Temperatures & Fan Speeds for Late 2009 iMacs (Please Post Yours)

[spcdust]

Could anyone who has a late 2009 iMac post there stats in this thread, purely for comparison and just so we can get an idea of what the average norm is. I'm using Celsius for temps (would be good if we can stick to the same to aid consistency and ease of reference).

All stats are taken when the computer is not under any load - it's been on for an extended time but generally pretty dormant, apart from a little web browsing.

Also, please make sure you state your iMac model.

To monitor temps just download iStat (http://www.islayer.com/apps/), I'm personally using the iStat Pro version of the software.

Just copy and paste the format below and fill in your own stats.

Computer = 27" Quad Core i7 iMac, 2TB HDD, 8GB RAM

Temps (Celsius)

HD - 43
CPU - 32
Ambient - 16
GPU Diode - 46
GPU Heatsink - 45
Mem Controller - 38
Optical Drive - 33
Power Supply 2 - 44

Fans (RPM)

Optical Drive - 997
Hard Drive - 1099
CPU Fan - 938

[cmvsm]

Mine's running right about where yours is overall.

[Xiao]

Mines a few degrees over yours, also does your mac get hot under bootcamp windows xp? with 30% cpu being used doing nothing?

[GugGog]

My istats were identical to the original poster's, and the machine was identically specced, except that the Hard Drive fan's RPM was drastically higher.

It started around 1300, and over the course of an hour, roared up to 6500+ RPM and stayed there, creating an incredible noise to rival an Xbox 360's! As waiting around for another I7 would take too long, I returned the machine (locally), and brought back an I5 which is completely silent.

EDIT: This "full on fan" didn't seem to be a problem, aside from the noise, as programs and installations (and a three-day 7-pass erase) seemed unaffected.

I believe a sensor problem was the culprit, but I had light bleed issues too.

Cheers,

Gg

[peskaa]

Temperature
Ambient - 14
CPU - 33
GPU Diode - 42
GPU Heatsink - 41
Memory Controller - 33
Optical Drive - 26
Power Supply - 40
Hard Drive - 28

Fans
CPU Fan - 940rpm
Hard Drive Fan - 1099rpm
Optical Drive Fan - 998rpm

Load Average
0.11, 0.21, 0.15


To be honest, this is cold. My study is normally up at around 20-22 Ambient, with the CPU then in the high 40s to low 50s, with the GPU sitting at the 60-65 mark. Power Supply is the hottest, at around 70.


EDIT: i7, 8GB RAM, 2TB HDD. Flickering/blackout screen issue

[quagmire]

Computer = 27" Quad Core i7 iMac, 1TB HDD, 4GB RAM

Temps (Celsius)

HD - 37
CPU - 34
Ambient - 18
GPU Diode - 48
GPU Heatsink - 46
Mem Controller - 39
Optical Drive - 33
Power Supply 2 - 49

Fans (RPM)

Optical Drive - 998
Hard Drive - 1099
CPU Fan - 939

This is after idling awhile and coming back to do some simple web browsing.

[spencers]

27" iMac C2D 3.06

HD: 34
CPU: 31
Ambient: 16
GPU Diode: 38
GPU Heatsink: 36
Mem Controller: 43
Northbridge: 58
Optical Drive: 34

Fans:
Optical Drive: 998 rpm
Hard Drive: 1099 rpm
CPU Fan: 940 rpm

Pretty much idle:
0.20, 0.38, 0.32

[PatrickCocoa]

Computer = 21.5" core 2 duo iMac, 2TB HDD, 4GB RAM

Temps (Celsius)

HD - 46
CPU - 37
Ambient - 19
GPU Diode - 50
GPU Heatsink - 48
Mem Controller - 46
Optical Drive - 39
Power Supply 2 - 44

Fans (RPM)

Optical Drive - 999
Hard Drive - 1099
CPU Fan - 1198
__________________

[Transeau]

I'm too lazy to type it out :)

[peskaa]

I'm too lazy to type it out :)

And also too lazy to briefly change it to Celsius so everybody is singing off the same sheet...

[spencers]

I'm too lazy to type it out :)

Good job at not reading the OP.

[workerbee]

Stats are almost exactly the same as OP's.
stock i5 iMac

[dave92029]

Computer = 21.5" Core 2 duo 3.06 iMac, 500 GB HDD, 4GB RAM

Temps (Celsius)


CPU - 38
Ambient - 19
Mem Controller - 45
Northbridge -55
Optical Drive - 44
Power Supply 2 - 48
HDD- 51

Fans (RPM)

Optical Drive - 998
Hard Drive - 1099
CPU Fan - 1198
:D :apple: :D

________________

[Kirbdog]

Computer = 27" Quad Core i7 iMac, 2TB HDD, 8GB RAM

This is what I typically see when the machine is not in use: (Left) This typical under full load: (Right)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com /2510/4202546962_ab3f808cd3_o.png http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/4202567376_1542f04967_o.png


I generally see fairly high HDD temps, my iMac has a 2TB Hitachi. Is anyone else getting high temps with their Hitachi drive?

[Transeau]

And also too lazy to briefly change it to Celsius so everybody is singing off the same sheet...

I'm sure you will get over it.

[DoFoT9]

pretty much seeing the same as everybody else is here. my GPU seems to idle a bit higher, sometimes around 60°C. not sure why but its well within limits. :)

will post a picture when i can get one!

[spencers]

Computer = 21.5" Core 2 duo 3.06 iMac, 500 GB HDD, 4GB RAM
Northbridge -55


Is that idle? What's this temperature like under a heavy load (ie encoding video)?

I'm sure you will get over it.

Yet you're not lazy enough to come back and post a sly response instead of changing your image to reflect Celsius? You have seriously added nothing to this thread.

[whoisrhp]

Computer = 27" Quad Core i7 iMac, 2TB HDD, 8GB RAM

This is what I typically see when the machine is not in use: (Left) This typical under full load: (Right)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com /2510/4202546962_ab3f808cd3_o.png http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/4202567376_1542f04967_o.png


I generally see fairly high HDD temps, my iMac has a 2TB Hitachi. Is anyone else getting high temps with their Hitachi drive?

wow your HD only goes up to 50 c? :( mine's usually around 50c when just browsing the internet for an hour or so, but when I watch hulu or any kind of video it skyrockets to 60 c.. should I be concerned / worried? im scared of HD errors later on down the road.

[iMatthew]

27" iMac C2D 3.06

HD: 49
CPU: 34
Ambient: 15
GPU Diode: 45
GPU Heatsink: 44
Mem Controller: 46
Northbridge: 56
Optical Drive: 44

Fans:
Optical Drive: 999 rpm
Hard Drive: 1106 rpm
CPU Fan: 999 rpm

Only thing running was the Logmein session I needed to grab my istats.

[scroto]

Why are you guys posting idle temps? They mean nothing, run 20 passes of LINX or IBT and then post your max temps.

[spencers]

Why are you guys posting idle temps? They mean nothing, run 20 passes of LINX or IBT and then post your max temps.

I didn't realize this until you posted it! True story. Idle temps are also important--they show if a probe is too hot, even at idle.

27" iMac C2D 3.06
Northbridge: 56

Only thing running was the Logmein session I needed to grab my istats.

I'm also interested to know your Northbridge temperature under load.

[iMatthew]

I'm also interested to know your Northbridge temperature under load.

spencers, I will handbrake a movie tonight and post my Northbridge temp for you.

[DoFoT9]

wow your HD only goes up to 50 c? :( mine's usually around 50c when just browsing the internet for an hour or so, but when I watch hulu or any kind of video it skyrockets to 60 c.. should I be concerned / worried? im scared of HD errors later on down the road.

Whilst it is a tiny bit hot, you really shouldn't be concerned about it....

[spcdust]

Why are you guys posting idle temps? They mean nothing, run 20 passes of LINX or IBT and then post your max temps.

The idle temps are just as relevant as the temps when the iMac is under load, this thread is purely for users to get a sense of what the average is under these particular conditions. By all means start another thread with a standardised set of CPU / GPU intensive tasks and I'll happily post my stats for you.

[iMatthew]

I'm also interested to know your Northbridge temperature under load.

Northbridge temp capped at 61 while using handbrake

[Kirbdog]

wow your HD only goes up to 50 c? :( mine's usually around 50c when just browsing the internet for an hour or so, but when I watch hulu or any kind of video it skyrockets to 60 c.. should I be concerned / worried? im scared of HD errors later on down the road.

I do get higher than posted HDD temps when moving large files around. It is not uncommon for me to see HDD temps at 60˚C. It may be on the high side, it will run until it dies, then it will be replaced. That is the life of a HDD.

[whwang]

Computer = 27" Quad Core i7 iMac, 2TB HDD, 8GB RAM

Temps (C)

HD - 27
CPU - 29
Ambient - 19
GPU Diode - 38
GPU Heatsink - 37
Mem Controller - 31
Optical Drive - 26
Power Supply 2 - 34

Fans (RPM)

Optical Drive - 1002
Hard Drive - 1099
CPU Fan - 940

Here is the problem I am having. Perhaps some of you know what's going on.

The HD fan doesn't behave well. The above number of 1000+ RPM is right after
the computer wakes up. It is 2000+ RPM after boot up. In either case, it goes up
slowly to about 3900 to 4100 RPM, even if I absolutely do nothing to the
computer. What's even more weird is that after it goes there, it stays at about
4000 RPM and never goes back to the normal idle speed of ~1000 RPM. When the
fan runs like crazy, the HD temperature looks perfectly normal (now it is 34 C).
This really bothers me because of the noise created by the fan. The noise does
not go away even long after the load goes to 0.

For your reference, these are what I am having now:

Temps (C)

HD - 34
CPU - 38
Ambient - 23
GPU Diode - 51
GPU Heatsink - 49
Mem Controller - 42
Optical Drive - 38
Power Supply 2 - 53

Fans (RPM)

Optical Drive - 997
Hard Drive - 4122
CPU Fan - 939

I am using another computer to type this message. The iMac has been in 100% idle
for > 10 minutes.

The HD is WD Caviar Green 2TB. Can the HD be the culprit?

[spencers]

Northbridge temp capped at 61 while using handbrake

Thanks!

[spcdust]

Computer
Here is the problem I am having. Perhaps some of you know what's going on.

The HD fan doesn't behave well. The above number of 1000+ RPM is right after
the computer wakes up. It is 2000+ RPM after boot up. In either case, it goes up
slowly to about 3900 to 4100 RPM, even if I absolutely do nothing to the
computer. What's even more weird is that after it goes there, it stays at about
4000 RPM and never goes back to the normal idle speed of ~1000 RPM. When the
fan runs like crazy, the HD temperature looks perfectly normal (now it is 34 C).
This really bothers me because of the noise created by the fan. The noise does
not go away even long after the load goes to 0.

For your reference, these are what I am having now:

Temps (C)

HD - 34
CPU - 38
Ambient - 23
GPU Diode - 51
GPU Heatsink - 49
Mem Controller - 42
Optical Drive - 38
Power Supply 2 - 53

Fans (RPM)

Optical Drive - 997
Hard Drive - 4122
CPU Fan - 939

I am using another computer to type this message. The iMac has been in 100% idle
for > 10 minutes.

The HD is WD Caviar Green 2TB. Can the HD be the culprit?

I would try an SMC reset. Just follow these steps:

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Unplug the computer's power cord.
3. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
4. Release the power button.
5. Attach the computers power cable.
6. Press the power button to turn on the computer.

Full details at this page:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

[knewsom]

Here ya go!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/SzDxbBgHBPI/AAAAAAAAAG4/oyjT92Rexqc/Screen%20shot%202009-12-22%20at%2011.14.40%20AM.png

[whwang]

I would try an SMC reset. Just follow these steps:

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Unplug the computer's power cord.
3. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
4. Release the power button.
5. Attach the computers power cable.
6. Press the power button to turn on the computer.

Full details at this page:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964


Thank you. The fan symptoms described by the Apple webpage does look
like what I am having. I did the reset several times, but it doesn't get
any better. I may have to call the dealer or Apple.

[DoFoT9]

just turned computer on 3 hrs ago, was away on a little holiday. here are the readings after 3 hrs of idle-ness.

overall im pretty comfortable with these temperatures.

oh: quad core i7 btw :)

[spencers]

So, I just installed the firmware update... Will report back how that turns out at a later time.

[Babaky]

hey guys,

i just received my replacement imac last night as the first one had issues with the fans. Now im concerned about the temperatures/fans with this one, i have the following

HD: 59
CPU: 42
ambient: 23
GPU D: 59
GPU H: 59
Mem cont: 53
Opt. Drive: 50
Power supply: 66

this is after using my imac to play some games. the thing is, the numbers stay about the same even hours after doing any graphic or cpu intensive software/games, i just pretty much do some browsing and it just doesnt cool down. Initially my numbers are low, HD at around 45, and HD fan at 1100, but then with the temp rise the fan also goes up to 1300 and stays there until i shut down or put my imac into sleep mode and allow it to cool down a bit..

Anyone else having this issue? i called imac but they couldnt really help much.

i have the i7 with 2TB hitachi

[Kirbdog]

hey guys,

i just received my replacement imac last night as the first one had issues with the fans. Now im concerned about the temperatures/fans with this one, i have the following

HD: 59
CPU: 42
ambient: 23
GPU D: 59
GPU H: 59
Mem cont: 53
Opt. Drive: 50
Power supply: 66

this is after using my imac to play some games. the thing is, the numbers stay about the same even hours after doing any graphic or cpu intensive software/games, i just pretty much do some browsing and it just doesnt cool down. Initially my numbers are low, HD at around 45, and HD fan at 1100, but when then with the temp rise the fan also goes up to 1300 and stays there until i shut down or put my imac into sleep mode and allow it to cool down a bit..

Anyone else having this issue? i called imac but they couldnt really help much.

i have the i7 with 2TB hitachi

I have noticed pretty much the same thing. I don't game on mine but I have been running HandBrake a few hours a day on it. I was keeping an eye on it at first but now I feel that that is the norm.

The back is hot, so it is dissipating the heat and the fans are moving plenty of air through the chassis. As this is the first time Apple has put a desktop processor in the iMac we are going to see higher operating temps. The only big unanswered question is will it have an adverse effect on the machine over time. I'm going to get Apple Care (I always do anyway) and deal with it any problems later, if I do have any.

[Shawnstra]

http://img.skitch.com/20091224-m5nnahtshhf1a9sc2i5bux9e3h.png

This is after some mild 3d games for about 30 mins, watching video, and browsing the web. Oh and iTunes music listening.

[upsguy27]

Here's mine. I have a core i5 iMac. My fans are always running; even when the computer is idle. The temps shown below are when the computer is idle; only Safari is open.

HD: Macintosh HD: 56
CPU: 47
Ambient: 26
GPU Diode: 67
GPU Heatsink: 66
Mem Controller: 54
Optical Drive: 48
Power Supply: 70


EDIT: Ahh, can't believe I forgot the fan speeds.

Optical Drive: 998 RPM
Hard Drive: 1300 RPM
CPU Fan: 140 RPM

Are these temps and fan speeds above normal? Again, these are the normal temps and fan speeds when the computer is idle for at least an hour.

[gospel9]

Why do some people tend to ignore the "Fan speed" part of this post... I'll certainly have to check for this one when I get my new iMac sometime next month...

edit: wanted to add that the biggest reason for me to get the i5 is because it supposedly produces less heat than both the i7 and the core 2 duos.

[Babaky]

anyone else getting really hot HD temps? mine sometimes goes up to 60 and never cools down to lower than 58, even if i leave it idle for hours. I have the 2TB hitachi.

[sonnyh]

Hi,

I downloaded Istat for SL and for the life of me I do not know how to get it going. I got the menu where you choose settings and that is all.

Would someone please advise how to get the readouts to this newbie.

Thanks,

[sonnyh]

Sorry for the previous post. For some reason I thought that it would be in Dashboard.

Amb 21
CPU 35
Mem Cont 39
N.B. 49
Opt Dr 32
PS2 48
HD 43

CPU 1199
HD 1099
Opt Dr 997

Running Firefox when readings taken.
Imac 21.5 basic model

The HD RPM shows up twice in the menu bar. How do I remove one of them? I tried uninstalling Istat and reinstalling but that didn't work.

Cheers

[Babaky]

Sorry for the previous post. For some reason I thought that it would be in Dashboard.

Amb 21
CPU 35
Mem Cont 39
N.B. 49
Opt Dr 32
PS2 48
HD 43

CPU 1199
HD 1099
Opt Dr 997

Running Firefox when readings taken.
Imac 21.5 basic model

The HD RPM shows up twice in the menu bar. How do I remove one of them? I tried uninstalling Istat and reinstalling but that didn't work.

Cheers

How long was your imac on for when you had these numbers?

[Babaky]

just turned computer on 3 hrs ago, was away on a little holiday. here are the readings after 3 hrs of idle-ness.

overall im pretty comfortable with these temperatures.

oh: quad core i7 btw :)

where are your readings? :) i'm curious to see numbers for those who've had their imacs on for a few hours, i have a feeling a lot of ppl are posting the "cool" numbers.

[scroto]

OMG, you guys are still posting idle temps. For the love of god atleast run handbrake for a few minutes and post your temps. Idle temps are innacurate and are influenced more by ambient temps. The higher the temps get the more accurate the readings will be anyway.

[Babaky]

ya seriously.. i dont see why ppl are posting their cool numbers. PLEASE post numbers of imacs that have been running for a few hours, i'm trying to see if mine is running too hot or not.

My fans are running all the time now at
opt 1185
HD 1550
CPU 1550

the sound of the fans is annoying me so i want to know if this is normal or not, PLEASE post ur numbers for imacs that have been for a few hours! thanks :)

Babak

[Travisimo]

Here's mine. I have a core i5 iMac. My fans are always running; even when the computer is idle. The temps shown below are when the computer is idle; only Safari is open.

HD: Macintosh HD: 56
CPU: 47
Ambient: 26
GPU Diode: 67
GPU Heatsink: 66
Mem Controller: 54
Optical Drive: 48
Power Supply: 70


EDIT: Ahh, can't believe I forgot the fan speeds.

Optical Drive: 998 RPM
Hard Drive: 1300 RPM
CPU Fan: 140 RPM

Are these temps and fan speeds above normal? Again, these are the normal temps and fan speeds when the computer is idle for at least an hour.

That's pretty much what I'm getting with my i5 as well with a light load (web browsing, downloading, etc). When it's completely idle (after waking up from sleep), I see lower temps but once I start using the computer, I pretty much get what you posted above. Seems a bit higher than some others who have posted, but not extreme by any means.

[sonnyh]

How long was your imac on for when you had these numbers?

It must have been on for at least half hour because I was downloading Istat, configuring it, uninstalling it and reinstalling and there wasn't much change in temp or fan speeds. Why do you ask?

Finally figured out Istat.

When it says mac harddrive, who actually is the manufacture?

Cheers,

[BobK]

I have an iMac i7 that I have loaded both versions of iStat on. The widget (pro) works fine except that it does not display the fan speeds. And yes, I turned the widget around and turned on "display fan speeds". The regular version of iStat loaded the menu dialog box fine and appears in the setting panel. However it simply will not pop up into the upper menu bar with the reading. So I still cannot get the fan speeds. Meanwhile, on my MBP, it works fine. Any ideas of what I am doing wrong?
Thanks!

[quagmire]

My i7 while folding@home is active.

[spcdust]

OMG, you guys are still posting idle temps. For the love of god atleast run handbrake for a few minutes and post your temps. Idle temps are innacurate and are influenced more by ambient temps. The higher the temps get the more accurate the readings will be anyway.


ya seriously.. i dont see why ppl are posting their cool numbers. PLEASE post numbers of imacs that have been running for a few hours, i'm trying to see if mine is running too hot or not.

My fans are running all the time now at
opt 1185
HD 1550
CPU 1550

the sound of the fans is annoying me so i want to know if this is normal or not, PLEASE post ur numbers for imacs that have been for a few hours! thanks :)

Babak

You have a fair point, however this particular thread was set up so people could quickly check that the fans speeds and temperatures when the iMac was not under any real load correlated with others. Really you need this base reading as well as a reading when the iMac is under load.

My suggestion to you guys is take the initiative and create a new thread requesting stats when peoples iMac's have performed a CPU / GPU intensive task. To make any real sense of the data you should set up a control task so we're all reading from the same Hymn sheet - for example you could find a 10-20 minute movie on the web that we can all download and then convert into a designated file format using HandBrake. That way any stats you get correlate to the same task.

I look forward to either of you creating this thread and, of course, I will be happy to contribute to it.

[workerbee]

wanted to add that the biggest reason for me to get the i5 is because it supposedly produces less heat than both the i7 and the core 2 duos.

Is that so? I thought both i5 and i7 are rated at 95W?

[BobK]

After running iMac i7 as hard as I could with DVD video and full volume, Photoshop, Lightroom, Finder, Safari, iCal, Excel, Word, and several other things loaded and switching around for 1.5 hours:

HD: Macintosh HD: 56
CPU: 52
Ambient: 23 (cool room)
GPU Diode: 58
GPU Heatsink: 58
Mem Controller: 53
Optical Drive: 50
Power Supply: 76 !!!

Optical Drive: 1460 RPM
Hard Drive: 1280 RPM
CPU Fan: 940 RPM

My impression is that this computer can handle way more than I need it to.

[Insilin1i]

HD: Macintosh HD: 57
CPU: 47
Ambient: 27
GPU Diode: 63
GPU Heatsink: 63
Mem Controller: 54
Optical Drive: 50
Power Supply: 62

Optical Drive: 1002 RPM
Hard Drive: 1547 RPM
CPU Fan: 939 RPM

This is an iMac i5 browsing,listening to music. Once it warms up it usually stays around this temp. Ambient affects temps a bit since some are posting ambient temps of 16-18 degrees.

[upsguy27]

Here are my temperatures after exporting a large video in FCP.

[cwheatley]

http://i48.tinypic.com/6nt7af.pnghttp://i46.tinypic.com/1zcion6.png

[FlavioX]

Here are my temperatures and fan speeds.
The left one is at idle. The right one shows the temperatures after a few minutes of MP3 encoding, copying large files from the network to the Seagate HD and downloading and decoding from Usenet.

I have an iMac i7 with 8GB RAM and an Intel 80GB SSD in lieu of the Superdrive.
My Superdrive fan is on all the time at full speed because they forgot to short the sensor when installing the SSD. This makes the iMac very noisy whereas one of the reasons I bought it was the low noise level.

Still I get very high temperatures and I have already had several spontaneous restarts which I believe are temperature related.
This happens when the computer is on for a long time but not doing anything intensive, just browsing, e-mail etc.
Last night the Power Supply 2 temperature was at 80 degrees Celsius when I experienced several restarts in a row. I don't think this temperature is very healthy for the computer.
I am having the Superdrive sensor shorted tomorrow so that fan will stay off all the time but I am worried I will get even higher temperatures.

[HawaiiMacAddict]

Aloha everyone,

I'm in Hawaii and at 0632 it's already 72 degrees F. I don't even want to think of the temps in the summertime. All temps are in Centigrade.

[cwwilson]

Week 52 iMac 21.5.

After about 2 hours of use, mainly internet browsing.

[FlavioX]

I had my Superdrive refitted yesterday and replaced the Seagte 1TB HD with the Intel SSD.
The temperature sensor for the HD was shorted and the temperature sensor for the Optical Drive was re-connected.
It has made a huge difference in noise, the iMac is virtually silent now but the temperatures are basically the same, the Power Supply 2 sensor still reached 80 degrees under heavy load.

What worries me more now is the spontaneous reboots which I have now found out are not caused by high temperatures.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=9250678#post9250678

[wwh2694]

Hello i just got my imac last week after waiting for 2 weeks and its now on shop. My HD was hitachi 2tb. The problems was the HD fan was speeding more than 5,000rpm after 10 to 20min idel. My HD temp was 37c and the fan was at 5200rpm. Apple is now fixing it, they would not exchange it to a new one coz i bought it online on other retail store, so i am stuck with this one. Oh another problem was this computer is not wakeking up after sleep, I have to reboot the whole system.

[nonan]

Hi,

are this temperatures normal?

i only worry about the temperature on the secondary heatsink, which is
at idle over 74.

so the only thing which was customized by my own,
i have dropped the optical drive out for a crucial c300 256gb ssd.

Thanks for your answer
cheers
nonan