Apple Mac Studio users complain about annoying high-frequency fan noise

As a bridge between the Mac mini and the full-grown but rather outdated Mac Pro, Apple has started to offer professional users and enthusiasts an enticing middle-of-the-road option in form of the Mac Studio. Even though the desktop machine is equipped with Apple's blazing-fast custom M1 chipsets, some new owners are not completely happy with their purchase.

According to a report by MacRumors, which cites several posts and a lengthy thread in its very own user forum, a probably small number of Mac Studio units seem to produce a rather uncomfortable high-pitched whining noise which purportedly is very noticeable in quieter work spaces. Apparently, these complaints mostly relate to Apple Mac Studios that are equipped with the baseline Apple M1 Max processor that features a different cooling solution in comparison to the Apple M1 Ultra configurations.

One affected users decided to bring his Mac Studio to a local Apple Store, which is where tech support claimed that the rather annoying high-pitched sound is a "normal fan noise within the expected range of noises". Another Mac Studio owner utilized a sine wave generator to locate the fan noise at exactly 2,120 Hz, while noting that it couldn't be an instance of coil whine since the frequency of the noise changes depending on the fan speed. Either way, he also states that distracting high-pitched noises are "definitely not acceptable for a product with [a] price tag" of at least US$1,999.

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