The Mac Studio is a small computer with much CPU power. Some people say it's silent, others have complaints that it's too noisy. It seems that the Ultra is more silent because of the better cooling system. I have read that the fans run at 1325 rpm idle which is rather fast. What are the impressions of someone who bought the Mac Studio Max? (not the Ultra)
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.
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
To me it seems there are two different sources. One being fan noise and that can be changed by changing fan speed. The other seems to noise from the power supply (coil whine?) and that is dependent upon power supply voltage and maybe load too.
MrGordonian wrote:
I'm in Scotland, so the UK mains voltage is 230 volts, within a tolerance of +10% / - 6%.
I too was wondering if this noise issue is related to power, as all the usual YouTube "Techies" do not seem to be pouncing on this issue, as we all know.. they love a drama to get traffic to their sites!
I agree, but it's a very poor user experience to spend thousands on such a computer and then have to face manually controlling fans and then worrying about possible coil whine! You have to start wondering, how long down the line before ones are are currently quiet, start to develop similar issues as things start to warm up etc...
I just could not work with the noise emitting from the unit I had... made worse by the cost of it and not giving me any sense of "Apple Magic" to my purchase! :)
Now I'm listening to the video on my headphones. People often talk about coil whine. Since the power supply is on the bottom, have you tried recording the sound on the bottom where the intake holes are?
<< what really is annoying is that Apple has not even had the decency to give details on what this issue is… >>
No company can afford to do what you describe, because it opens them to multiple lawsuits.
These lawsuits enrich lawyers without providing any relief from the noise, and is likely to drag on for years, at the end of which actual damaged users MAY get a few pennies for their trouble.
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if you have a problem with YOUR unit that is hardware related, your evaluation at the Genius Bar at an Apple-owned store is FREE -- in warranty or out. If defective, that can be addressed. (Be sure to make an appointment, because they are always busy with the many different Apple products they support).
I agree. I now have had two MacStudio ultras returned. I adjusted fan speeds to 1100rpms and 1588rpms which are acceptable as this eliminated the high pitch squeal. The question is, should I have to do this to a 3k dollar computer? My 16 inch MacBook Pro M1 is Flawless!!!
I believe (theory) this is not a fan issue (harmonic) but a power supply issue. It has been noted on you tube, apple has at least two power suppliers and I'll bet we will find out that one has the issue. Maybe this is why only about 40% of the Mac Studios have the issue.
My Studio had an annoying high pitched whine. It was returned.
I called Apple and they will send me a replacement unit. I hope that not all Mac Studios are affected, but that only some were shipped with bad fans.
According to a poll on Mac Rumors 80% of the buyers says the mac studio is silent or that the noise is acceptable. It's a pity for the others.
return it, you wont be happy, what is the sound signature? a silent "fffffffffff". or like mine "b-f-b-f-b-b-f-b"
Still mine is very quiet. Maybe just lucky.
My Mac Studio is quiet.
I live in Belgium. Here it's also 220 V. I don't have these problems. You should return your Mac Studio and ask for a better one. There is a return policy of 14 days. Good luck.
The complaints that I have read are from the Mac Studio Max, not the Macbook Pro Max. Even idle it's too noisy according to some users. Can someone who has bought the Mac Studio Max confirm this or is it exaggerated? Some people are even returning their Mac Studio. Personally, I still use a Mac Pro 5,1 and it produces 35 db of noise but I can live with that. But more would be a problem for me.
I have seen the same video and I’m pursuing the same question Regarding the M1 Max Max Studio, Max Tech have a recent review of the Ultra’s benchmarks seeming to confirm that that version idles “quietly” at about 1300 rpm. No one seems to have assessed this, nor noise levels, for the base model. Yet, the question remains as to whether the fan is idling higher E.g. due to the aluminum heatsink, or if there are some other acoustic properties of the Max 1 enclosure (?) that could affect noise distribution.
How noisy is the Mac Studio M1 Max?
