Chromebook

[ffsam]

I have purchased two C720 Chromebooks and both emitted a high-pitched electrical whine, a problem that many have reported on, for instance, Reddit and Chromebook Google Forums.

After tearing down one of them today--voiding the warrantly--I determined that a substantial amount of the high-pitched whine was coming from the USB Card Reader Board on the right side of the machine. After I disconnected the card much of the high-pitched whine disappeared. Newegg sells replacements for $15 (http://bit.ly/1evcswR), though who knows if a new one will be any better. I'm still getting a (quieter) high-pitched whine from the left side, where the other ports are, though they are part of the motherboard, so I don't know what the solution would be.

All in all, I really like the C720, even with the persistent squeaky noise, though that has a lot to do with its low cost.