Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Don't post Linus videos around here. MacRumors members hate the guy, for some reason.
I don't hate him (quite the opposite), but I tend to roll my eyes a lot during his videos. That linked vid is a good example.... "HEY APPLE, THIS IS AN SSD, DURRRR." Apple's design choices may confuse him, but he acts like there's zero justification for them. Also, in his vid about the Studio Display, "WHY DON'T THEY JUST USE MAGSAFE? SO DUMB!" when really, magsafe necessitates an external power supply and the design called for an internal PS. Or the whole PS5 storage performance bruhaha where he just read the mfr specs off a Samsung SSD box and declared Tim Sweeney a Sony shill. He dedicated like 3 videos to raging about Apple not fixing his iMac Pro, which he had voided the warranty by disassembling and DROPPING! But then his Razr Blade laptop bricks itself 2 days out of warranty, and he's like "OH well, this is a great excuse to buy a new Razr Blade!"

Now Linus and Anthony et al aren't stupid either, so even if they realize these things later, it ends up being like a news correction: Error on the front-page above the fold; correction on page A-44 10 days later. And I think that's somewhat intentional, because his core audience of PCMR spec wankers demand a high degree of snark in any discussion of Apple products. Lately this has led to a strange dichotomy in LTT content, as Apple products improved and the mainstream moves closer to Apple's philosophy; he's got to cater to his original PCMR audience, but he's also doing a fair bit more positive coverage of Apple gear now, even launching a dedicated Apple channel (Mac Address).
 


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.

mac-studio-ports.jpg

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
Apple needs to give customers a more generous return / exchange policy

Apple also needs to invest time and effort in better quality controls. That mountain of cash that the company has is feeling neglected
 
  • Like
Reactions: sorgo †
I got mine on launch day delivered and it has been working fine so far. I'm not aware of any odd noises.
My Apple M1 Max w/ 32gb 1TB SSD. Odd problems connecting an iPad Pro 11-inch 2021 to the back vs. front USB C or thunderbolt ports.
 
It’s always something with these first gen mac machines. My m1 Max laptop is silent AF on the other hand. It’s curious why the m1 max laptops have a 0 rpm fan mode, but the studio does not.

How can a machine with a supposedly lesser heat sink and cooling solution have 0 rpm fan mode, but the beefier max studio does not?
 
Fan Gate.....
It's really not, until someone isolates the components we won't know for sure. The Fan Noise thread is peppered with these coil whine posts and it's very good this got broken out into its own specific issue since it is a much bigger deal than 30dba from airflow.
 
Apple’s response is probably only a small number of users experience this and release a firmware update to slow down the fans.
 
I was surprised by the constant fan noise of my studio max. It’s not terrible but it’s always there. Haven’t experienced the whine. The article quotes a user experiencing the noise around 2k. Is that the same for others? Not exactly high pitched but certainly would be annoying.
 
It’s always something with these first gen mac machines. My m1 Max laptop is silent AF on the other hand. It’s curious why the m1 max laptops have a 0 rpm fan mode, but the studio does not.

How can a machine with a supposedly lesser heat sink and cooling solution have 0 rpm fan mode, but the beefier max studio does not?
The power supply is built in on this machine and is 2x the size (370w vs 140w) and is designed such that it probably needs airflow continually to regulate the temperature of some components. They can probably reduce the RPM a bit though, but that won't solve the coil whine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Argoduck
How many Mac Studio owners are experiencing this problem? Is it production defects or an essential design flaw?

Those are really the salient questions for issues like this one. Defects can be smoothed out over a production lifecycle. Design flaws require rework by Apple that is then disseminated to the manufacturer. And many times, companies will try to avoid fixing the flaw - unless compelled by courts [of the state variety and public opinion variety alike] - until they do a complete redesign or scheduled product revision.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ianblackburn
Mac Studio M1 Max 10/32/32/2TB over here and I get ZERO fan or High Pitched noise. Not even when placing my ears agains the back of my Mac Studio. Mine is dead silent, literally. Here is my latest hearing test just in case :)

IMG_1607.jpeg
 
Coil Whine. I had an original trashcan mac pro and it was so bad I returned it. I work in IT and about 25% of the Dell laptops here have this issue. Luckily most users don't notice it. Its luck of the draw if you get it or not.

My trashcan (using right now) has always had a touch of it, but my office isn't quiet enough for it to be a big deal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Argoduck
At some point you need to download one of the free frequency analyzers on the app store and take a screen shot. 2k is a weird place for noise to be. What's the fan RPM at that point?
 
No whine after months from any of the machines here. Even my Max and Ultra at home have remained whisper quiet. Though whine could be a power issue, perhaps it is a specific country and PSU combination.
 
  • Like
Reactions: amartinez1660
Folks must have pretty good hearing. My hearing aids can’t pick up subtle changes like that. A friend complained about a whine noise from his iMac, but I couldn’t hear it.

Torn between folks are over reacting and Apple’s QC not being consistent. Either they all should have this whining issue or none of them should.
The guy with hearing issues weighing in on people possibly over-reacting to high pitched sounds. Ya killin' me bro. ;)
 
I have a launch day base model (10cpu/24gpu, 32GB memory, 512GB storage) and not had any issues with noise. Hopefully it stays that way. Im surprised these are having issues now, I almost immediately have issues with my stuff the day after warranty expires...
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.