MacBook 16-inch Fan Noise

The Radeon Pro 5600M didn't exist when Apple designed the machine, so it would have been difficult for them to take it into consideration.

Tens of thousands also happily use their MBP 16s connected to external monitors every day, it's just a certain combination of display and connections that cause the issue you cite, and even then your comment about "2 apps" is like saying "I was just running Final Cut Pro X and doing a Motion render in the background."

I've mentioned before Zoom is very, very CPU and GPU-intensive an app; a quick Internet search will find people complaining of similar issues using Zoom on PC laptops as well as Chromebooks.

I'm impressed iOS handles it as well as it does.

Actually I don’t agree with you at all, but if you insist on running a non-optimal configuration it may be a workaround that will allow you to get your work done without annoying you, given what you say you experience.

ASC exists to help Apple users help other users solve their issues, and I’ve just given you a workaround.

Many tens of thousands around the world love their MBP 16s and would buy one again.

iTech23 it is possible to steer the power consumption. Defective an/or very poor designed software in steering the GPU results in that consumption. Try SwitchResX to define the optimal usage of power. Said that it is obvious that the design of the combination of the components with the implemented drivers is not recommended for external displays. In particular not for external displays when in battery mode as with the unnecessarily high power consumption will limit the presentation significantly. I recommend to switch to an eGPU $$, an USB to HDMI or USB to DP adapter $ or to wait and hope for the presentation next week. However, I do not see signals the defects are going to be fixed from Apple for this type.

AMD believes that avoiding flicker is more important than power consumption and has designed their drivers accordingly. You disagree but that doesn't make their design "poor."

Nor does design criteria other than what you consider important make them a "defect."

The thing is, I have shared facts about the situation backed with hard data (as have many others.)

I understand how frustrating the issue is, I do get it.

However, new people are coming to this thread every day, and some think all you need to do is connect the machine to an external monitor, any external monitor, and instantly power usage will go through the roof, the fans will jump to maximum and the machine will become unusable.

When, in fact, for many that is certainly not the case, and I have posted that of the configurations I have personal access to, I can't make it happen.

So it is an issue but it's also not all or nothing.

I have also posted some possible workarounds (use Mini DisplayPort rather than HDMI) as well as ways to avoid the issue entirely (choose the Radeon Pro 5600M GPU if ordering a new machine.)

Hello William

Where can I find reliable independent information about your statement that : for many this is certainly not the case.

Please deliver proof of your statement, would like to see what your definition is of : many

When, in fact, for many that is certainly not the case

best regards, Edwin

Facts and hard data? Your solution for a "Pro" machine was to use it without an external monitor because it can't handle 1 single app open without the fans going full speed and throttling big time, at one point the mouse pointer was moving 2/3 seconds slower than usual making it impossible to use, not to mention that if you want to concentrate while you are working having the fans running at more than 5000 RPM makes it impossible.

Trevermeier,

The only thing we can hope for is a recall on these defective designs. I am now going on

My 1 year anniversary with my MBP16 inch and the amount of heat and fan noise these models produce while connected to an external monitor is unacceptable ! It took a while for the butterfly keybord issue to to get resolved but to apples credit they took care of it ! I am hopeful Apple will remedy these defective MBP16 issues! Very soon!

please hang in there and do not be discouraged by some who are trying to discredit this existing issue !

you are not alone !

I won’t be able to convince those here who believe it’s a defect or poor design.

All I can do is provide details as to why design decisions were made from other sources and data showing that “all” machines do not in fact do what is claimed “just by connecting an external monitor.”

The MBP 16 is still a wonderful machine and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who wanted one (in a qualified manner, I would consider getting the Radeon Pro 5600M a no-brainer now because of its performance alone), pending any announcements coming next week.

Glad to see this worked for you. Unfortunately, I bought mine in November of 2019 and naively thought Apple wouldn't sell something that performed like this. And not fix it. And not publicly acknowledge it is a problem. And put apologists on the message board who deny it is an issue and call it a feature.

Someday, all of us who are running the 5500 here will get compensated for our misery with this defective model. It is clearly defective, because the 5600 doesn't perform like the 5500 when connecting an external monitor.

William has worked hard to keep expectations low, but we will all hang in there until this is fixed, or until Apple offers us a replacement.

Like everybody here I've the famous noise issue. I could mostly fix it by using the right adapters, clamshell mode, but also by using TG pro and modify the fan profiles.

I've just read that it is better with the 4600M, I bought a MBP 16 inch I9 8core 4500M with 64 GB of ram as a refurbished mac 3 months ago, can I basically return it to the nearest apple store, and exchange it for the same but with a 4600M instead ? (and paying the difference ? )

J

Thank you so much for your post,

I am sure all of us experiencing heat and fan noise feel very cheated knowing the 5600 performs as expected in comparison to the 5500.

Please hang in there .

I bought mine in November 2019 and became aware of the noisy/heat/external monitor issues after my 14 day return period had expired.

very disappointed . This known problem now affects resale value so i stand to lose a lot of money to try and upgrade to a 5600 model......i have apple care but i keep getting nowhere with there ( reinstalling OS etc....) i hope Apple will have mercy on victims regarding this issue.

The 5600 uses different technologies that were not available when the 5500 was the top of the Radeon Pro mobile GPU line, and as always, technology marches on.

It is an incorrect assertion that the 5500 affects resale value in any meaningful way except to potential customers who would use theirs the exact way you do.

In this thread Geekbench results without power consumption / fan speed / heat is not of real use. No one complains about the performance. It is about the noise produced by the fans when external displays are attached. I do not even speak about the battery performance when used with external displays in presentations.

I appreciated your response so far.

But It is golden standard, there is no need to write it down. I was bring my macbook pro into meeting room for presentation, it is very annoying after a few minutes. It is supposed to be portable for supporting daily work, not in clamshell mode for all days :).

I bought it from Hongkong to Jakarta and realised after more than 14 days. And it is not possible to fly to Hongkong to return it.