Are fans too loud?

[Baconstache]

I’ve a 13 inch, 2015 Retina display MacBook pro and I feel like the fans are running too loud from menial tasks, I don’t know if the fans volume is normal? For example, does opening a Safari with a YouTube video suppose to make the fans ramp up and sound like an airplane taking off? (What activity is normal for fans to get loud, what is unusual situation for it to get loud).

 

[redheeler]

Do you have an external monitor connected? One of the issues with 15"/16" (dedicated GPU) Intel Macs is that connecting an external monitor forces the dedicated GPU into use, and this makes the system run much hotter.

 

[Baconstache]

Do you have an external monitor connected? One of the issues with 15"/16" (dedicated GPU) Intel Macs is that connecting an external monitor forces the dedicated GPU into use, and this makes the system run much hotter.

Nope, it’s just the plain internal display and it’s a 13” model.

 

[redheeler]

Software factors: What version of MacOS / Safari is it running? Is it a clean install? What apps are running in the background?

Hardware factors: Is the fan free from dust? Has the thermal paste ever been refreshed in your machine?

The 2015 13" models are dual-core and are likely stressed harder by newer versions of MacOS (all Macs since 2018 have been at least quad-core). Dust and thermal paste are additional considerations, especially for older machines. When I opened my 2015 iMac I found a lot of dust inside, and the CPU temperature was definitely getting higher than it should be when it was running (resulting in more fan noise).

 

[Baconstache]

Software factors: What version of MacOS / Safari is it running? Is it a clean install? What apps are running in the background?

Hardware factors: Is the fan free from dust? Has the thermal paste ever been refreshed in your machine?

The 2015 13" models are dual-core and are likely stressed harder by newer versions of MacOS (all Macs since 2018 have been at least quad-core). Dust and thermal paste are additional considerations, especially for older machines. When I opened my 2015 iMac I found a lot of dust inside, and the CPU temperature was definitely getting higher than it should be when it was running (resulting in more fan noise).

I have formatted my Mac to make sure it isn’t software, it is the same on Windows using bootcamp as well btw.
It has been already couple of years since a repair shop opened the MacBook and replaced thermal paste and cleaned the dust, so it could be related.

 

[dasjati]

I owned a 2015 15 inch MBP with only integrated graphics and it was an almost constant white noise machine in my home office, even just sitting idle sometimes.

That being said, I don't remember the fans ramping up to "airplane taking off" levels just by watching YouTube. So it might be worth it to let someone have a look at the innards and see how dirty it is, what the fans look like etc.

 

[Baconstache]

I owned a 2015 15 inch MBP with only integrated graphics and it was an almost constant white noise machine in my home office, even just sitting idle sometimes.

That being said, I don't remember the fans ramping up to "airplane taking off" levels just by watching YouTube. So it might be worth it to let someone have a look at the innards and see how dirty it is, what the fans look like etc.

Thank you 😊

 

[Furka]

Thank you 😊

What OS are you running ? I have had some issues with big use of cpu from the Windowserver daemon on Sonoma/Ventura OCLPed MBP13 from 2012 (it's not your 2015 but it's not so far away from it). Now I am on Monterey and the fans are at 1.998-2.050 rpm at idle and 56ºC. I have a second SSD with CatalinaOS, so I could compare the same machine with the 2 OSes.

 

[Frieg]

For example, does opening a Safari with a YouTube video suppose to make the fans ramp up and sound like an airplane taking off?

Nope, it is not.

I have the same Macbook still in use.

Youtube introduced the "cinematic lighting" setting a while ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/wy5ipb
It's basically the same video but with a blur effect in the background. this effect completely overwhelms the GPU capabilities, so switch it off!

Check how degraded your thermal paste ist. Run a Benchmark like Cinebench R23 and monitor the CPU temps and clock with intel power gadget.

If the cpu hits 105 °C and throttles down below full boost clock then it's time to renew the thermal paste.

I've tried several pastes with severe pump out problems until i'm completely satisfied now with the Honeywell PTM7950 pad.

Should look like this:

I'm running newest version of Monterey.

As you can see my MacBook maxes out at 90°C with Full CPU load. With stock paste it throttled down below base clock.

It's pretty silent with daily use, but anything taxing the GPU makes even my perfectly pasted MacBook take off. The GPU is 2/3 of the die size and just overwhelms the capabilities of the heat pipe.

 

[Baconstache]

What OS are you running ? I have had some issues with big use of cpu from the Windowserver daemon on Sonoma/Ventura OCLPed MBP13 from 2012 (it's not your 2015 but it's not so far away from it). Now I am on Monterey and the fans are at 1.998-2.050 rpm at idle and 56ºC. I have a second SSD with CatalinaOS, so I could compare the same machine with the 2 OSes.

1350 RPM atm and the Safari is open with multiple tabs, running the latest version of Mac OS 14.2.1 (Using OCLP). But the fans are running hot on Windows through Bootcamp as well.

 

[Baconstache]

Nope, it is not.

I have the same Macbook still in use.

Youtube introduced the "cinematic lighting" setting a while ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/wy5ipb
It's basically the same video but with a blur effect in the background. this effect completely overwhelms the GPU capabilities, so switch it off!

Check how degraded your thermal paste ist. Run a Benchmark like Cinebench R23 and monitor the CPU temps and clock with intel power gadget.

If the cpu hits 105 °C and throttles down below full boost clock then it's time to renew the thermal paste.

I've tried several pastes with severe pump out problems until i'm completely satisfied now with the Honeywell PTM7950 pad.

Should look like this:

View attachment 2335663

I'm running newest version of Monterey.

As you can see my MacBook maxes out at 90°C with Full CPU load. With stock paste it throttled down below base clock.

It's pretty silent with daily use, but anything taxing the GPU makes even my perfectly pasted MacBook take off. The GPU is 2/3 of the die size and just overwhelms the capabilities of the heat pipe.

Yeah, I was told be someone else about the "cinematic lighting" earlier I was shocked how the fan suddenly lowered down the moment I turned it off. Thank you. I'll run some benchmarks, lets see the results...