MacBook 16-inch Fan Noise

Hi,

I have a 3 weeks old 16" MacBook Pro which is working fine

When I connect my external screen (via an RCA USB-C adapter the fans spin up and the area just above the Touch Bar gets very hot - when I unplug the external monitor everything cools down and the fans stop spinning.

Was the issue every resolved or can someone recommend a USB-C HDMI adapter that doesn't cause the problem

thanks

My co-workers 2017 15" MBP didn't flinch at the same task, during the same period of time and sitting right next to me. Google Chrome, Hangouts, 35 minutes video call, no heat, no fans spinning at more than 1800RPM, while mine was spinning at 4000RPM.

So either the 16" MBP is faulty, or the 2017 MBP is better, since its hardware handled such an easy task in a better way.

Which is it, William?

That doesn't mean the MBP 16 is faulty, it simply means it's handling the task in a way differently than you expect.

If you use a MacBook Air I suspect it can handle it as well, but it's not as capable a machine as the MBP 16, and you won't be playing multiple 4K video streams on the MBA in real time.

So your definition of "better" is based on the parameters you're placing on the system based on your needs, not on the machine's capability.

FWIW, I just played around for a while connecting my MBP 16 to a Dell U2717D via a TB3 to MDP adapter and a MDP cable to the monitor and watched YouTube videos on the external monitor full-screen for twenty minutes.

While the system did get warm, as I would expect it to, the fans never kicked in.

Whether that's because the Dell is only 2560 x 1440 or if it was because of the connection via MDP, I couldn't say.

RICHD101 wrote:

William,

It is irresponsible to diagnose anyone’s computer without physically 

diagnosing it. It is irresponsible to tell people who’s computers are running extremely

Hot and experience fans ramping up to 5000 rpm under light tasks that “

 it's handling the task in a way differently than 

you expect

i feel your answer might be misleading to less tech savy customers . Based on your answer should we all stop looking for solutions?

I'm not trying to "diagnose" anyone's system remotely, but rather note that fans coming on is the way the MBP is designed to deal with heat building up within the chassis and does not in and of itself mean the machine is "broken" or "faulty."

The fact that apparently I did not experience the issue with my Dell monitor and others have had no issues seems to indicate there is a particular combination of interfaces and monitors that seems to exacerbate this issue, but that, once again, does not mean the MBP 16 is defective in any way.

Whether there is a driver or GPU issue that causes greater power consumption or heat generation than necessary is something that remains to be seen.

I have no issues whatsoever with people experimenting to get temperatures down if that's how they choose to spend their time, and I have on multiple occasions urged those with such data to send it on directly to Apple Support:

Contact - Official Apple Support

and/or to send feedback:

Feedback - MacBook Pro - Apple

Both of those methods of contact are much more reliable in getting Apple's attention than posting here.

ahmedfromreservoir wrote:

I'm very happy you don't have problems with your unicorn MacBook and thank you for admitting that you do believe it is reasonable to expect fans not to turn on when in a zoom call just because you're connected to an external display therefore any macbook that does this is clearly defective.

He said no such thing.

He said his fans didn't turn on, just like mine didn't.

It may be due to differences in monitors and the way they are connected, so if "no fan" operation is important to you, you may need to duplicate his configuration down to the monitor, cable used and temperature in the room.

Regardless, no claims of fan-free operation are made, so running fans, once again, are not a defect.

If you connect to the exact same monitor DPJ was using, using the exact same cable in a room at the same temperature and your fans ramp up where his did not, you may have an argument to make.

DPJ, what was the monitor and how were you connected? My "no fan" experience was using a TB3 to MDP converter and an MDP cable.

Crazy how whole communities are having trouble because of the fan noise indicating the defects are quite far reaching, thank you for confirming again that a macbook pro that doesn't have audible fans just for being plugged into an external display is in fact the exception not the norm.

Just the fact we are supposed to find some magical and none specific combination of cable/monitor combination is a testament to the defective nature of the device...

"DPJ, what was the monitor and how were you connected? My "no fan" experience was using a TB3 to MDP converter and an MDP cable."

I've only connected my 16" MBP to both my 55" and 64" plasma TV's via my USB-C to HDMI direct cables.

I agree and already returned my 16" + reported my detailed feedback to Apple. I my case, using a single 1440p@60hz monitor consumed more power than the previous gen Macbook Pro while idling. Trying to downplay this saying it is "as designed" helps no one. Especially now that we have acknowledgment from Apple.

There isn't one.

If it's a software issue they can fix, they will fix it.

If it's not, they likely won't.

"Loud as ***" is massive exaggeration, by the way - an average desk fan is louder.

BTW, this definitely seems to be somehow resolution or interface-related.

I posted this morning that my fans didn't even turn on when driving a 2560x1440 Dell U2717D.

I just had the exact same experience when driving a 2,560 x 1,600 30" Apple Cinema Display (TB3 to MDP, MDP to MDP to Dual-Link DVI adapter), and it stayed even cooler than the MBP 16 was driving the Dell.

I couldn't say why, it's just another data point in this whole long thread.

It is hilariously loud, I made a video showing how bad it usually is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0iUYJChWkI

I've had a gaming laptop that didn't get this loud that I returned for being loud.

And that video is just on idle, god forbid you try to do anything and the fans hit the magic 5600/5200 - let's just say decibels are logarithmic.

I have the same exact Dell monitor as yours (U2717D), and had the 19W dGPU consumption with either opening or closing the lid. Tested with USB-C to HDMI and USB-C to mDP on 10.15.5

The fan noise beginned after 5-10mins and went to a constant 3.5K while watching netflix. Pretty high for a laptop IMO

Not sure what you threw at it, but compiling code sure made the temps sustain a constant 100°C for a whole minute before it started reducing CPU clock to cool down. With the fans operating at maximum of course.

And yes 5500RPM is pretty loud with these fans.

jc_9 wrote:

No one is debating the computing performance here, but you decided to write: "I threw everything I could at it and the fans never kicked in, nor did it get overly warm."

True, but many people here complained of the fans when watching YouTube videos, so that's what I did.

Fans when doing a compile should be completely expected, even servers ramp up their fans due to heat when doing that.

The sound I heard in that video was the exact sound I hear when my 16" is transcoding (which is the final stage creating the video) in Final Cut Pro. Transcoding is one of the most demanding tasks on the CPU. That's the loudest they've ever been and I do a great deal of video editing since it's for my business.

take a video to prove it otherwise, also pics of system monitor temps and load after like 10mins running a YouTube video.

I have three 16" units ranging from 6 months of manufacturing all doing it with different screens, tvs etc.

I mean, and we have the GHOSTING issues that are horrid swell.

[Edited by Moderator]