Mac studio v1 fan noise - it's going to be one of the loudest Macs at idle.

[Freida]

Well, he was funny and actually correct. Testing sound levels at an Apple store is pointless as you will not get anything out of it.

I don't think there is a need for sarcasm. Unless you are desperately trying to prove your point ?

I just described MY today's experience and subsequent PERSONAL opinion. You can always return your Studio or not buy it, if it's not for you due to YOUR tolerance for noise level from it.

 

[AlphaCentauri]

I don’t have anechoic chamber at my disposal or an Ultra at home to check it in my own room, so Apple Store had to do for me. I think I’ve explained myself enough (post #192) and my opinions are subjective and not stated as facts. I hope I’m allowed to have my personal opinion on the subject and to present it here on this forum? ?

Or is this thread just for people who agree with the OP?

 

[stoca01]

Does the fan noise reduces when the mac studio M1Max is put (or goes to) to sleep respect to idle ?

 

[Chancha]

Does the fan noise reduces when the mac studio M1Max is put (or goes to) to sleep respect to idle ?

I believe all modern desktop Macs have their fans at stop when sleeping. If you can still hear the fans then the Mac was probably still too hot to be left passively cooled, the system will leave fans on until it cools to a point (this even applies to MacBooks actually)

 

[AlphaCentauri]

Does the fan noise reduces when the mac studio M1Max is put (or goes to) to sleep respect to idle ?

I think this is very important question. At present, my 2018 mini never sleeps, I just sleep the display, but 2018 mini is inaudible when at idle. Can anyone of Studio owners can tell us if fans stay on during sleep?

 

[ProXMac]

Anyone commenting here without having one, hold off. I got an Ultra Mac Studio, and I've never had a louder Mac, not really sure what to do about it, may have to return it, granted I also have never had as powerful of a Mac.

I agree with the OP, its not necessarily about the loudness of the fan, its the type of noise it makes, its not pleasant to hear, its not a smooth sound.

 

[Halbertus]

Does the fan noise reduces when the mac studio M1Max is put (or goes to) to sleep respect to idle ?

can confirm: fans will stop when put to sleep.

 

[ProXMac]

can confirm: fans will stop when put to sleep.

fans stop, however I still hear a digital beeping noise which is obnoxious as well still

 

[vddobrev]

Anyone commenting here without having one, hold off. I got an Ultra Mac Studio, and I've never had a louder Mac, not really sure what to do about it, may have to return it, granted I also have never had as powerful of a Mac.

I agree with the OP, its not necessarily about the loudness of the fan, its the type of noise it makes, its not pleasant to hear, its not a smooth sound.

So if even the Ultra fan noise is unpleasant, it may be that the fans are the same in Max and Ultra. Then we have to look for the problem elsewhere - the size and shape of the drillings of the chassis or the shape of the fins of the cooling radiators. It is very possible that one or the other is causing the noise, because of the size and shape when extorting the air through them.

 

[AdamSeen]

So if even the Ultra fan noise is unpleasant, it may be that the fans are the same in Max and Ultra. Then we have to look for the problem elsewhere - the size and shape of the drillings of the chassis or the shape of the fins of the cooling radiators. It is very possible that one or the other is causing the noise, because of the size and shape when extorting the air through them.

I suspect there is no difference between the ultra and max in fan noise - or at least if there is any, it will be small. Apple haven't recorded any differences on their tech specs website, which they usually would if there were. I believe the noise is down to pulling airflow at faster speed than needed (combined with smaller blower fans) - that's all there is to it.

 

[Apple2GS]

fans stop, however I still hear a digital beeping noise which is obnoxious as well still

Similar issue with the unit that I returned. It had a high pitch whine that was not related to air movement. I have a different unit on order and will see if that it does the same thing. Maybe this was a very early production run problem that has been fixed. This could explain why many people say the Studio is silent and others are returning.

 

[Chancha]

Similar issue with the unit that I returned. It had a high pitch whine that was not related to air movement. I have a different unit on order and will see if that it does the same thing. Maybe this was a very early production run problem that has been fixed. This could explain why many people say the Studio is silent and others are returning.

That’s probably coil whine, from the tear down we see the PSU has a few of them quite exposed.

And you got me thinking, there are at least two origins of the Studio, one is Malaysia (ship to USA and some countries) the other China (rest of the world). I wonder if their make / parts are different.

 

[triptolemus]

Does the fan noise reduces when the mac studio M1Max is put (or goes to) to sleep respect to idle ?

It gets louder.

 

[eelpout]

I suspect there is no difference between the ultra and max in fan noise - or at least if there is any, it will be small.

I'd be shocked if the airflow design and components are different between the two. there is also the copper vs. aluminum block mass to consider. the Ultra probably ramps up fans later, but at idle this likely wouldn't matter.

 

[ninecows]

So which is it: noisegate or fangate?

First one has already been taken. The second has a wonderful duality to it…


(Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Never mind me. I’ll find my way out myself)

 

[flygbuss]

you’ve entirely MISSED my point. My point was: sound is relative - you can’t deduce the quietness of something in a loud environment.

You also dismissed a group of people as exaggerating “slightly” (isn’t that the same sarcasm that you berated me for using?). But your method of deduction was completely flawed. If I’d walked into an Apple shop and listened to it, I would have the same conclusion as you if I didn’t know any better.

At the beginning of the thread I state that most people shouldn’t worry and give instructions on how to determine if you will even notice it. If your office isn’t super quiet it won’t matter as the noise floor will be higher than the computer.

Sound isn’t relative, perception is.

 

[now i see it]

When the 6,1 trashcan Mac Pro came out and people set them up for the first time, they noticed a high pitched whine. It ended up being coil whine.
But that didn’t stop a thread about the noise of the trashcan from exceeding over 1000 posts - all about the same thing: I can hear it, I can’t hear it, it’s loud, it barely perceptible, I’m sending mine back - etc.

About 1/2 year after the trashcan started shipping, (and coil whine was the same as it always was) everyone stopped commenting on it until it became a non existent issue - even though it still existed.
Likely this brouhaha over the Mac Studio fan noise will follow the same course.

 

[ascender]

Much as I hate to admit it, this is going to annoy me... Have just come back in to the office, there's "stuff" going on in the background with the sort of normal house noise you get with kids and pets etc. And I can hear the fans....

I wonder if an under-desk mount would help as at the moment its front and centre between my two displays?

 

[AdamSeen]

When the 6,1 trashcan Mac Pro came out and people set them up for the first time, they noticed a high pitched whine. It ended up being coil whine.
But that didn’t stop a thread about the noise of the trashcan from exceeding over 1000 posts - all about the same thing: I can hear it, I can’t hear it, it’s loud, it barely perceptible, I’m sending mine back - etc.

About 1/2 year after the trashcan started shipping, (and coil whine was the same as it always was) everyone stopped commenting on it until it became a non existent issue - even though it still existed.
Likely this brouhaha over the Mac Studio fan noise will follow the same course.

Apple may issue a firmware update, affected users may install software to lower fan noise, people return the device or learn to live with it. Either way, once the issue is fully understood and resolved, it will go the same way, because people know what they are getting.

That’s the point of good threads, to solve or understand the problem so we can be aware of it as a community and make Apple aware so they change their design process - if enough people care.

The reason I closed the quietmac site the first time (first post link), because I believed that with the m1 chips and lower tdp, Apple would make their quietest computers ever - I was incorrect. But I’m sure many of us would like that to be the case, that newer are better than older in almost all aspects. Not having the iMac Pro 2017 still holding the crown - a 5 year old machine setting the bar.

 

[AdamSeen]

Much as I hate to admit it, this is going to annoy me... Have just come back in to the office, there's "stuff" going on in the background with the sort of normal house noise you get with kids and pets etc. And I can hear the fans....

I wonder if an under-desk mount would help as at the moment its front and centre between my two displays?

It would likely help a little bit, should be fairly easy to try. You might also consider sound foam if the fan is close to a wall - but not really an expert on sound isolation, so there maybe better ideas. You could also try a fan control app to lower fan speeds : https://crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control

 

[triptolemus]

Sound isn’t relative, perception is.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

 

[Homy]

People shouldn't be returning their Mac Studio so soon. One thing we shouldn't forget is that our brain is plastic and learns to filter out noise. Even though some are more sensitive many get used to distracting noises. When I moved to my apartment in the city I could wake up by the nosie of the streetcars (trams) several times and wondered how I'm going to live with that. After about a week my brain didn't see the noise as a "new danger" and I didn't hear it anymore. It's like when you fall asleep in a noisy car or bus. Your brain filters the distractions out and gets used to them.

 

[plunger]

The new Mac Studio comes with a lot of power, but with it also comes a bit more noise.

It’s 25dB at idle which is as loud as the Mac Pro (rack mount). As it will tend to sit closer to the user than a Mac Pro would, which means it will be perceived to be louder as well.

View attachment 1970575

(More here: https://quietmac.netlify.app)

Because it employs smaller blower fans, they emit a more unpleasant noise vs larger fans. For example, with the Mac Pro, the large fans are quiet and smooth whereas the blower fan to cool the memory is louder and higher pitched.

Until there are real samples in the wild, it remains to be seen if it is unpleasant or not.

I hoped with moving from inefficient Intels to the super efficient Apple Silicon fan noise would be lower in the high-end desktop range, but It seems the design philosophy is to use a higher than needed fan speed, but less variability.

This equates to fans running faster than required so that when tasks that spike GPU and CPU usage it will tend to stay quieter rather than creating the more obvious noise of variable fan speeds.

Mine is arriving in April, so won’t be able to test before then.

But if you're looking for something super quiet, the Mac Studio won't beat the currently unbeaten (and unavailable) iMac Pro for top end desktops.

However, you will only notice this if you have a quiet office. People sharing offices or those with noise floors above 30/35dB, will not notice it at all. Also if you're not sensitive to low fan noise, it's not anything to particularly to worry about.

----

Post release update:

It looks like my initial assessment is accurate - it's one of the loudest macs at idle.

Apple has designed a computer that exhausts say 150 watts of heat at idle, as opposed to say 60 watts of heat at idle. The upside to this is that the fans do not move much, the downside of this is we have fans that are going much faster than they need to be at idle.

It's more complicated than what I've put above about because a) I don't know how much thermal energy the fans are designed to blow out at idle b) it doesn't take into account the thermal energy store of heating up the heatsink. But the result is the same, a consistent fan speed at idle which has a large thermal buffer so it doesn't spin up and down often.


Is this going to be a problem for me?

It depends on the noise floor in your office. What is it? If it's above 30/35dB it will likely be "silent". If it's around 25dB, you will likely notice it. Use the decibel X app on your iPhone to measure sound (it's free, but doesn't appear so). I don't recommend you use the Apple watch, because it doesn't go below 30dB.

Also, if you do have a quiet office, you may not care about fan noise - many people do not.

For reference my office is as quiet as 24dB.

Why is this not a problem for most reviewers?

Many professional reviewers may work in offices with other people, the noise floor there is likely much louder than those who work from home. They also may not be sensitive to it.

Is the Mac Studio a "loud Mac"?

It is one of the loudest at idle, but the reviews show that is barely spins up during workloads and has excellent thermal properties. At idle, it will be almost as loud as a Mac Pro - and may be perceived to be louder as it's closer than a Mac Pro would usually sit - At load, it has excellent cooling and will tend to be quieter than many other Macs, including laptops.

Mac Studio 2022

The new Mac Studio comes with a lot of power, but with it also comes a bit more noise.

It’s 25dB at idle which is as loud as the Mac Pro (rack mount). As it will tend to sit closer to the user than a Mac Pro would, which means it will be perceived to be louder as well.

View attachment 1970575

(More here: https://quietmac.netlify.app)

Because it employs smaller blower fans, they emit a more unpleasant noise vs larger fans. For example, with the Mac Pro, the large fans are quiet and smooth whereas the blower fan to cool the memory is louder and higher pitched.

Until there are real samples in the wild, it remains to be seen if it is unpleasant or not.

I hoped with moving from inefficient Intels to the super efficient Apple Silicon fan noise would be lower in the high-end desktop range, but It seems the design philosophy is to use a higher than needed fan speed, but less variability.

This equates to fans running faster than required so that when tasks that spike GPU and CPU usage it will tend to stay quieter rather than creating the more obvious noise of variable fan speeds.

Mine is arriving in April, so won’t be able to test before then.

But if you're looking for something super quiet, the Mac Studio won't beat the currently unbeaten (and unavailable) iMac Pro for top end desktops.

However, you will only notice this if you have a quiet office. People sharing offices or those with noise floors above 30/35dB, will not notice it at all. Also if you're not sensitive to low fan noise, it's not anything to particularly to worry about.

----

Post release update:

It looks like my initial assessment is accurate - it's one of the loudest macs at idle.

Apple has designed a computer that exhausts say 150 watts of heat at idle, as opposed to say 60 watts of heat at idle. The upside to this is that the fans do not move much, the downside of this is we have fans that are going much faster than they need to be at idle.

It's more complicated than what I've put above about because a) I don't know how much thermal energy the fans are designed to blow out at idle b) it doesn't take into account the thermal energy store of heating up the heatsink. But the result is the same, a consistent fan speed at idle which has a large thermal buffer so it doesn't spin up and down often.


Is this going to be a problem for me?

It depends on the noise floor in your office. What is it? If it's above 30/35dB it will likely be "silent". If it's around 25dB, you will likely notice it. Use the decibel X app on your iPhone to measure sound (it's free, but doesn't appear so). I don't recommend you use the Apple watch, because it doesn't go below 30dB.

Also, if you do have a quiet office, you may not care about fan noise - many people do not.

For reference my office is as quiet as 24dB.

Why is this not a problem for most reviewers?

Many professional reviewers may work in offices with other people, the noise floor there is likely much louder than those who work from home. They also may not be sensitive to it.

Is the Mac Studio a "loud Mac"?

It is one of the loudest at idle, but the reviews show that is barely spins up during workloads and has excellent thermal properties. At idle, it will be almost as loud as a Mac Pro - and may be perceived to be louder as it's closer than a Mac Pro would usually sit - At load, it has excellent cooling and will tend to be quieter than many other Macs, including laptops.

Interesting comparison from https://quietmac.netlify.app

Mac Pro 2019 27dB
Mac Studio 2022 25dB
Mac Studio 2013 (Trashintosh!) 20.5dB

I'm pretty happy with my Mac Studio 2013, has a lot more desk presence than the Mac Lunchbox 2022!

 

[streetsandtheatres]

People shouldn't be returning their Mac Studio so soon. One thing we shouldn't forget is that our brain is plastic and learns to filter out noise. Even though some are more sensitive many get used to distracting noises. When I moved to my apartment in the city I could wake up by the nosie of the streetcars (trams) several times and wondered how I'm going to live with that. After about a week my brain didn't see the noise as a "new danger" and I didn't hear it anymore. It's like when you fall asleep in a noisy car or bus. Your brain filters the distractions out and gets used to them.

I have an iMac that I have been wanting to replace since I bought it. The fans are annoying and I'm more annoyed by them as time goes on. My new MacBook Pro is silent. I was about to buy the Studio, hoping to get a silent desktop, but the last thing I want is to replce an annoying iMac with and annoying Studio. I know some people like background noise and work in cafes or whatever, but I really want silence. TBH after having a new MacBook Pro that is essentially silent I think it would be great for Apple to have a silent mode on their new desktops. There are times when I want performance (hit export, go for a walk) and times I want silence and would rather take whatever performance hit is requires to get that.

 

[ARBORIOSTUDIO]

Mine is back in the box ready to ship back in the morning. I know I can’t tolerate the noise. And I also know the same level machine is silent in the MBP 16. I’ll wait and see what the Mac Pro delivers and how much it costs.