Should I wait for a fan-less MacBook Pro? (Audio Engineer)

[Yr Blues]

I do a lot of sensitive audio recording without isolation booths and always have to find creative ways to edit out the sound of my MacBook or keep it as far as I can from the source.

I might pick up the 12-inch MacBook just for this feature.

 

[T5BRICK]

I do a lot of sensitive audio recording without isolation booths and always have to find creative ways to edit out the sound of my MacBook or keep it as far as I can from the source.

I really doubt that Apple would be able to passively cool any of the CPUs that would suit the rMBP line. Currently the 13" rMBP has a 28w TDP CPU and the 15" rMBP has a 47w TDP CPU. The 12" rMB uses a ~5w TDP CPU.

That's a pretty substantial difference in cooling requirements.

I might pick up the 12-inch MacBook just for this feature.

At this point in time, the rMB is probably the best choice for a fanless portable Mac.

 

[ApolloBoy]

At this point in time, the rMB is probably the best choice for a fanless portable Mac.

It's the only choice actually, at least for now.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I do a lot of sensitive audio recording without isolation booths and always have to find creative ways to edit out the sound of my MacBook or keep it as far as I can from the source.

I might pick up the 12-inch MacBook just for this feature.

The current MacBook Pro is silent most of the time, unless you are pushing the CPU/GPU hard, it might be worth trying it for the 14 day return period. If you can wait then the much anticipated next generation should be thinner, lighter and more energy efficient and maybe even a bit quieter, they seem to get better on almost very update for quietness.

The MacBook is going to be the only fanless Macbook for the foreseeable future (at least 3-4 years looking at intels roadmap).

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I do a lot of sensitive audio recording without isolation booths and always have to find creative ways to edit out the sound of my MacBook or keep it as far as I can from the source.
I might pick up the 12-inch MacBook just for this feature."

I think you may find the MacBook underpowered, especially if you start mixing with audio plugins, etc.

Re your original question:
I would not expect to see a MacBook Pro without an internal cooling fan.

However, the fan that IS in the MBPro is "quiet enough"...

 

[Yr Blues]

OP wrote:
However, the fan that IS in the MBPro is "quiet enough"...

You'd be surprised by the crap my mics pick up. People have ruined recordings with their analog watches they forget to take off.

And I always had bad luck with the fans braking down and making horrendous noises.

 

[jerryk]

You'd be surprised by the crap my mics pick up. People have ruined recordings with their analog watches they forget to take off.

And I always had bad luck with the fans braking down and making horrendous noises.

Yikes. Just curious, but what sort of mics do you use? For my recordings (voice-overs) I use a mic with a cardioid pattern and do not have an issue with extraneous noise. If I am careful, I can even type on my keyboard without picking it up in the voice track.

 

[netdog]

However, the fan that IS in the MBPro is "quiet enough"...

Mine sure isn't. 2012 rMBP that howls when it gets pushed. The internals definitely heat up under moderate stress and the fans are not quiet when they shift into one of the higher gears.

 

[maflynn]

I might pick up the 12-inch MacBook just for this feature.

I think that's going to be your only option.

As for a MPB using passive cooling - I think audio editing is such an instensive tasks, the CPU will get rather warm for passive cooling to keep up. Apple was forced to use the Core M processors, because they use such low power and are slow enough that it won't generate that much heat (relatively speaking)/

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Fan-less MacBook Pro? Interesting concept...

 

[JackieInCo]

It would be nice but I doubt it will ever happen.

The fan noise on my 2015 2.5GHZ i7 is one of the most annoying things ever. Even just browsing the web everyday will get the fans going on this. Sometimes the only way to get them to spin down to 2000 which is their "idle" speeds, I have to close down my browser and reopen it.

I don't use the computer for much of anything other then internet and the fan noise sometimes makes me enjoy using my 2012 13" MBP because the fans rarely spin up on that one.