No to the 14" Fan noise and thermals - upgraded to 16" king of thermal management instead

[JamieLannister]

TLDR;

Bought the M1 Pro 16" 10c/16c 1TB model. If you are on the fence about switching up to this bad boy, DO IT. The reason for this upgrade is the LACK OF FAN NOISE at full cpu load. I don't work with GPU at the moment but CPU I do and pegged at 100% the 14" 10c/16c goes into fan mode early on (about 1 minute into cpu loading up) and then continues until end of processes.

Note that this fan noise profile is significantly less annoying than INTEL. But at around 48dB and higher spinning fans at near 5500-5900RPM it was just too aggressive. Never once did the machine throttle, however. I do work with some audio work flows and having a quiet fan is crucial (bedroom audio master work).

The 16" DOES NOT have the same issue. Running same 100% cpu load on the 16" resulted in the same amount or near the same amount of heat but definitely the fans operate at a mere <2500rpm and that is after 15 minutes of cpu loads it doesn't even being to complain! It is not dead silent but the sound is basically quiet enough it is completely acceptable.

The weight is another issue the 14" is lighter but this one is BIGGER and heavier but it is manageable. I carry around my 17" for YEARS and my 15" 2008 MBP before that. This display is all that I have wanted and the 14" at scaled higher resolutions is just too small for my eyes to feel comfortable. This display is just so wonderful to work on I am going to keep it and pass the 14" down to my brother in law.

Here are some pics of it compared to the 2008 15" MBP and 2010 17" MBP. What I have noticed is that the current 16" is really based off of the EARLY 2008 15" model because my old Moshi Codex case has 4 foot pads inside the case that fits this 16" perfectly and that case was meant for the early 2008 15" mbp!

The dimensions of the early 2008 15" are: 14.1" x 9.6" x 1" thick. the 2021 16" is exactly 14.01" x 9.7" x 0.66". It is still nothing compared to the big bad 17" mbp.

 

[bill-p]

Is it 48dB where you sit or exactly where the vents are?

On my 14", I can only measure 48dB exactly where the vents are. Where I am sitting from the machine, it's more like 30-32dB.

Also, the fan does not kick in until at least 4 minutes after pegging all cores at 100% (Cinebench R23).

I also had the 16" with M1 Max and it was not any better. In fact, the fan was louder. It reached 54dB.

Check this clip out:

My experience is closer to his. The 16" is louder to my ears. It's a bit more spread out in frequency compared to the higher pitch of the 14", but I can hear it as being louder. Maybe the M1 Pro 16" is quieter? But it's not true that in general, the 16" is less loud than 14".

I can only imagine the M1 Max 14" does actually get very close to the 67-70dB threshold shown in that video.

 

[JamieLannister]

Is it 48dB where you sit or exactly where the vents are?

On my 14", I can only measure 48dB exactly where the vents are. Where I am sitting from the machine, it's more like 30-32dB.

Also, the fan does not kick in until at least 4 minutes after pegging all cores at 100% (Cinebench R23).

I also had the 16" with M1 Max and it was not any better. In fact, the fan was louder. It reached 54dB.

Check this clip out:

My experience is closer to his. The 16" is louder to my ears. It's a bit more spread out in frequency compared to the higher pitch of the 14", but I can hear it as being louder. Maybe the M1 Pro 16" is quieter? But it's not true that in general, the 16" is less loud than 14".

I can only imagine the M1 Max 14" does actually get very close to the 67-70dB threshold shown in that video.

Measured from my face/nose dead center of 14" display area. I am at a desk with zero ambient sound levels. The CPU loads I run involve ffmpeg and even without any apps doing a simple yes command (10 of them) will give you an idea. Running the exact same tasks on the 16" I do not hear the fans at all and only by placing my ears close to the chassis do I hear anything and even that is significantly non-obtrusive compared to the 14" chassis. THE TOP aluminum part above the function keys do get HOT, however. It never got as hot on the 14" chassis. The underside is also warm but it's the same as the 14" chassis. The center of the keyboard was where my 14" got the hottest while the 16" did not.


I have seen many YouTube videos the most significant factor for me was from the Max tech bros. -even though the thermal readings are probably skewed off a big deal the larger offered way better thermal management (it's not that it doesn't get hot it's the fans that don't scream). I've been doing loads of cpu work so far and I'm telling you that I do not hear anything that is worthy of mention; especially when compared to the 14" chassis. I only have the base 10c/16c M1 Pro to compare to.

 

[bill-p]

Yeah, I'm saying maybe there is something off with your 14". I don't hear the fan turning on at all until at least 4-5 minutes into any extensive load. Even then, it fluctuates and is only 48dB at exactly where the vents are for me. It's 30-32dB where I sit, and ambient noise for me is 25-26dB in my room so it's basically almost inaudible.

The 16" with M1 Max is worse, though. I got it in and the fan noise + extra heat + size + weight is basically unacceptable to me.

 

[JamieLannister]

Yeah, I'm saying maybe there is something off with your 14". I don't hear the fan turning on at all until at least 4-5 minutes into any extensive load. Even then, it fluctuates and is only 48dB at exactly where the vents are for me. It's 30-32dB where I sit, and ambient noise for me is 25-26dB in my room so it's basically almost inaudible.

The 16" with M1 Max is worse, though. I got it in and the fan noise + extra heat + size + weight is basically unacceptable to me.

I want to be clear - the 14" is phenomenal - the fans do not turn on even with every day tasks such as this large 120GB Mac to Mac transfer setup I initially did. The fans do turn on when you load up the cpu's and they do turn on early on - 4-5 minutes is a long time and perhaps mine is like many others that turn on about 1minute+ into the process.

Simple:

yes > /dev/null &

you can bg ten of them and see how soon your fans kick on.


PS - the battery on this big boy is truly great - the 14" I had have 2 charge cycles when I opened it. Same with this 16". But using battery only the 16" is just at 100% and it's been like this for about 1hr15m so far. My 14" would start to lose battery % after the first 30 minutes.

 

[conduit]

Is it 48dB where you sit or exactly where the vents are?

On my 14", I can only measure 48dB exactly where the vents are. Where I am sitting from the machine, it's more like 30-32dB.

Also, the fan does not kick in until at least 4 minutes after pegging all cores at 100% (Cinebench R23).

I also had the 16" with M1 Max and it was not any better. In fact, the fan was louder. It reached 54dB.

Check this clip out:

My experience is closer to his. The 16" is louder to my ears. It's a bit more spread out in frequency compared to the higher pitch of the 14", but I can hear it as being louder. Maybe the M1 Pro 16" is quieter? But it's not true that in general, the 16" is less loud than 14".

I can only imagine the M1 Max 14" does actually get very close to the 67-70dB threshold shown in that video.

Do you have a 14" M1 Pro or Max?

 

[bill-p]

Do you have a 14" M1 Pro or Max?

I have the 14" M1 Pro. I also had the 16" M1 Max and exchanged it for this 14" M1 Pro.

Both are comparable in terms of heat, but the 16" is somewhat louder with fan noise. The 14" fan is somewhat spotlit by the fact that it's limited to higher pitch, but overall, it's not as loud as the 16" M1 Max (measured with SPL meter) to me.

 

[bill-p]

I want to be clear - the 14" is phenomenal - the fans do not turn on even with every day tasks such as this large 120GB Mac to Mac transfer setup I initially did. The fans do turn on when you load up the cpu's and they do turn on early on - 4-5 minutes is a long time and perhaps mine is like many others that turn on about 1minute+ into the process.

Simple:

yes > /dev/null &

you can bg ten of them and see how soon your fans kick on.

Still 5 minutes. I have the MacBook sitting on a blanket now, too, just to see if I can force it, and still, it doesn't kick in that early. I also tried on my trusty M1 13" Pro, and same result. The M1 13" Pro also does not kick the fan in at all until 5 minutes or later.

Maybe not all 14" are made equal? I can imagine heatsink seating and/or sensor readings may come into play here.

 

[JamieLannister]

I have the 14" M1 Pro. I also had the 16" M1 Max and exchanged it for this 14" M1 Pro.

Both are comparable in terms of heat, but the 16" is somewhat louder with fan noise. The 14" fan is somewhat spotlit by the fact that it's limited to higher pitch, but overall, it's not as loud as the 16" M1 Max (measured with SPL meter) to me.

the 14" is just a sweet spot size - it is so capable as capable as the big brother. Perhaps I had extreme expectations being spoiled by the M1 Air (fanless).

 

[JamieLannister]

Still 5 minutes. I have the MacBook sitting on a blanket now, too, just to see if I can force it, and still, it doesn't kick in that early. I also tried on my trusty M1 13" Pro, and same result. The M1 13" Pro also does not kick the fan in at all until 5 minutes or later.

Maybe not all 14" are made equal? I can imagine heatsink seating and/or sensor readings may come into play here.

then you have a great 14"!! I don't think I want to try the lottery with the 14" to find one that doesn't do what mine does. Again this is a non-issue for everyday tasks - even the occasional rendering in short bursts. But sustained workload for about 1 hour and more for me personally I need the 16" (which this one I have is basically silent at full load!)

 

[conduit]

I have the 14" M1 Pro. I also had the 16" M1 Max and exchanged it for this 14" M1 Pro.

Both are comparable in terms of heat, but the 16" is somewhat louder with fan noise. The 14" fan is somewhat spotlit by the fact that it's limited to higher pitch, but overall, it's not as loud as the 16" M1 Max (measured with SPL meter) to me.

Thanks for the info. I am waiting to receive my 14" M1 Max next week and was debating if I should return it for a 16" due to the better thermals and the fan profile not kicking in as early.

Not sure how it does when you compile a program - will the fans kick in or stay off for a long time?

 

[James_C]

The same spec 14” and 16” M1 macs, the fans are always going to be running higher on the 14” under sustained load, as the fans and cooling pipes are about twice the size on the 16”. There is also more real estate on the 16” to cool the M1 chips. It’s just basic physics that means the 16” will always run quieter for a like for like machine.

This video clearly shows the 16” is better able to manage fan noise than the 14”.

 

[bill-p]

then you have a great 14"!! I don't think I want to try the lottery with the 14" to find one that doesn't do what mine does. Again this is a non-issue for everyday tasks - even the occasional rendering in short bursts. But sustained workload for about 1 hour and more for me personally I need the 16" (which this one I have is basically silent at full load!)

Yeah, I can see how the M1 Pro 16" is probably much quieter than the M1 Pro 14". It's just that I don't think the 16" in general will be quieter than the 14". Certainly the 16" with M1 Max is quite the experience. I can't tell why stressing the CPU on that chip would make it louder than the M1 Pro on 14". It should have much better cooling.

In any case, I also agree. The M1 Air is probably magical for audio workflows since it's dead silent. Hopefully Apple can tune the fan curve of the 14" and 16" a bit more to make them even quieter. It seems the chips can take a beating and go all the way up to 106 Celsius without throttling, so they can just relax the fan speed.

Thanks for the info. I am waiting to receive my 14" M1 Max next week and was debating if I should return it for a 16" due to the better thermals and the fan profile not kicking in as early.

Not sure how it does when you compile a program - will the fans kick in or stay off for a long time?

It really depends on whether all cores are pegged or not. If only about 6-8 cores are pegged at 100%, the fan doesn't come on at all.

It's only when all 10 cores are completely saturated for longer than 5 minutes that I start hearing the fan. This is on either the 16" that I returned, or this 14" M1 Pro. And even then, from where I am sitting, the fan is not very audible. I still have a 2015 15" MacBook Pro and... the fan noise I hear from that thing when it's trying to play back a Youtube video is much louder (around 60dB) compared to the 14" M1 Pro being maxed out (48dB).

 

[Sowelu]

I have a 14" Max (with a 16" Max on the way), and I have yet to hear the fans, or feel the bottom get any hotter than just 'warm' (even through a re-install of macOS). What can I run to push the CPU/GPU to make the fans turn on so that I can hear how loud they can get? I ran GeekBench 5 a few times, but that didn't make the fans come on, or make the case feel even warm.

 

[MareLuce]

Really like the side by side pics. Thanks for your analysis.

 

[Lucas Curious]

View attachment 1885449

TLDR;

Bought the M1 Pro 16" 10c/16c 1TB model. If you are on the fence about switching up to this bad boy, DO IT. The reason for this upgrade is the LACK OF FAN NOISE at full cpu load. I don't work with GPU at the moment but CPU I do and pegged at 100% the 14" 10c/16c goes into fan mode early on (about 1 minute into cpu loading up) and then continues until end of processes.

Note that this fan noise profile is significantly less annoying than INTEL. But at around 48dB and higher spinning fans at near 5500-5900RPM it was just too aggressive. Never once did the machine throttle, however. I do work with some audio work flows and having a quiet fan is crucial (bedroom audio master work).

The 16" DOES NOT have the same issue. Running same 100% cpu load on the 16" resulted in the same amount or near the same amount of heat but definitely the fans operate at a mere <2500rpm and that is after 15 minutes of cpu loads it doesn't even being to complain! It is not dead silent but the sound is basically quiet enough it is completely acceptable.

The weight is another issue the 14" is lighter but this one is BIGGER and heavier but it is manageable. I carry around my 17" for YEARS and my 15" 2008 MBP before that. This display is all that I have wanted and the 14" at scaled higher resolutions is just too small for my eyes to feel comfortable. This display is just so wonderful to work on I am going to keep it and pass the 14" down to my brother in law.

Here are some pics of it compared to the 2008 15" MBP and 2010 17" MBP. What I have noticed is that the current 16" is really based off of the EARLY 2008 15" model because my old Moshi Codex case has 4 foot pads inside the case that fits this 16" perfectly and that case was meant for the early 2008 15" mbp!

The dimensions of the early 2008 15" are: 14.1" x 9.6" x 1" thick. the 2021 16" is exactly 14.01" x 9.7" x 0.66". It is still nothing compared to the big bad 17" mbp.

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I get annoyed when I see a very expensive computer being used on a little junky wooden desk from 1993 OfficeMax

 

[JamieLannister]

I get annoyed when I see a very expensive computer being used on a little junky wooden desk from 1993 OfficeMax

ran out of money after buying these laptops!

 

[Lucas Curious]

ran out of money after buying these laptops!

A Lannister always pays his debts. We all know it cost you an arm.

 

[booksbooks]

View attachment 1885449

TLDR;

Bought the M1 Pro 16" 10c/16c 1TB model. If you are on the fence about switching up to this bad boy, DO IT. The reason for this upgrade is the LACK OF FAN NOISE at full cpu load. I don't work with GPU at the moment but CPU I do and pegged at 100% the 14" 10c/16c goes into fan mode early on (about 1 minute into cpu loading up) and then continues until end of processes.

Note that this fan noise profile is significantly less annoying than INTEL. But at around 48dB and higher spinning fans at near 5500-5900RPM it was just too aggressive. Never once did the machine throttle, however. I do work with some audio work flows and having a quiet fan is crucial (bedroom audio master work).

The 16" DOES NOT have the same issue. Running same 100% cpu load on the 16" resulted in the same amount or near the same amount of heat but definitely the fans operate at a mere <2500rpm and that is after 15 minutes of cpu loads it doesn't even being to complain! It is not dead silent but the sound is basically quiet enough it is completely acceptable.

The weight is another issue the 14" is lighter but this one is BIGGER and heavier but it is manageable. I carry around my 17" for YEARS and my 15" 2008 MBP before that. This display is all that I have wanted and the 14" at scaled higher resolutions is just too small for my eyes to feel comfortable. This display is just so wonderful to work on I am going to keep it and pass the 14" down to my brother in law.

Here are some pics of it compared to the 2008 15" MBP and 2010 17" MBP. What I have noticed is that the current 16" is really based off of the EARLY 2008 15" model because my old Moshi Codex case has 4 foot pads inside the case that fits this 16" perfectly and that case was meant for the early 2008 15" mbp!

The dimensions of the early 2008 15" are: 14.1" x 9.6" x 1" thick. the 2021 16" is exactly 14.01" x 9.7" x 0.66". It is still nothing compared to the big bad 17" mbp.

View attachment 1885450

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View attachment 1885452


View attachment 1885453View attachment 1885454
View attachment 1885455

Man are these new MacBook Pros ugly. They've hardly changed the core design in over a decade, and now we get thicker and heavier laptops. Yuk.

 

[haruhiko]

Agree with you fully on the thermal management stand point but since it’s a laptop I still occasionally need the portability so I have no choice but to get the 14-inch.

 

[3Rock]

Man are these new MacBook Pros ugly. They've hardly changed the core design in over a decade, and now we get thicker and heavier laptops. Yuk.

Thank you so very much for the useless comment. Many of us do not agree at all. So don’t buy one and buy something else

 

[booksbooks]

Thank you so very much for the useless comment. Many of us do not agree at all. So don’t buy one and buy something else

Thank you for your useless comment. Many do not agree at all. So go ahead and buy one.

 

[ascender]

I have a 14" Max (with a 16" Max on the way), and I have yet to hear the fans, or feel the bottom get any hotter than just 'warm' (even through a re-install of macOS). What can I run to push the CPU/GPU to make the fans turn on so that I can hear how loud they can get? I ran GeekBench 5 a few times, but that didn't make the fans come on, or make the case feel even warm.

Simplest thing is probably to just encode something in Handbrake - the 14" fans will kick-in within seconds.

 

[pento]

I have a 14" Max (with a 16" Max on the way), and I have yet to hear the fans, or feel the bottom get any hotter than just 'warm' (even through a re-install of macOS). What can I run to push the CPU/GPU to make the fans turn on so that I can hear how loud they can get? I ran GeekBench 5 a few times, but that didn't make the fans come on, or make the case feel even warm.

I have a 16.2" M1 Max, and I can get the fans to kick on such that they're audible when I play WoW with max settings. However, my normal productivity workflows never result in the fans being audible (which is a breath of fresh air compared to the previous 16" intel models).