rMBP Noisy Fans - Normal?

[Bedz]

Hi Guys,

I received my rMBP yesterday and have been playing around with it constantly as you'd expect.

I've started converting some mp4s to iPad playable versions in iTunes just now and the fans seem much louder than they should be. I just wanted to check how loud your fans are compared to mine.

What I did to test this was download a free iPhone app called Decibel Meter Free, and rested it on my trackpad whilst the files were converting. The level recorded was around 63db, which by my understanding is about the level of a normal conversation.

If I held the iPhone above the F5 button on the keyboard, which I consider to be about the loudest point, it was around 75db. Definitely louder than my previous 13" White Macbook.

I run iStat Pro and my fans were running at 5866rpm for the right and 5417rpm for the left.
My CPU was at 45degrees and my GPU at 60degrees, GPU diode at 65degrees.

The Macbook Pro was just on my desk, flat. Nothing obstructing the fans or anything.

Is there any chance anyone else can test also? I'm just a bit paranoid that something may be wrong with the fans. If there is something wrong I'm going to Melbourne in two weeks so I could get them to have a look.

Thanks for your time anyway.

 

[maflynn]

Are your fans always running at 5,000? Mine are at 2,000 right now but then I'm just surfing the net

 

[GGJstudios]

I run iStat Pro and my fans were running at 5866rpm for the right and 5417rpm for the left.
My CPU was at 45degrees and my GPU at 60degrees, GPU diode at 65degrees.

Try resetting the SMC.

 

[Bedz]

Thanks for the speedy reply!

Mine are running at about 2000rpm at the moment (just browsing) and it is nice and quiet, barely audible.

It's just in intensive processes it's very noisy. Obviously there's always going to be an increase in noise when high CPU and GPU usage is happening, I just didn't expect it to be quite so dramatic.

 

[maflynn]

From the reviews I've read, the fans are a little quieter when going full bore, but you cannot say they're quiet. I'd say apple's assertion that they're silent is more sales puffery then fact.

I don't mind the noise, as long as the fans do their job and keeps the laptop cool

 

[Bedz]

Try resetting the SMC.

I've reset the SMC (I think, there's no real indication that it's occurred?), and it is still the same. The Apple article says:

Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

Mine stayed solid green the whole time.

Is anyone able to do the test just to make me feel like it's not just me! I guess if it's normal I'm happy to live with it.

 

[snaky69]

I've reset the SMC (I think, there's no real indication that it's occurred?), and it is still the same. The Apple article says:



Mine stayed solid green the whole time.

Is anyone able to do the test just to make me feel like it's not just me! I guess if it's normal I'm happy to live with it.

You were encoding video. Encoding video implies all 4 cores going full bore and even GPU acceleration(if Apple uses it). That produces heat. The fans are there to pump it out.

In short, yes, it's perfectly normal.

 

[geoffreak]

I've noticed that then my rMBP is mostly idle (surfing the net, playing iTunes, etc), the fans are completely inaudible. However, doing processor intensive tasks can really increase the fan volume.

 

[ixodes]

Due to the fact that there's very little room in such a thin housing for air to circulate, the fans have to work hard under load to keep temps under control.

All of our resource intense work in the lab pushes the Macs & Windows laptops hard. It's normal to hear more noise from the rMBP's because of work the fans must due, as well as the new style blades chosen for maximum airflow.

The good news is our rMBP's run a bit cooler under heavy load than our 15" 2011 MBP's do. I attribute much of it to Apples focus on doing a better job with thermal management, than they have in the past.