16" / 2020 13" owners please chime in - how audible are your machines?

[llllllllll]

Need a MBP soon, either a base 16" or a specced up 10th gen 13" should give me what I want, both end up costing roughly the same, so at the moment I'm mostly debating whether size and weight would be an issue - but now also started considering fan noise.

While actually working (live streaming video / Zoom calls with a lot of people, photo editing etc.) I expect the fans to be audible at least from time to time and I'm fine with it - but I will also use this computer after work (email, browsing the web, everyday stuff) and I would really love the machine to be as silent as possible then.

My question basically being: how loud are your machines under light load, and can somebody compare the 16" and (2020 10th gen) 13" in this regard?
I did search the forum but found a lot of contradicting statements which did not help much, also I can't really believe that a 16"s i7 by default needs to be cooled more intensely (when just doing light work as described above).

Thank you very much for your input!

 

[bill-p]

Both my 13" (2018) and 16" are inaudible during Zoom.

In fact, I use the work-provided 2015 15" more often and even that doesn't sound terribly loud with Zoom. The 13" and 16" should be fine.

Bonus: work also provided me with a HP Zbook G3 15". It's a tank. The fan in the thing goes from "barely audible" to "very audible". It's also "barely audible" during Zoom when I need to share my own screen. I don't think Zoom is that resource-intensive?

 

[llllllllll]

Thanks for your reply.

I probably should have clarified I am the person hosting the calls / streams, so this seems to be quite taxing for the machine.
Like I said though I'm not so much worried about the thing running its fan while I actually work but I would love it to be as silent as possible when I'm just doing email correspondence, browsing etc.

 

[bill-p]

I am the host for probably about 1/3 of these Zoom meetings and I share my screen very often. Still not causing the fans to go crazy to be honest.

Which computer is this that's giving you excessive fan noise or heat issues?

 

[tothemoonsands]

My 2020 13" 10th gen i7 / 32GB RAM / 2TB SSD is completely silent.

 

[recoil80]

I'd say I hear the fans more frequently on my 16" compared to my previous 15", but they're not too loud and I don't think people on hangouts can hear my fans spinning.
Do you make the calls using loudspeaker and mic on you Mac? Maybe you could try an headset, so the mic will be closer to your mouth and don't be affected by fan noise, and even other noises from your home.
I use my laptop in clamshell mode at home, so I take calls on my iPad as I don't have a USB webcam, the iPad is of course silent but my voice is way better when I use AirPods.

 

[llllllllll]

Thanks for your feedback, guys.

Let me mention again I really don't mind audible fans during a Zoom meeting (I am not sitting directly in front of the computer, also I do use an external mic) - or during work in general at all.

It's "after work", in a quiet enviroment, when I would really appreciate the machine being as quiet as possible;
in other words: at night, when I'm just looking at images of kittens on the internet while I'm having a glass of red I don't want any fans to disrupt my calm and serene browsing experience.

 

[chengengaun]

I listen to classical music in the evenings with the 16" and the fans are not audible. When I am using Zoom the fans are not audible, either.

edit: And I have it plugged in to the LG 5K monitor.

 

[llllllllll]

how loud are your machines under light load

To sort-of answer my own question I'm typing this on a 16" i7 which I have used for various light-ish tasks in the last days, browsing with several tabs open, playing music, using messages / FaceTime, Pages, Zoom etc. - not even bothering to close any apps actually.
The thing has been completely silent.
The only time I briefly heard a fan was when OSX updated, and when Creative Suite / Photoshop installed.

 

[leman]

My i9 16” is not different to any other 15” I’ve ever used. Actually, it’s a bit quieter overall since it has more thermal headroom - it takes longer for the fans to ramp up. Of course, it’s loud under load (like any other laptop).

 

[ajaan]

Got the 1.4 base. Noisiest computer I've had in a long time. Technically handles a 4K display, only it doesn't. Lid closed, sounds like a hand dryer.

Most of the time, when using as a laptop without an external, it's silent, but at certain times the fans just whirr up. I don't know why this is, because I'm doing anything unusual, and my computing needs are not intensive, hence I always buy base models.

With my previous Macs they would pretty much be silent all the time, I'd never hear the fans. Whereas this MBP is more powerful than my older machines, should be able to handle the same tasks better, and yet the fans, at times, can get pretty noisy.

It's also the hottest machine I've ever owned. Right now I have two tabs open in safari, mail and iMessage open, and I can feel the heat coming off.

During Zoom and FaceTime I haven't heard the fans.

2015 13-inch MBP we still have is quieter and cooler.

 

[Appledoesnotlisten]

Got the 1.4 base. Noisiest computer I've had in a long time. Technically handles a 4K display, only it doesn't. Lid closed, sounds like a hand dryer.

Most of the time, when using as a laptop without an external, it's silent, but at certain times the fans just whirr up. I don't know why this is, because I'm doing anything unusual, and my computing needs are not intensive, hence I always buy base models.

With my previous Macs they would pretty much be silent all the time, I'd never hear the fans. Whereas this MBP is more powerful than my older machines, should be able to handle the same tasks better, and yet the fans, at times, can get pretty noisy.

It's also the hottest machine I've ever owned. Right now I have two tabs open in safari, mail and iMessage open, and I can feel the heat coming off.

During Zoom and FaceTime I haven't heard the fans.

2015 13-inch MBP we still have is quieter and cooler.

I guess these new hair dryers will drive up resale value of butterfly MacBooks

 

[leman]

Most of the time, when using as a laptop without an external, it's silent, but at certain times the fans just whirr up. I don't know why this is, because I'm doing anything unusual, and my computing needs are not intensive, hence I always buy base models.

It's also the hottest machine I've ever owned. Right now I have two tabs open in safari, mail and iMessage open, and I can feel the heat coming off.

This is usually a sign that you might have a rogue process consuming too many resources. Watch the activity monitor when this happens, you might be able to catch something at 100% CPU.

 

[enthawizeguy]

just got mine 16 maxed out. silent, except a few times but barely audible

 

[lobo1978]

For two weeks I have had a possibility to compare head to head 2019 16” (i9, 5500M) with my current 2017 15” (i7 560M).

I noticed both machine are equally silent in most simple tasks BUT

2019 16” is getting hotter much quicker than 15” - when heated up by some burst of intensive task. It will burn your legs if you like working in bed. Ouch!!!

AND

When 16” starts fans they are producing more noise when at max comparing to 15”. It is a result of “better” cooling solution needed for CPU/GPU combo used. Without using noise canceling headphones it is unbearable.

Side note:
That’s why I decided to return 2019 16”. Too much “Pro” for me. I am better off with 2017 15” - Apple has just replaced screen and top case with keyboard and battery. After 3 years of use I basically was given brand new laptop. Sweet!
That is the reason I stick with Apple products. I was never treated bad.