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Mac Studio Owners Complain of Irritating High-Pitched Noise
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This is great, if this is a good example of the sound then I can say confidently that my Ultra doesn't have this. I was slightly surprised by how audible the air flow was given the hype about being so quiet, so wasn't sure if that was really what people were on about. I can hear the faintest hint of a machine-like sound sometimes but nothing like this video, and nothing I'm concerned about.
I will say, this is by far the quietest 20 core HEDT I've ever had the luxury to use, even quieter than water cooled Threadripper boxes. I mean... honestly water cooling is way louder than you'd think if you haven't had it before because of all the pump noise but still, it's worth comparing this to its competition when considering sound issues.
My prediction is that if people keep the complaining at a high enough visibility, Apple will get a better part for the Max fans to address it. But just as likely, they won't do anything and you might see some third party mods show up to address it.
M1 Max Studio here. No issues at all, and love it. Sorry that some are having an issue though. 1.0 products can bite any of us.
Edit… since many have asked I’m in SW US.
Edit… since many have asked I’m in SW US.
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Tell them Tim Cook said when you get older you won't hear it anymore just keep blasting music with AirPods of course
Some Mac Studio owners have noticed that their machines are making a high-pitched "whining" sound that appears to be coming from the fan. There are pages of complaints on the MacRumors forums about the issue, and it seems to be affecting a number of users.
Most of the complaints are coming from Mac Studio owners who opted for the M1 Max Mac Studio rather than the Ultra version, which is not a surprise as the two machines have different thermal setups.
Users who are experiencing issues have described the noise as a high-frequency sound that is difficult to ignore, and it is in addition to the standard fan noise. From MacRumors reader sunsetblvd:There are a wide range of complaints, but all of them seem to describe the same general noise. From MacRumors reader h43m:The M1 Max and M1 Ultra have different heatsinks, which explains why one machine is experiencing issues while the other is not. The M1 Ultra is equipped with a much larger copper heatsink, that likely prevents the fan from kicking on as often, and there also appears to be a problem with the M1 Max setup that causes the whine.
It is worth noting that not all M1 Max Mac Studio models appear to be experiencing this problem, as some people have said that they do not hear an unusual sound beyond the standard quiet fan noise. There are also some complaints just about the level of the fan noise alone without the whine, but many of the people who are unhappy with their machines seem to be experiencing the high-pitched sound rather than the typical fan noise.
Mac Studio buyers who are within their two week return period can get a replacement from Apple, but there are reports that replacement machines have seen the same issue. It is not clear if this is something that can be addressed in a software update or if it's a hardware issue that Apple is dealing with.
Have you noticed a high-pitched whine from your Mac Studio? Let us know in the comments.
Article Link: Mac Studio Owners Complain of Irritating High-Pitched Noise
The 14” m1 max MacBook operates in 0 rpm fan mode when it is cool enough. That’s what I’m referring to. The cooling solution of the 14” is less beefy than the studio so I am not sure why the laptop can operate with its fans in 0 rpm mode but the studio with a better cooling solution cannot.
Apparently it is a coil whine. I’ve had this issue with Mac Mini 2018, but it disappears after a while (if the computer stays connected to the grid), when it apparently enriches the capacitors on the PCB
While i don't doubt the reports of Mac Studio noise from some users, I can say that mine is dead silent. After hours of continuous intensive CPU tasks, I can place my ear right next to the back vents and it is absolutely silent (yes, my hearing is normal
So I wouldn't say ppl are "incorrectly saying" that Studios are silent. I just think some units must be noisy.
The back of that PC is as ugly as owt! Visually, the design is poor and not something that would have been ‘signed off’ back in the day.
All this LTT, iJustine, etc has taught me that maybe I have to work on being a less hateful person.
Because no, neither iJustine, she is intense, cringe, fake and over the top. MaxTech’s guy while largely more likeable for me, they got their thing too.
No matter the bias tilt-side, I think people find the click-bait-y YouTuber attitude dislikeable… starting by the thumbnails.
Well I may have spoken too soon. I found myself adjusting some cables around the back of the Mac Studio (ultra) here in the evening when things are at their quietest and it occurred to me that this video was likely recorded quite close to the device and probably a pretty high pickup/sensitivity so I listened close and indeed, I can hear a sound of the same quality as what is demonstrated. Interestingly, a while after that, right after waking the machine from sleep that sound was much more pronounced for about 5 minutes then it became inaudible from my normal sitting position.
Hearing it now in person I realized, it sounds exactly the same as my nVidia RTX 2080 Ti fans do, just far quieter (for now). Those also started silent/quiet and after a few weeks have a noticeable whine that never went away even years later.
Same basic sound quality comes out of the PS5 at times, especially when it's in "rest mode" but actually doing things, downloads or whatever. It's nothing I really care about there and if I didn't have the PS5 sitting on my desk 3 feet from me I doubt I'd ever even hear it.
Frankly a lot of fans I've had over the years make a sound like this at varying degrees of loudness.
Now that I recognize the sound, my prediction is changed. I think this will be a property of the vast majority of these devices, if not on day one then for sure within the first month. There will definitely be varying degrees of loudness and many people have much worse hearing than they think and will not be able to hear it. Apple will not consider it a flaw and you can either learn to ignore it or buy a different computer. I say this because the noise is an incredibly common one in fans and there won't be any consumer basis for forcing a recall or settlement or whatever normal lever people pull that gets apple to consider something broken. Remember how long they kept shipping the butterfly keyboards that died from specks of dust.
Right now, I am not bothered by the sound. We'll give it a week or so and see. I like this computer so far, and would like to keep it, but, unlike my gaming rig, this machine is basically always on. If the noise becomes constantly audible it will have to go. Just wish I had more than 12 days to decide.
Sidenote: I've read a few people saying they put their head right on the mac and could not hear anything: you need to see an ENT. These computers have fans that never run below 1300 RPM no matter how cool they are, the sound of the air alone is quite audible and if you have normal hearing you absolutely will hear the air, even if not the whine. I have my hearing checked frequently due to an earwax condition (gathers up over time, has to be professionally cleared) and am quite aware of my hearing but also just how much hearing loss you can accrue without realizing it. Every time I get treated for this I think "hmm maybe it's a little dull but I can still hear fine" and every time my hearing in the affected ear is 2-3x better after clearing.
So I'm 100% serious, either you're full of **** and being a performative fanboy or you really need to have your hearing checked, might be something that can be improved. Might be a degenerative disease. Get checked.
Well, it’s 25dB at idle, according to Apple’s specs. So it is certainly not silent. Now, whether this is OK for someone, that’s another question.
People do not check the specs nowadays and expect it to be as quiet as M1 14”, which is much quieter at idle (again, according to Apple’s specs).
If anyone’s Studio is louder than 25dB at idle at operator’s position or emits whining noise - it is faulty and should be returned/replaced.
People do not check the specs nowadays and expect it to be as quiet as M1 14”, which is much quieter at idle (again, according to Apple’s specs).
If anyone’s Studio is louder than 25dB at idle at operator’s position or emits whining noise - it is faulty and should be returned/replaced.
I signed up in this just to write my experience with this issue.
My model is a Mac Studio with M1Max 32 cores GPU, 32gb Ram and 1TB SSD and I have that problem since day 1.
At their system speed the fans ARE AUDIBLE. Not noisy but audible and disturbing for me, specially when my previous mac was a Mac Mini M1 (I think this is a really big problem, Mac Mini M1 is so fkn quiet that now I can complain about any minimum noise.)
At that systems speed the high pitched sound it's present.
I put the fans at the minimum speed witch is 1100rpm and they're almost quiet, but the high pitched sound is more noticiable.
It's weird because sometimes I think it's something mechanical (fans) and sometimes I think it's electronic (power supply).
I have that mixing feeling because:
1- At 1100rpm levels, the sound is very present, but sometimes is louder and sometimes is almost quiet (most of the times is very present). And the Hz frequency varies too.
2- I have a HDD that makes THE SAME NOISE! (but louder, lol). The model is: WD Elements 4Tb HDD.
3- Putting my hands on the back side of the mac getting closer to the ventilation holes (without covering them) affects the way the noise sounds, so I thought the sound was a whistle, but it isn't.
4- Settings the fans at highers RPMs affects the noise.
As I said, the Mac Studio makes noise while the Mac Mini is quiet. It's not a loud noise, but it's there. BTW, my WD hdd it's WAY LOUDER, when I turn it on I can't hear the Mac. So maybe that's why some people claim their unit is silent lol.
Ps: with both Mac Studio and PS5 on almost at the same distance form me, their noise is at the same levels, but the Mac is more noticiable due to the high pitched sound.
Ps 2: i'm not planning to return it because I need it and can't wait another month to receive another one with the same problem. Hope I can get used to it... even I think I won't.
My model is a Mac Studio with M1Max 32 cores GPU, 32gb Ram and 1TB SSD and I have that problem since day 1.
At their system speed the fans ARE AUDIBLE. Not noisy but audible and disturbing for me, specially when my previous mac was a Mac Mini M1 (I think this is a really big problem, Mac Mini M1 is so fkn quiet that now I can complain about any minimum noise.)
At that systems speed the high pitched sound it's present.
I put the fans at the minimum speed witch is 1100rpm and they're almost quiet, but the high pitched sound is more noticiable.
It's weird because sometimes I think it's something mechanical (fans) and sometimes I think it's electronic (power supply).
I have that mixing feeling because:
1- At 1100rpm levels, the sound is very present, but sometimes is louder and sometimes is almost quiet (most of the times is very present). And the Hz frequency varies too.
2- I have a HDD that makes THE SAME NOISE! (but louder, lol). The model is: WD Elements 4Tb HDD.
3- Putting my hands on the back side of the mac getting closer to the ventilation holes (without covering them) affects the way the noise sounds, so I thought the sound was a whistle, but it isn't.
4- Settings the fans at highers RPMs affects the noise.
As I said, the Mac Studio makes noise while the Mac Mini is quiet. It's not a loud noise, but it's there. BTW, my WD hdd it's WAY LOUDER, when I turn it on I can't hear the Mac. So maybe that's why some people claim their unit is silent lol.
Ps: with both Mac Studio and PS5 on almost at the same distance form me, their noise is at the same levels, but the Mac is more noticiable due to the high pitched sound.
Ps 2: i'm not planning to return it because I need it and can't wait another month to receive another one with the same problem. Hope I can get used to it... even I think I won't.
In addition to my last message. Temperatures almost don't change with the fans at his lowest or at system. Maybe 1 ºC difference.
Also noticed that doing a stress test they are at the same rpm that at idle, they don't go up or down, 1300rpm always.
Did the same stress test at 1100rpm and the temperatures, as I said, were 1 or 2 ºC higher.
Also noticed that doing a stress test they are at the same rpm that at idle, they don't go up or down, 1300rpm always.
Did the same stress test at 1100rpm and the temperatures, as I said, were 1 or 2 ºC higher.
Yes. I'm a perfectly happy user of my Mac Studio Max that is dead silent.
I can confirm that. Without saying that its clearly 2.1 or 2.6
it cannot be “dead” silent. ?
Obviously a figure of speech but absolutely the truth. You cannot hear it at all. Thanks.
Well, if his room’s ambient noise is more than 25dB and his Mac Studio is working within specs - he won’t be able to hear the fans. Simple acoustics science
I have to agree ?Well, if his room’s ambient noise is more than 25dB and his Mac Studio is working within specs - he won’t be able to hear the fans. Simple acoustics science
I cannot hear the fans unless I put my ear right next to the Max and even then it's barely. I have excellent hearing and I don't need to check a thing. All is well.
Ok. Well i would love to create some kind of poll. I really hope that your situation is the default. I did a hearing test a couple of weeks ago. All good.
I tend to work overnight and live in a reasonably quite area. Most times I don't even have the T.V. or radio on and my ambient noise can drop to about 18 to 22 or so, that is until the Geese fly over - then all bet's are off! ?Well, if his room’s ambient noise is more than 25dB and his Mac Studio is working within specs - he won’t be able to hear the fans. Simple acoustics science