How noisy is the Mac Studio M1 Max?

hmm - checked the Mini as well now: on auto mode it runs on 1800 which is the minimum (max is 4800) and produces literally no sound. But indeed the air blown out of the MacMini is much much warmer than from the Studio. So it seems that Apple allows the MacMini to reach a higher temperature.

I would not be to optimistic about this topic, the thermo-managment of the M-1-Max is cheap and lousy, again we have fallen into the marketing trap of Apple. A nearly 4000 Euro computer with such performance is just ....

Got mine today (Studio) and sadly the fans are a bit on the annoying side. They whine a fair bit. I've slowed them down to their lowest speed using an app (1100) but it's still quite audible. It's a pretty annoying frequency is the problem. I'll try recording it and doing a readout for a exact measurment. Do I return it and stick with the m1 for the studio? Probably not but there is a chance if I can't forget it's there.

what I don't get is why Apple doesn't allow the fan to go to the minimum speed (1100) when the CPU is at 1% load. Then on the other hand if you go to 100% load the fan speed is also not increasing beyond 1300. Maybe a few lines of code are missing somewhere ;-) Or is it that this kind of processor is more temperature sensitive ?

I made another test: CPU load put to 100% (using the Endurance app) then for 30 min I used the automatic mode )Apple setting) which led to a fan speed at around 1330 rpm and a CPU "Core average temp" of 59°C the same thing with the fan speed set manually to 1100 led to a Core average temp" of 60°C. So in terms of cooling effect there seems to be no big difference between 1100 and 1300 but in terms of noise its the sweet spot with 1100 o.k. for me (I don't hear it) and 1300 annoying (because I hear it).

I will be 100% happy with 1100 rpm, IMO, 1330 is just un-necessary!

There is definitely an annoying whine at 1330, if I put my ear next to the fan, it sounds like bf-bf-bf-bf. . . .

But if I sit at 50cm away from it, it's not too bad. You can reduce the noise further by using a fan control app.

I am using TG fan Pro.

A bit off topic, but I got my Mac Studio Ultra two days ago, and though I haven't stressed it out yet (not sure I can) I have yet to hear its fan. All great so far. When I place my hand at the rear vent it's quite cool. My Thunderbolt monitor and old Mac Pro 2013 ran warmer.

Hello,

My Studio Max is much louder than my late 2014 Imac 5k, even with the fan slowed to 1100rpm. In addition, at times, it whistles very high. I'm thinking of returning it.

I am very disappointed.

Best regards

What is voltage of your mains? There is some data that 220V supply makes the Max noisier

J-CharlesC wrote:

Hello,

My Studio Max is much louder than my late 2014 Imac 5k, even with the fan slowed to 1100rpm. In addition, at times, it whistles very high. I'm thinking of returning it.

I am very disappointed.

Best regards

I'm sending my base model back today. I tried Macs Fans and lowered the rpm to 1100 and that actually helped a lot. The main reason I'm returning is I need more storage and RAM than the base model offers so I'll get by with my 14" MBP until the Mac Pro is released. I have no problem spending $3k + for a M1 Max 64gb 2 or 4 tb machine, but I really think this is a flawed design and the fans will collect massive amounts of dust and get louder over time.

I'll chime in also, I have the base ultra, and it is disappointingly loud, it is noticeable, very un apple like in my opinion. It is constant, never ramps up or down, just sounds like a small blower, I've heard worse, but for the money, I expected better. For example, with just safari open and my typing this, it can hear it easily 3 feet away. Hope they fix with some sort of software, but I doubt it, after all we are still waiting for that Apple Display camera "software fix"...

I am based in Germany. If the voltage makes a difference I would expect that the US MacStudios are running on 1100 rpm by default. Is it like this ?

BTW: I found this webpage - not sure if it was mentioned somewhere above already - it clearly shows that the MacStudio is one of the noisiest Mac in the past years: https://quietmac.netlify.app

I’ve the Studio, and I’m based in the UK, I can hear a faint b-f-b-f. . . . . noise, but I don’t think it’s coming from the fan. It’s like from the Power Supply, but induced by the rotating magnetic coil of the fan. The power supply is not shielded correctly. This is why the noise is more pronounced in EU and UK.

In regards to the noise, if you face the back to a low density audio panel it pretty much fixes things. One of the reasons i go mac is for the silence though, especially working late on something i do in silence like rotoscoping or motion tracking an alternating fan can drive me insane. Does effect audio mixing /recording? I would say probably not, at least not to a concerning level that may effect the mix.

So if there is ever a fix i will most definitely go for it but for now its not bad enough to return, at least with the audio panel. And its worth remembering its still far more quite than most pc builds would be. I will most unlikely be looking into building a silent pc on my next move and just dealing with using Windows again…. I don't think i could back to those days.