The dreaded fan whine/ringing noise is a problem with the Mac Studio

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The dreaded fan whine/ringing noise is a problem with the Mac Studio

For the cost of these machines (Mac Studio Ultra) - Apple should at minimum acknowledge the ringing whine fan noise they have. This is a machine a lot of audio professionals use. It really is depressing cause the performance of this machine is incredible.

I've noticed if I manually drop the fan speed to 1100 the ringing goes away. Perhaps Apple can make some sort of update that explores this but I really get the sense this isn't a priority at all despite the tons of reports of this

Posted on Dec 11, 2022 11:29 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 11, 2022 12:40 PM in response to suns_13

There have been a LOT of discussion about these noise issues. some suggesting power supply Coil Whine, others on the AC voltage, others blaming it on the fans. This blog post is the best of the lot, in my opinion:

https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/the-case-of-the-singing-studio

.

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Answer 2

suns_13 Author

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Dec 11, 2022 01:11 PM in response to den.thed

using Macs Fan Control - yeah I'm running the fan at 1400 now. It runs around 1300/1340 range automatically. Even just bumping it to 1400 removes the whine. Must be something about the speed of the fans at that specific frequency. Do you think there's any consequences of running it a bit faster like this long term?

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Answer 3

suns_13 Author

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Dec 11, 2022 01:14 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

It's definitely the fans interacting with the tiny holes on the back IMO, but only making the noise at certain speeds (1360 range being the main culprit). It sounds like tinnitus. I bought some high density foam I'm going to try to position it in a certain way on my desk with foam around it, while still leaving the back open so it doesn't overheat.. idk

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Answer 4

Dec 11, 2022 01:30 PM in response to suns_13

did you read the 'basic Apple guy' blog I linked above?

He suggested this was not whining, but a musical whistling sound, like a flute.

He put two pieces of electrical tape on the back to change the shape of the grille, and it all subsided.

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Answer 5

den.thed

Level 10

88,804 points

Dec 11, 2022 01:45 PM in response to suns_13

No I have used MacFanControl on a least 20 different Mac models over the last 20 years and never had a fan fail.

For the most part I use the Sensor Based control which increases the fan speed above a set temp. Depending on the heat from the load, that can be up to around 3000 rpm until the heat from load has diminished.

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Answer 6

den.thed

Level 10

88,804 points

Dec 11, 2022 12:18 PM in response to suns_13

What Fan Utility are you using?

Lowering the fan speed could cause it to overheat.

Personally I would search for a happy place above the default speed instead of below.

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Answer 7

ken.fi

Level 1

10 points

Jan 3, 2023 11:11 AM in response to suns_13

I came across this article The Case of the Singing Studio — Basic Apple Guy it's also mentioned it's the tiny holes' fault. have you solved this problem somehow?

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The dreaded fan whine/ringing noise is a problem with the Mac Studio

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