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New MacBook Pros Include Improved Thermal System That Apple Says You'll Rarely Need Thanks to Apple Silicon

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros include entirely new designs and a new chassis, and one improvement of the newer chassis compared to its predecessor is improved thermals.

macbook pro thermal system
Apple says that the new thermal system in its latest high-end MacBooks is capable of moving 50% more air at lower fan speeds. While the new thermal design is greatly improved, the efficiency of the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips mean that for most customers, the "fans never turn on" for tasks done daily, according to Apple.

Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, touted during this week Apple's event that the new chassis was designed with an "intense focus on performance and utility." The new MacBook Pros are "precisely machined around an advanced thermal system," he added. All in all, the new thermal architecture allows the new MacBook Pros to maintain high performance over more extended periods, without overheating or requiring the fans to turn on at higher speeds.

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, both configurable with the ‌M1 Pro‌ or ‌M1 Max‌ chips, are currently available for pre-order and will begin shipping to customers next week. Catch up on everything you need to know about these new MacBook Pros using our roundup.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

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Top Rated Comments

58 months ago
The graphic lines of airflow don't make sense. How does the cool airflow come in, spin clockwise, then exit as hot from a counterclockwise direction?
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
58 months ago
You mean watching a youtube will not spin up the fans like Delta Airlines?

ARE YOU LISTENING INTEL?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UltimateSyn Avatar
58 months ago

ARE YOU LISTENING INTEL?
Intel can't hear anything over all of the whirring fans.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SirWill Avatar
58 months ago
I will gladly accept a slightly thicker laptop if it means more efficient cooling system. Less noise when under load and totally silent when under typical normal web surfing. I would even love it if there was a setting that allowed you to say run efficient and keep fans off but throttle speed if necessary. Anytime it is throttling because of temp and keeping fans off if it could give an indicator it could help you know your settings are why it might be running slow. And when I say setting I mean a real easy to toggle setting too. I can hardly wait for my new 16 Pro to get here in a month.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
58 months ago
Impressive engineering!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
58 months ago
It's silly, but one of my favorite things about Macs is the low fan noise. My work-issued (and top-of-the-line) PC laptop is a great machine, but I can't stand how the fan comes on noisily and regularly. I've always appreciated that Apple is tuned in to this part of the user experience.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)