Page 1 of buzzing from imac

a few weeks ago i noticed a buzzing sound just after starting up, just before the desktop opens, it stayed for around 10 minutes then went off. i have had the mac for around 8 months and this is the first time i have heard it. now though the noise doesn`t stop until i either restart or more often shut down then start up again.

i now there are noises with all electrical stuff, the noise when you insert a disk on the mac is noisy but that`s the noise it makes so its no problem, this as i say has only started a few weeks ago. if i turn the brightness right up, it stops but when i turn it back down it comes back. i have had something similar on an lcd a few years back, it made a buzzing sound that went away when i turned the backlight on full, and came back when i turned it down. the difference though is that was there from day one, this has only just started. as i say its not overly loud but my main concern is i don`t want it to get worse or anything else to happen, as i need the computer daily. cheers.

I would be calling Apple support straight away (or taking it to one of their stores).
And also ensure you have all the necessary backups.

Yep back it up and get it swapped - you`ve paid enough!



IN MADNESS YOU DWELL

My office/work iMac developed a strange screech/high pitched whistle about a year after we bought it that would come and go, which might be the same/similar as to the sound you are experiencing. After some googling for a possible cause, I found some forums where people claimed it was the hard drive failing etc. As we use a server for storage at work, I wasn`t concerned about losing anything if it was a HD failure, so just persevered to see if it continued (it was more annoying than anything). Slowly the strange sound went away and hasn`t returned, and the iMac is 100% fine. It`s one of those `unexplained things`.

On the other hand, if it was my home iMac, I`d do what others above have suggested and backup (use OSX`s Time Machine) and get it into your local Apple shop for a repair/replacement if it`s still doing it.

Sometimes these sounds are from the fans, particularly on PCs it will be the PSU fan as they are often cheap and don`t use ball bearings, just sleeves. They will make a whining noise which can go away with a tap on the box, or on their own after it has been on a few minutes.


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thanks for all the replies. the buzzing is still here, i was in the kitchen earlier and could still here the noise quite clearly over other sounds. i now there are always going to be noises from these sorts of things, as i said the noise the disk drive makes is a little loud but thats the noise it makes, i am a little worried this might be the start of a bigger problem.

a few days back the sound would just go away after ten minutes or so, now it takes two or three restarts to go away. it was fine for around eight months and just started all of a sudden, but i haven`t altered or changed anything. i think i will have to give the shop a call and see what can be done, but i need it daily for work etc so will have to see what can be done. the noise isn`t overly loud as i say it`s just what it might go onto. cheers.

Definitely don`t let that warranty run out!


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As Robert has said, be wary of not letting the warranty expire. The iMac in general is an near silent machine - I can only hear mine when I`m doing some CPU intensive activities (3D rendering etc), so any particularly loud noises from your machine should really be looked at by Apple, especially if it`s not going away.

that`s why i noticed this noise because in the first 8 months or so it has been quiet, having had a p.c. desktop for years which can be a little noisy. even on the laptop with the fan/cooler can be noisy but you get used to it.

the imac has been very quiet despite working it quite a bit, as i said things like the disk drive etc are that way and i have got used to them. it was the same again today, i have had it on twice for a few hours at a time and each time just as the grey screen comes on at the start the buzzing noise starts, it seems to be near the bottom left, although when i asked my mum if she could hear it she thought it was coming from the fridge!!!!!!!!!

i will wait and see what the shop says, i got it from john lewis, its well within warranty.

thanks again

rather than start a new thread i thought i would find my old one as the problem is still the same. a little recap from the end of the original thread. i did get in touch with john lewis who sent some one out who verified the noise. i cannot remember exactly what happened next but it was something along the lines of john lewis saying no one should have come out and we normally send them to scotland i think they said to be looked at. well using the imac for work at home daily there was no way i could be without it for more than a few days, they said maybe a few weeks.

i think i just lived with it as the sound could go away and for hours on the end the imac is fine. then a year later, i think i had another thread, the hard drive seemed to go so i backed everything up and re-installed and a year and a half later i am still using it. but that noise has been there everyday. its got to the point were it is really bothering me. i know i should have pushed when i went into john lewis originally but was put off by their response, i think i should have pushed them on the guy who came out and was going to put a report in. but, well....point is i couldn`t do without it for the time they said, and i could live with the noise so days/months etc...go by.

it goes either by restarting several times or moving the screen back and forth or by putting brightness to full then back to zero. all of them do work to make the noise stop. but there is no real pattern. recently, i don`t know why i did it, but i squeezed the top back part of the case and the noise stopped completely then starts again when i release. that is the only constant here. i am out of warranty by know so is there anything, safe i could try, because it know seems to have been isolated to the top at the back.

sorry for going on but i need to get this sorted for my own sanity. many thanks.