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    CPU Whine: defect or not?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by pufftissue, Oct 21, 2008.

  1. pufftissue

    pufftissue Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi,

    I just got my W500, but I want to ask if CPU whine is considered a defect or a byproduct of (possibly) all core 2 duo chips entering this C3 state (low power state).

    My W500 is pretty much perfect, except for this, which I've already noticed. I never noticed this in my macbook pro, and on my xps m1330 prior to that, the fans were like jet engines, so I never noticed it.

    My question is if ALL penryn processors have this and the people who say their laptops don't have it just aren't as sensitive, or if it is possible to get a processor that does not have this annoying property?

    FWIW, Dell states in its knowledge base that replacing parts won't solve the issue at all. Is this true or is this just a money-saving ploy?
     
    pufftissue, Oct 21, 2008
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  2. jaredy

    jaredy Notebook Virtuoso

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    I would not say it is a defect because a lot of laptops in general with the core2 chips have whine. It can be from the low power state...it can be from being plugged into AC. Some people just get lucky :\.
     
    jaredy, Oct 21, 2008
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  3. veemexx

    veemexx Notebook Geek

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    What settings do you have on your W500 to get the whine? I'll try and recreate those settings and see whether my W500 has the whine.

    If you are not satisfied with your W500 in any way, do call up Lenovo within the 21 day period and get everything fixed/replaced. I just called them for an issue and they acceded to my request but call them again with your case number to check the status of your case (which I am going to do tomorrow).
     
    veemexx, Oct 21, 2008
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  4. brutalturtle

    brutalturtle Notebook Consultant

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    have it. had it on my last one too. just turn off "CPU deeper sleep" in power manager and it disappears. Leave it on when using the battery.
     
    brutalturtle, Oct 21, 2008
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  5. louisssss

    louisssss Notebook Consultant

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    i'm not sure why you (and/or others) are calling it CPU whine. a CPU never makes any noise...
     
    louisssss, Oct 21, 2008
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  6. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    If you stick your ear close enough you will hear a whine even on a normal notebook. Some notebooks just whine alot louder.

    You can get rid of the whine with RMclock by disabling the sleep state causing the whine. You will lose a small amount of battery life though.
     
    flipfire, Oct 22, 2008
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  7. Chk

    Chk Notebook Consultant

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    I'm experiencing the same problem with my W500, it mostly whines when I move my laptop around, but otherwise its fine.
     
    Chk, Oct 22, 2008
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  8. pufftissue

    pufftissue Notebook Evangelist

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    So if CPU whine/electronic high-pitched beeps /noise are normal, then why have some of my laptops had it and others have not. Namely, my macbook pro, which uses a penryn core 2 duo processor, does not have it.

    I mean, this noise is definitely quite audible and is like a tiny mosquito buzzing in your ear.
     
    pufftissue, Oct 22, 2008
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  9. zerosource

    zerosource Notebook Deity

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    blame Intel =P
     
    zerosource, Oct 22, 2008
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  10. bob13bob

    bob13bob Notebook Enthusiast

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    bob13bob, Nov 19, 2008
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  11. ix9

    ix9 Notebook Enthusiast

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    my x200 has got the wine. funny thing is its louder than the fan. kind of like a crappy TV set.
     
    ix9, Nov 19, 2008
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  12. philosopherdog

    philosopherdog Notebook Consultant

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    Mine did this until I installed the Thinkvantage power manager stuff and now it's gone. It's not just Dual Core CPU's that do this. My last HP did it and it was a Pentium M. It just did it on battery power. So, play around with the power settings and see if it doesn't go away. It's most likely a power setting. Did you do a clean install? If so run the Thinkvantage update thing and make sure you have all of the latest drivers and update the BIOS if there's a new one. See if that doesn't solve it.
     
    philosopherdog, Nov 19, 2008
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  13. justin_c

    justin_c Notebook Geek

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    the whining is from the VRMs, those control the voltage that is supplied to the CPU, etc.
     
    justin_c, Nov 19, 2008
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