Just got mine. The fan is louder than my 2017 27" iMac when both are at idle. I never heard the iMac fan, but I can hear the Studio. Of course, when the iMac is under load, it gets much louder than the studio.
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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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It is, there's no debate about that. You'd have to go back over 10 years to find much louder ones. Even Apple has shown it to be so: https://quietmac.netlify.app/
And as previous/current owner of an iMac, iMac Pro, Macbook Pro (many generations), Macbook Air, Mac Mini, Mac Pro (2019) & Mac Studio - the Mac Studio was very similar to the Mac Pro, albeit less annoying.
I don't know who makes these measurements, but they are wrong, at least for some users... If they are just using the Apple specs, that is worst case scenario specs.
I have made recordings of my Mac Studio, in a sound studio, using studio equipment, and never did it get about 20dB when idling... and that was the fans, as my Mac Studio does NOT have the annoying pitch noise that others have recorded.
The measurements (they aren’t actual measurements) are made by Apple and are correct. Have a look at the website attached if you want to understand more about the readings, what they mean and why you don’t see 25db on your recordings.
Although I've yet to put my Mac Studio Max through any serious paces over the course of the first 15 or 20 times I turned it on, I heard nothing louder than a very faint whistle--and only when my ears were within 12 inches of it.
Suddenly, out of no where, the whistling became audible from a distance of 3 feet. Again, I've been doing nothing more intensive than moving some files between folders or viewing some video files.
Per suggestions I found on this thread, I covered a 2-inch section of the rear-right hand corner of the air vent (from the front perspective) with a piece of low-grade gaffer tape (which leaves no adhesive residue). And sure enough, the whistling became inaudible, unless my ear was within 12 inches. Hopefully, it will remain this way.
Suddenly, out of no where, the whistling became audible from a distance of 3 feet. Again, I've been doing nothing more intensive than moving some files between folders or viewing some video files.
Per suggestions I found on this thread, I covered a 2-inch section of the rear-right hand corner of the air vent (from the front perspective) with a piece of low-grade gaffer tape (which leaves no adhesive residue). And sure enough, the whistling became inaudible, unless my ear was within 12 inches. Hopefully, it will remain this way.
After almost 10 months, replacing the fan, the whistling problem gradually returned. It is a different sound than the first time, annoying and audible even at a greater distance. You can speculate if it's the fan or the coils. I recorded a comparison sound of the Mac Studio and the Xbox Series X. The Xbox is far more pleasant and whistle free.
May I have the link to this forum for folks who had Apple replace their fans? I couldn't find it. Cheers.
Tbh the only thing stopping me buying a studio is the noise problem , shame as it actually seems good value compared to the new m2 mini now
This really has been blown out of proportion, if you look at the poll in this forum, more people don't have a 'noise' than do. If you buy one and can hear a noise then you can return it. Those who have a problem will always shout louder than those who don't.
My Ultra is still effectively silent. My hearing isn't deficient, I can hear the whine on videos that people have posted, mine doesn't make that sound. With it mounted under my desk, I can't even hear the small amount of fan noise.
The only time I hear mine is if I put my ear right up to the back of it. I sit 24" from it and don't hear it. Don't post that much here because people that do have the noisy ones don't believe it but imo it's worth the risk. I think most people with the quiet ones have simply stopped posting here.
I have been thinking what might cause that whine. Some people have eliminated the whine using some tape on some of the ventilation holes. Others by adjusting the fan speed. I think that tells, that the whine is not from coils or the fans. My thought is, that are the drilled holes the cause for the whine? In some situations they would work as whistelepipes. My Studio is a quiet one, so no problems here. But might it be worth to try with some kind of probe test the holes and see if the cause is a single hole? Yes, there is a lot of those holes, but maybe first narrow down with some tape that someones has tried, and then one hole by the time. This are just some thought's I got last night when sleep didn't want to come.
This is what I was thinking as well especially where people are covering the holes on the curve of the body. Either way, this shouldn't be an issue and is very much unacceptable to modify an expensive computer. Thankfully, the Studio Max I have had since December is quiet.
So is it the holes in the rear of the studio or the holes in the base ?
I‘m using my Studio with the fans off most of the time.
I wrote a small Swift script to shut them off. (https://github.com/dirkschreib/SilentStudio)
Disclaimer: Use at your own risk.
I have yet to hear a mac studio without the annoying noise. I think that all have it
I checked, over a span of 9 months, 16 mac studios max‘s and 2 mac studio ultra. All have the „noise.
From the moment I turned my Studio on to the present when a tender whistling sound became a bit more pronounced, it's clearly been a rear vent issue. I used my hands to selectively cover different parts of the vent and that alternated the volume and character of the sound. Per advice that I read in these forums months ago, I mitigated the sound as follows:
From the perspective of facing my Mac Studio, I taped 1-inch of the curved section on the right, rear vent (left side if facing from behind). I used a lower grade of black gaffer tape which should not leave any adhesive behind when the tape is removed. Worked like a charm and now I can only hear it when listening from 12 inches away. While working from 3 feet away, I cannot hear any whistling. Just a barely audible whir of the fan.
From the perspective of facing my Mac Studio, I taped 1-inch of the curved section on the right, rear vent (left side if facing from behind). I used a lower grade of black gaffer tape which should not leave any adhesive behind when the tape is removed. Worked like a charm and now I can only hear it when listening from 12 inches away. While working from 3 feet away, I cannot hear any whistling. Just a barely audible whir of the fan.
For the 1,439,243,982th time, NO, not all have the annoying whistle e noise - as several people here have confirmed, even when checking in silenced rooms with professional recording equipment…
I tested nearly 20 machines! Over a span over 9 months! I am positiv they all have it till i have a silent one in my hands. Also….for the 12728291 and 1th time. This is not an isolated event
same experience here, every Mac Studio has the whining. mine had it, friend's machine has it and also the ones I installed for my customers. the thing is: it depends on the environment and the human being in front of the system. most people just can't hear it. unfortunately, I do hear it and it was annoying as hell. the Mac mini M1 on the other hand: can't tell if it's on or off. according to Apple's specs, Mac mini M2 Pro should be exactly the same as M1. I'll know for sure in a few weeks time...
support.apple.com
Mac mini (2023) - Tech Specs - Apple Support