Mac Studio Max - it's not that quiet

[lcubed]

after reading this thread, i was second-questioning the wisdom of buying a mac studio.

i've received my mac studio ultra with 4 TB and it's much, much quieter than my old macpro4,1. i'm not hearing the tone at 2X fan rpm at all. there's a gentle whoosh if i put my ear up to the rear of the machine. the tone from my joule sous-vide pump in the next room is far more prominent.

this bad boy is a keeper!

 

[Traverse]

I have one day left to return my unit. The attached recording is worse than it sounds in practice, but it demonstrates the higher pitched tone I hear. It goes away on sleep so it's 100% the fans.

Edited for typo.

 

[4sallypat]

My PC has 6 fans running all the time, and that is not counting the 3 on my 3080 graphics card, which runs at 0 RPMs until under load.

Regular air flow noise doesn't bother me. After using PCs for decades, I find it relaxing actually. But that high pitched sound was terrible on the M1 Max Studio that I returned. It was giving me headaches.

Similar here - I have a 2200 VA UPS rack mount running with fans constantly.

The fans probably drowns out the Studio's fans ?

Studio is still very quiet like my M1 Mini that I traded in!~

 

[Traverse]

I can’t tell you how sad I am, but I’ve just “Erased All Contents and Settings” to take it to an Apple Store tomorrow.

Look, the fan noise on my unit wasn’t bad per se, but I noticed it. It was never something I noticed on my old machine (outside I’d when I was pushing it). This was my dream system, but after two weeks I still notice it.

 

[alias.archi]

@Traverse The same for me, but I decided to keep it. He works very well and I need it !
my plan is to have it changed under warranty to get a quieter machine.

 

[Menno87]

I have one day left to return my unit. The attached recording is worse than it sounds in practice, but it demonstrations the higher pitched tone I hear. It goes away on sleep so it's 100% the fans.

View attachment 1984483

Yup, this is exactly what I am hearing from my unit also.

 

[BSPBSP]

I have one day left to return my unit. The attached recording is worse than it sounds in practice, but it demonstrations the higher pitched tone I hear. It goes away on sleep so it's 100% the fans.

View attachment 1984483

I am still debating myself, got mine on Monday and am hearing the same as @Traverse and @Vaibye recorded (albeit a ever so slightly different pitch.
Also, for what it's worth, mine, which also makes the sounds, was made in Malaysia since it was a custom config and was shipped later, so it seems like the country might not make a difference after all...

 

[Fan Gate]

Got mine yesterday. It was made in China. It makes a cheap metallic noise like cheap fans that are missing damping somehow, similar like @Traverse recorded. That noise drives me totally crazy.
This makes the Mac Studio one of the worst Macs I had in the last 30 years.

They finally build the missing desktop Mac since years and now this.
I am so deeply disappointed by Apple.

I don't understand how the could develop such a failure in overall design. They always tell how energy efficient the M1's are but build 2 big fans into the Mac Studio that blow (while idle, at no load) all the time and are for sure louder than any Mac Book Pro with the exact same processor.

 

[BSPBSP]

I am actually starting to wonder if it is the fans at all or some interference with the vents on the back.
Since there are that many tiny holes compared to the Mac Pro for instance, I can imagine that there might be some frequency resonance there because of the openings. In that case, not even changing the fan might fix the problem.

 

[Jamooche]

I can’t believe how many of these things make the high pitched sound. Is anyone who is returning a Studio buying a 16” MacBook Pro instead?

That’s the route I think I may go even though I don’t need a 2nd laptop.

 

[BSPBSP]

I can’t believe how many of these things make the high pitched sound. Is anyone who is returning a Studio buying a 16” MacBook Pro instead?

That’s the route I think I may go even though I don’t need a 2nd laptop.

Same route I was considering, actually configured one last night just to see the delivery date...
Just to confirm, the 16 inch MPB turns the fans off while idle, but the 14 inch runs them constantly as well, do I remember that correctly?

 

[0x2102]

The 14" and 16" have the same fan profile. They are off most of the time until they reach their threshold.

 

[BSPBSP]

The 14" and 16" have the same fan profile. They are off most of the time until they reach their threshold.

Thank you! In that case, even the 14 inch might be sufficient.
Would feel like a waste having that gorgeous display in clamshell mode 99% of the time, but I will have to see if I can get used to the Mac Studio sound.

 

[Jamooche]

I am actually starting to wonder if it is the fans at all or some interference with the vents on the back.
Since there are that many tiny holes compared to the Mac Pro for instance, I can imagine that there might be some frequency resonance there because of the openings. In that case, not even changing the fan might fix the problem.

Cut out a big square in the case to have one large hole. Air moving through tight spaces usually next song dancing outside and it’s super windy outside.

Same route I was considering, actually configured one last night just to see the delivery date...
Just to confirm, the 16 inch MPB turns the fans off while idle, but the 14 inch runs them constantly as well, do I remember that correctly?

My 14” with 16gb ram is dead silent. The only times I have heard the fans was when I was doing a large panoramic merge in Lightroom.

 

[Jamooche]

Whoops. That first reply was a failed Siri dictation I thought was deleted. What I meant to say was slight variance through small holes could create whistling. It happens all the time in my antique house depending on the wind direction and the force of the wind blowing outside during storms etc.

 

[B.A.T]

Don't you guys have any music you can listen to when you are using the computer?

 

[Menno87]

Don't you guys have any music you can listen to when you are using the computer?

Yes, but its also sometimes nice to work in silence if I choose to. My Mac Pro 2019 was silent to me. It’s just that irritating high pitched noise. I’ll try it for 1 week if I can bear it or else I’ll wait for the AS Mac Pro and return the studio.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Got my Studio Max 10/32/32/2TB and it's literally dead silent. I can't even hear the fans. I know they are working because iStats show them running. I haven't pass 40 degrees yet.

 

[H-P.]

Got my Studio Max 10/32/32/2TB and it's literally dead silent. I can't even hear the fans. I know they are working because iStats show them running. I haven't pass 40 degrees yet.

View attachment 1984832

Good to hear! Made in China or Malaysia?

 

[bobcomer]

Don't you guys have any music you can listen to when you are using the computer?

Never for me, what a distraction!

 

[macca24]

Good to hear! Made in China or Malaysia?

I can't see what difference it makes where it was assembled (not made).

 

[Absrnd]

Got mine yesterday. It was made in China. It makes a cheap metallic noise like cheap fans that are missing damping somehow, similar like @Traverse recorded. That noise drives me totally crazy.
This makes the Mac Studio one of the worst Macs I had in the last 30 years.

They finally build the missing desktop Mac since years and now this.
I am so deeply disappointed by Apple.

I don't understand how the could develop such a failure in overall design. They always tell how energy efficient the M1's are but build 2 big fans into the Mac Studio that blow (while idle, at no load) all the time and are for sure louder than any Mac Book Pro with the exact same processor.

You made an account, just to type your complaint ?

 

[MaskedCarrot]

I can’t believe how many of these things make the high pitched sound. Is anyone who is returning a Studio buying a 16” MacBook Pro instead?

That’s the route I think I may go even though I don’t need a 2nd laptop.

I returned my M1 Max Studio and ordered an M1 iMac.

In addition to the high pitched noise giving me headaches, I was also having various monitor issues with it as well.

 

[vddobrev]

All you people that are returning the Mac Studio, make sure to give feedback to Apple why you are returning it, i.e. tell them that you could not tolerate the noise emitted by the computer.

 

[petvas]

I have the Mac Studio with the M1 Max and I hear nothing, even when my room is quiet. Maybe I am not that sensitive, but I guess someone could be annoyed by any sounds if he/she would be looking for them..
Returning the Mac Studio because of that is pretty ridiculous, unless of course it points to a defect (which I doubt).