confirmed: 13" RMBP doesn't run fans most of time = totally silent 90% of time

[VesselA]

After being amazed at how silent the 2015 13" MBP most of the time I eventually downloaded "MacsFanControl" to check if there was any idling fan activity or if it was totally still.
this seems to confirm the fans are off most of the time not idling ->

It would be interesting if someone with the 2015 15" could do the same test to see if the fans reduce to zero also.

It is so great being able to run a computer in total silence.
but what can you do before the fans kick in?
So far I've been able to;
*run a 4K video on a 42" external 4K display through hdmi
*run as many tabs and pages as I like
*run logic pro with multiple tracks
*stream 1080p youtube videos fullscreen on 42 external display
*play several basic games such as Jedi Knight 2, dungeon hunter, reckless racing


Each of these things are possible with no fans kicking in, in silent operation - which is amazing to me coming from a 2010 MBP where the fan was ramping up for youtube videos and flash content on web pages

Well I would have been very interested in this info before buying so if anyone hates fan noise and was thinking of a RMB to avoid it, the 13" pro 2015 can do everything the RMB can in the same silence, but also can do more powerful things with the additions of some fan noise kicking in eventually.

 

[macenied]

After being amazed at how silent the 2015 13" MBP most of the time I eventually downloaded "MacsFanControl" to check if there was any idling fan activity or if it was totally still.
this seems to confirm the fans are off most of the time not idling ->
View attachment 580859

It would be interesting if someone with the 2015 15" could do the same test to see if the fans reduce to zero also.

It is so great being able to run a computer in total silence.
but what can you do before the fans kick in?
So far I've been able to;
*run a 4K video on a 42" external 4K display through hdmi
*run as many tabs and pages as I like
*run logic pro with multiple tracks
*stream 1080p youtube videos fullscreen on 42 external display
*play several basic games such as Jedi Knight 2, dungeon hunter, reckless racing


Each of these things are possible with no fans kicking in, in silent operation - which is amazing to me coming from a 2010 MBP where the fan was ramping up for youtube videos and flash content on web pages

Well I would have been very interested in this info before buying so if anyone hates fan noise and was thinking of a RMB to avoid it, the 13" pro 2015 can do everything the RMB can in the same silence, but also can do more powerful things with the additions of some fan noise kicking in eventually.

Thank you, good to know that the 2015 13" is running healthy, when it comes to temperatures. Do you have the i5 2.7 GHZ CPU ? I am looking forward to buy such a rMBP this year. I think the rMBP 15" can be quite different though, due to it´s dedicated GPU which is expected to produce more heat. Let´s see whether someone chimes in with a 15".

This is what I see on a mid 2010 MPB 13", it is absolutely silent and inside cleaned from dust.

 

[Gav2k]

I've not played with that software but I would say it's giving you incorrect readings. There is no way the fan is off in a core-I based laptop even at idle!

All the tasks you've listed would load at least one core enough to ramp the fan up.

So either the software is faulty or given your temps I can see at idle you just can hear the fan. The fan could be faulty and not running but you should notice a massive slow down in performance with higher temps

 

[Niarlatop]

Indeed the fan is not off, it's just spinning at its slowest speed, which you can't hear until you put your ear right next to the computer.
Check it out, you'll see this monitoring software is probably not up to date for the 2015 rMBP.

Anyway it's good to know that you don't hear the fan speeding up with these tasks, very informative, thanks

 

[VesselA]

Indeed the fan is not off, it's just spinning at its slowest speed, which you can't hear until you put your ear right next to the computer.
Check it out, you'll see this monitoring software is probably not up to date for the 2015 rMBP.

Anyway it's good to know that you don't hear the fan speeding up with these tasks, very informative, thanks

I've checked all this - I put my ear right next to machine and its totally silent, the internal monitor app was running with a game and showed high RPM, then started slowing down and confirmed that they eventually go down to zero, it is the newest version of the software updated for Yosemite.
Good to hear the incredulity from people over this, I was also amazed and so happy that the machine runs truly silently like a RMB and am amazed at how much can be done on it before the fans do eventually start up - I can watch a 4K video on my 42" external 4K display and the machine is still silent, amazed, they kick in if I play a graphically intensive game like Arkham City though

 

[snaky69]

I'd open the back of the machine and check, I doubt the fan truly reaches 0 rpm.

 

[VesselA]

I've not played with that software but I would say it's giving you incorrect readings. There is no way the fan is off in a core-I based laptop even at idle!

All the tasks you've listed would load at least one core enough to ramp the fan up.

So either the software is faulty or given your temps I can see at idle you just can hear the fan. The fan could be faulty and not running but you should notice a massive slow down in performance with higher temps

not with the 2015 RMBP it seems, apple have made major improvements and probably partly due to the more streamlined OS of Yosemite and the less intensive processor and graphics card - I have very good hearing and almost considered the RMB to avoid fans totally as I always find them annoying, but ended up going with the pro as I needed more power, I am so glad it runs 90% of the time as silent as an iPad and RMB - this is not the case I am learning with the 15"

 

[snaky69]

not with the 2015 RMBP it seems, apple have made major improvements and probably partly due to the more streamlined OS of Yosemite and the less intensive processor and graphics card - I have very good hearing and almost considered the RMB to avoid fans totally as I always find them annoying, but ended up going with the pro as I needed more power, I am so glad it runs 90% of the time as silent as an iPad and RMB - this is not the case I am learning with the 15"

The fans on my 2012 15" are dead quiet at idle and I have excellent hearing. The hard drive in it is noisier than the fans.

I still think your 0 RPM reading is wrong, the fans are simply well designed to keep quiet. There is no way in hell a 25W processor runs for any amount of time with no fans inside such a small chassis.

 

[VesselA]

The fans on my 2012 15" are dead quiet at idle and I have excellent hearing. The hard drive in it is noisier than the fans.

I still think your 0 RPM reading is wrong, the fans are simply well designed to keep quiet. There is no way in hell a 25W processor runs for any amount of time with no fans inside such a small chassis.

it may be due to improvements with yosemite, such as pausing webpages not viewed and the less intensive processor - if you put your ear next to the machine can you hear the fans then? - even when I do that it is dead silent like an iPad - also the monitoring program is working, it showed a higher RPM when I was running a game, then I closed it and it eventually went down to 0 - Im going to try running the monitoring program while watching a 1080p youtube video and running some programs to see if that has any effect, but it is utterly silent

 

[VesselA]

OK so now I'm testing this and confirming the silent performance, seems this is too unbelievable for many, I am quite amazed also - here is a screen shot running a 1080p youtube video on an external 42" display with the internal monitor data running on same screen below
first screen cap is about a minute into video and its running totally silent with 0RPM and all the temperatures are low:
.

now around 5 minutes in and still 0 RPM and this is confirmed by all the temps being still too low to require the cooling from the fan, in fact the CPU's are COOLER after 5 minutes of streaming full HD video on the external display than 1 minute in!

 

[VesselA]

Thank you, good to know that the 2015 13" is running healthy, when it comes to temperatures. Do you have the i5 2.7 GHZ CPU ? I am looking forward to buy such a rMBP this year. I think the rMBP 15" can be quite different though, due to it´s dedicated GPU which is expected to produce more heat. Let´s see whether someone chimes in with a 15".

This is what I see on a mid 2010 MPB 13", it is absolutely silent and inside cleaned from dust.

thanks for posting that, very interesting

 

[cbautis2]

My 2011 MBA is also silent on these tasks (minimum RPM even on 1080p60) so this is nothing special.

 

[VesselA]

My 2011 MBA is also silent on these tasks (minimum RPM even on 1080p60) so this is nothing special.

well total silence is much better to me than any degree of fan noise - and it seems to be the first macbook pro which is able to do quite a lot in total silence

 

[snaky69]

it may be due to improvements with yosemite, such as pausing webpages not viewed and the less intensive processor - if you put your ear next to the machine can you hear the fans then? - even when I do that it is dead silent like an iPad - also the monitoring program is working, it showed a higher RPM when I was running a game, then I closed it and it eventually went down to 0 - Im going to try running the monitoring program while watching a 1080p youtube video and running some programs to see if that has any effect, but it is utterly silent

Nevermind the software, I bet if you open it up and look at the fan, it'll be spinning.

 

[Toutou]

cbautis2's 2011 MBA can also play Full HD video at 60 FPS, as well as my 2013 rMPB, so playing a Full HD video isn't such a big deal.

Also I don't believe the fans are allowed to stop completely - if a fan got stuck (somehow), the system would "realize" that only after a significant temperature rise. Doesn't seem safe to me.

We get it you like your new MacBook. There's no need to convince us any more.

 

[Kissmyne]

As others have mentioned, 0 rpm is very unlikely.. The software is reading wrong... particularly as it detects that the fan MINIMUM speed is 1299 and then says current value is 0(i.e. it is showing that it is operating below its DESIGNED minimum speed). Either the software is wrong or you have a hardware problem PERIOD. Try SMCFanControl under the same case loads, and screenshot the RPM reading(uninstall MacsFanControl first).

I doubt you could "really" hear this fan at 1300RPM unless you have a VERY quiet room to listen for it.

 

[DeltaMac]

Yes, you may know that Apple has been moving to maglev fans. The only audible noise is the air moving past the fan blades. At idle, it's really unlikely that you would hear anything at all. The fans never shut down to zero rpm. The utilities that read the sensors are less accurate about the actual fan speed. Zero probably means no valid sensor reading, not zero RPM.

 

[VesselA]

As others have mentioned, 0 rpm is very unlikely.. The software is reading wrong... particularly as it detects that the fan MINIMUM speed is 1299 and then says current value is 0(i.e. it is showing that it is operating below its DESIGNED minimum speed). Either the software is wrong or you have a hardware problem PERIOD. Try SMCFanControl under the same case loads, and screenshot the RPM reading(uninstall MacsFanControl first).

I doubt you could "really" hear this fan at 1300RPM unless you have a VERY quiet room to listen for it.

the minimum fan is just how slow it goes when it is active, I watched it lower from high speed, then hover around 1299, then it went a few RPM UNDER that, then it went to zero, and it is utterly silent

I tried your preferred system analysis software, results;

1 minute in...

4 minutes in...

again the measured temperature backs up that the fans are off, no need for them at 54º

 

[VesselA]

cbautis2's 2011 MBA can also play Full HD video at 60 FPS, as well as my 2013 rMPB, so playing a Full HD video isn't such a big deal.

not in ipad / RMB level silence for prolonged periods

 

[Kissmyne]

Let's say the fan speed readings are correct.. this is something I would consider to be a SEVERE problem.

SMC minimum fan values are MINIMUM values, not "minimum while fans are active"

If you are ok with the CPU fan stopping, thats your issue, your computer, and your money, but for me that is simply UNACCEPTABLE.

 

[VesselA]

minimum fan values was in relation to the other fan monitoring software not SMC

running logic pro, photoshop, full HD video on external display, running 4K video on 4K external display, running basic games, all with cool CPU's and totally silent computer with no annoying fan noise is certainly not a "problem" or "unacceptable" - the extreme opposite of that actually - its amazing

 

[Niarlatop]

minimum fan values was in relation to the other fan monitoring software not SMC

running logic pro, photoshop, full HD video on external display, running 4K video on 4K external display, running basic games, all with cool CPU's and totally silent computer with no annoying fan noise is certainly not a "problem" or "unacceptable" - the extreme opposite of that actually - its amazing

By the way, what kind of 4K display do you have? Are you running it at 60 Hz with HiDPI scaled resolution?

 

[VesselA]

By the way, what kind of 4K display do you have? Are you running it at 60 Hz with HiDPI scaled resolution?

its an lg 42" 4K tv, so runs at 30 fps, but because the video was 60fps it seems smoother than 30

something I realised after scaling it to 4K was how impractical it is for general usage, as all the text is tiny, so I just switch to it to check photos at 4K and occasionally run 4K video.

1080p on a 42 inch display from about 2.5 feet is good size for text to read and is 60hz

 

[macenied]

its an lg 42" 4K tv, so runs at 30 fps, but because the video was 60fps it seems smoother than 30

something I realised after scaling it to 4K was how impractical it is for general usage, as all the text is tiny, so I just switch to it to check photos at 4K and occasionally run 4K video.

1080p on a 42 inch display from about 2.5 feet is good size for text to read and is 60hz

What CPU version do you have ?

 

[iSheep5S]

Stick in iStat you will see 1200rpm idle. From my ex, one 2014 rMBP. I was super fussy about heat. Gaming, even light pushed it above 2k at this point it was quiet but i was aware of fan noise.