New Mac Studio Supports Low Power Mode With Two Benefits

The new Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips support Low Power Mode, according to an Apple support document updated today.

Mac Studio Cooling Fan
Apple says turning on Low Power Mode reduces the Mac Studio's fan noise, which is useful for tasks that require a quieter environment, and it also allows for reduced power consumption if the computer is left running continuously.

The reduced fan noise aspect of Low Power Mode requires macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. The new Mac Studio ships with macOS Sequoia 15.3.

A few Reddit users said that macOS Sequoia 15.3 enabled Low Power Mode on the previous-generation 2023 Mac Studio with the M2 Max chip, and presumably on M2 Ultra configurations too. This is not reflected in Apple's support document. (Update: Following our report, Apple revised its support document to confirm that the 2023 Mac Studio indeed supports Low Power Mode, starting with macOS Sequoia 15.3).

In any case, Low Power Mode on the Mac Studio is fairly new.

As obvious as it may sound, Apple's support document also confirms that the Mac Studio still lacks High Power Mode for additional cooling.

Apple's document has a list of Macs that support Low Power Mode with reduced fan noise.

Related Roundup: Mac Studio
Buyer's Guide: Mac Studio (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac Studio

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Top Rated Comments

Astuces iOS Avatar
10 months ago
Um fan isn’t that loud…
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
originalsk Avatar
10 months ago
I think more people would be interested in High Power Mode on their Mac Studio ultra working station instead of Low Power Mode. That does not sound like the best investment.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xraydoc Avatar
10 months ago
Not sure why I got downvoted in saying I'm happy for a low-power mode. I leave my machine on 24/7, as it also is (or will be when it arrives) a HomeBridge server and an AppleTV movie server along with its other duties. When I'm not actively using the machine, I'm happy for it to be in low-power mode while HomeBridging.... And when I sit down to crank out some work, I can shift in to standard mode.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
russell_314 Avatar
10 months ago
So instead of 5 watts at idle it’ll use 3? ?‍♂️?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
midkay Avatar
10 months ago

MAYBE if we had an i9 demanding 250 watts, but can the studio really get any leaner in terms of power draw?
Apparently it can! "Allows for reduced power consumption if the computer is left running continuously."

I like the idea of lower power consumption & less dust buildup, but it would be really ideal if you could schedule this to automatically come on when the computer is left unused, either overnight or for more than 5-10 minutes with, say, CPU usage <5%.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
10 months ago
It's pretty quiet to begin with and a more practical benefit is reducing dust buildup.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)