The replacement unit is very quiet under load, impressive, i'm considering your config. Congrats on resolving the noisy unit issue - surprisingly no other creator on yt are suggesting that a very loud m4 max could very well mean a "faulty unit", after all these are upwards of $4K. thanks for sharing your experience
@@Irishpixel yes, it's odd. Let's hope it's a fluke. Meanwhile when I get mine I will stress-test it to the max for a couple of days (battery & socket powered), if it's this noisy (intel chipset-level), it's going back right-away.
More power more heat and noise. My 16" M4 Max gets plenty loud under full load or gaming. Plus a little coil whine is unfortunately present but not super annoying.
That’s a fair point-gaming, especially on maxed settings, can definitely push the hardware to its limits. Out of curiosity, what game are you running? It’d be interesting to know how the M4 Max handles different titles and whether the noise is consistent across games. Appreciate you sharing your experience!
It's no where as loud as my replaced Asus with Asus Zephyrus g16 with mobile 4090. I'm playing Stalker2 via CrossOver and Cyberpunk 2077 via Heroic on battery and getting well over 60fps which can't be done on any gaming laptop unplugged.It gets loud-ish at first then the fans calm down and keep the laptop cool enough to hold on lap.I also don't just use only for gaming but it's nice that it able to. I was going to wait for the next OLED model with WiFi7 but the OLED probably will have drawbacks as well like graininess on dark images and the fear of burnin.
This is interesting.... Perhaps this is also the problem for other youtubers who have reported loud fan noises even for M4 Pro models. Fingers crossed my machine doesn't get loud when i start really testing it, I haven't done a lot on it yet that will push it.
I think this warrants a bit of research for sure. I had a quick search and am seeing more pop up online. This must be individual use case or something right? surely there cant be that many faulty?
The m4s use 50-60% more power, they’re hotter thus louder. Realistically you don’t even need to see them in real life to know this. The fact we KNOW the fan and heatsink didn’t change cements this
@@Xerczar You make a valid point-if the M4 chips are pulling significantly more power and generating more heat without a redesign of the cooling system, it stands to reason that fan noise would increase. However, I think it’s still worth questioning if there could be room for optimisation, whether in firmware or improved thermal management. Interestingly, my replacement M4 Max has been much quieter, even under similar workloads, which makes me wonder if there’s variability in individual units or possible firmware adjustments on the horizon. Either way, it’s clear the power increase is having a tangible impact on thermals.
I had same configuration, 64 ram, 2 tb, 40 gpu m4 max and I returned it because of super noisy fans, not only that, it was glitchy when i tried to unlock the screen, it froze up few times, so instead of m4 max, ive upgraded from my old Intel to m1 max and Im pretty satisfied. M4 max is fast but not that fast to pay 5k for ( configuration i paid for) Fans were the worst, theres also a test of m1-m4 max macbook pros and under same loud m4 max and m3 max fans were loudest
I think comparing both machines in a few benchmarks would be very useful for many ppl considering buying M4max version, but prolly you've already sent the faulty unit back to apple...
For me this is an important correction to the previous video, because I wonder if it makes sense to change M1Max because of this NOISE :) Thanks a lot! Ps. I wonder if in Europe they would also react well to solve this problem…
Hey! Pretty sure Europe has good CS and returns process. The only reason I upgraded now was my M1 was slowing a bit for my liking. Ultimately if you dont need the power or the expense, M1 is king!
The first video cast a lot of doubt for me because coming from 2019 intel the fan noise was my nr 1 problem. So funny the one you got was faulty lol. After this I’m convinced! 🎉 Now just need to decide on Pro vs Max. I have a 4090 in my work PC so feels stupid to get a max. I use After Effects & Cinema 4D for motion graphics production. For that 3D GPU rendering maybe I should just keep remoting into my office pc with parsec lol 😅
I had m4 max, and i came from 2019 intel, m4 max 40 gpu fans were very loud, under load of heavier video editing and i had 64gb ram, less than half was used yet fans were blasting, its no different or even worse than my intel fans, so i returned it. Its a common problem on m4 max. Too much power , with same chassis, need improvement in cooling
My fans run super loud in Lightroom as well on my M4 Max when I have the battery setting on High Power, if I am in low power the fans are quiet so I don't know what is normal. My fans on my M1 Pro never ramped up this high. I know the M4 Max is going to need more cooling but I dont know if the fan noise is normal or faulty.
The fans on the faulty M4 kicked in 70-80% of the time. I new it wasnt normal after the lightroom. Having run it beside 'normal' one, the difference is really obvious.
Thanks for the update! So you're going to return the faulty one and they fully refund you for that and you got yourself a new one (which you paid for because you added the nano display)? Can you please check on the box of these two MacBooks where they made? I think it could be that unit made in Tawian are "better". I ordered the mac mini M4P 12/16 48GB 1TB 10Gbps, I hope it will be silent because here in Isarel it's going to be very diffuaclat to get a replacement unit...
Yes, I returned the faulty unit, and Apple replaced it with the new one. I did pay for the nano display as an upgrade, and so far, it’s been worth it for dealing with glare in my workspace. As for the assembly location, my replacement MacBook was assembled in China, but I’m not sure about the faulty one. I’ve heard some suggest that units made in Taiwan might have better quality control, but I don’t have enough data to confirm that. Hopefully, your Mac Mini performs well-it sounds like a great setup! Let me know how it works out for you!
I have the same machine. Mine is doing the same thing. Could you share with me how you got in contact with Apple so that they could look at your machine? Thanks
Sure! I just called Apple Support and explained the issue with the noise. They escalated the case to a second-line technician, who was assigned to my case. The technician logged into my machine remotely to run diagnostics and confirmed it was faulty. From there, Apple arranged for a replacement. I’d recommend giving them a call and describing your issue-it was a fairly straightforward process for me. Let me know how it goes!
That’s interesting! Are you using an M3 Max or a different configuration? I’ve noticed a lot of comments about fan noise across both models, especially under load. In my case, Apple ran diagnostics on my M4 Max and determined the unit was faulty, so they replaced it. The new one has been much quieter, even during intensive tasks.
@@Irishpixel i had m4 max, 40 core gpu, 64 gb ram, 2 tb of storage, i returned it, fans are too loud and initially it was a little glitchy at start up and when few tasks were performed (it was not fully upgraded with latest software, but still its not a justification) which made me surprised, even my intel 2019 is not glitchy at the start up
The battery life on the M4 Max has been slightly better than the M1 in my experience. On basic usage like web browsing, streaming, and light tasks, I’m getting around 9-11 hours, depending on the brightness and background apps. For heavier workflows like Lightroom, 4K video editing, or multitasking with multiple apps open, it drops to about 5-6 hours, which is still respectable for a machine with this much power. I’ve been using Auto Power Management settings, and that seems to optimise battery efficiency without sacrificing too much performance. Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like me to test!
@@ia6980 It's strange because when mine is in High Power mode, I eventually start hearing the fans, and the CPU temperature reaches 180°F. Is this normal?
I worked with a DOA ("Dead On Arrival") department at Cisco Systems in my previous life. The global DOA rate was ~4-5% of shipped new product on average. Highly dependant on the lineup and type. Most of the clients I worked with were banks and their networks.. So highly demanding. That failure average was considered low and quite a success.
The replacement unit is very quiet under load, impressive, i'm considering your config. Congrats on resolving the noisy unit issue - surprisingly no other creator on yt are suggesting that a very loud m4 max could very well mean a "faulty unit", after all these are upwards of $4K. thanks for sharing your experience
Appreciate the comment, I am surprised no one is really mentioning it?
@@Irishpixel yes, it's odd. Let's hope it's a fluke. Meanwhile when I get mine I will stress-test it to the max for a couple of days (battery & socket powered), if it's this noisy (intel chipset-level), it's going back right-away.
Crazy, can you imagine buying a faulty device this expensive in my country where there is no official support, you are stuck with it
Where are you? surely there must be some rights?
@Irishpixel Russia) buying on grey market here doesn't offer you such privileges
That will do it!! I can see why you would be hesitant.
Did you check the battery mode? There are three options, low power, auto and high power. High power ,make the fans kicks in even with M1 Max.
Hi. Yeah. This was set to high power mode. The fans trickled on at one point point but not to a high rate
More power more heat and noise. My 16" M4 Max gets plenty loud under full load or gaming. Plus a little coil whine is unfortunately present but not super annoying.
Should probably try to return it as well…
Maybe you have a faulty one too
That’s a fair point-gaming, especially on maxed settings, can definitely push the hardware to its limits. Out of curiosity, what game are you running? It’d be interesting to know how the M4 Max handles different titles and whether the noise is consistent across games. Appreciate you sharing your experience!
My m4max 40 gpu was super loud i returned it, better to wait for improved version
It's no where as loud as my replaced Asus with Asus Zephyrus g16 with mobile 4090. I'm playing Stalker2 via CrossOver and Cyberpunk 2077 via Heroic on battery and getting well over 60fps which can't be done on any gaming laptop unplugged.It gets loud-ish at first then the fans calm down and keep the laptop cool enough to hold on lap.I also don't just use only for gaming but it's nice that it able to. I was going to wait for the next OLED model with WiFi7 but the OLED probably will have drawbacks as well like graininess on dark images and the fear of burnin.
This is interesting.... Perhaps this is also the problem for other youtubers who have reported loud fan noises even for M4 Pro models. Fingers crossed my machine doesn't get loud when i start really testing it, I haven't done a lot on it yet that will push it.
I think this warrants a bit of research for sure. I had a quick search and am seeing more pop up online. This must be individual use case or something right? surely there cant be that many faulty?
The m4s use 50-60% more power, they’re hotter thus louder. Realistically you don’t even need to see them in real life to know this. The fact we KNOW the fan and heatsink didn’t change cements this
@@Xerczar You make a valid point-if the M4 chips are pulling significantly more power and generating more heat without a redesign of the cooling system, it stands to reason that fan noise would increase. However, I think it’s still worth questioning if there could be room for optimisation, whether in firmware or improved thermal management.
Interestingly, my replacement M4 Max has been much quieter, even under similar workloads, which makes me wonder if there’s variability in individual units or possible firmware adjustments on the horizon. Either way, it’s clear the power increase is having a tangible impact on thermals.
I had same configuration, 64 ram, 2 tb, 40 gpu m4 max and I returned it because of super noisy fans, not only that, it was glitchy when i tried to unlock the screen, it froze up few times, so instead of m4 max, ive upgraded from my old Intel to m1 max and Im pretty satisfied. M4 max is fast but not that fast to pay 5k for ( configuration i paid for) Fans were the worst, theres also a test of m1-m4 max macbook pros and under same loud m4 max and m3 max fans were loudest
M1 could be the gold standard!
Love my M1 Max too it’s only Gonna get better from here . Looking forward to that foldable laptop 2026/27
@MVS_DJGillyGill that's right, gotta have patience to wait 😁
I think comparing both machines in a few benchmarks would be very useful for many ppl considering buying M4max version, but prolly you've already sent the faulty unit back to apple...
You are 100% right! in fact, I just had me refund confirmation! It got lost for 24hrs which did wonders for the mind!
For me this is an important correction to the previous video, because I wonder if it makes sense to change M1Max because of this NOISE :) Thanks a lot! Ps. I wonder if in Europe they would also react well to solve this problem…
Hey! Pretty sure Europe has good CS and returns process. The only reason I upgraded now was my M1 was slowing a bit for my liking. Ultimately if you dont need the power or the expense, M1 is king!
The first video cast a lot of doubt for me because coming from 2019 intel the fan noise was my nr 1 problem. So funny the one you got was faulty lol. After this I’m convinced! 🎉
Now just need to decide on Pro vs Max. I have a 4090 in my work PC so feels stupid to get a max. I use After Effects & Cinema 4D for motion graphics production. For that 3D GPU rendering maybe I should just keep remoting into my office pc with parsec lol 😅
Well, I’m good with this!! My adhd agrees 😂🎉
I had m4 max, and i came from 2019 intel, m4 max 40 gpu fans were very loud, under load of heavier video editing and i had 64gb ram, less than half was used yet fans were blasting, its no different or even worse than my intel fans, so i returned it. Its a common problem on m4 max. Too much power , with same chassis, need improvement in cooling
My fans run super loud in Lightroom as well on my M4 Max when I have the battery setting on High Power, if I am in low power the fans are quiet so I don't know what is normal. My fans on my M1 Pro never ramped up this high. I know the M4 Max is going to need more cooling but I dont know if the fan noise is normal or faulty.
do you mean when its idle with LR running?
Okay wait but what actually was the defect so we know too if ours are affected?
The fans on the faulty M4 kicked in 70-80% of the time. I new it wasnt normal after the lightroom. Having run it beside 'normal' one, the difference is really obvious.
@@Irishpixel Yes, I know. What I meant to ask is what was the reason behind it for this kind of behaviour?
@@lophixarts They hinted at thermal paste but couldn't say without inspecting it physically
The joke is…. The M4 fan went crazy again right after he did the editing of this video. lol.
😂
@@Irishpixel It was a joke ;)
@@NirHasonoh flip. I miss read that at 0530 on a Sunday morning
Thanks for the update! So you're going to return the faulty one and they fully refund you for that and you got yourself a new one (which you paid for because you added the nano display)?
Can you please check on the box of these two MacBooks where they made? I think it could be that unit made in Tawian are "better".
I ordered the mac mini M4P 12/16 48GB 1TB 10Gbps, I hope it will be silent because here in Isarel it's going to be very diffuaclat to get a replacement unit...
Yes, I returned the faulty unit, and Apple replaced it with the new one. I did pay for the nano display as an upgrade, and so far, it’s been worth it for dealing with glare in my workspace.
As for the assembly location, my replacement MacBook was assembled in China, but I’m not sure about the faulty one. I’ve heard some suggest that units made in Taiwan might have better quality control, but I don’t have enough data to confirm that. Hopefully, your Mac Mini performs well-it sounds like a great setup! Let me know how it works out for you!
Its all china, my m4 max was very loud so i returned it
@@ia6980 why didn’t you ask a replacement, seems like it as something to do with the thermal paste so it’s resolvable (:
Great! It was faulty after all!
I have the same machine. Mine is doing the same thing. Could you share with me how you got in contact with Apple so that they could look at your machine? Thanks
Sure! I just called Apple Support and explained the issue with the noise. They escalated the case to a second-line technician, who was assigned to my case. The technician logged into my machine remotely to run diagnostics and confirmed it was faulty. From there, Apple arranged for a replacement. I’d recommend giving them a call and describing your issue-it was a fairly straightforward process for me. Let me know how it goes!
@@IrishpixelHow Long did it Take to get a replacement?
Im not sure how you were able to get quiet replacement? But most ppl with m4 max commented on loud fans under load, which what I experienced as well
That’s interesting! Are you using an M3 Max or a different configuration? I’ve noticed a lot of comments about fan noise across both models, especially under load. In my case, Apple ran diagnostics on my M4 Max and determined the unit was faulty, so they replaced it. The new one has been much quieter, even during intensive tasks.
@@Irishpixel i had m4 max, 40 core gpu, 64 gb ram, 2 tb of storage, i returned it, fans are too loud and initially it was a little glitchy at start up and when few tasks were performed (it was not fully upgraded with latest software, but still its not a justification) which made me surprised, even my intel 2019 is not glitchy at the start up
Hello,
How s the battery life on basic usage (web browsing, video streaming..) and when video and photo editing ? Thanks
The battery life on the M4 Max has been slightly better than the M1 in my experience. On basic usage like web browsing, streaming, and light tasks, I’m getting around 9-11 hours, depending on the brightness and background apps. For heavier workflows like Lightroom, 4K video editing, or multitasking with multiple apps open, it drops to about 5-6 hours, which is still respectable for a machine with this much power.
I’ve been using Auto Power Management settings, and that seems to optimise battery efficiency without sacrificing too much performance. Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like me to test!
@@Irishpixel thank you 😊
How can I make sure my new MacBook Pro M4 max is operating correct? I spent so much money and I would like to be sure it works properly.
What are you upgrading is the first question. The m4 shouldn’t kick its fans in on simple tasks.
Stick with m1 max for now, i returned my m4 max due to loud fans, absolutely loud, we are back to intel days.
@@ia6980 It's strange because when mine is in High Power mode, I eventually start hearing the fans, and the CPU temperature reaches 180°F. Is this normal?
@@Mr_Beowulf sounds about right
Oh noes laptop makes a bit of a woosh sound when its working....
🤦♂️
There will always be a few faulty products when they are making hundreds of thousands of these things, it seems you just got unlucky.
I worked with a DOA ("Dead On Arrival") department at Cisco Systems in my previous life. The global DOA rate was ~4-5% of shipped new product on average. Highly dependant on the lineup and type. Most of the clients I worked with were banks and their networks.. So highly demanding. That failure average was considered low and quite a success.
Most likely. Interesting reading the comments of people having similar issues....