MacBook 16-inch Fan Noise

Thanks - I used one of startechs external USB-GraphicCards. Your solution sounds more interesting as it has two HDMI. For me the drawback was that this requires to leave the lid open and wakeup in clamshell mode was not working.

davidbenda wrote:

As long as the title of the topic remains "Fan Noise", we won't see the solution soon.

Why? because I guess that most of the members are calling to Apple support and don't describe the issue as needed.

Fan noise is something usual among computers, and among MacBooks as well.

The real issue is the high GPU watt usage with the external monitor while the lid is open, which leads to fan noise.

In case you didn't describe the issue as I wrote, call Apple support again and make sure you open a new ticket.

We must bring this problem into consciousness in every way possible, be precise in formulating the problem wherever you present it, and only then will change appear.

You are 100% right. It's just unbelievable that Apple is ignoring this issue for so long!

This thread has around 3,208 replies and 223,205 views! Come on Apple!

Apple gets sued for all sorts of nonsense like this all the time, very unfortunately.

Driving a display @144Hz with 5W, and driving the same display @60Hz at 20W is the nonsense.. This unnecessaryly thin machine barely have 60W of thermal headroom, using it's 1/3th of the capacity just for driving display is the nonsense.. One another nonsense is after many notes, you still DO NOT GET the problem..

Without an external monitor, the unit got rather hot and fans spun up to high speed only a few minutes into the initial setup, the fans being louder than I have ever heard on any MBP

Totally nonsense.. I've been using MB and PC laptops for years.. When I do a clean install MacOS on MBP and Windows on a 5 year old gaming laptop, both ramp up the fans while indexing.. Windows also does virus checking.. Both laptops becomes silent after doing those.. But MBP becomes stove with white noise generator if I connect 10 year old monitor..

It's the same mistake Apple made in the past: lack of testing.. Do you remember a few years ago it was possible to login to system with root username with empty password? The same is happenning here..

To be honest, when I found this issue I never thought that Apple will ignore us for so long time.

I'm a big fan of Apple and I truly believed that they'll fix it fast.

Actually I feel sorry for that because I know the potential of this laptop. I can only imagine how good it will be without this issue, it will be close to perfect. It's crazy how one bug in the drivers, can make one laptop so useless.

This laptop is aimed at professionals - software developers, designers, engineers, etc. Most of them have to use an external monitor, and right now Apple is losing most of them due to this issue.

denizcan wrote:

It's the same mistake Apple made in the past: lack of testing.. Do you remember a few years ago it was possible to login to system with root username with empty password? The same is happenning here..

Why do you think anything was due to "lack of testing?"

You can go through the specs all day and will find none for fan noise.

Further, I mentioned previously that Windows 10 laptops fire the fans up just as much if not more performing tasks like bringing up the Settings menu.

Were Apple to just set the fans permanently to maximum speed at boot from now on; it still wouldn't violate the published specs, and that's what testing reveals - failure to meet the specs.

I'm more shocked that people think a system with this powerful a GPU should be silent.

I've returned windows laptops for being loud and they weren't as consistantly loud as this.

I honestly think Apple knows this is a problem but they just don't care, in a way it makes sense for them to burn customers like us on what is now their boring old platform, especially when the key problems are arising from poorly designed third party hardware components.

There's an expectation of macbooks to be all around better than their windows counter-parts and unfortunately with the 16" MacBook Pro apple has failed miserably, but what's worse is they just don't care because they know we will just buy their ARM laptops.

[Edited by Moderator]

Ok I've been trying to avoid your comments because you keep getting people banned when they point out you're wrong, but I'll take a nibble,

That's certainly not my experience;

You're basically the only person here who hasn't experienced the fan issue in your MacBook - I've been through four laptops, Tim has been through many different configurations, people here and elsewhere have problems - do you see what I'm trying to get at here?

I suspect it's more that this is just the way a GPU this powerful will work in the very limited space available

Nope, let me break it down for you:

1) More powerful nVidia GPUs don't have these thermal problems

2) The powerdraw of the GPU is inconsistant with the performance it's driving, the issue has already been pointed at the meory clock speed which for some reason pins itself to its maximum when driving two monitors

3) Apple released a new MacBook with the more powerful 5600M which doesn't have this problem

^ if you want to still argue please read those above again and again until you understand why you're wrong, especially focus on #2 and ESPECIALLY focus on #3.

Performance is excellent, and there is no flicker, which is why the VRAM is run at maximum speed.

Can we agree you have ver low expectations of Apple and then you can leave this thread to people who have higher expecations of Apple? No? Ok let's go -

Other GPUs, including the much more powerful 5600M and older MacBooks GPUs don't have screen flickering issues and don't run at boiling point to drive external monitors.

While you're bending over backwards for your abuser to make up excuses the rest of us are calling it out for what it is.

If you don't like fans, that's why iPads exist.

Kind of cute you moved on from arguing people should buy a Mac Pro to people should buy an iPad.

[Edited by Moderator]

Why are you trying at all costs to prove that this is an imaginary problem, while this is an obvious issue.

How about that, Mr Kucharski? I've done a ton of configurations using SwitchResX and boom! When I've changed the monitor refresh rate by 0,1(!) Hz, GPU power consumption on clamshell mode has finally dropped out from 18W to 3-4W in idle. You wanna tell me that the difference between 59,8Hz and 59,9Hz is such critical that needs to multiple GPU power consumption 4(!) times? Poorly written driver which needs an instant redesign, that's obvious for me and the rest of the participants of this conversation except you. Obvious as 2+2!

Please point out to me where I called anyone's problem "imaginary."

I said I did not experience them with my monitors, and fan noise is of no consequence to me, I actually expect it.

As far as a poorly written driver, did you read AMD's comments?

I just reposted them, so for your convenience I will do so again so you can:

Multiple displays with different resolutions, refresh rates, timings and or using different display adapters/connections requires more resources from the GPU, this can move the GPU up into the next memory clock state to compensate and avoid issues such as flickering or corruption.

If all displays are identical, using the same resolution, refresh rates, timings and using identical display adapters/connections then the GPU may be able to run two or more without moving up into the next clock state. It can vary from Bios to Bios and GPU to GPU, but the expected behaviour is increased clock speeds so this is not something we can change.

https://community.amd.com/thread/214891?commentID=2793350

So yes, adjusting refresh rates by .1 Hz can indeed reduce clock speeds by allowing the GPU to drop to a lower clock state.

As AMD states, "this is not something we can change."

AMD is not willing to risk flicker or graphics corruption.

The problem is not Fan Noise - the problem is heat.

Excess heat causes problems with performance. For example unresponsive, slow and lagging apps and interface.

Excess heat causes components, such as the battery, to degrade quickly.

But I’m talking about using single monitor (1 external 1440p screen with Macbook screen off in clamshell mode). I was able to reduce clock speed after spending couple of hours trying to adjust the setting with 3rd party software. So why the default driver can’t do this „out of the box”? I’m still talking about using ONE screen so „Multiple displays with different resolutions, refresh rates, timings and or using different display adapters/connections requires more resources from the GPU” is not the point here at all

Yes - in particular when GPU performance is not required. I bought a fanless minicomputer to support three monitors as Citrix Client due to the spinning of the fans. I cannot recommend Apple MacBook Pro anymore due to this issue until resolved.

Yes it is.

Even in clamshell mode the built-in monitor still exists so it must be taken into account.

You adjusted the timings to a value that AMD may find to be non-optimal and may not be willing to support because of the risk of flicker. They have their reasons unless you believe them all incompetent.

You can do whatever you like, you can play with the fans and run them at a speed that Apple doesn’t seem proper as well.

Ultimately they need to design for most users, and they seem to have done that, as though many complain here, many more happily use theirs every day, including large swaths of Apple’s Engineering departments.

In Engineering parlance, Apple very much believes in “eating their own dog food.”

Why are you shocked. The system has a GPU with - depending on the resolution - is silent. If I drive with 1920 x 1200 fans are spinning up due to the high power consumption of 18 watt. Same monitor driven with 1600 x 1200 requires 4 watt. And the MacBook remains silent. With the same powerful GPU.

Is it possible for you to share the configurations worked in SwitchResX? I did also try but 59.950 as well as 60.0 did not work. Going to 50Hertz let my Eizo EV2455 and EV2457 say wrong signal. I agree - it has to do with the drivers.