Given the cooling characteristics, which don't appear to be in dispute, it seems Apple could easily solve the idle noise concern by merely turning off the fans until such time as they're required. It seems odd to me that they operate at ~1,350 RPM from idle to full use. There doesn't appear to be any change in normal operation. This suggests that the idle speed doesn't really need to be set where it is.
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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’m lucky so far. The fan noise (what there is of it) doesn’t bother me since it’s much less than I’m used to, but a whine, whistle, or high-pitched noise would be insidious. I’m definitely going to push my machine for the next 2 weeks to see if anything develops, but for now I’m pleasantly surprised.
During migration assistant my MacBook Pro was loud and pumping hot air, but the slight bit of air coming out of the back of the studio was not any warmer than room temperature.
Did you buy yours from a store, or was it a CTO delivery? It's been maybe two weeks since there's been a new report of whine from a delivered CTO.
I know I don't have to, but I chose so to keep things cooler than Apple thinks is required. Keeping things as cool as possible prolongs life of equipment.
CTO. It was one of those that got held up in Hong Kong for a while. I configured and ordered two identical ones at the same time, early March. The one that arrived two weeks ago is fine.
Just got my Studio Ultra yesterday, and happy to say it's very quiet in my workspace. A nearly imperceptible gentle whoosh is how I would characterize it. It's quieter than an average external HDD for example, and I usually have one of those spinning on my desk. I was a little worried by this thread but I'm quite relieved now.
With my ear right up to the back of the Studio, I listened to it waking up from sleep, and as the fans spun up from 0RPM to ~1300RPM I did hear it pass through an RPM range where it did produce a high pitched "whine" sound. But as it reached the ~1300RPM resting speed the whine went away.
I'd guess that's the reason it's programmed to keep a constant ~1300RPM fan speed even if the extra cooling isn't strictly needed, they decided it's a better user experience to have a constant white noise rather than periodic whines as the fans spin up or down.
I'd also guess that people who are hearing a whine at the default ~1300RPM fan speed might have some kind of manufacturing variation in their cooling units, and perhaps a solution there would be to use Macs Fan Control etc. to choose a different fan speed that sounded better for their particular unit. It seems that all Studios are capable of producing a whine at certain fan RPMs, the ~1300RPM default speed should be safely out of the whine range for most units, but for some units the whine happens in the ~1300RPM range and another RPM range would sound better.
With my ear right up to the back of the Studio, I listened to it waking up from sleep, and as the fans spun up from 0RPM to ~1300RPM I did hear it pass through an RPM range where it did produce a high pitched "whine" sound. But as it reached the ~1300RPM resting speed the whine went away.
I'd guess that's the reason it's programmed to keep a constant ~1300RPM fan speed even if the extra cooling isn't strictly needed, they decided it's a better user experience to have a constant white noise rather than periodic whines as the fans spin up or down.
I'd also guess that people who are hearing a whine at the default ~1300RPM fan speed might have some kind of manufacturing variation in their cooling units, and perhaps a solution there would be to use Macs Fan Control etc. to choose a different fan speed that sounded better for their particular unit. It seems that all Studios are capable of producing a whine at certain fan RPMs, the ~1300RPM default speed should be safely out of the whine range for most units, but for some units the whine happens in the ~1300RPM range and another RPM range would sound better.
From another thread. Nothing surprising especially, but it does show that there is a variation with either manufacturing and/or perception of the individual because my Mac Pro 2019 was definitely louder than the Mac Studio - which is what Apple suggest - Whereas he says it is the other way around.
I have an old 5,1 Mac Pro not the 7,1, but I am in disbelief that this guy has multiple Mac Studios that are louder than the Mac Pro. I have to hope/assume has a faulty unit(s).
Decided to return my Mac Studio Max after few days of testing. The fan noise itself was ok, although audible in a nearly silent office environment. The coil whine was the reason for returning. It could be heard over the fans at normal 1300 rpm. I also tested with fan speed set to 1100 rpm, fan noise went away but coil whine became much easier to hear.
It's not that loud, but the variation in the sound makes it very irritating. Hopefully this can be resolved either by new hardware versions or software fixes.
It's not that loud, but the variation in the sound makes it very irritating. Hopefully this can be resolved either by new hardware versions or software fixes.
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It's really too bad this is happening. I feel extremely lucky that I got one of the silent ones. Have to put my ear right up to the back of the machine to hear anything. On day 3 now and no audible noise while sitting 2' away. It is a fantastic machine too, this thing flies!!!
I think it's a manufacturing variation, maybe different fans/motors, who knows. Mine is a louder one and it's definitely louder than a Windows desktop at idle. (but not under load) And I don't have that good of hearing, as I've had upper range hearing loss ever since I was a kid 50 years ago. I can hear it all the time, it's acceptable, I'm keeping it, but I do have to wonder why it is the way it is and if there will be problems down the road. (like if it's bad bearings or the fan rubbing on something)
After less than 14 days in service, I got a statement from the technician that it was not possible to order a replacement part. Should I contact Apple support again. It's becoming a vicious cycle. Even after a second inquiry to see if they had any Mac Studio squeaks reported in their database, I got the same answer, no. I have a feeling that maybe a few people in the world have this problem… 
I just got a Mac Studio Base Model with 1TB upgrade. I do hear the coil whine, and it's high pitched.
I decided to make do and used the outer packaging it came in for some fast acoustic treatment (see attached). It does not eliminate fan noise as there is a big hole in the back, but it does eliminate the coil while. I lower my fans with TG Pro and use my makeshift "IsoBox" when I need to work in silence.
It gets the job done.
I decided to make do and used the outer packaging it came in for some fast acoustic treatment (see attached). It does not eliminate fan noise as there is a big hole in the back, but it does eliminate the coil while. I lower my fans with TG Pro and use my makeshift "IsoBox" when I need to work in silence.
It gets the job done.
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Apple is already there for M1 Max: it's an exchange for a MBP with equivalent specs. 😄
It does kinda blow my mind that we’re now in a world where you buy the laptop for silence instead of the desktop. Great for most people, but not what I’m after.
After a week and a half with mine I’m still tempted to give Apple a call before the return window ends, if only to flag the issue. I’d love to click my fingers and try another one, but presumably the only options would be returning it or taking it to a not-very-local store, neither of which are worth the hassle. Especially after reading the post above.
Coil whine/whatever it is aside, I’d love to talk to someone from Apple engineering about the fan curve on these things. It’s so odd to me that it runs all of the time when the laptop fans don’t. And apparently if you do manage to get the temps up decently high the fan speeds still don’t increase… it’s just strange.
After a week and a half with mine I’m still tempted to give Apple a call before the return window ends, if only to flag the issue. I’d love to click my fingers and try another one, but presumably the only options would be returning it or taking it to a not-very-local store, neither of which are worth the hassle. Especially after reading the post above.
Coil whine/whatever it is aside, I’d love to talk to someone from Apple engineering about the fan curve on these things. It’s so odd to me that it runs all of the time when the laptop fans don’t. And apparently if you do manage to get the temps up decently high the fan speeds still don’t increase… it’s just strange.
That's pretty cool! I do feel bad that you have to build that, Apple should give you a discount.
This a temporary fix until your replacement machine arrives... right?
Guys?
Guys?
After less than 14 days in service, I got a statement from the technician that it was not possible to order a replacement part. Should I contact Apple support again. It's becoming a vicious cycle. Even after a second inquiry to see if they had any Mac Studio squeaks reported in their database, I got the same answer, no. I have a feeling that maybe a few people in the world have this problem…
I think this is more to do with Apple's internal feedback systems than a lack of data.
I worked with Apple support, gave them detailed data including spectrograms showing the multiple frequencies of the high pitched sound, how they all curved upwards to a steady state when the fans came on as the machine came out of sleep, consistent with fan spinup.
While the machine was with a local AASP, i became aware that the model was so new the serial number did not appear in Apple's internal support databases. Neither was there any availability of spare parts, or the internal systems ability to certify repairs even if there were.
I am exactly the target market for this machine, but I made the decision to return mine because I became aware of the issue immediately upon setting the machine up and knew I could not live with it, and because the return window was closing. Apple's support portal indicates that case supporting notes and uploads (screenshots and data provided to Apple by the customer) are only retained while the case is active. I certainly have not been contacted by Apple since.
I rejected a replacement because of the lengthy lead times, and I have no reason to believe at this point that Apple is fixing the problem with the problematic units, unless they acknowledge the issue.
That leaves me with either re-ordering at a future time and hoping, or waiting for base models to turn up in stock at local retail and take a punt on them, one at a time, returning them until I get a get a good one (and put up with a base config that is less than optimal). Or wait for M2.
I don't believe that Apple wants all these returns flying around (No Apple Stores where I am, so I had to return ship mine via DHL) but unless they take an interest in this issue, that's what will happen.
What I don't understand is why none of the Mac news sites have picked up on this issue and raised it with Apple on users behalf. While I acknowledge the many people, including in these threads, who rightly state they have machines with no high pitched noise issues, there are significant numbers who clearly, and demonstrably, do.
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If by significant numbers you mean 20 or so people in this thread and another one, then the answer to your question is simple.
No one writes about it because faulty units with a whine are rare. And we now have second revision of PSU board, so that might have helped also.
As for fan “noise”, this is by design and Apple will not do anything about it.
No one writes about it because faulty units with a whine are rare. And we now have second revision of PSU board, so that might have helped also.
As for fan “noise”, this is by design and Apple will not do anything about it.
I just got my Mac Studio Ultra and hooked it up and I can't believe how loud it is.
I'm typing this on an M1 Max 16" MBP which is dead silent unless it's under heavy load, and I've really gotten to love computing in absolute silence.
I have to go about 15 feet away from the idling Studio until I can't hear it anymore.
I think this is almost certainly going back, which sucks.
I'm typing this on an M1 Max 16" MBP which is dead silent unless it's under heavy load, and I've really gotten to love computing in absolute silence.
I have to go about 15 feet away from the idling Studio until I can't hear it anymore.
I think this is almost certainly going back, which sucks.