# Emacs!! (fan too loud and other)



## Adam Q Salter (Jul 9, 2002)

Dear all,
I am looking for a place to tell my sad story please hear me out...

I recently made several mistakes in purchasing Apple hardware, which from one point of view could be categorised under the "let the buyer beware" category, but I'm still pretty upset.

I bought an eMac recently. We (my wife and I) investigated various options... We need a new computer, because sharing a single computer does not allow us enough time to get all our work done. We had several requirements - fast, not too expensive, runs OS X <grin>, hardware looks great and matches the decor <double grin>, large screen for graphics work. We looked at getting something second-hand and eventually decided to bite the bullet (expense wise) and bought an eMac.

Got it home and we tried not to get to excited (I remember reading one review saying that using Apple products reignites the old computing excitement - so true) and set it up in the study.

Took a moment to appreciate the whole object (we bought the stand as well, mighty fine looking computer)... and turned it on.

At about this point the illusion was badly dented. The eMac fan is loud. I would equate it with sitting in the drivers seat of an idling car. During the OS X registration/set-up we tried not to mention to each other what we were thinking... We admired 17" screen size. Finally, I said "The fan is quite loud, isn't it?", we looked at each other. So we said... "Lets just watch a DVD and forget about it...". Second rude shock. The "consumer" version of the eMac doesn't have a Combo drive (I know some of you are probably trying to slap the back of my head at this point... but I had honestly thought a "consumer" would want to pay a few dollars extra for a Combo drive eMac, i.e. play DVD/write CD, drive... And if Apple only released one model to consumers it would be the Combo drive model... Dear oh dear silly me)

Next morning bright and early, called the Apple rep. explained that I could not live with the noise and that it doesn't play DVDs (although the "Using the eMac" doco mentions watching DVDs if you have the correct drive option?? and DVD player is in the Applications folder. "Why would they put DVD Player in the applications folder if it couldn't play DVDs" said my poor innocent wife <sigh>).

Their response - The noise: They suggested that I should have listened to the demonstration model (although mentioning that the air-conditioning is quite loud in their shop) and that I should call Apple tech support and find out if there are any "settings" I can set to reduce the fan noise. Although sceptical, I understand that (by design) he is just a reseller and the people I should be making a stink with are Apple, since they actually manufacture the, quickly becoming shun-able, machine. The DVD: the DVD playing "Combo" option is only available to educational customers. (at this point I really felt ripped off!) So this meant to me that Apple obviously made a design choice to open the eMac to "consumers", but restrict the consumer model so that it doesn't quite fit into the "digital hub" peg hole as well as the, considerably more expensive, G4 iMac - an idea which stinks in my opinion since I am a "consumer" and I wanted a Combo drive! (and I have an already considerable financial investment in Apple products, making me part of Apple per se)

Our response - The noise: We thanked the rep. for their help (they are really at the mercy of Apple anyway) and decided that we needed to know the "advertised" dB operating noise level of the eMac (so we could confirm that out model did in fact conform to "advertised" levels and there was no subjective "this is not noisy"/"yes it is" nonsense). We scoured the eMac user manuals and technical specs provided with it and on the web. Running temperature mentioned and other technical information - operating noise level not mentioned. We called Apple tech support and nobody called us back. So we packed the eMac back up, virtually untouched, and sent it to the reseller (which was what Apple support kept telling us to do anyway). It is now languishing with them as they try to procure noise level information from Apple.... and good luck to them. I don't think such information exists. The DVD: We asked the rep if an upgrade path exists. Nope. So we may just have to double curse Apple every time we turn the machine on - if we can't get it returned on grounds of the noise.

To say my wife and I were surprised by the noise is an understatement, Apple's renowned dedication to usability and design somehow never managed to turn the eMac on in anything less than a room full of primary children. The noise is such that I would not like to put five into a classroom as it would start to sound like a air conditioning generator room. As an example I played an audio CD and had to put the volume to 4 notches before it was understandable above the fan noise. I refuse to believe that the noise could not be reduced, since noise can be reduced by around 50% just by cupping your hand over the area directly behind the fan (not recommended - your hand gets tired after about 5 mins).

I would not like my children to work in a room full of eMacs, and I would not recommend an eMac for work or home (of course it depends on your sensibilities). I work with computers for a living and any computer we have that sounds like the eMac we send back to the manufacturer.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Adam Q Salter
adam.salter@saplingdesign.com
Sydney, Australia.


----------



## Sighter (Jul 10, 2002)

I read your post this morning and when I arrived to the shop I ran to the first eMac I saw.. the only noise in the place is the one of the neons...
I had to bring my hear really close to the machine to be able to hear the fan..

I have one of our tech looking to find whats the db of the eMac but I can tell you if you have to bring the volume really up to be able to hear your music, your eMac is having a problem...rush that back to your dealer...

-Sighter


----------



## Adam Q Salter (Jul 11, 2002)

Sighter, thanks for the reply.

Based on what you said, I'm going to have it sent back to Apple...

So would what kind of noise are you hearing? I've also seen comments on the eMac discussion on Apple's site about the  noise so I'm not the only one.

The noise is like a loud hum... when you sit in front of it.

If it were a quiet "swoosh" no problem.

Maybe the fan is loose in this one, but as I said I've seen comments on the noise on Apple's site so....

What dB do you have?


----------



## boi (Jul 15, 2002)

is there a cd spinning in the drive? i know it sounds condescending, but when i got my imac a few years back (the first ones without the fan) i thought the cd spinning hum was a fan. i was so mad! then i took the cd out... no problem; quiet as a mouse ^_^.
sorry to hear your troubles. thanks for the heads up on the eMac.


----------



## Ricky (Jul 17, 2002)

Sorry about your experience with the eMac...  The old G3 iMac  (the one that looks like the eMac but more colorful and with a slot loading CD drive) has no fan in it.  It costs less than the eMac, so I suggest that for the noise problem.


----------



## Hypernate (Jul 22, 2002)

But the old iMac is only a G3, and the eMac is a G4, so....


----------



## Ricky (Jul 23, 2002)

I was addressing the problem with the noise, not the speed.  This seems to be the issue on hand, anyway.  For the average computer user I think a 600 MHz G3 is acceptable.


----------



## simX (Jul 23, 2002)

I'd just like to note that Apple actually IS offering a consumer eMac with a combo drive.  Just check out the online Apple store (URL: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...R2HsA3AA/0.3.0.3.34.25.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?151,85 ).

I think I remember reading that Apple just recently added that option.  Maybe there's some way for them to take it back and allow you to buy a new eMac with a combo drive?

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with your new eMac.  When I saw them at the Apple Store and at the Stanford Bookstore, though, they were really quiet, so I think something must be wrong with yours.


----------



## Adam Q Salter (Jul 25, 2002)

First,
No no CD in the drive... When you see the fan at the back you'll get the idea. It is the size of a small  desk fan.

Good news.... The reseller has agreed to swap my eMac with a new Combo-drive eMac (not available when I posted my "rant" <sigh>)...

I just want to say that I own other Apple hardware and could only really buy Apple hardware... but I'm not going to accept a dud machine just because Apple makes it....

I will let you all know what eventuates with the new one... I'm really hoping that it was just my old machine and not all eMacs in general. I was also unhappy about Apple releasing a modded down version of the eMac... I know they have changed that now.

Perhaps the eMac does need a big fan (with G4 and 17" CRT monitor in the one case)... But I don't expect noise from an Apple product - full stop.

Hope things get better.

Cheers,


----------

