New Mac Studio Supports Low Power Mode With Two Benefits

[MacRumors]

The new Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips support Low Power Mode, according to an Apple support document updated today.

Apple says turning on Low Power Mode reduces the Mac Studio's fan noise, which is useful for tasks that require a quieter environment, and it also allows for reduced power consumption if the computer is left running continuously.

The reduced fan noise aspect of Low Power Mode requires macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. The new Mac Studio ships with macOS Sequoia 15.3.

A few Reddit users said that macOS Sequoia 15.3 enabled Low Power Mode on the previous-generation 2023 Mac Studio with the M2 Max chip, and presumably on M2 Ultra configurations too. This is not reflected in Apple's support document. (Update: Following our report, Apple revised its support document to confirm that the 2023 Mac Studio indeed supports Low Power Mode, starting with macOS Sequoia 15.3).

In any case, Low Power Mode on the Mac Studio is fairly new.

As obvious as it may sound, Apple's support document also confirms that the Mac Studio still lacks High Power Mode for additional cooling.

Apple's document has a list of Macs that support Low Power Mode with reduced fan noise.

Article Link: New Mac Studio Supports Low Power Mode With Two Benefits

 

[Astuces iOS]

Um fan isn’t that loud…

 

[JPack]

It's pretty quiet to begin with and a more practical benefit is reducing dust buildup.

 

[ps3zocker]

The latest Mac mini has this low power mode as well.

 

[Astuces iOS]

The latest Mac mini has this low power mode as well.

And the MacBook Air/pro too 😜

 

[xraydoc]

Nice. Ordered my Mac Studio M4 Max just minutes ago.

 

[russell_314]

So instead of 5 watts at idle it’ll use 3? 🤦‍♂️😂

 

[originalsk]

I think more people would be interested in High Power Mode on their Mac Studio ultra working station instead of Low Power Mode. That does not sound like the best investment.

 

[Plutonius]

The fan in the Studio is very quiet as it is.

I can't see why anyone would use the low power mode in a desktop.

 

[Veinticinco]

I think more people would be interested in High Power Mode on their Mac Studio ultra working station instead of Low Power Mode. That does not sound like the best investment.

The fan in the Studio is very quiet as it is.

I can't see why anyone would use the low power mode in a desktop.

Quite. It’s a strange one this, geared more towards the Mac Mini user you’d think.

Can you imagine forking out 14 grand for the top spec only to then put it in Low Power Mode. Like putting a Lamborghini in cruise control and Eco drive select.

 

[verdi1987]

I think more people would be interested in High Power Mode on their Mac Studio ultra working station instead of Low Power Mode. That does not sound like the best investment.

The default is High Power Mode.

 

[F23]

imagine paying for the M3 Ultra & enabling Low Powder Mode LOL nice one Tim you're such a trickster

 

[greenbreadmmm]

I don't understand the point of low power mode in desktops, even with this description.

MAYBE if we had an i9 demanding 250 watts, but can the studio really get any leaner in terms of power draw?

 

[KetchupnSketti]

I appear to have low power mode option on my M2 Studio. I did not know that was there.

 

[Timpetus]

I just use Macs Fan Control for my Macs, for both purposes. I crank the fans up faster than Apple's defaults and can also set them to stay quiet if needed, which is very rare. Not concerned about power usage, it's insanely low as is with any of my Macs.

 

[midkay]

MAYBE if we had an i9 demanding 250 watts, but can the studio really get any leaner in terms of power draw?

Apparently it can! "Allows for reduced power consumption if the computer is left running continuously."

I like the idea of lower power consumption & less dust buildup, but it would be really ideal if you could schedule this to automatically come on when the computer is left unused, either overnight or for more than 5-10 minutes with, say, CPU usage <5%.

 

[Astuces iOS]

I just use Macs Fan Control for my Macs, for both purposes. I crank the fans up faster than Apple's defaults and can also set them to stay quiet if needed, which is very rare. Not concerned about power usage, it's insanely low as is with any of my Macs.

I am scared… I think it could affect components

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

I am just here to complain about the new Mac Mini not having a Max chip 😒

 

[Fuzzball84]

A low power mode is always good to have. Some users don’t need a system running at max performance. Running on low power mode can reduce energy usage, lower fan noise and it has the benefit of potentially prolonging the devices life.

 

[asiga]

Just curious: If Apple introduces Low Power Mode, what makes people think that the machine runs by default in Mid Power Mode instead of High Power Mode? Does the MacBook Pro outperform the Mac Studio or what? I don’t get the point.

 

[xraydoc]

Not sure why I got downvoted in saying I'm happy for a low-power mode. I leave my machine on 24/7, as it also is (or will be when it arrives) a HomeBridge server and an AppleTV movie server along with its other duties. When I'm not actively using the machine, I'm happy for it to be in low-power mode while HomeBridging.... And when I sit down to crank out some work, I can shift in to standard mode.

 

[sdsalsersmith]

I have the earlier M2 Ultra Mac Studio and am running 15.4 Beta. There's a new "Energy" option under System settings and then the option to use low power mode. But like everyone else is saying, I never hear the fan anyway.

 

[jayducharme]

I appear to have low power mode option on my M2 Studio. I did not know that was there.

Neither did I. I just noticed it on my M2 Studio after you mentioned it. In the past year of using my Studio, I've never heard the fan kick on -- and that's with creating lots of 4k video and multitrack audio recordings.

 

[chucker23n1]

I think more people would be interested in High Power Mode on their Mac Studio ultra working station instead of Low Power Mode. That does not sound like the best investment.

Using the Max/Ultra in a desktop is the High Power Mode.

 

[cigz]

I just use Macs Fan Control for my Macs, for both purposes. I crank the fans up faster than Apple's defaults and can also set them to stay quiet if needed, which is very rare. Not concerned about power usage, it's insanely low as is with any of my Macs.

The thing is that since Sonoma 14.5 on MacBooks with M3 and M4 SOCs you can't control the fans until they turn on by themself and they do that when SOC hits around 80C.
They literally blocked manual control with one update. There's a lot of people reporting that on GitHub. I even downgraded to 14.3.1 to check if I'll be once again able to manually start them and control them, and MAGIC it's working.
And now they introduce low power mode that will reduce fan speed... they literally don't want people to have control over anything.