MacBook Pro 16" Making (Electrical?) Noise - Not Fan Noise

If this is your sound, your MacBook Pro is not defective. The frequencies of the electrical noise in drives working this fast are just becoming audible, and even though there are no moving parts, they are not silent.

SSDs are NOT SILENT! SSD M.2 making high pitch noise or crackling/whirring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS-BHI667po

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Honestly with all the other Macs you have it sounds like you know what sounds right and what doesn't. No one here will be able to help you with this. It's best to contact Apple Support for additional help or to exchange the unit. Contact - Official Apple Supportsupport.apple.com › contact

Since there is no HDD in the machine, the only other mechanical device is the fan(s). Otherwise, you hear arcing which is potentially damaging and dangerous. Turn off the computer. Contact the vendor about a replacement. In the interim I suggest you open Energy Saver preferences. Turn off Power Nap and Sleep drives when idle. Turn on the topmost item not to put the computer sleep.

There are two GPUs in the machine. One is integral while the other is discrete. Change the setting from automatic to discrete only or integral only, whichever one helps.

Sounds like "coil whine" that seems really common with these Macbook Pro 16". I'd return it for a new one ASAP if you're still in the return period.

There's no way I'd live with that for such an expensive machine...

"There's no way I'd live with that for such an expensive machine..."

Then you'd probably live with no current machine because the Dell XPS and Lenovo X1 Extreme 2 both have coil whine and their products are expensive.

2020/May/22

I have just received my new macbook pro 16'' today. I am also encountering the same issue.

Thinking about changing for a new one now. A computer at such a price should not have such noise.

My 2015 macbook pro is even more silent than this one.

If this is not SDD write noise but instead "Coil Whine" noise, some users have found relief by turning off Turbo Boost with a readily-available third-party Utility. It is easy to do, and trivially easy to undo.

Turbo Boost is a "cute trick" that is invoked in small bursts when the processors' work is especially single-threaded, most processors are idle, and the processor chip is not already Hot. It can not be initiated when many processors on the chip are busy or the chip is hot. It boosts the clock speed on the first and occasionally first and second processor up to a higher clock rate, and that high frequency is where the noise comes from.

From a practical perspective, Turbo Boost is of minimal importance for getting real work done, and users who try shutting it off often do not notice any change in performance.

wealthandnecessity wrote:

You could do that weird hack and cripple your machine for no reason or just return it for a machine with no coil whine...

Your point about disabling a feature (you paid for) being weird is well taken. I agree that returning that computer in hopes of getting one that does not whine may be worth trying.

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The mechanism suggested is not a "weird hack", but a small Utility, and undo is just a simple change of setting -- it does to permanently change your machine any way, and is simple to un-Install.

When Users report no noticeable performance changes, that is hardly "crippling".

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if you act quickly (before the computer trial period expires) you could try the Utility, see if it provides relief, and still decide to return or refund your computer regardless of the outcome.

You could do that weird hack and cripple your machine for no reason or just return it for a machine with no coil whine...