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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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If you want a Mac, the studio is pretty much the best there is performance-wise in a single non- mac pro machine. I'd get it if I were you. It should be okay and you can return it if it isn't. (just do it in time!)
I only wish it came in a different, user-serviceable box, then I could have figured out what the problem is with mine. I'll eventually get too tired of the whine and get rid of it, but I'm hoping there might be an M2 version out by then with a little different design. If there isn't, it might be my last new Mac.
I have the Studio set up on my desk though it's not the final setup. It's only hooked up to one monitor right now as I'm running production on the mini. I can move stuff over little by little.
The Studio is line-of-sight 6 feet away from me and I can't hear it. The permanent location will be behind a monitor or on the floor.
The Studio is line-of-sight 6 feet away from me and I can't hear it. The permanent location will be behind a monitor or on the floor.
I am now making a second attempt after returning a Mac Studio in April.
I was hoping for a Mac Mini M2 Pro 3nm in November, but Apple seems to have postponed that until next year.
This time I'm trying it with an extended return option until January 8 with a refurbished Mac Studio. It will be delivered faster.
Cross your fingers for me!
I was hoping for a Mac Mini M2 Pro 3nm in November, but Apple seems to have postponed that until next year.
This time I'm trying it with an extended return option until January 8 with a refurbished Mac Studio. It will be delivered faster.
Cross your fingers for me!
I moved the Studio so that it's 2.5 feet away and I can't hear it so it looks like I got a good one.
I need to move the rest of my stuff to the Studio Max to prove that it is strong enough. I have until Friday to decide whether to keep it or return it and get a Studio Ultra (they are in stock in several stores in the next state over). I really don't want to risk the noise issue though. So I'll be looking for what happens with your replacement, assuming that you get to try it out by Thursday.
I‘m using a script to switch off the fans when temperature is below 50°C and switch them on if over 60°C.
On average this means ~21 minutes of complete silence and then ~4 minutes with fans (@ 1300 rpm).
On average this means ~21 minutes of complete silence and then ~4 minutes with fans (@ 1300 rpm).
How do you turn them off? All the fan apps only go down to 1100 rpm I thought?
This is true for (most of) the GUI apps. I'm using the command line tool "smc" from https://github.com/hholtmann/smcFanControl/tree/master/smc-command with a small bash script around it.
Look in #1921
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...he-loudest-macs-at-idle.2337251/post-31540801
Look in #1921
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...he-loudest-macs-at-idle.2337251/post-31540801
Are your fans running all the time? Even in sleep mode?
My Mac Studio actually gets warmer in sleep mode than in „normal“ mode.
But be careful. I have no idea if this is dangerous or not. I‘m just saying that my fans stop all the time if the Studio is going to sleep. Even with higher temperatures than under „normal“ load.
My Mac Studio actually gets warmer in sleep mode than in „normal“ mode.
But be careful. I have no idea if this is dangerous or not. I‘m just saying that my fans stop all the time if the Studio is going to sleep. Even with higher temperatures than under „normal“ load.
It's all very well posting this and I have no reason to use it but it would be really nice if you could share your script and method so others can do the same thing if they want.
I described the basics in post #1921. You need the command line tool from smcfancontrol and my script is available here: https://gist.github.com/dirkschreib/78e69cc4fe931958b19670b1c138f4a6
Disclaimer: Use at your own risk.
I'll probably integrate all this into one small Swift program in the future.
Disclaimer: Use at your own risk.
I'll probably integrate all this into one small Swift program in the future.
Love the small c program there.
You can turn off the fans, but I’m gusssing there’s no way to set the fans at a speed lower than 1100RPM?
Today I installed a second Mac Studio in our office. It's the cheapest version (no bto) and is also very quiet, just a gentle woosh at 15dB, no whine, no crickets. Very happy!
I correct myself. The lowest value is around 550 rpm.
The commands are (with sudo):
./floattohex 550 // result: 00800944
./smc -k F0Md -w 01 // set left fan to manual, use F1Md for right fan
./smc -k F0Tg -w 00800944 // value from floattohex, use F1Tg for right fan
reset with:
./smc -k F0Md -w 00 // again, use F1Md for right fan
The commands are (with sudo):
./floattohex 550 // result: 00800944
./smc -k F0Md -w 01 // set left fan to manual, use F1Md for right fan
./smc -k F0Tg -w 00800944 // value from floattohex, use F1Tg for right fan
reset with:
./smc -k F0Md -w 00 // again, use F1Md for right fan
It came yesterday and it whistles slightly less with slightly different configuration. I guess all do but not everybody hears it. It seems heavily depending on positioning of the device and yourself. One time I thought it was gone and tilted my chair slightly backwards in relieve and my head and ears moved with it and there it was - again.
That would drive me nuts.
I would like to exchange mine for a model with more GPU cores, RAM and storage but I'm going to keep the one I have rather than risking one that I can hear. I can always upgrade when the M2 Studio comes out and hopefully they have the problem fixed by then.
No, no they don't all whistle. The sooner this incorrect claim that they all whistle or whine is put to bed, the better.
I can hear the whistle on videos that have been posted. Mine doesn't make that sound and there are plenty of people who have posted in here say theirs doesn't whistle/whine either.
If they all did the whistle or whine thing, there would be so many complaints that Apple would address it. The early reviewers would have caught it. Max Tech would have talked about it and everyone would know about it.
I can't hear my Studio. It is 2.5 feet away from me behind a monitor. If I go to the back of the studio, and stick my head close to the back of the studio, I can hear the air flowing out. It is different from the M1 mini in that I can't hear the M1 mini at all but it's probably because it's pushing out less air.
I have never actually heard the whistle or whine thing on other Studios that I've listened to in-person. I have heard an audio track on YouTube of the sound.
There are currently 13 different models for sale in the Apple Refurbished store. The number of models bounces around like a yoyo there and I assume that there's a lot of churn in this with people returning the models that whine and a number of people accepting the whine for a good discount. That may be the way that Apple has chosen to resolve this issue if the number isn't that high. There will be returns anyway from people that bought a model and found that it's a lot more than they need or not enough. The Studio is one model that is hard to configure well because many don't know how well their legacy software will run in transition to Apple Silicon.
Exactly and that's why I get a bit miffed when I read throwaway comments like the one above which say "they all do it".
Hello, I received mine recently and I clearly have a sound.
Using Mac Fan Control I can hear different high frequencies as the speed of the fans are changing. I don’t mind the fan blowing sound though, just the high frequency(ies).
I listened to many recordings of the issues before getting, so I knew about it. It is not that it is particularly strong, it is just there and stands out from the ambient noise as a specific frequency(ies).
Changing the fan speed gives mostly me two frequencies instead of one from the default fans speed.
It’s really a great machine for what I’ve seen, except for that noise issue
Using Mac Fan Control I can hear different high frequencies as the speed of the fans are changing. I don’t mind the fan blowing sound though, just the high frequency(ies).
I listened to many recordings of the issues before getting, so I knew about it. It is not that it is particularly strong, it is just there and stands out from the ambient noise as a specific frequency(ies).
Changing the fan speed gives mostly me two frequencies instead of one from the default fans speed.
It’s really a great machine for what I’ve seen, except for that noise issue
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So i been following this thread for months. finally bit the bullet and got the Base model M1 Max studio this week. have been using it for two days. The whistle is there just like all these videos. But i only can hear it at like 1 AM in my apartment with no noise from neighbors, no noise on street, and all LED lights in my room (that have slight coil whine). im talking like 15-20db ambient room noise which is really quiet and a very NICHE situation since at that time of the night i am wearing headphones anyway and cant hear the whistle. Like it would only bother me if i held my breath, didnt move, NO NOISE outside which is rare, and i just sat and listened to it. otherwise it disappears among other things. I am a professional audio engineer and have super sensitive hearing and i definitely hear it. but again its only in the most quiet setting in my room which is almost never the case. in normal use i dont hear anything because my ambient sound level in my room is usually 30-50db and im not sitting just listening to the whistle. and thats with not playing any music from speakers during work. so during actual work i dont hear anything. im really glad its not louder than it is.
on a side note i experimented with MacsFanControl app and choosing different fan speeds. i went down to the minimum 1100 RPM which lowered the tonal whistle but still left a super high frequency ringing (again, all of this is really low comparatively to ambient levels).
but then i typed in a random number, 1121 rpm. And the whistle was completely gone even after a restart and going back to 1121. even putting my ear next to the vents.I dont know if i got lucky or its just my machine but 1121 removed all whistling for me. ill try again tonight when its quiet again.
so far im happy that in normal use it's not loud enough to bother me.
for reference my head is like 1 meter from the middle of the mac studio
on a side note i experimented with MacsFanControl app and choosing different fan speeds. i went down to the minimum 1100 RPM which lowered the tonal whistle but still left a super high frequency ringing (again, all of this is really low comparatively to ambient levels).
but then i typed in a random number, 1121 rpm. And the whistle was completely gone even after a restart and going back to 1121. even putting my ear next to the vents.I dont know if i got lucky or its just my machine but 1121 removed all whistling for me. ill try again tonight when its quiet again.
so far im happy that in normal use it's not loud enough to bother me.
for reference my head is like 1 meter from the middle of the mac studio
The fact is that for people who report hearing the whine the sound seems to be at about 2.2 kHz. At that frequency just about anyone who can hear, would hear it if the noise was there. Most people will suffer from some hearing loss above 13 kHz or so, as they age, but obviously 13 kHz is well above the 2.2 kHz frequency where the whine seems to be located.
So my Studio Ultra has been quiet from the day I received it 3/18, I have not heard any noise except when I start to apply plug-ins to a bunch of audio files in RX-9 the fan speed will increase, but that is all the noise I have experienced from my Mac Studio.