Loud Superdrive

[miller325]

Hello All,

I have a new G4 933MHz with the Superdrive. Today I played some commercial audio CDs in it for the first time. All of the CDs played fine as far as the audio, but the sound of the drive alarmed me. On many of the CDs the drive was very loud and low pitched. It caused a sympathetic vibration in the computer case. I could place my hands on different parts of the computer case and reduce the vibration, but the drive still sounded loud. On other CDs everything was fine. I could hear the drive but it sounded like a normal computer drive, and there was no case vibration. Would anyone have any idea of what is happening? Why does the drive sound different from CD to CD? Sometimes it roars. Sometimes it sounds fine. Would I learn anything by using the Apple Hardware Test CD-ROM? I plan to call Apple Support about this but thought I might get some feedback here first.

Thanks,
Philip

[Justin]

I've heard complaints about some of the "quicksilver" g4's being a bit noisy. You might try putting the machine on a pad of some kind to keep it from transferring vibrations through the case and desk or floor. You could use any rubberized mat that doesn't put it at risk of falling. Or if you have a spare Auralex Gramma around, use that if it's setting on the floor. :)

If the noise is caused by parts within the case (fans or the drive vibrating in it's mount) and not a drive problem. There are some guides on the web on how to modify your case to reduce the noise, but most all of them involve voiding your warranty.

I've also heard of some burned cd-r's being noisy due to the stick on labels or manufacturer's embossed print being unbalanced to one side of the disk or another and causing vibrations as the disk spins. But that doesn't seem to be relevant if you're playing commercial cd's.

[miller325]

Justin,

Thanks for all of the ideas, but I think I've tried them. I moved the G4 to a different surface. I also put rubber mats under each end and used a level to make sure it was sitting level. Don't have an Auralex Gamma but I did try a sheet of Auralex foam underneath, besides the rubber mats. No help.

I believe this is drive noise and not fan noise. The fans are a little loud but I can live with that. If it happened on all audio CDs that would make more sense to me.

I've heard that improperly placed labels can cause vibrations by getting things out of balance, but these were all commercial CDs without labels.

Philip

[Justin]

The fact that it only makes the noise on some cd's and not others leads me to believe it's a problem w/ the drive. If this machine is new, I'd definetly check w/ Apple's tech support and see if you can get it replaced. I had a pc cd-rom that did something similar and I think it was due to the motor mechanism failing. It was very noisy when the disc was being read...and later developed intermittent read errors.

If it did this all the time, I'd think it wasn't seated securely in it's bracket...and that was causing the vibrations....but this seems to be something in the mechanism itself.

[miller325]

Good idea about talking to Apple Support. It is CD specific. If a CD roars then I know that particular CD will always roar. These CDs play fine in my PC drive and two CD players.

Philip

[Nala]

This is/was an issue with some of the 2002-2003 Quicksilver G4 Macs. It's actually the main cooling fan and it was called the 'windtunnel' effect.
This had become a major issue so Mac support had a free swap out for the fan...they will send you a new improved (fixed, quieter) fan for your older noisy one, Contact Mac Support They set you straight on what to do....

Nala