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Mac studio v1 fan noise - it's going to be one of the loudest Macs at idle.
- Thread starter AdamSeen
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I know but on priciples alone I’m sticking to my guns on this one and the Pro Display XDR comes with a 2m cable and that’s what I thought I was getting. Just a bad choice all around by apple. Possible an oversight or cost cutting effort. no Buyers remorse no just did not expect to this. was at my local apple store they may loan me one later from the Genius Bar they want to help as the lead manger thought that was ridiculous after showing the picture and confirm this is not an issue what so ever with the std non height adjustable display.
Ok. I think we established that it’s more silent than a PC and that the M1 chips are generally far more efficient than intel. I don’t see anyone arguing against that.
The topic of this thread is about the Studio Mac being one of loudest macs in recent times.
It’s not about how loud PCs, road construction sites or leaf blowers are.
Second I would like to see some reviews by people within audio production. Not YouTubers crunching video files. Their reference point for silent computers may be totally skewed.
And FWIW I could not turn the dam computer on without using another hand to hold it down without flying off my desk and pulling on the cable.
A lot of the macs I have gotten are always quiet when new and clean installed. But over a year or two, with dust and some accumulated apps, the macs tend to get hotter and fans are coming on more often.
I think also connecting a couple of 4k displays causes for overheating.
I'm gonna get my m1max 64GB/1TB this friday, but i am not sure if 2 weeks will be enough test time to really see how often the fans speeds will kick up to audible level.... as I open and leave hundreds of browser tabs open and multiple displays.
I think also connecting a couple of 4k displays causes for overheating.
I'm gonna get my m1max 64GB/1TB this friday, but i am not sure if 2 weeks will be enough test time to really see how often the fans speeds will kick up to audible level.... as I open and leave hundreds of browser tabs open and multiple displays.
There is a saying that people only go out of their way to complain but never go out of their way to mention the positives. I'm happy to report, with the help of my local Apple store, all of my Mac Studio griefs have been extinguished. I have an exchange unit (Base M1 Max which so far is much quieter even with the fans on). I also have a longer TB4 cable now(Turns out there is some question as to the generation of TB cord that ships with the Studio display) . It was somewhat exhausting because of many other details, but the bottom line is I'm happy I have received some resolutions. ?
Seems like the more desktop it is the more noise it will have. I guess ipad and MacBook air and even pro are the quietest options
Hi, very disappointed by this fan noise. I was planning replace my old Imac 21.5 end 2015 (core i7) with a brand new mac studio.
My Imac (at least at idle) is inaudible : Apple gives it for 20db (idle or browsing) source : Imac 21.5 tech spec, but i just can't hear it, and there is no hum.
So my home is very quiet (day : max 40db, night : around 30db), the mac studio will be at nearly 40cm from my head on desk (under the display), and at 25db, i think i will really ear the fan noise.
Do those that own such a setup (distance from mac studio) can really ear an annoying fan noise ?
Has someone lower fan speed to 1100 and notice a real difference (is it hardware dangerous ?) ?
Do you really think apple will release a firmware/software to "solve" this probleme (at least when mac is idle) ?
I'm really considering buying a mac mini instead of this "beast"
Thank you
My Imac (at least at idle) is inaudible : Apple gives it for 20db (idle or browsing) source : Imac 21.5 tech spec, but i just can't hear it, and there is no hum.
So my home is very quiet (day : max 40db, night : around 30db), the mac studio will be at nearly 40cm from my head on desk (under the display), and at 25db, i think i will really ear the fan noise.
Do those that own such a setup (distance from mac studio) can really ear an annoying fan noise ?
Has someone lower fan speed to 1100 and notice a real difference (is it hardware dangerous ?) ?
Do you really think apple will release a firmware/software to "solve" this probleme (at least when mac is idle) ?
I'm really considering buying a mac mini instead of this "beast"
Thank you
Really glad JrShelby - So it seems like there are manufacturing problems with some of the units.
Hi, very disappointed by this fan noise. I was planning replace my old Imac 21.5 end 2015 (core i7) with a brand new mac studio.
My Imac (at least at idle) is inaudible : Apple gives it for 20db (idle or browsing) source : Imac 21.5 tech spec, but i just can't hear it, and there is no hum.
So my home is very quiet (day : max 40db, night : around 30db), the mac studio will be at nearly 40cm from my head on desk (under the display), and at 25db, i think i will really ear the fan noise.
Do those that own such a setup (distance from mac studio) can really ear an annoying fan noise ?
Has someone lower fan speed to 1100 and notice a real difference (is it hardware dangerous ?) ?
Do you really think apple will release a firmware/software to "solve" this probleme (at least when mac is idle) ?
I'm really considering buying a mac mini instead of this "beast"
Thank you
It's great that you've put your readings down as it helps a lot.
At 40dB ambient I would expect you won't hear it during the day - you would likely classify it as "silent".
At nighttime 30dB, you may hear it a little.
You didn't say what your lowest levels were. When it starts getting under 30dB, you may find it problematic. But because you can't hear the iMac and I can hear my iMac Pro quite often (1dB louder), your room may not be as quiet as you think. So I'd get it and return it if it isn't a problem.
Thanks a lot for your reply and advises
I measure my room with ios "decibel X" app. Certainly not that much accurate, but when i put my iphone behind the mac (say at 15cm from fan exhaust) at night, here are my measures (what is interresting is the delta with imac on/off) :
> Imac off : 28-30 db
> Imac On : 32-33 db
Wondering what noise the mac studio would in same configuration. I'm afraid it'll be louder, because it will be placed near from the wall (5-10 cm).
Apple 14 days return policy is only for online purchase or it works too when purchased in apple store directly (without online purchase) ?
Yeah your room is quiet, but perhaps not as quiet as mine. So that's one positive.Thanks a lot for your reply and advises
I measure my room with ios "decibel X" app. Certainly not that much accurate, but when i put my iphone behind the mac (say at 15cm from fan exhaust) at night, here are my measures (what is interresting is the delta with imac on/off) :
> Imac off : 28-30 db
> Imac On : 32-33 db
Wondering what noise the mac studio would in same configuration. I'm afraid it'll be louder, because it will be placed near from the wall (5-10 cm).
Apple 14 days return policy is only for online purchase or it works too when purchased in apple store directly (without online purchase) ?
It may depend on your country. At least in mine you can in a retail store.
My home office measures 32 db using the Noise app on the Apple Watch. At that level the Studio that I returned was audible. I may pick up a Studio in the future if they sort out the high pitched whine issues.
In French, but it's easy to translate. They talk about fans and noise ...
www.macg.co
Test du Mac Studio : un Mac mini pro ou un mini Mac Pro ?
Ce n’est pas tous les jours qu’Apple lance une nouvelle catégorie de Mac, avec un nouveau nom pour la distinguer des autres. La dernière fois, c’était il y a plus de 14 ans pour le MacBook Air, c’est dire l’importance au moins symbolique du Mac Studi...
www.macg.co
You guys have me worried a bit. I have a ticking clock mounted on the wall that I never notice but it definitely increases the ambient noise in my home office. NIOSH on my phone measures 28 dB but the sound app on my watch says 33 dB so I don't know what to believe. At any rate, I was planning on mounting a Max Studio under my open desk towards the rear regardless of fan noise so perhaps that would render it near silent from my sitting position? I guess I'll find out one day.
Another confirmation
Mac studio. base model.
it's too ****ing loud at idle , compared to all other Macs, which are basically silent.
I can hear it and I can't focus on other things. I feel relieved once the Mac is off.
Reduce from 1300 to 1100 make the noise go away, but I worry this will burn the processor if I don't manually turn it back on again later..
IF I have to ****ing adjust the fan speed everyday, I will go crazy..
I really want to keep the Mac studio, but don't know what to do..
Mac studio. base model.
it's too ****ing loud at idle , compared to all other Macs, which are basically silent.
I can hear it and I can't focus on other things. I feel relieved once the Mac is off.
Reduce from 1300 to 1100 make the noise go away, but I worry this will burn the processor if I don't manually turn it back on again later..
IF I have to ****ing adjust the fan speed everyday, I will go crazy..
I really want to keep the Mac studio, but don't know what to do..
The current desktop PC I have is pretty damn loud and it flares up from time to time. I've been thinking about it more lately due to this Mac Studio Issue. For your average person I guess you'd be better off with a Macbook Pro performing as your desktop PC and quit pretending you need more power than you do to justify owning the Studio. I do a lot of YouTube video making admittedly I just record in OBS and upload so hardly even render. I do some music production in FL studio and some artistic drawing. On the rare occasion I'll render something. I don't need a super computer and neither do most of you, lol. My video renders are still 1080P at reasonable file sizes. If you're rendering at 4K every day I consider you a try hard goof. For example even apple renders at 1080p. your videos don't deserve 4K and they never did. Apple's very own YouTube videos in glorious 1080P:
I was sitting in my office, late at night, when it was exceptionally quiet. After a while, I began to notice the noise. It was a steady whine, at the extreme upper range of my hearing. The more I tried to ignore it, the more annoying it became.
I tried repositioning the Mac Studio, the Studio Display, and my chair, to no effect.
I put the system to sleep, and I could still hear it.
I walked out of the office, and I could still hearing it. Then, I realized that what I was hearing was not the computer but the oven, in the kitchen, which I had left on cleaning cycle.
I wonder how many of the noise complaints are the result of what psychologists call “motivated perception”?
www.vox.com
I tried repositioning the Mac Studio, the Studio Display, and my chair, to no effect.
I put the system to sleep, and I could still hear it.
I walked out of the office, and I could still hearing it. Then, I realized that what I was hearing was not the computer but the oven, in the kitchen, which I had left on cleaning cycle.
I wonder how many of the noise complaints are the result of what psychologists call “motivated perception”?
How desire can warp our view of the world
Motivated perception may change the way you see yourself — and the world.
Picked up the Mac Studio (stock Ultra) yesterday and I can definitely notice the sound at idle. The Mac Studio is in a typical position, under one display at arms reach. To me the sound is similar to the small fan inside a Thunderbolt Dock (I've had the HP G2 and the Dell for my MacBook Pro). Although I did expect the Studio to be quieter at idle, it's potentially replacing a large PC (Threadripper, RTX 3090, large spinning project HDD's, 860W PSU) which you certainly can't ignore when switched on. To me, having equivalent power (for my workflow) at a fraction of the sound is a great outcome. If Apple can make it quieter at idle, even better.
Has anyone tried Macs Fans Control or TG Pro with a Mac Studio? You could systematically test noise vs fan rpm; you can also tailor the fan rpm vs heat curve.
Eh, the Mac Studio is a localized source. Unless you’re deaf on one ear, you can localize the source immediately, otherwise you just move your head closer, and the noise will increase accordingly. Not much room for misattribution.I was sitting in my office, late at night, when it was exceptionally quiet. After a while, I began to notice the noise. It was a steady whine, at the extreme upper range of my hearing. The more I tried to ignore it, the more annoying it became.
I tried repositioning the Mac Studio, the Studio Display, and my chair, to no effect.
I put the system to sleep, and I could still hear it.
I walked out of the office, and I could still hearing it. Then, I realized that what I was hearing was not the computer but the oven, in the kitchen, which I had left on cleaning cycle.
I wonder how many of the noise complaints are the result of what psychologists call “motivated perception”?
How desire can warp our view of the world
Motivated perception may change the way you see yourself — and the world.
Of course perception of that noise depends on ambient noise level, noise characteristics, hearing acuity and personality.
Noise is always an ergonomic negative, it’s never a good thing. I applaud Apples resistance to the computing trend of increasing power draws, and a great benefit of that could be quiet or even silent computing.
I'm surprised they provide noise specs if you look hard enough on their website the mac studio is advertised to have 15db which is higher idle self noise than the large majority of their current computers like the new imac 24 inch idle is 7db. I'm a audio pro in real life and these specs are the type of thing you look for when it comes to the self noise of audio gear. Nice to see you can find it for apple computers. The best thing to do is find what self noise level you will tolerate and quickly find this spec before you buy rather than listen to some hippy tell you it has no noise. They lie to themselves which scares me.
