MacBook 16-inch Fan Noise

Many of the same problems for me:

Despite repeated conversations at Apple Tech in Singapore and Australia they all just brush off the problem. A directive from the company?

Yes after my MacBook goes into sleep mode it cannot wake the external screen unless I restart.

Fan noises and heat are un-usable for a professional recording studio application - where I (wanted to) use it.

Apple appear to be saying this is all normal behaviour. I own a company with 20 years of using Mac products. They have never ever behaved in this way. It is not normal.

So sorry but all I am doing is confirming that the problem seems to be here to stay.

Back again ... I took my machine in to Apple for a different issue (strange metallic sound, turned out to be caused by a loose clip inside the machine) and I brought up this issue with the guy who helped me out, who seemed to be very experienced (said he had been dealing with hardware issues for Apple for 10 years). In his view this is a "known issue" but is just something to live with in these machines given the heat output of the graphics card and processor - noting my machine is i9 / 5500M.

Frustrating ... but as I'm locked in to Apple software (Logic, particularly) looks like I'll need to live with it for now. The best article I've found on the topic is this: https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/2020/5/14/want-a-macbook-pro-for-your-studio-but-worried-about-fan-noise-read-this-now

I was also in contact with Apple several times. First time the Macbook was in service by DQSolution for two weeks. But they can do nothing, because apple says, it's not a failure. In the Applestore in Zurich we can reproduced the hight energy-consumption on a 4K TV. After they replaced the LogicBoard. But the consumption is also too high (18 - 22 W). I tried several cables (HDMI and DisplayPort) but no improvement. Now i can just work in Clamshell mode. For presentation on an beamer this device is unusable. Its to loud and runs out of energy in 3 hours without power-supply.

But on my device, in secure mode (start with pressed shift). The current consumption is normal with external display.

It is not a hardware defect. Try with different resolutions (e.g. with 1600 x 1200) and the power consumption will drop. It is a software defect. Means you cannot present half a day without power plugged in. Like an electric car where you can drive 500miles but only alone. And only 5 miles if more than one person sits in the car. Marketing would say: Can drive 500 miles. Can transport 4 passengers... So your expensive MacBook: Can work quiet and 12hrs for work. Can also be attached to external monitors... b u t not both. Really Apple?

It's absolutely software defect and I lost my hope of Apple's solving this problem.. I cannot unsubscribe from this forum, many people should have reported, they simply did not solve that as well.. A company that does not solve a simple, apparent web site bug sure will not solve the a complex hardware driver bug..

Windows drivers did not get updates for 9 months.. NINE MONTHS without driver updates and AMD has released many for 5300/5500 meanwhile.. Apple has not bothered integrating those changes. However, a guy integrated that just as a hobby.. The similar might have happened to the MacOS drivers..

So, I do not think this software related issue will be solved ever.. It does not effect the marketing, so pretend as if it doesn't exists..

I'm wondering why people aren't suggesting to just use screen mirroring to external monitor using AppleTV? This wouldn't turn on the AMD GPU to my knowledge, and thus it wouldn't overheat/produce fan noise right? Is it a bad idea to use screen mirroring like this long-term?

Hi, good to know that it works in secure mode. Have you already installed a fresh version of OS and checked if it works? I guess you were also using Time Machine Backup to set this machine up, right? Maybe there is the problem? I am stuck with the same problem and just wonder if it makes sense to invest 2 days and do a fresh installation. Would be glad if someone could tell if it worked for them.

[SOLVED] I had the same issue with my Macbook 16inch (and my 2015 MBP pro before that) when I was connected to my Dell 4k monitor. Discrete GPU would activate and fans went to max making alot of noise.

Tried everything to fix this. Different monitors. Different screen resolution settings. Screenmirroring off/on. MacFanControl to control fan speed etc etc.

Then one day I turned on Chrome hardware acceleration to fix some lag I had with Google Maps in Chrome. It somehow also fixed my issues with Fan Noise, it's only running at a nice 50% of what it used to run. Noise levels down considerably.

Can someone verify if this also works for them?

Why should it be normal for that machine? As some people pointed out in this thread, reducing the Hertz to a smaller number was solving it for them. As on the apple website stated the macbook pro should be capable of driving 2X 6k monitors. I doubt that claim. We should not accept the feedback from apple and hammer them with complaints. Apple has lost its mind when they think they can deal with their clients in that way.

I agree with you but the solutions are limited here. It seems to overheat and drive fans up regardless of the type of cable. So I’m thinking wireless is the way to go. I’m scared to use clamshell mode since I feel like the heat would just dissipitatebto the mbpro screen and heat up the whole thing inside.

Haven’t had an issue with it lagging on my old Apple TV. Besides that is there really any other major con to using it this way? Battery drain? It sucks to even consider this as a solution given that I have a usb c compatible monitor but were left in this hopeless and unfortunate situation, do you think mbpro 13 has this same issue with overheat?

The heatsink for these MacBooks is one heat pipe that is heated by BOTH the Processor and the Discrete GPU, and cooled by both fans. so everything interacts with everything to make the problem worse.

The issues are far more complex than you are imagining. This YouTube video by Max-Tech touches on some of the underlying issues including the Intel processors and has some real suggestions for solutions. even if you hate the proposed solutions, you may come away with a better appreciation for the complexity.

"A bunch of people are returning their 16” MacBook Pro’s or exchanging them and having the same issue.

Heres 3 ways to FIX it!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkmdHVfk4XE

.

Yes i tried with fresh installation, reset of SMC and PRAM and also flashing the T2 chip.

I have a NEC EA271U Monitor, it works on Thunderbolt just in secure mode and with Windows in Bootcamp ;)

I have tried 4 different Adapter from Atra, Satechi and Moshi USB-C to DisplayPort (only listed in the US Apple Store) and the Apple original USB-C HDMI Adapter. But with all of them i have thermal issues. Apple says it's the adaptor how need too much power, but why they have no valid adapters listed?

Apple admits that the device gets very hot. However, they do not want to give a written confirmation that it is ok so.

o__b wrote:

With virtual classes starting back up, zoom sessions are nearly unbearable - due to the fan noise.

For now, why not disconnect the external monitor and do Zoom calls on the laptop screen?

That's not a solution, just a workaround for the time being.

denizcan wrote:

Windows drivers did not get updates for 9 months.. NINE MONTHS without driver updates and AMD has released many for 5300/5500 meanwhile..

I am unaware of any other driver updates for the Radeon Pro 5500M, the GPU used in the MBP 16, which differs from other members of the Radeon family, even from other 5500M GPUs.

The only update listed for it is in fact a Boot Camp update from November 20, 2019.

I'm not sure why rapid driver updates are seen as a good thing.