MP 7,1 The new Mac Pro is not that quiet?

[Parzival]

So, I just received my 2019 Mac Pro. It is meant for studio use, and so needs to be really really quiet.
Because of all the positivity regarding the sound levels of this machine, I have been really surprised because it is easily noticeable in a quiet room (a studio).

My old computer, which uses a Fractal Design case, with fans on medium is sounding way quieter than the new MP!

I feel like I'm going crazy here, how can this machine be louder than my cheap (by comparison) R5 case?!

 

[fuchsdh]

What's your configuration?

 

[Parzival]

What's your configuration?

16 core with 2TB, everything else is base config

 

[ruslan120]

Is it warm in the room?

 

[Parzival]

Is it warm in the room?

No, quite cool really, nothing going on that's out of the ordinary

 

[ruslan120]

No, quite cool really, nothing going on that's out of the ordinary

Weird!

You'll probably hear some more useful advice from (actual) Mac Pro owners but in the interim you could install apps like smcFanControl and Intel Power Gadget to adjust the fans by hand and keep an eye on temperatures.

 

[now i see it]

It's "relatively quiet" compared to a typical server or any other workstation packed with a 1.4KW power supply.
It's not quite compared to an iPad or MacBook at idle

 

[deconstruct60]

....

My old computer, which uses a Fractal Design case, with fans on medium is sounding way quieter than the new MP!

I feel like I'm going crazy here, how can this machine be louder than my cheap (by comparison) R5 case?!

the R5 cooling what? The case in and of itself doesn't have a substantive cooling threshold to cover.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

It’s strange because it’s definitely quieter than my 5,1 Mac Pro. I’m not sure how quiet the r5 cases are?

 

[Parzival]

the R5 cooling what? The case in and of itself doesn't have a substantive cooling threshold to cover.

I'm not sure I understand the question, the case has its own cooling system that can be set to 3 different settings, and only when using maximum fan speed (with the cover closed) the r5 is louder.

 

[deconstruct60]

I'm not sure I understand the question, the case has its own cooling system that can be set to 3 different settings, and only when using maximum fan speed (with the cover closed) the r5 is louder.

Cooling a 75-95W CPU is substantially different than cooling 140-150W CPU. What is in the case is what is being cooled.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

I started a thread with a poll to compare noise to old Mac pros here:

Is your 7,1 Mac Pro quieter than your old Mac Pro?

Is your 7,1 Mac Pro quieter than your old Mac Pro? If you have a new 7,1 that is nosier, could you let us know where you are. Some of the noisier units have been reported outside North America. That's probably not the difference, but for now, it's worth noting.

forums.macrumors.com

Curious what the results will be...

 

[Parzival]

Cooling a 75-95W CPU is substantially different than cooling 140-150W CPU. What is in the case is what is being cooled.

Pardon my confusion, the r5 case was used for this configuration:

Intel 4790k
Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4095 MB

Its just so weird that when looking at a video like this the Mac Pro doesn't seem to make a sound (when rendering even) but mine is way louder when idling:

 

[simonnelli]

Did you check how fast your fans are spinning? A good overview gives the App Sensei (14 day trial).

Here my system (3.3 GHz 12-Core Intel Xeon W with Single Vega II and no other expansion cards) on idle (Room Temp 23°C/73.4°F):

At my location this is inaudible, but there is some noise from the outside.

 

[AdamSeen]

You’re not the only one who thinks this. I was going to start a thread about it but hadn’t gotten around to it.

Is not loud, but there’s a semi oppressive fan noise in a quiet room. You’d never notice this in a normal office, but it is obvious in a quiet room.

It is also louder than a PC I have.

Not sure what I’m going to do with it at the moment. Perhaps move it somewhere out of line of sight when I have some time.

 

[TimmyCrook]

Odd. Mine is so quiet. I have several mics in my studio, and can't detect anything.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

I wonder why the disparity. Those that have loud machines, are you in the US or elsewhere? Trying to figure out if it depends on point of manufacture or just some other variation.

Mine is quiet and I'm in the US so mine likely came from TX.

 

[Parzival]

You’re not the only one who thinks this. I was going to start a thread about it but hadn’t gotten around to it.

Is not loud, but there’s a semi oppressive fan noise in a quiet room. You’d never notice this in a normal office, but it is obvious in a quiet room.

It is also louder than a PC I have.

Not sure what I’m going to do with it at the moment. Perhaps move it somewhere out of line of sight when I have some time.

Man I'm "glad" I'm not the only one. I've got sensitive ears, but my microphones are way more sensitive so not sure yet how that will work out

How is it possible a 2000$ machine will run more quiet than a 6000$ one...
[automerge]1580142565[/automerge]

I wonder why the disparity. Those that have loud machines, are you in the US or elsewhere? Trying to figure out if it depends on point of manufacture or just some other variation.

Mine is quiet and I'm in the US so mine likely came from TX.

I'm in Europe.
[automerge]1580142818[/automerge]

Did you check how fast your fans are spinning? A good overview gives the App Sensei (14 day trial).

Here my system (3.3 GHz 12-Core Intel Xeon W with Single Vega II and no other expansion cards) on idle (Room Temp 23°C/73.4°F):

At my location this is inaudible, but there is some noise from the outside.

View attachment 890855

I just checked, here's my data:

 

[just21]

Noisier if the cover is not connected properly.

 

[ruslan120]

Maybe it's the sound of the air moving, and not the fans spinning?

Try and block half the vents to see if that solves the issue ( )

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

I'm in Europe.

I'm not sure, but I think all machines outside the US come from China. This doesn't sound like apple, but could there be some slight parts variations at different points of manufacture?

 

[bcomer]

I'm not sure, but I think all machines outside the US come from China. This doesn't sound like apple, but could there be some slight parts variations at different points of manufacture?

I am in Ontario Canada and mine came from the U.S.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

I am in Ontario Canada and mine came from the U.S.

Makes sense that North America would be served by the TX plant. Is yours noisy too?

 

[Coyote2006]

Noisier if the cover is not connected properly.

Of course it is. Never run a computer unclosed especially a workstation like the MacPro. The air flow is completely optimzed for closed cover. You would also never run an air condition with opened doors, would you?

 

[AdamSeen]

I’m not at home for a few days, but I’m very willing to try a lot of things to get it quieter and understand precisely what’s causing the noise.

It might not be just the fan noise, because it feels like pressure.

I currently have the 580x and the lack of air vents maybe creating a lot more positive air pressure inside the case compared to the full-size MPX modules.

I wonder if opening a few of the blanking plates at the back might help?