Gary makes a good point about potential dust build up in the Studio as well (given that it will be constantly pulling air in from the bottom and pushing out the back) however time will tell if that becomes an issue
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Mac Studio Max - it's not that quiet
- Thread starter sixers22
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For who are curious about the noise of Mac studio, I am attaching the recording file. I simply recorded it an iPhone voice memo. It was recorded directly above the unit (near the Apple logo), not in front of the exhaust
It's a bit boosted, but it sounds similar enough in my work environment that's about two feet away from unit
The noise issues I've experienced so far in Mac studios are different from fan volume. As you can see from the attached file, it has a high pitch resonance. This may not be a problem for everyone, but it is certainly quite annoying for some
Yeah, the low frequency fan woosh is all good, but that high pitch noise would drive me insane.
It’s likely just down tolerances and luck…
It’s likely just down tolerances and luck…
Yeah, that doesn't sound particularly great. For comparison, this is the Mac Pro 2019 blower fan which sounds better than that: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6n3wbtz3vv5stkk/MacPro2019-Blower_on.m4a?dl=0
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Try putting a silicon canning ring between the surface and the Mac studio. I did this because it was sliding aroun but I think I’d does just enough to isolate the max audio. I have a weird noise from time to time. not sure how to describe it. A bit of coil whine mixed with squeaky fan bearings.
I think that sounds pretty good. I had to turn my iMac's speakers half way up to barely hear it and yet he says he measured it right close to the logo. It's like putting your ear near the computer. It doesn't sound high pitched to me either.
From my experience with a humming 2011 27" iMac (see #185 in this thread) the first thing I'd try on a Studio that's humming is put some damping material between the computer and whatever it's sitting on. The fix might be that easy/inexpensive. Won't fix honest-to-bog fan noise (moving air around), but can help deal with noises due to mechanical vibration which are a major source of humming.
I don't think it's a design fault, more like discrepancies in quality of the fan builds. Does anyone know if they are the same make fans on all the units? It just seems pot luck if you get a noisy unit or not, I wonder what Apple will say about it if a lot of studios are being returned.
Just crawled underneath my desk to verify: You need to put your ear right next to the exhaust on the back to hear it like that, right?
That is similar to what mine was doing. I returned it. Without knowing the cause I wouldn't want to buy a new one, as it could start this behavior after the return period. I doubt it would be covered under warranty.
I think I hear two sounds. Air blowing and a higher pitched sound coming directly from the fan.
The moving air sound is fine, but the higher pitch sounds to me like a bad bearing, possibly dry not greased properly. We can't be certain when the fan was manufactured and the type of grease used and if it hardened due to temperature, humidity, etc. This sound is typical of a tired bearing, that needs a bit of grease... but once it starts making that noise, it is too late... the bearing is worn already, and you can only temporarily cure the sound by grease, prity soon it will be dry again. Some cheap fans make that sound from the start no matter what.
More worried about dust, no filters at a minimum is a bad decision. My gaming rigs always get dusty fast and could clean them. Starting to think the MacBook pro would have been a better choice, dust destroys electronics.
No - It really depends on the ambient noise of your room. That's how it sounded to me in 25dB room, slightly more gain there than I heard at the sitting location, though. But not far off.
Just to confirm, my recording there was of the Mac Pro - not the studio. I've made my post clearer as to not confuse.
Is that with Fans set to auto, i.e. controlled by the system? Because if so, that's odd, as everyone else here (including me) have it around 1320 as standard when the system is controlling. 1200 is much better tan 1320 when it comes to noise.
Just to add my Ultra makes the same sound. The moving air noise is fine, although I wish the fan curve was lower but the high pitched noise is quite annoying. Debating returning it.
