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.
MM, 'QUIET' is subjective!
Seems like the noise being reported is the constant high pitched sound, not the fan, as Jr Shelby mentioned.
AND seems like those with 110v are not experiencing the problem, or to a lesser degree.
My Macbook Pro 2015 is totally silent in normal average Logic track count/plug in conditions, this is what I would expect the Mac Studio to be, silent!
If both fan noise you mean a high pitched whine then I’d say it’s not unreasonable to think we should not have either coil whine or a high pitched fan noise. I would be OK if it were just actually fan noise.
I am not trying to minimize your fan noise, but why are you turning if off to begin with? In the System Prefs there is an Energy Saver to take care of all of that, without Shutting Down and powering off. It is harder on the computer to constantly power it up, than it is to keep it on. After a given amount of time the display turns off and you can have the the hard drive power down. And your Mac is still able to received mail and message and do software updates while in that state.
Sorry about your noise. I have absolutely none. Even if I consciously try, I cannot hear mine. It is possible a lot of that can be contributed to the status of my hearing.
Perfect answer. No one that I know appreciates having to take anything they bought in for Warranty Service. But it can happen no matter what you buy. Whether you buy a Toyota Prius or a BMW, there is a chance you will have a problem. Apple is great with handling issues. As I understand it, not all Mac Studios have a noise problem. Maybe they all do, and there are others like me who just cannot hear it. If your Studio has a noise issue, the Genius Bar will more than likely arrange to exchange it. Give it a shot.
Yep, the whining sound doesn't seem like a fan issue to me either.
Its definitely a problem, it seems to be there even before the fans even kick in, from what I have read.
Also I have now read that people in USA and Europe have the problem, on different voltages, with the Mac Studio AND ULTRA, seems like there are less complaints about the ULTRA as less people have purchased it.
With these reports and reports of terrible Macbook Pro M1 Max performances, I really am still holding off buying a new computer! Fortunately, at the moment my system is running a flawlessly , Logic pro on Monterey 12.4 on a 2015 Macbook Pro 15" i7 2.8 with 16gb RAM.
Good question
I have just been reading quite a few bad reports about the noise the Mac Studio fan makes, very disappointing tbh.
Hopefully more people can comment on this?
I know the Ultra is silent, but what about the Max? Unlike the Ultra, it has an aluminium heat sink and the fans are not the same.
Hi John
I am quite concerned about this.
One person said that the M1 Max Mac studio is far too noisy, though his M1 Max macbook is much quieter for whatever reason!
Thank you
Good to know this.
Read a review just now over at one popular website for Apple fans that they measured the M1Max to be 1 db quieter than the Ultra
I had spinning external drives before, way too loud for a recording environment, the Mac studio would need to be silent, in my space any way, recording/mixing etc in the same tiny space,
I think there is a hardware issue. I hear a tone whistle that I do not hear on my Studio Ultra. I can hear why it would be irritating.
from a review by anandtech:
... and, we would expect the Ultra to be twice the Max.
Recommend we submit feedback to Apple to investigate adjusting fan speed.
Thanks for the report.
I have ordered the Mac Book Pro M1 MAX instead.
How noisy is the Mac Studio M1 Max?
