Water cooling in Mac Studio is not a good idea

When Apple launches a new device, there are those who do not hesitate to put it to the test in many different ways. Thanks to this, we can determine its endurance capacity or hidden characteristics. There are even those who dare to try to improve what has been created by Apple engineers, as is the case at hand. Some have tried to show that the Mac Studio could improve with the inclusion of liquid cooling. But It has been shown that it is not necessary.

It is well known by all those who use computers, especially desktops, that liquid cooling is in many cases what makes the machine’s performance exceed expectations or the scores given once the PC leaves the factory. With Apple computers that doesn’t usually happen, because they are so adjusted and planned in advance that it is difficult to improve what has been created. It is hard but not impossible. For theme have tried to improve the Mac Studio with liquid cooling although the results have not been as expected at first.

the plan i had Linus Tech Tips was to remove the existing cooling system from a Mac Studio, replace it with a water-cooling based version, and see how it works. The channel had two identical Mac Studios available, allowing for a more direct comparison with similar base units. Although it sounds almost like an impossible mission, what can be seen is that replacing the cooling system in Mac Studio seems, at first, something simplebecause it is configured thanks to a large fan that occupies half of the internal volume of the cabinet.

But putting the water cooling system is another story. A few holes were needed to be drilled in the casing and after removing what is not needed, a water block was attached to the remaining plate. Now that, in order to actually pump the water around the system, the plan involved drilling numerous holes into the top of the Mac Studio’s aluminum casing, allowing cables and pipes to pass through. Due to the lack of space inside, lMost of the water cooling circuit had to be outside.

When everything was ready, that or the first time, so it is not easy to perform this operation and it is not like the DIY program, tests were made with the other Mac Studio in parallel. The results showed that the computer cooled down 30 degrees compared to stock. However, in Cinebench R23, the water-cooled Mac Studio scored 12,056, while the regular model scored 12,016. A second test resulted in a score of 12,104, which represents a performance improvement of 0.7%. Insignificant.

Summary: It’s not worth drilling into Mac Studio for these results. Maybe in 10 years yes, but right now, not at all.