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Mac Studio Owners Complain of Irritating High-Pitched Noise
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This happens when you play a Steam Deck near a Mac Studio.
'...an annoying noise at exactly 2120hz (I compared it using a sinus wave generator).'
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
What is this miracle 'sinus wave generator' of which you speak?
With delivery dates in July-August, Apple doesn't really sell these, does it?
Think I’ll go for the MacBook Pro version of the max, even though there’s a longer delivery estimate for it
For those that have the whine/noise issue, it is audible at 1300rpm fan speed. If you use MacFanControl and move the speed down to 1100-1150, the noise goes away. And to clarify, this isn't just typical fan moving air noise.
Well, this is worrisome news. I've got an Ultra on order for my recording studio which I'm supposed to receive in late July. I need it to be quiet. One of the major reasons I was willing to shell out the money is that my current setup (2015 MacBook Pro) has too much fan noise. I thought the whole point of the massive heat sink design was to make this machine quiet.
It’s not a miracle. A sine wave generator produces tones at whatever frequency the user wishes; in this instance they’ve matched it to the frequency of the ‘whine’ noise.
I have a Mac Studio 24 core M1 Max, 1 TB, that was custom ordered. It has a similar whining noise, but I feel it is very quiet. I can't hear it unless my ear is right next to the grille. It's a bit lower pitched than the whine coming from the examples I've heard online, closer to 1500 hz. I measured the loudness with my phone and NIOSH SLM, and it came in at 40 dB, whereas ambient noise is 35 dB. The affected macs seem to be the 32 core, and may be louder. At the loudness level on mine, it doesn't bother me.
There is two different aspects of this issue.
1. When in Idle the Mac Studio is surprisingly noisy in comparison to recent Apple Products. (M1 MacBook Pro series, M1 mini, M1 Air , iMac Pro). It is not awfully bad, but one can constantly hear the fan when the machine is turned on.
This seems to be by design as Apple are keeping 1300rpm constantly for this machine no matter what. When pushing this machine on the other hand this great achievement. Mac studio will not get any louder when pushed for hours.
I personally would have preferred a silent machine that spins up its fans when needed.
2. My machine (M1 Max) also has the whining noise and it totally drives me nuts. I really want to like this machine as I prefer having a desktop machine with a nice selection of ports and an ergonomic display.
One can reduce the noise to an acceptable level, when changing fan speed in TG Pro or Macs fan Control. I also tried different positioning of the computer. In the end I put a sheet of FFP2 filter against the back of the unit, where the exhaust holes are. This changed the noise profile dramatically without a noticeable effect on temperatures.
Nonetheless, this is not up to the standards I came to expect from Apple. The Mac mini M1 I owned previously and also the MacBook Pro M1 series are very well balanced. The Mac Studio is not
1. When in Idle the Mac Studio is surprisingly noisy in comparison to recent Apple Products. (M1 MacBook Pro series, M1 mini, M1 Air , iMac Pro). It is not awfully bad, but one can constantly hear the fan when the machine is turned on.
This seems to be by design as Apple are keeping 1300rpm constantly for this machine no matter what. When pushing this machine on the other hand this great achievement. Mac studio will not get any louder when pushed for hours.
I personally would have preferred a silent machine that spins up its fans when needed.
2. My machine (M1 Max) also has the whining noise and it totally drives me nuts. I really want to like this machine as I prefer having a desktop machine with a nice selection of ports and an ergonomic display.
One can reduce the noise to an acceptable level, when changing fan speed in TG Pro or Macs fan Control. I also tried different positioning of the computer. In the end I put a sheet of FFP2 filter against the back of the unit, where the exhaust holes are. This changed the noise profile dramatically without a noticeable effect on temperatures.
Nonetheless, this is not up to the standards I came to expect from Apple. The Mac mini M1 I owned previously and also the MacBook Pro M1 series are very well balanced. The Mac Studio is not
I suspect it is limited to early batches. I ended up fixing by getting a thunder bolt dock and putting it in a cabinet. The whine is only a few DB so not enough to pose an issue if you tuck it away. Even putting it under the desk neutralized it for the most part in daily use. I just wanted it to have no effect in speaker measurements which is why I opted for the cabinet.
Nope. My PS5 literally has never exhibited anything like that under any loads. (And I’ve played rather intensive games like Ghosts of Tsushima, G.T.7, Death Stranding, ect).
RPM = revolutions per minute
Hz = cycles per second
1330 rpm = 21.666 Hz
2.6 kHz = 2600 Hz
2600 Hz ÷ 21.666 Hz = 120
I could be wrong, but I don't believe there's anyway for MagSafe to output AC, so that necessitates an external power supply to convert it to DC. I'm not an EE, so grain of salt and all, but 120v AC over MagSafe doesn't sound all that.... safe.
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My first one whines like crazy. My second one with a different fan is basically silent. Luck of the draw.
The answer to your question is, likely, because of the internal power supply. The MacBooks and iMac have external power and the Studio Display, which also has contuinuously running fans, has an internal power supply.
I was wondering this. Maybe if there were some revisions made with later production models, where ‘early on’ units are louder than other units that were produced later on.
Is my impression wrong - or do the complaints about fan noise and whine indeed mainly concern Mac Studios that were shipped outside of North America (e.g. Europe)?
Or to put it another way: Are there any happy owners of silent Mac Studios outside the US/Canada?
Or to put it another way: Are there any happy owners of silent Mac Studios outside the US/Canada?
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