Mac mini M1 fan noise clearly heard from seated position

[Inpresmoj]

Just wondering if it is normal to be able to hear the fan from the desk seated position. My new Mac mini is on my desk next to my monitor. Its by no means loud and there is nothing else in my room making any noise, its a very quiet room.

From all the reviews I just thought I wouldn’t know it was on which isn’t the case, although I do have very sensitive hearing.

If I put my ear right next to Mac mini then I can hear the same noise but also there is secondary noise, this one is intermittent like a accessing high pitched noise, fortunately this cannot be heard from the seated position as its far more intrusive a noise.

If its normal then I can live with, just wondering if its worth trying to get a replacement, I was thinking I will probably put the mini under the desk or further away from me.

 

[Kenny99]

Run:
How do I run Apple diagnostics on my Mac?


Apple silicon

1. Start up your Mac.
2. Continue to press and hold the power button as your Mac turns on.
3. Release the power button when the startup options window appears.
4. Press Command-D to run the Diagnostics.
5. Apple Diagnostics will run automatically. When it is complete, it will present a list of the problems encountered.

If that doesn’t find anything get one of the Fan control apps and run the fan speed up to see if you can hear anything. If it is still under warranty you could replace it.

 

[JEuro2285]

dang it, this is the first ive seen about the fan noise, as mine is coming in tomorrow or Friday lol... i'd plant it under the desk. if its too much, get an extension cord and stick it in the closet lol

 

[Inpresmoj]

like I said its by no means loud or annoying, I just wasn't expecting to be able to hear it clearly but its not distracting, think I just got used to my MacBook Air with no fan. I had a iMac 2020 but returned it to Apple that I found to be really too loud and not a nice noise at all, so by comparison the mini is by far a lot better

 

[JEuro2285]

I see. i dont think anything is completely silent then

 

[cubeover]

High pitched chirps can happen, because when a burst of current happens, there comes magnetic fields, according Maxwell’s equations. When dynamic magnetic fields happen, magnetic materials (iron wires, bolts, metallic parts of chips) in the vicinity may shift in the mag field ever so slightly. If they do this at acoustic frequency, and you put your ears close to the case, you may be able to hear it.
Quantum computers will solve this issue, being optical…

 

[cubeover]

Fans are there so you get more power, if you do not need power but mad about the noises then Macbook Air or one of the totally silent chinese low-power pcs from Alixpress will solve this.

 

[Inpresmoj]

I did try one of those no fan pc's from AliExpress but I found when the SSD was been accessed there was accessing noise that was more obvious than just a fan. I tried 2 different SSD's and it did it on both, I might have just been unlucky or I just needed to try more SSD drives but in the end I returned it. This Mac mini is the best I've found its a constant soft whirring noise, I just expected it to be a bit quieter from most of what I've read but I do think my hearing is sensitive. I might see if Apple can suggest anything or send me another one to compare

 

[Kenny99]

Just another though, place the Mini on a wash cloth to see if that will quite it down. Or turn it on its side, their are some stands for that on Amazo. Good luck, hope you find something that works.

 

[JEuro2285]

Got my M1 Mini in today, thing has been silent!

 

[jerryk]

Sounds like coil whine. Is it like a rotational disk being accessed?

 

[Sarah Hamilton]

Got my M1 Mini in today, thing has been silent!

Which monitor you using?

 

[JEuro2285]

Which monitor you using?

I'm using a 65" Sony TV. 60hz

 

[Wolf1701]

Just wondering if it is normal to be able to hear the fan from the desk seated position. My new Mac mini is on my desk next to my monitor. Its by no means loud and there is nothing else in my room making any noise, its a very quiet room.

yes, it's normal. In a very quiet room you can hear the fan (because there's a fan always on after all). My solution: put the mini under the desk... then it's like my mb air M1

 

[jerryk]

yes, it's normal. In a very quiet room you can hear the fan (because there's a fan always on after all). My solution: put the mini under the desk... then it's like my mb air M1

The only way I can hear the fan in my mini is by placing my ear 1/2 inch or less from the top of the device.

I plan on mounting it under my desk, but primarily to free up desk space and hide the nest of cables.

 

[Wolf1701]

The only way I can hear the fan in my mini is by placing my ear 1/2 inch or less from the top of the device.

I plan on mounting it under my desk, but primarily to free up desk space and hide the nest of cables.

Of course to hear it you have to be in a *very* quiet room and to have a very sensitive hearing like the OP said. I have had some iMac's and at least 4 mac mini's (G4, 2012, 2018, M1) and I have always "struggled" a little bit with this very low noise.

When I ask others if they hear anything for them is... silent. I suppose one can (with a mm M1) take the risk to unplug the fan... this thing works without a fan in a mb air after all.

 

[Inpresmoj]

It may have been an update or fan has bedded in but it is now much quieter so I'm happy with it, it was worth giving it a bit more time as past few weeks its been fine.

 

[ACD30"]

It was finally dead silent in my workspace, so I decided to listen for my M2 Mac mini (which is placed directly on my desk and sits under a meter from my ears). I thought I could hear the fan, so I put my ear beside the Mac mini and had myself a listen..

The fan sounds like it's buffeting or something. It kind of sounds like my old unibody MacBook Pro did when its fans were picking up. The air may be pushed through such small vents that there's resistance to be had. At first, I thought it sounded like the trickling sound that an SSD makes when it's accessed, but then I listened for a while longer and determined it wasn't a whine. I just hope this is normal. Whatever the case, this computer is infinitely quieter than any desktop I have owned, and it's definitely quieter at load than an Intel Mac mini.