Fan noise MacBook Pro 16

[Fravin]

Might be nice to have 32 g so I don’t have to worry about it... but would rather not return and BTO unless I actually will need it

Probably you won't...

If so, you might have faced it before.

The good news is if you need more ram than you have, SSDs speeds are so great now that MacOS can handle it with swap files like a breeze. You won't even notice it.

These guys that runs multiples VMs uses that much RAM. Not the rest of us.

Enjoy you new computer!

 

[workerbee]

I wonder what happens when a 16" MBP is running a Pro Display XDR.

You‘ll be so dazed from paying the XDR that you won’t be able to notice the fans at all.

 

[Builddesign]

spanking new i9 32gb ram 8gb video 16" macbbok pro

I connected it to a CalDigit USB-C pro doc w/ (2) dell ultra sharp/ monitors & it is LOUD, HOT & ANNOYING.

O I have a mouse & keyboard connected.

To the macrumors community, Can this be fixed in a future update to Catalina ? ****ing going to return this POS ASAP. Waste of $3200, should be a beast.

& sd slot > headphone jack all day

WTF does this have a headphone jack! Fix the thermal & fan speed issues!

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250878229?page=7

 

[Hexley]

I am buying the base 16" for $2,150.

Has Apple released a software update addressing "Fan noise MacBook Pro 16"?

 

[BayouTiger]

I will also confirm that having external monitors to the new 16" MBP i9 does make fans run loud even when idle or doing basic things. I didn't have this problem with my 2017 MBP i7.

I am posting an example of running just safari and mail both fans are running at 3200-2500 rpm. BTW 3500 rpm on my 2017 MBP is def less loud then this 3500 rpm on the 16" MBP.

DISAPPOINTED TOTALLY !!



View attachment 881551

I have a 34" LG Ultrawide and a 27" 4K screen and while the fans will settle down eventually, opening just about anything will cause them to get very loud. Bluebeam Revu seems to be especially taxing as it is a horribly written POS for Mac. (No wonder they dropped their Mac version). I am going to have to be watching it very closely for a few days as the noise is likely going to be a dealbreaker. I didn't expect it to be a big issue as I rarely run anything terribly intense (Bluebeam, AutoCad LT, Office Apps), I nearly always have a Windows VM going with very small apps running that I need to configure different control system. These are extremely lightweight.

My 14 is up next Friday, but it really is a really nice machine otherwise. After using a 13" for years, I had kinda forgot just how much speedier the midsize unit is. I does seem that the issue seems to be the external monitors. I would be curious if others have tried different combinations. Maybe a different Dock (Mine is the Elgato TB3) would have different results. I really don't have to have two externals, One just holds stuff I am not working on., I could accomplish this with Expose on another desktop.

 

[jinnyman]

I connected it to a CalDigit USB-C pro doc w/ (2) dell ultra sharp/ monitors & it is LOUD, HOT & ANNOYING.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250878229?page=7

I'm using TB3 Caldigit Pro dock with one 4k monitor (LG 27ud99) and it's no different than any of my previous MBP. (for example, 2018 MBP 15")
I saw someone complaining about the issue as long as there are more than one monitor connected. Have you tried running your setup with one monitor?

 

[BayouTiger]

I'm using TB3 Caldigit Pro dock with one 4k monitor (LG 27ud99) and it's no different than any of my previous MBP. (for example, 2018 MBP 15")
I saw someone complaining about the issue as long as there are more than one monitor connected. Have you tried running your setup with one monitor?

Do you have a reference for anyone saying that it is better with only one external vs two? I am actually so pleased with the machine otherwise that I might even pick up the 580Pro Blackmagic eGPU to see if that makes it feasible. What's another $700? lol. Actually I need a different dock anyway so that hit would be lessened if it will charge it and let me connect my Ethernet (yes a USB3 Dongle would be necessary).

The Blackmagic only delivers 87W, but this should be fine if the internal dGPU is not being used.

Hell, If that works well at the office, I could see me selling my iMac Pro and just going with the MBP \and an eGPU at both home and office.

 

[jinnyman]

Do you have a reference for anyone saying that it is better with only one external vs two? I am actually so pleased with the machine otherwise that I might even pick up the 580Pro Blackmagic eGPU to see if that makes it feasible. What's another $700? lol. Actually I need a different dock anyway so that hit would be lessened if it will charge it and let me connect my Ethernet (yes a USB3 Dongle would be necessary).

The Blackmagic only delivers 87W, but this should be fine if the internal dGPU is not being used.

Hell, If that works well at the office, I could see me selling my iMac Pro and just going with the MBP \and an eGPU at both home and office.

Check out the below thread.

(2019) 16" is HOT & NOISY with an external monitor! :(

I received a base 16" today and am disappointed because it get's as hot as my 2017 with an external 4K monitor. Is anybody else experiencing the same issue? I always work with external monitors and running on high resolution and this heating performance is upsetting. It's not cooler than the...

forums.macrumors.com

It appears there's some kind of driver issue when two monitors are connected forcing GPU to go more than 20W while doing nothing significant. I'm not sure though, I just skimmed through the thread. As far as one monitor is connected, my MBP 16" is cool when doing only menial stuffs. I'm not sure about your egpu solution though. Isn't it kinda costly for a sole purpose of connecting your second monitor?

 

[BayouTiger]

Check out the below thread.

(2019) 16" is HOT & NOISY with an external monitor! :(

I received a base 16" today and am disappointed because it get's as hot as my 2017 with an external 4K monitor. Is anybody else experiencing the same issue? I always work with external monitors and running on high resolution and this heating performance is upsetting. It's not cooler than the...

forums.macrumors.com

It appears there's some kind of driver issue when two monitors are connected forcing GPU to go more than 20W while doing nothing significant. I'm not sure though, I just skimmed through the thread. As far as one monitor is connected, my MBP 16" is cool when doing only menial stuffs. I'm not sure about your egpu solution though. Isn't it kinda costly for a sole purpose of connecting your second monitor?

Hey, I’m in for $4k! Whats another $700? Lol $400 really since i will likely need a new dock as my ElGato only does 60w.

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

I posted this in another thread, but I think it's relevant here as well and I want it to be seen... The issue is that when an external monitor is connected and the laptop is open, Radeon 5500 pulls 4-5x as much watts as when in clamshell mode.

I downloaded istat on my new 2.4/32g/5500 so I could check this out, because I too noticed the computer got very warm when I plugged in an external monitor but did not put it into clamshell mode.

With external monitor connected and the laptop open, Radeon is pulling about 18 watts. As soon as I either unplug the external monitor, or close the computer and go into clamshell, Radeon reduces to 4 watts. What I thought was interesting is that even without any external monitor, radeon was pulling <1 watt, and the intel gpu was still at 0. I don't have force radeon GPU on in settings but it looked to me like it was still using the radeon with no external monitor connected.

This is also interesting and maybe promising - I spent a long time in tech support chat with apple today, sent screenshots of the istat GPU wattages in clamshell and with both monitors on. They had me boot up in safe mode to see what happens, and I thought it was pretty weird that in safe mode, the radeon gpu stays at a steady ~10 watts, whether the external monitor is connected or not, clamshell or not. So the apple guy and I were speculating that it could be a software issue that could be fixed down the line. Once I got out of safe mode, back to 18/4 watts on the Radeon.

Their next troubleshooting step is to reinstall Catalina, which I suspect won't do anything, but then again, some people are saying they don't have this problem, so who knows, maybe it will help. They told me that if this doesn't do it, they want to get me on with phone support and run it up the ladder. Hopefully I get somewhere.

I'll let you guys know what happens when the Catalina reinstall is done.

I'd recommend that anybody having this issue do what I did, start talking to apple about it, take screenshots of the istat menu showing what's going on, get them logging the calls and complaints and if you think about it, this should protect you in the future when it comes to something going wrong with your computer - you can say hey Apple, look at your records, I started telling you guys about this when I had the computer for 4 days and you told me you were working on fixing it. Could help with late returns/replacements if it turns into some persistent issue. Or if enough people bring it to their attention could lead to a faster fix, if a software fix is possible.

 

[Psyclism]

I just this Monday took delivery of a replacement 16" (2.3 32gb, 1Tb, 8500 8Gb) for my initial machine that had a defective arrow key. The original machine would spin up its fans at the drop of a hat, especially when connected to my 27" Cinema display through the Caldigit TB3. Simply surfing the web or checking email would have the fans running at 50%, usually closer to 100%, and they'd run for minutes at a time before finally calming down, but never becoming totally silent. A Parallels VM would instantly push the fans into overdrive. The top and bottom of the case was uncomfortably hot to the touch. Thought this was all "normal" for the i9 and didn't think anything of it.

Enter machine #2. Connected to the same monitor through the TB3, with the same software installed and running, this machine doesn't even get warm to the touch. Haven't heard a peep from the fans all week. Utterly and totally silent. The same Parallels Windows 10 VM configured with the same hardware specs doesn't make the fans do squat -- still spinning happily at 1600 RPM with CPU cores averaging at 48C.

Both machines were fresh rebuilds from stock Catalina, not restored from backups, and both were fully updated. Someone said that the thermal paste application quality could explain such a variance, but I have to wonder if that's possible. I could see it making a few degrees difference here and there, but totally changing the fundamental behavior of the cooling system in the machine is a bit suspect IMO.

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

Very interesting.

By any chance did you use istat or something to check how many watts the Radeon is pulling with the monitor connected on those two machines? I ask because I can feel the area above the touch bar start to get warm quickly after running it in the configuration that pulls 18 watts, and it cools down when I switch to the configuration that pulls 4 watts, pretty obviously the source of the heat problem when monitors are connected

 

[Psyclism]

Very interesting.

By any chance did you use istat or something to check how many watts the Radeon is pulling with the monitor connected on those two machines?

No. But I can certainly look at the new machine tomorrow morning when I hook back into the office setup. I no longer have the original machine however - it was sent packing this morning.

 

[Psyclism]

Very interesting.

By any chance did you use iStat or something to check how many watts the Radeon is pulling with the monitor connected on those two machines? I ask because I can feel the area above the touch bar start to get warm quickly after running it in the configuration that pulls 18 watts, and it cools down when I switch to the configuration that pulls 4 watts, pretty obviously the source of the heat problem when monitors are connected

Curiosity got the better of me. I just hooked up my laptop to my TB3/27" Cinema, and Radeon highside, according to iStat, hovers around 19W when using both displays. Drops to 17.8W when in clamshell mode. Fans are staying nice and stable at ~1800-1900 rpm. Radeon GPU proximity temps when both displays are running is staying right around 60C. Clamshell doesn't appear to change the temps up or down.

Radeon highside when using integrated graphics: .14W

Tried plugging and unplugging, opening and closing the lid several times and the results were consistent.

*Edit* - My Radeon High Side value when using only the laptop screen is 4-6W.

 

[am2am]

I've just checked mine and have the same scenario as described by Camarillo - radeon High Side taking ~18W with both internal & external display on (external 4k scaled natively) - approx 5-8W in clamshell mode.

Contrary to Camarillo my machine stays cool and quiet in both scenarios without any heavy load.
Temp is raising approx 10deg C after connecting external display, but fans stays at minimum, no problems here (I'm not using dock but apple dongle).

 

[BayouTiger]

Trying a few different things this morning.
With both external monitors via Elgato TB3 dock the Radeon is at 18.4W which is the same whethe in clamshell or not. The only way that it drops to 4W is if in Clamshell with only one external connected.

All that said, the fans are not roaring as much in clamshell as when open. The App that really seems to hammer it in my daily use is Bluebeam Revu.

 

[MacBoy-HH]

Curiosity got the better of me. I just hooked up my laptop to my TB3/27" Cinema, and Radeon highside, according to iStat, hovers around 19W when using both displays. Drops to 17.8W when in clamshell mode. Fans are staying nice and stable at ~1800-1900 rpm. Radeon GPU proximity temps when both displays are running is staying right around 60C. Clamshell doesn't appear to change the temps up or down.

Radeon highside when using integrated graphics: .14W

Tried plugging and unplugging, opening and closing the lid several times and the results were consistent.

Same here-Clamshell doesn't appear to change the temps up or down.

 

[Alex Kurylev]

I posted this in another thread, but I think it's relevant here as well and I want it to be seen... The issue is that when an external monitor is connected and the laptop is open, Radeon 5500 pulls 4-5x as much watts as when in clamshell mode.

I downloaded istat on my new 2.4/32g/5500 so I could check this out, because I too noticed the computer got very warm when I plugged in an external monitor but did not put it into clamshell mode.

With external monitor connected and the laptop open, Radeon is pulling about 18 watts. As soon as I either unplug the external monitor, or close the computer and go into clamshell, Radeon reduces to 4 watts. What I thought was interesting is that even without any external monitor, radeon was pulling <1 watt, and the intel gpu was still at 0. I don't have force radeon GPU on in settings but it looked to me like it was still using the radeon with no external monitor connected.

This is also interesting and maybe promising - I spent a long time in tech support chat with apple today, sent screenshots of the istat GPU wattages in clamshell and with both monitors on. They had me boot up in safe mode to see what happens, and I thought it was pretty weird that in safe mode, the radeon gpu stays at a steady ~10 watts, whether the external monitor is connected or not, clamshell or not. So the apple guy and I were speculating that it could be a software issue that could be fixed down the line. Once I got out of safe mode, back to 18/4 watts on the Radeon.

Their next troubleshooting step is to reinstall Catalina, which I suspect won't do anything, but then again, some people are saying they don't have this problem, so who knows, maybe it will help. They told me that if this doesn't do it, they want to get me on with phone support and run it up the ladder. Hopefully I get somewhere.

I'll let you guys know what happens when the Catalina reinstall is done.

I'd recommend that anybody having this issue do what I did, start talking to apple about it, take screenshots of the istat menu showing what's going on, get them logging the calls and complaints and if you think about it, this should protect you in the future when it comes to something going wrong with your computer - you can say hey Apple, look at your records, I started telling you guys about this when I had the computer for 4 days and you told me you were working on fixing it. Could help with late returns/replacements if it turns into some persistent issue. Or if enough people bring it to their attention could lead to a faster fix, if a software fix is possible.

Hi, have you reinstalled Catalina? Has anything changed?