My 17" iMac G5 fan noise observations.

[Plastic Avatar]

2 full days with it now, and the difference between power saving modes is significant:

Highest setting, fans run like beasts.

Automatic setting, fans ebb and flow (but mostly flow).

Reduced setting, fans are hardly noticeable.

I thought I might be able to throw something together in Automator, so I could hit a series of 3 buttons to switch power saving modes (depending on what I was working on). No such luck. I don't have time to learn how to make my own plug-ins for Automator, so I guess that's a dead end for me.

I wonder if there's an existing plug-in for that, or if there's a widget floating around that makes it quicker to switch than going through Preferences?

I'll have to google a little more....

Any one else switch modes to dampen fan noise?

[wwooden]

I agree with the way the fans are with each setting. I tried it on reduced and the fans did lesson, but I just couldn't live with myself sitting keeping my computer from doing what it was capable of. I would definitely use a widget that I could quickly get to change the power settings.

[switcher'05]

I contacted Apple Tech support about my high revving CPU fan on my iMac G5 17" Rev B machine. Tech asked me to run the extensive harware test. Took over 30-minutes but revealed no issues. I tried switching my processor setting to high. The CPU temp went up & the CPU fan rpms increased. I'm leaving me processor setting on automatic & ignoring the fan. Still think that the iMac is the best computer I've ever used. :)

[mklos]

My iMac G5 doesn't run worth a darn with the CPU settings on Reduced, but it does keep the fan noise down. I usually run mine on automatic for most things, and highest for gaming. Sometimes I forget and leave it on reduced for gaming, and it makes a real difference.

Still, I'm disappointed with the noise that mine makes.

[Abulia]

I ran screaming from my G5 iMac and two mainboard swaps that I did myself. Finally got Apple to declare the unit DOA and returned it for a refund. Bought a PM and haven't looked back since.

I probably wouldn't have been so bothered by the iMac if the fans ran at a semi-constant speed. It was the constant throttling up and down with every move of the mouse that annoyed me to no end.

[Macky-Mac]

2 full days with it now, and the difference between power saving modes is significant:

Highest setting, fans run like beasts....


I have my 20 inch rev B set at highest all the time and I NEVER have heard anything that I would describe as "fans run like beasts" LOL but I do occassionally get a little ebb and flow in the fan speed

I'm curious as to how much RAM you have and whether you tend to run a lot of programs at the same time?

[Plastic Avatar]

I have my 20 inch rev B set at highest all the time and I NEVER have heard anything that I would describe as "fans run like beasts" LOL but I do occassionally get a little ebb and flow in the fan speed

I'm curious as to how much RAM you have and whether you tend to run a lot of programs at the same time?
1.5GB RAM.

Haven't run a lot of overlapping programs until today. Oddly, the noise when set to Highest was the same today as it was yesterday when I was doing light work.

As far as noise goes, I'm starting to have a little envy going on towards 20" owners =(