Mac Studio Max - it's not that quiet

[Jamooche]

This is a big bummer as my 2019 iMac has been dead silent unless running a difficult task. I wish Apple had a longer return policy than 14 days. I bought a 14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16GB 1TB in mid February. Now I'm wishing I had bought a M1 MAX with 64GB and 4TB as an alternative to the Mac Studio. I mainly use Lightroom and Photoshop, so I'm thinking to just cancel the Mac Studio order and run this 14" with the new Studio Display via the OWC thunderbolt hub.

An alternative would be to cancel and buy the Ultra, but, for me, the $1K price bump would be only to make it quieter which is ridiculous.

 

[Jamooche]

Got the base M1 Max model and I really don't hear anything unless my ears are right next to it.

Good to hear. I'm wondering if maybe there is a design / production flaw with the aluminum cooling part where some units are quiet while others hum / whistle when the air moves through it.

 

[jasoncarle]

I agree - I have a base ultra and same, it’s quite and maybe I’m not doing anything intensive to have fans speed up, But after installing tgpro, I see fan speed at 1100-1300 shown but no noise.

At the time I was writing this, I had firefox open with a youtube video popped out playing next to the window that had about 10 tabs open, alongside messages, mail, calendar, and the Roon control app on the second desktop as well as all the things that run in the background, AdGuard, Forklift, Amphetamine, iStat menus, 1Password, etc...

 

[AdamSeen]

This is a big bummer as my 2019 iMac has been dead silent unless running a difficult task. I wish Apple had a longer return policy than 14 days. I bought a 14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16GB 1TB in mid February. Now I'm wishing I had bought a M1 MAX with 64GB and 4TB as an alternative to the Mac Studio. I mainly use Lightroom and Photoshop, so I'm thinking to just cancel the Mac Studio order and run this 14" with the new Studio Display via the OWC thunderbolt hub.

An alternative would be to cancel and buy the Ultra, but, for me, the $1K price bump would be only to make it quieter which is ridiculous.

This thread isn't very scientific. No one has taken any room readings apart from myself. And my office is 24dB at quietest.

I doubt the Studio Max is actually louder than the Ultra. More likely that more people have bought the max version and thus the people that notice it are greater in number. Apple mentioned no difference in audio sound at idle between the versions. I believe they are required to mention it (e.g. https://support.apple.com/kb/SP589)

So in order to know if it's going to be a problem for you - Run decibel X on the iPhone to get your ambient background noise. If it's above 30/35db, you probably won't notice it.

 

[Zandros]

I don't think Apple will be able to change that in a software-update since the constant cooling is most likely needed for the integrated power supply.

The PSU doesn't need cooling when the computer isn't under load. It is ~90 % efficient, meaning only a tenth (maybe slightly more if it's outside it's optimum) of the total power draw is lost as heat in the PSU.

 

[hxlover904]

From the Ars Technica review:

>But in both cases, the size of the cooler and the power efficiency of Apple’s chips keep the Studio nearly dead silent no >matter what you’re doing with it.

From the Verge review:

>Even when we were doing elaborate things in Adobe After Effects and Blender, stuff that would have had the fans on
>any Intel desktop I’ve ever used absolutely roaring, the Studio was inaudible. I’d put my ear to the case, and while I
>could literally feel the fans vibrating beneath me, they were still silent. And the only time we ever felt it blowing hot
>air was during gaming, which we’ll get to later.

Unfortunately, both are reviews of an Ultra model. While I don't wish a bad unit on anyone, I hope this isn't an "Ultra silent / Max noisy" situation. I guess we'll see as more people start receiving their units. I would sadly, pay the extra for the 48-GPU ultra if this does turn out to be the case.

Wasn't the verge testing both units? It seems most of the reviews i've seen had had both units together and I've not heard any talk about differences in fan noise.

 

[brerlappin]

AppleInsider tested both units, too but didn’t mention anything about them being different

 

[Jamooche]

This thread isn't very scientific. No one has taken any room readings apart from myself. And my office is 24dB at quietest.

I doubt the Studio Max is actually louder than the Ultra. More likely that more people have bought the max version and thus the people that notice it are greater in number. Apple mentioned no difference in audio sound at idle between the versions. I believe they are required to mention it (e.g. https://support.apple.com/kb/SP589)

So in order to know if it's going to be a problem for you - Run decibel X on the iPhone to get your ambient background noise. If it's above 30/35db, you probably won't notice it.

Good points. But here's yet another silly conundrum. I ordered the Max Studio, Display, and Touch ID keyboard. Apple only has a 14 day return policy. I already received the keyboard. According to apple, the display comes in 2 weeks and Studio 2 weeks after that, so if I decide to return the studio, the display will be out of return policy. Not sure why they aren't coming together, but that's what it says. So, I may have to proactively return the display and keyboard while it's still returnable. I may just cancel everything and buy again in a few months when stock catches up.

 

[chabig]

We should all be using standard units to compare fan noise. I suggest using the Intel MBPs as standards of measure. Then we can all communicate clearly,

“How loud is your Studio?”

“It’s four units on the MBP scale.”

”Thanks!”

 

[eelpout]

has no one here lived with an Intel Mac Mini? It can't be that noisy.

 

[Halbertus]

Run decibel X on the iPhone to get your ambient background noise. If it's above 30/35db, you probably won't notice it.

Trying to get a little more objective I just measured the ambient noise of my room. decibel X reports 25 dez average in my room.
I can very clearly hear the fan noise in my environment - even when the machine is in idle. (the computer has been switched on for 24 hours, spotlight indexing and iCloud syncing has long finished)
It is not terrible loud, but still I am very disappointed.

None of my recent Macs was audible to my ears in idle.

Trying to make up a little comparison. I have owned (or do own) the following computers.

Mac model	Loudness (Idle)	Loudness (Load)
Mac Pro 5,1	decently quiet but audible, especially when equipped with spinning hard drives	Jumbo Jet
Mac Pro 6,1	Air Flow constantly audible, but not annoying	Loud Sound of moving air. Considering the dual GPUs it was a lot quieter than my HP workstation at that time.
MacBook Pro 15" 2015	barely noticeable	Annoying high noise to my ears. Need to turn on music or to use headphones
iMac Pro Vega 56	very light whispering sound	clearly audible humming sound
MacBook Air M1	100% quiet (no fan)	100% quiet (no fan)
Mac mini M1	not audible to me (can't tell if switched on when blind testing)	almost not audible
MacBook Pro 16" 2021 (M1 Pro)	not audible to me (can't tell if switched on when blind testing)	can hear light noise of the fan
Mac Studio M1 Max	constant light noise of AirFlow (exhaust?) not terrible but in the line of my recent Mac computers it is clearly the loudest	higher noise from higher AirFlow, which is to be accepted considering the higher workload.
Mac Studio M1 Ultra	??? Some users claim it is silent	???

 

[Apple2GS]

has no one here lived with an Intel Mac Mini? It can't be that noisy.

Which model? I have the 2018 i5 and it's silent unless you put your ear to the back.

 

[Vaibye]

I have the max version and measured the fan speed and it stays around 1330rpm at idle. This is quite a high speed, and if I manually adjust it to the lowest speed of 1100rpm, it becomes much quieter, but the power supply temperature rises sharply to over 50 degrees Celsius and goes above 65 degrees when playing 4k video. I'm cautiously guessing this problem with the built in power supply

 

[eelpout]

Which model? I have the 2018 i5 and it's silent unless you put your ear to the back.

'18/19 i7 3.2GHz 6-core. When doing anything intensive in Lightroom or Photoshop, the fan spins up. Or maybe it's just Chrome.

 

[Homy]

Fan nosie

 

[Halbertus]

Fan nosie

This is not correct. (Otherwise I might have gotten a faulty machine.)
Mac Studio Max is constantly audible and falls short compared to the other M1 computers. I am fortunate enough to compare them directly in the same room running the same software. I really don’t think I am sharing overly biased information.
Would like to try an Ultra to see if the different cooling means lower noise in idle

 

[AdamSeen]

Trying to get a little more objective I just measured the ambient noise of my room. decibel X reports 25 dez average in my room.
I can very clearly hear the fan noise in my environment - even when the machine is in idle. (the computer has been switched on for 24 hours, spotlight indexing and iCloud syncing has long finished)
It is not terrible loud, but still I am very disappointed.

None of my recent Macs was audible to my ears in idle.

Trying to make up a little comparison. I have owned (or do own) the following computers.

Mac model	Loudness (Idle)	Loudness (Load)
Mac Pro 5,1	decently quiet but audible, especially when equipped with spinning hard drives	Jumbo Jet
Mac Pro 6,1	Air Flow constantly audible, but not annoying	Loud Sound of moving air. Considering the dual GPUs it was a lot quieter than my HP workstation at that time.
MacBook Pro 15" 2015	barely noticeable	Annoying high noise to my ears. Need to turn on music or to use headphones
iMac Pro Vega 56	very light whispering sound	clearly audible humming sound
MacBook Air M1	100% quiet (no fan)	100% quiet (no fan)
Mac mini M1	not audible to me (can't tell if switched on when blind testing)	almost not audible
MacBook Pro 16" 2021 (M1 Pro)	not audible to me (can't tell if switched on when blind testing)	can hear light noise of the fan
Mac Studio M1 Max	constant light noise of AirFlow (exhaust?) not terrible but in the line of my recent Mac computers it is clearly the loudest	higher noise from higher AirFlow, which is to be accepted considering the higher workload.
Mac Studio M1 Ultra	??? Some users claim it is silent	???

Thank you for taking the time to get readings of your room and putting them into perspective. It matches well with what I've collated here: https://quietmac.netlify.app

I suspect it will sound very similar for me, given our almost identical noise floor.

 

[Wando64]

If fan noise defines your machine choice, I’m not sure you really needed a studio?

Everybody has a limit with regard to what level of fan noise they are willing to accept. Even you.
Does this mean nobody needs a Mac Studio?

 

[atonaldenim]

I have the max version and measured the fan speed and it stays around 1330rpm at idle. This is quite a high speed, and if I manually adjust it to the lowest speed of 1100rpm, it becomes much quieter, but the power supply temperature rises sharply to over 50 degrees Celsius and goes above 65 degrees when playing 4k video. I'm cautiously guessing this problem with the built in power supply

Nice to know the lowest possible fan speed makes it noticeably quieter.

What’s the power supply temp with the fans running at default speed?

I just checked my Mac Pro 5,1 and its power supply seems to idle around 28C with default fan settings.

I wonder if highly sensitive users could add their own silent custom power supply cooling solution into the Studio case, so it could be run safely at lower fan speeds. Or even move the power supply to a separate enclosure? (repurposed Mac Mini case anyone?) Teardowns seem to show the power supply connects to the logic board with a single cable, could probably be extended…

EDIT: turns out there are also bolts being used as power rails to connect the power supply to the logic board. So moving the internal power supply outboard would be more complicated than I thought.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

Everybody has a limit with regard to what level of fan noise they are willing to accept. Even you.
Does this mean nobody needs a Mac Studio?

For someone to say "The fan is loud, I may go back to mini" makes me think their workload can get by on the mini, thus did they need a studio? No where did I suggest nobody needs a studio?

If I coulda got by on a mini, I woulda been using it for 18 odd months now. Hopefully these fan conversations are overblown, as I have been patiently waiting for a plugin m1(pro/max) since they announced the m1.

 

[-narcan-]

Thank you - is it possible to get your rooms ambient noise level in db?

About 26db avg (using the iPhone)

 

[slainbabyyc]

Good points. But here's yet another silly conundrum. I ordered the Max Studio, Display, and Touch ID keyboard. Apple only has a 14 day return policy. I already received the keyboard. According to apple, the display comes in 2 weeks and Studio 2 weeks after that, so if I decide to return the studio, the display will be out of return policy. Not sure why they aren't coming together, but that's what it says. So, I may have to proactively return the display and keyboard while it's still returnable. I may just cancel everything and buy again in a few months when stock catches up.

you can request a return and get an extra 2 weeks to mail it in, effectively extending your return period regardless of whether you decide to utilize it

 

[Traverse]

I think I can comment on this now because my Mac’s studio has been fully set up from scratch, finished its indexing, and all that other goodness.

Like Jason Snell said, it does have an audible fan, but I was only able to hear it if my room was in total silence. Simply turning on my ceiling fan (which usually runs) made it inaudible. The one thing I’ll not is that it’s consistent. No matter what load the system was under, it never got any louder unlike my iMac which spun up annoying loud under even moderate loads.

 

[Apple2GS]

Hopefully these fan conversations are overblown, as I have been patiently waiting for a plugin m1(pro/max) since they announced the m1.

I returned the Studio because of the noise. I think it comes down to how sensitive someone is to sound. When I built a gaming PC I used Noctua fans, I can hear the fans when gaming but the sound is smooth and deep. Unlike the Studio's higher pitched sounds.

I would say that the vast majority of Studio users will never be bothered or even notice the fans. For the rest of us who seek out quiet equipment it's a deal breaker.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

I returned the Studio because of the noise. I think it comes down to how sensitive someone is to sound. When I built a gaming PC I used Noctua fans, I can hear the fans when gaming but the sound is smooth and deep. Unlike the Studio's higher pitched sounds.

I would say that the vast majority of Studio users will never be bothered or even notice the fans. For the rest of us who seek out quiet equipment it's a deal breaker.

well that sucks to hear. My gaming PC is all noctua and silent as possible. But as you said, its smooth when active.

Crossing fingers we have some heatsink woes that are causing bad acoustics vs every single one being off tone.