MacBook Whine and Moo Sighting

May 23rd, 2006

After using the MacBook last night until the battery was drained, I finally heard the “whine” that many MacBook and MacBook pro users have been complaining about. I only heard it after I turned off the TV and the amount of ambient noise in the room had dropped to pretty much zero. Yes, the whine seemed timed directly to the amount of activity in the CPU (I’m using MenuMeters to check CPU activity). But at least on my machine, it’s so soft that I don’t find it a problem. My old clam shell iBook had a much more noticeable hum or constant buzz. Comparatively, this MacBook whine is more like a light mosquito whisper.

The “moo” also reared its ugly head, and while it’s annoying, likewise I didn’t find it too loud. It definitely seems to be the fan kicking on and off. It only happened a few times after three hours of using the MacBook, and again, I didn’t feel it was prohibitively loud.

So while I feel the “whine” and “moo” complaints are valid, I don’t find either to be a deal-breaker that would make me return the machine or even trade it in for a new one. I guess it depends on how sensitive your hearing is and how perfect of a machine you expect to get.

But I do have one complaint about the MacBook, which is the amount of heat this thing puts out. Comparatively to other laptops I’ve used, this thing is simply bake-worthy. I swear you could melt wax on it. There’s no using it on a bare-skin lap: pants are a must. Again, I don’t think this is a deal-breaker but I’m always careful to make sure the vents are clear and might even get some kind of tray for it that can circulate air underneath. It’s that warm.

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  • Dave
    Glad you got the Macbook and are enjoying it. For the whine I downloaded "Quiet MacBook Pro" it's a little app that launches on boot and makes use of the idle core, so no whine. As you say, the whine is only discernable when it's quiet. If you've got sufficient ambient noise, no problemo.

    For the heat, I bought a targus usb notebook fan pad. It's a little metal platform with 2 fans. The MBP stays reasonably cool on it. If I don't use the fan, there are parts of the machine that are too hot to touch for long...crazy.

    I've used the MCP on my lap and it's um...warm. Be careful if you're trying to have kids ;-)

    While the heat may not be a dealbreaker, I do worry about longevity of the unit since, by most accounts, excessive heat is not a good thing.
  • I'll have to check out the Targus fan... sounds cool (no pun intended).
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