 2008 9:57 AM PST
    People need to get a clue. You can't demand the kind of performance people seem to want in a laptop (and the small form factor) and expect the thing to be quiet. The processor technology just doesn't exist yet. The whole heat/performance issue is far from solved by companies like Intel. My son has an earlier MacBook and plays WOW. When he is over at the house the MacBook sounds like a small jet plane, fans going full tilt. As soon as he closes WOW the thing quiets down to almost complete silence.
    Reply to this comment
    by an3m1 November 4, 2008 1:52 PM PST
    <class="merchant"><span>&#62;</span><div class="datestamp"><i>This is a reply to a previous comment by brg8</i></div></class><br />
    منتديات حب
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    1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23
    Reply to this comment
    by n79q.com January 3, 2009 2:23 AM PST
    the politicians were half as concerned with the slaughter on american

    www.n79q.com
    Reply to this comment
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