MacBook 16-inch Fan Noise

Unfortunately your answer is not correct. Also the Air has an issue. The defect of Apple there is with the thermal design as well. Maybe we should invite an Apple engineer into this forum to let them learn out of their mistakes in that regard. I would not see that as critical defect but would rate as high.

Adxyal wrote:

As a consumer, and with a machine at that price, you can deserve to have :

a silent computer when you are not requiring much horse power and doing simple daily tasks

• a powerful computer for heavy load tasks that you would need from time to time and in which case you can tolerate the fan noise

If silence were such a big deal, someone in the PC space would sell laptops based on that basis, but I haven't seen any.

I understand if its noisier than you had hoped for, and we've beaten the daily tasks thing into the ground as it turns out a lot is due to which monitor you use and how you connect it - a 4K or greater monitor via HDMI seemingly being the worst, and at least in my experience, a 2560x1400 or so monitor via mDP seemingly being the best (it still draws 20w but never causes my fans to exceed 2400 RPM.)

The dGPU will be activated when you connect an external monitor - there is literally no internal connection between the integrated GPU and the USB-C ports that provide for driving an external monitor.

silvann wrote:

William Kucharski wrote:

If faster clock speeds and higher capability were inseparable linked to more heat and noise my laptop should sound like a booster rocket compared to my first 16 MHz desktop computer.

It's through major thermal engineering decisions that it does not, and Intel and AMD have been working to keep power/heat down as best they can.

They can do better. They produced a defect in SW and could fix. It is not right not to stay in for a defect and fix. They can fix for big sur. Or provide a toggle to ise the intel graphic built in. Just SW needed.

Same HW defect as to plug in power on the right side to produce less heat than on the left side. I mean, just help me undertand how one can produce so many defects

I do recall when I first used my MB Pro 16 I turned off "automatic graphics switching" and experienced similar issues. However, I reverted back to letting MacOS handle it and the noise issue hasn't happen since. Even if I jump on WOW, the fans will come on, though they don't get noisy like they did the first time. Also, does this apply to both MB's with the 5300 and 5500? I have the 5300M.

Yes, epylejr, the 5500 when not in use does not consume power - when you plugin external monitor (in my case with more than 1600x1200 resolution) start the fans incredibly. Even with no load on the GPU. It is possible with adjustments to reduce or eliminate the noise. It is unfortunately a SW defect as it does not react in all resolutions. Unlucky the common used resolutions are affected. Tough luck of Apple to rollout such a MacBook.

itunestux wrote:

Yes, epylejr, the 5500 when not in use does not consume power - when you plugin external monitor (in my case with more than 1600x1200 resolution) start the fans incredibly.

That is not accurate, it depends upon the monitor and the connection method.

The Dell U2717D is 2560 x 1440. If I connect to it via a USB-C to mDP adapter, my fans never go above 2400 RPM; I put my head on my MBP and can't hear anything at that speed even after playing full-screen HD video on that monitor for 30 minutes while viewing and responding to this forum on the laptop screen.

The same is true for the 2560x1600 30" Apple Cinema Display.

itunestux wrote:

Same HW defect as to plug in power on the right side to produce less heat than on the left side. I mean, just help me undertand how one can produce so many defects

That's not a defect.

Charging produces some degree of heat, and components cannot be evenly distributed throughout the machine.

Most of the time it doesn't matter what side you plug your charging cable into; the tests I did all had the cable plugged into the right side without fan runaway.

That is accurate and I have to apologize but I must correct you‘re sentences. I am sure you agree to avoid the other user of this forum start believing your assertion that one cannot hear fans with 2‘400 RPMs. You can even easily hear it from 3 feet distance in a room with 33dB.

I feel sorry if you cannot hear even with your head on your MBP. I am sure it was powered on and running at that time.

No way to use with external displays for a broader audience.

What I still miss from you is constructive proposal how to tackle. With e.g. Xprores or external GPU or USB HDM displaylink adapter. To deny the issue is not yet helping to resolve.

itunestux wrote:

That is accurate and I have to apologize but I must correct you‘re sentences. I am sure you agree to avoid the other user of this forum start believing your assertion that one cannot hear fans with 2‘400 RPMs. You can even easily hear it from 3 feet distance in a room with 33dB.

I would wholeheartedly disagree, but really, unless you're in a recording studio most offices and homes have more than 33 dB of background noise at all times.

I feel sorry if you cannot hear even with your head on your MBP. I am sure it was powered on and running at that time.

Cute snark, yes, my head was on the MBP while it was playing HD video full screen on the Dell and viewing this forum and stubbornly refusing to drive the fans any faster because it was handling the thermal load just fine.

No way to use with external displays for a broader audience.

That's simply not true; several people have reported finding a combination that does not cause fan speedups, and others don't mind the fan noise.

I get you can't find a combination that works for you though.

To deny the issue is not yet helping to resolve.

I never "denied" the issue, but I will chime in when phrases like "there's no way" or "defect" are used, because they're inaccurate.

There have been several suggestions floated throughout this thread of actions to take, one of them being to use mDP if possible because HDMI is all but guaranteed to require the VRAM be driven at full speed.

There have been several suggestions floated throughout this thread of actions to take, one of them being to use mDP if possible because HDMI is all but guaranteed to require the VRAM be driven at full speed.

Ok - I am open to any option and tried multiple things (reverse monitor / power connectors, stop turbo boost, ...) but what is the option of using mDP instead of HDMI?

If your monitor has a mini DisplayPort connector, use USB-C to mini DisplayPort adapter and cable to connect from your Mac to the monitor.

There are many available; this is the one I used in my testing:

Amazon: USB-C to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, ITD ITANDA 4K Thunderbolt 3 to Mini DP Adapter Cable for Apple New MacBook 2017, ChromeBook Pixel Samsung S8(No Thunderbolt 2)

I we can agree to desagree. I measured and 33dB is the result in the office, in the home office and it is not a sound recording studio. Through the night it is even more quiet, letting me hear the fans at 1750 RPM which is the speed when I have eGPU or USB to HDMI adapter but not the internal GPU with the software defect producing so much fan noise.

However, coworker had no issues detecting the macbook fans also 10 feet away. I seems you are not listening your macbook in a silent environment. There it is no problem to have a noise macbook hence the defect does not kick in.

You're MBP must be an extraordinary one as everyone else in this forum produces too much noise to to software defect. Maybe also faulty thermal hardware design in addition.

I do not deny that some found a way around but this is to take a way for resolution despite the software defect of the GPU driver. Whether HDMI or DP both let the VRAM have at too high speed and consuming too much power. I is possible to reduce, having less power consumption leading to less fan noise. Clearly showing the fact that with not enough testing the bug was not found. I hope the defect is going to be fixed with Big Sur.

Chipping with an assumption it is not defect seems not correct there are software ways to influence the consumption. And marketing of Apple clearly stated new fans

[Link Edited by Moderator]

Dell and HP notebooks might be efficient or not in power consumption. These notebooks are operated with Windows or Linux, different to the HW manufacturer - but MacBooks are operated by MacOS which is the same. It is possible to provide attaching an external display without the fans going over 1'900.

If you're environment is at that level I recommend to look for something else. In particular 54 is not enough for adequate concentration and also not for help. Not to hear the fans in such an area is not an argument do defend a software defect with the GPU usage design.

AMDs response shows not that is not a defect but it only that they do not want to repair or change.

itunestux wrote:

Dell and HP notebooks might be efficient or not in power consumption. These notebooks are operated with Windows or Linux, different to the HW manufacturer - but MacBooks are operated by MacOS which is the same. It is possible to provide attaching an external display without the fans going over 1900

Perhaps not with the power draw of the CPU and GPU. I'm not sure why people think they know more than Apple's thermal engineers here.

If you're environment is at that level I recommend to look for something else. In particular 54 is not enough for adequate concentration and also not for help.

Not at all, it's what's considered normal for most. Certainly the 54 dB when the AC is on is noticeable but the 40-45 dB range is what is considered normal for a library. Sound levels in the 30s are considered normal for only studios or other acoustically controlled environments.

AMDs response shows not that is not a defect but it only that they do not want to repair or change.

Once again, you can disagree with their engineering decisions but to state other rationales diverges into the world of conspiracy theories.