Fan noise 15" Touch Bar MBP

[AngryBrit]

Hi,

I've had this machine for 7 months (base 15" model) and have started noticing the fans more. I could swear it used to be silent.

When the CPU is idle (most of the time) and 40 degrees celsius (around 100F), the left fan is operating at ~2150rpm and the right fan at ~2000rpm according to iStat Menus.

I'm not doing anything CPU intensive either, I have several apps open but nothing using a lot of CPU.

I also have the MBP on a Rain Design mStand and can hear the fans when I'm sat a normal distance from the screen. If I put my ear close to the trackpad it is obviously more audible.

Has anyone else experienced something like this?

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

Maybe you've just gotten used to the silence? When I first got mine it was deadly silent, but I was coming from a 2010 MBP which sounded like a space-shuttle by the time I retired it. I have noticed a faint hum now and again coming from the new Mac but nothing excessive. Is yours particularly loud?

 

[AngryBrit]

Maybe you've just gotten used to the silence? When I first got mine it was deadly silent, but I was coming from a 2010 MBP which sounded like a space-shuttle by the time I retired it. I have noticed a faint hum now and again coming from the new Mac but nothing excessive. Is yours particularly loud?

The level of fan noise sounds to me as if the CPU is doing some work, but it is in fact not. And it is constant. I also came from a 2009 MBP.

Edit: Just found this thread which describes exactly the same thing... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-loud-is-your-15-2016-tbmbp.2042477/

 

[Janichsan]

Mine is still completely silent. Most likely explanation of the noise you're hearing is in my opinion dust or dirt in the fan. I had this with my old (2012) rMBP, which after a while (2+ years) emitted fairly noticeable fan noises. After some cleaning, the noise was gone.

 

[AngryBrit]

Mine is still completely silent. Most likely explanation of the noise you're hearing is in my opinion dust or dirt in the fan. I had this with my old (2012) rMBP, which after a while (2+ years) emitted fairly noticeable fan noises. After some cleaning, the noise was gone.

Yeah, I'm thinking that could be a possibility. But it is only 7 month old. Do you think it's possible to clean manually or we'd need to take it to a genius? (Thinking of getting it checked anyway).

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

I take it you've checked the activity monitor?

The only time my fans are loud when it's doing nothing is when the airflow is blocked, like on fabric. That could be an issue for you, it pulls air from the sides and pushes it out under the screen. So it's designed to have the screen open at more or less a right angle. Check underneath the screen to see how open that slot is. Or make sure it's open normally and see if the problem is still there.

 

[AngryBrit]

I take it you've checked the activity monitor?

The only time my fans are loud when it's doing nothing is when the airflow is blocked, like on fabric. That could be an issue for you, it pulls air from the sides and pushes it out under the screen. So it's designed to have the screen open at more or less a right angle. Check underneath the screen to see how open that slot is. Or make sure it's open normally and see if the problem is still there.

It's on an mStand (so should be well ventilated), the area above the touch bar is barely warm.

Both the vents on the rear look fine...

 

[Janichsan]

Yeah, I'm thinking that could be a possibility. But it is only 7 month old. Do you think it's possible to clean manually or we'd need to take it to a genius? (Thinking of getting it checked anyway).

I would take to a Genius, as you'd need special tools and since the fans seem to be even less accessible than in previous models.

 

[AngryBrit]

Bumping this... I had the fans cleaned by Apple, which involved them wiping the HD (of course!). The noise went.

3-4 months later, the fans are audible again when idling! I can't have the fans replaced every few months!

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

Bumping this... I had the fans cleaned by Apple, which involved them wiping the HD (of course!). The noise went.

3-4 months later, the fans are audible again when idling! I can't have the fans replaced every few months!

Did you try buying a can of compressed air and giving them a blast every now and again? If it's only developed after a few months, and Apple cleaning them solved it last time. Then chances are you're in a dusty environment, which is clogging the fans. So clean them every so often to prevent build up.