How noisy is the Mac Studio M1 Max?

I also have the M1 Max version. The noise from the fans is noticeable, but almost the same as my 2018 iMac 5k. The problem is the high frequency noise coming from the fans that drives me crazy. I have to use an external tool to limit the speed of the fans to 1100 which seems to help. Not very happy with my purchase.

I have the M1 Max CPU with 32 GPU cores in my Mac Studio. I also have 2 external disk drives for additional storage and Time Machine backup. The Mac Studio is quieter than the spinning disk drives for comparison.

Mac Studio Max:

In a silent home office it sounds loud to me.

It's similar to the when the iMac increases fan speed under load, except it is more annoying because it is now only coming from one side of the screen.

In a work environment with background noise I don't think it would be noticeable.

If you're sensitive to noise, like me, there's also noticeable coil whine/ beeping. It sounds like occasional high-pitch morse code mixed in with the fan noise.

With such a small monitor cable it's not easily moved to a shelf or cupboard either.

A little disappointing in my opinion.

Completely agree with Daniel's assessment. I have the Max and coming from the 5k iMac the fan noise is really noticeable. Using a tool like TG Pro to turn down the fans to 1100rpm removes a lot of the annoying fan noise.

I've had a Mini M1 for a year, I only use SSDs, I work in a quiet room I've gotten used to the silence.

I was looking forward to Mac Studio Ultra and the performance. Unfortunately, my Mac suffers from the defect of whistling power supply or fans. I have found multiple people having the same problem. On top of that, even at rest the fans are spinning at 1300 rpm. In a noisy office it probably wouldn't be audible, but I have the Mac on my desk, whistling at 2.2 kHz echoing around the room and it's maddening. I can hear all the noise from 3 meters away. For people lucky enough to have the unit replaced, it's supposedly much quieter.

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I'm returning the M1 Max Studio because I'm finding the constant whir of the fans incredibly annoying. There is also a higher pitched whine above the rushing sound of air through the vents.

I won't say that the noise is actually "loud". But I spend a lot of time in a silent office and pretty quickly the constant noise is difficult to ignore. I am coming from a Mac mini which is basically silent and the Mac Studio is very loud by comparison.

I understand your frustration, but the Mini M1 is slow for some projects. I can see what the difference in performance is, but I like silence when I work and don't always render. I don't really believe Apple would release an update and lower the idle speed.

I have decided against the M1 Max Studio,

And I am reluctant to go for the Ultra

From what I have read, the 16" M1 Max Macbook Pro is the best choice for my circumstances.

I am using a macBook Pro 2015, and it runs Logic 10.3.2 and Pro Tools 12.5 no problem, no fan noise either. on El capitan

There is a difference between noise and whistling, which is clearly delineated at 2.2 kHz and other frequencies. On my Mac, only one fan or the part at the back of the vent holes whistles and is noisier. The other half is as quiet as brown noise.

Let us know when/how you do this and we can do the same.

There's probably a reason they chose the higher fan speed. Knowing Apple, probably to shorten the product life, or get even louder once it's inevitably full of dust.

the noise of the new Studio Max is so annoying, low base frequency with a kind of "bubbles-sound", I can not keep it on the desk, have to hide it somewhere under with a special noise housing. shame on you apple. I absolutely hate this sound signature, what a ....

I bought a M1 MAX 64gb 4tb machine ($3800) that I expected to last me years but the fan noise was so annoying I sent it back 2 days later. I need a desk machine so I got the $2k base configuration and I'm using that with a 2tb TB3 drive. It gets the work done and I'm not as frustrated with the noise after spending half of what I planned, but this is just a stop gap and I'll sell it as soon as I have a better solution. Hopefully a Mac Pro that isn't $15k or more.

Not only in Europe, have a look to the Macrumors forums ...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-studio-max-its-not-that-quiet.2338488/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-studio-fan-noise-its-going-to-be-one-of-the-loudest-macs-at-idle.2337251/

The Fans basically always run at 1300 but problem is there are ones that have a higher the normal frequency emitting from the back. The fans are not the problem but rather the airflow pushing out the high pitched noise. I returned my first one because of this and received an exchange. It was a base max. My second one was fine til Monterey 12.3.1 came out and I upgraded. Now I believe the left fan was not working till 12.3.1 was installed. I kinda know this to be the case as I could both feel an airflow difference and heard beeping and chipping a few days before the install. Apparently the beeping is a known tell tale sign of a faulty fan. Sounded like R2-D2. I’m away on vacation and clicked the return button last night. Spent more money now then I intended to by a base 16” MBP. But they are known to be extremely quiet 🤫. It’s as shame as I traded my iMac 24” 16 GB Ram to get the studio and the ASD. On paper the base max is the best value. I do help my nephew edit his Final Cut Pro you tube drumming videos so the studio would of been a great help. I was in under $4500 with keyboard and trackpad now over $5200. This has been the most exhausting and frustrating proposition. I’ve stayed positive through it all and truly appreciate my local Buffalo, NY Apple store for all their help. I will add that it’s unfortunate the when you return a product to Apple they almost always check buyers remorse. This is sad and no way to fix what could be a widespread problem.