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iMac Intel Fan Noise
- Thread starter vaimea
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Regarding testing the sensors I am not sure if AHT (this utility is on the OD DVD) tests temp sensors, but I know that ASD does. I would get an AASP, a tech at the store, or other Mac certified person to run this utility. This will tell you if all the hardware is functioning within normal parameters.
I just thought I would post a comment and commiserate about the iMac fan noise. Mine has been whisper quiet for about 11 months, but in the last few weeks the fan seems to be louder than normal. It is not "loud" by PC standards but there is a hum which also has a high pitch depending on how close I sit to the machine. istat says my fans speeds are 600, 1000, and 1300 rpm and termperatures range from 35 to 65°C, pretty normal I think. I've done a SMU and NVRAM / PRAM reset with no effect. I've also modified the power management plist to stop the hard drive after 1 minute to see it it was the drive motor rather than a fan, but its not. Also, and much less frequently, there is the odd "chirping" sound coming from the fans. At first I thought it was the birds outside, but then I woke up and realized its winter and the windows are all shut!Anywho, I'm not sure if I should bother with getting it serviced since the whole computer has to be completely dissassembled to get at the fans. However, when the room is quiet, its very audible...and annoying.
I have exactly the same problem with my iMac 24" 2,16C2D, I recorded it:
http://www.box.net/shared/9kcgnno84c
I have sended it to the SAT two times, and nothing... they give me the iMac with the same noise -.-, now it's on the SAT again, hope this time they'll do something
My 3.06GHz iMac is making more noise than my previous 2.8 Extreme...
The Fans never kicked in at all with the last one, and (i presume) they haven't on this iMac neither.
However, the overall noise is noticeably louder. When I say loud, it is not massively so, but loud enough to be annoying in my silent office. I can hear it now just droning away...
I have the iStat widget and it reckons:
CPU A: 37
CPU B: 37
GPU: 46
GPU Diode: 51
GPU Heatsink: 44
HD Bay: 53
Power Supply: 68
Ambient: 18
CPU Fan: 1200
HD Fan: 1200
Do these figures sound about right? I'm still not convinced this iMac sounds right. Definitely noticeably louder than my last one. It's not as noticeable through the day because of surrounding noise but I do a lot of work during the night and this hum is doing my head in... Now who's droining on
Hi,
it is the same with my iMac here (2.8 Ghz).
My temperature readings are slightly lower than yours, but the Fans rev with 1200 and they are definitely noticeable. If I touch the frame of the screen I can also feel the slight vibration from the fans.
Very annoying on a otherwise nearly perfect machine...
I was wondering the same thing.
You guys saying "It stopped when I pulled the power supply out of the back of the imac" (Boris, the roach, st9046) - presumably you mean shutting down first, right?
hi folks:
i just got my 3.06ghz imac back from getting the LCD panel replaced. Now, i have the constantly running fan issue. i did try to reset the SMC but that did not work for me. the instructions to do this are on the apple support site but they only list them for late 2006 imacs. are the 2008 imacs any different?
i did get an amazing new screen though.... the tech said he spent about 4 hours on it to make sure it was free of stuck/dead pixels and took great care to clean out the inside before replacing the glass... I'm impressed.
freddy
i just got my 3.06ghz imac back from getting the LCD panel replaced. Now, i have the constantly running fan issue. i did try to reset the SMC but that did not work for me. the instructions to do this are on the apple support site but they only list them for late 2006 imacs. are the 2008 imacs any different?
i did get an amazing new screen though.... the tech said he spent about 4 hours on it to make sure it was free of stuck/dead pixels and took great care to clean out the inside before replacing the glass... I'm impressed.
freddy
yep pulled out while it was on -
yep pulled out the power plug while it was on - by accident
but solved the probem on next restart and forever more!
( I hope the fan has not been destroyed in the process!)
yep pulled out the power plug while it was on - by accident
but solved the probem on next restart and forever more!
( I hope the fan has not been destroyed in the process!)
just an update here on my issue with the constantly running fan (that just started happening last night). I did call the tech that replaced my LCD panel yesterday and he mentioned that the fans should absolutely NOT run all the time unless you are really beating on your machine (CPU over 75 or 80% for extended periods). He mentioned that it might be a loose temperature sensor on the new LCD panel or something. I will take my 3.06 rig back in tomorrow to have it checked. I've never heard the fan before until last night...
freddy
freddy
Pulled the power
I shut the power off at my UPS while it was running and the fan was back to normal when I fired it back up. go figure...
I shut the power off at my UPS while it was running and the fan was back to normal when I fired it back up. go figure...
yep pull the plug
i literally pinged the plug as the machine was running to the horror of my wife and kids but it worked ...
i literally pinged the plug as the machine was running to the horror of my wife and kids but it worked ...
fan noise returned after 6 months
Hey my fan noise returned today when i hit the return key to wake it up ) - it was stone cold at the time! - first time in last six months (not the really big fan noise like an aircraft taking off - the one like an annoying hair dryer!) It came on again after a number of cold restarts - so I pulled the plug out of the back while it was running and it has reset. It is now ok . Last time I did this I was worried I might have destroyed my fan - but no such thing - because when the fan kicked in again today, ( though unfortunately on a stone cold mac and the would not go off even on a cold restart) it proved it. I think it is random myself.
B
Hey my fan noise returned today when i hit the return key to wake it up ) - it was stone cold at the time! - first time in last six months (not the really big fan noise like an aircraft taking off - the one like an annoying hair dryer!) It came on again after a number of cold restarts - so I pulled the plug out of the back while it was running and it has reset. It is now ok . Last time I did this I was worried I might have destroyed my fan - but no such thing - because when the fan kicked in again today, ( though unfortunately on a stone cold mac and the would not go off even on a cold restart) it proved it. I think it is random myself.
B
Yes, I also pulled the cord while the Mac was running. Judging by Boris's experience though it sounds like it's coming to come back now and then. It would be excellent if Apple would explain why this is happening and what's the best course of action if you experience it. I've only just bought my iMac and the last thing I want to get into is a repair/return cycle that leads nowhere.
me too - fans always on at 1200 rpm, from power on to power off, even when Activity Monitor only shows Activity Monitor.
Applecare tell me to take to an Authorised Repairer, but I don't want my new baby opened up! Of course I'll do it tho'. The guy suggested he was aware of this problem. I had already tried resetting the SMC and the Apple Hardware Test, we then reset the PRAM - all to no avail and he cautioned me against tugging out the power lead while on.
I wouldn't worry about it, but for other people pointing out that their 3.06GHzs run silent.
Applecare tell me to take to an Authorised Repairer, but I don't want my new baby opened up! Of course I'll do it tho'. The guy suggested he was aware of this problem. I had already tried resetting the SMC and the Apple Hardware Test, we then reset the PRAM - all to no avail and he cautioned me against tugging out the power lead while on.
I wouldn't worry about it, but for other people pointing out that their 3.06GHzs run silent.
intermitent faults
The problem with taking a machine to a repairer for an intermittent fault is that you loose your machine for weeks and if the fault does not occur while they have it, then nothing happens. An intermittent fault that occurs over periods of six months or so - well I dont see much hope for a fix unless they already know how to solve this problem with a hardware replacement! - this problem needs a design fix in my opinion.
The only way it can be done then is next time it occurs is to send it off before you fix it yourself ( by the plug pull) but I cant spare mine for even one week!
The problem with taking a machine to a repairer for an intermittent fault is that you loose your machine for weeks and if the fault does not occur while they have it, then nothing happens. An intermittent fault that occurs over periods of six months or so - well I dont see much hope for a fix unless they already know how to solve this problem with a hardware replacement! - this problem needs a design fix in my opinion.
The only way it can be done then is next time it occurs is to send it off before you fix it yourself ( by the plug pull) but I cant spare mine for even one week!
intel iMac
I know the is an old forum but I am hoping somewhere here's me with sympathy. I have had an apple iMac for about 12 months and one day it just decided to crash while burning a DVD and then continually restart. tried everything and eventually reinstalled OS X leopard. worked fine for about 1 week then boom. Same thing. tried everything all over again with not luck. then it started making that terrible jet engine noise. So i reinstalled OS X again. It is going away to be repaired tomorrow and may never come back, as i am yet to be convinced that apple still make great products. I am someone who has owned apples for roughy 20 years. since I was 6 I always had a mac, and I must say that this is the worst out of the lot. Since I've had i have endless problems with leopard and now endless hardware problems. furthermore it is 2 days before warranty is out and they can shove $270 australian up their asses for an extra 2 years.
Sorry Apple but your iMac and iPod cause me too much grief.
Never again
I know the is an old forum but I am hoping somewhere here's me with sympathy. I have had an apple iMac for about 12 months and one day it just decided to crash while burning a DVD and then continually restart. tried everything and eventually reinstalled OS X leopard. worked fine for about 1 week then boom. Same thing. tried everything all over again with not luck. then it started making that terrible jet engine noise. So i reinstalled OS X again. It is going away to be repaired tomorrow and may never come back, as i am yet to be convinced that apple still make great products. I am someone who has owned apples for roughy 20 years. since I was 6 I always had a mac, and I must say that this is the worst out of the lot. Since I've had i have endless problems with leopard and now endless hardware problems. furthermore it is 2 days before warranty is out and they can shove $270 australian up their asses for an extra 2 years.
Sorry Apple but your iMac and iPod cause me too much grief.
Never again
rehakebrill and others
on the alu imacs the smc reset does work, so turn off, disconnect from power and hold down the power button for 30secs, reconnect power and all should be fine, this is also very usefull when there problems with the unit not turning on, or any issues you might have from waking from sleep or hybernation ect.
brill, except for the fan revs those stats look fine, the intel chips have a temp cutoff set at 85deg c i think so your cpu's are well bellow that so dont worry try the smc reset and hopefully that will work.
a lot of the time you will get this loud noise isssue after running a mac os update or any other update that requires the restarting of the unit. I can only assume that there is some inherant issue with the smc when switching between the scaled down mode running during the update, and then going to normal os operation.
Also remember the basics, make sure that your unit has plenty of room to breath, dont use it next to any radiators, and from time to time make sure to clear the intake vents at the bottom of the screen from all that grey fluff that it will always collect.
hope this helps u all
p.s the above smc reset if for the intel chipsets only, if you have a ppc chipset there will be instructions on the scm reset on the apple support site, just follow and again this should help
hakebrill and otherson the alu imacs the smc reset does work, so turn off, disconnect from power and hold down the power button for 30secs, reconnect power and all should be fine, this is also very usefull when there problems with the unit not turning on, or any issues you might have from waking from sleep or hybernation ect.
brill, except for the fan revs those stats look fine, the intel chips have a temp cutoff set at 85deg c i think so your cpu's are well bellow that so dont worry try the smc reset and hopefully that will work.
a lot of the time you will get this loud noise isssue after running a mac os update or any other update that requires the restarting of the unit. I can only assume that there is some inherant issue with the smc when switching between the scaled down mode running during the update, and then going to normal os operation.
Also remember the basics, make sure that your unit has plenty of room to breath, dont use it next to any radiators, and from time to time make sure to clear the intake vents at the bottom of the screen from all that grey fluff that it will always collect.
hope this helps u all
p.s the above smc reset if for the intel chipsets only, if you have a ppc chipset there will be instructions on the scm reset on the apple support site, just follow and again this should help
My 3.06GHz iMac is making more noise than my previous 2.8 Extreme...
The Fans never kicked in at all with the last one, and (i presume) they haven't on this iMac neither.
However, the overall noise is noticeably louder. When I say loud, it is not massively so, but loud enough to be annoying in my silent office. I can hear it now just droning away...
I have the iStat widget and it reckons:
CPU A: 37
CPU B: 37
GPU: 46
GPU Diode: 51
GPU Heatsink: 44
HD Bay: 53
Power Supply: 68
Ambient: 18
CPU Fan: 1200
HD Fan: 1200
Do these figures sound about right? I'm still not convinced this iMac sounds right. Definitely noticeably louder than my last one. It's not as noticeable through the day because of surrounding noise but I do a lot of work during the night and this hum is doing my head in... Now who's droining on
Your numbers are about the same as mine. I have the 3.06 with a 500 gig hard drive and four gigs of ram.
me too - fans always on at 1200 rpm, from power on to power off, even when Activity Monitor only shows Activity Monitor.
Applecare tell me to take to an Authorised Repairer, but I don't want my new baby opened up! Of course I'll do it tho'. The guy suggested he was aware of this problem. I had already tried resetting the SMC and the Apple Hardware Test, we then reset the PRAM - all to no avail and he cautioned me against tugging out the power lead while on.
I wouldn't worry about it, but for other people pointing out that their 3.06GHzs run silent.
The fans in the iMac are always on!1200 is as low as it get's and yes they are always noticeable in a silent surrounding. If you look up the specs for the iMac it is rated somewhat in the 20 db range for noise. Apple never claimed them to be 'SILENT'.
And all the people who claim that their iMac is dead silent either live in a very noisy environment or are hard of hearing. I have been through this myself and finally come to accept that it is a beautiful machine, just not a truly silent one....
My 3.06GHz iMac is making more noise than my previous 2.8 Extreme...
The Fans never kicked in at all with the last one, and (i presume) they haven't on this iMac neither.
However, the overall noise is noticeably louder. When I say loud, it is not massively so, but loud enough to be annoying in my silent office. I can hear it now just droning away...
I have the iStat widget and it reckons:
CPU A: 37
CPU B: 37
GPU: 46
GPU Diode: 51
GPU Heatsink: 44
HD Bay: 53
Power Supply: 68
Ambient: 18
CPU Fan: 1200
HD Fan: 1200
Do these figures sound about right? I'm still not convinced this iMac sounds right. Definitely noticeably louder than my last one. It's not as noticeable through the day because of surrounding noise but I do a lot of work during the night and this hum is doing my head in... Now who's droining on
Those figures are OK. I think there is nothing you can do about it. I have similar figures for a 2.8 model. And, yes I can hear the fans. I even had it in for repair once and thought they fixed it, because I could not hear them in the noisy repair shop. However, back home nothing had changed.
Just relax, everything is fine with your machine. Get one of the new Macbooks if you want a very silent machine to work on during the night...
For those of you hearing birds chirping it is 100% your Hard Drive and is well known to happen with Seagate drives. My 500gb Seagate does this as well, apparently it is normal
As for some of the noisy fan issues here is my experience if you are getting a low humm or buzzing. I had a very bad buzz coming from the HDD fan in my G5 iMac. So I mustered up some courage and took it out and took the whole fan assembly apart and found the culprit to be a small spring in under the fan blade that was loose causing vibrations and the buzzing. I put the fan back together without the spring and now it is completely silent. I don't recommend anyone do this though
tl;dr , you may just need a new fan
As for some of the noisy fan issues here is my experience if you are getting a low humm or buzzing. I had a very bad buzz coming from the HDD fan in my G5 iMac. So I mustered up some courage and took it out and took the whole fan assembly apart and found the culprit to be a small spring in under the fan blade that was loose causing vibrations and the buzzing. I put the fan back together without the spring and now it is completely silent. I don't recommend anyone do this though
tl;dr , you may just need a new fan
I bought my alum iMac 24" in July 08 I just went in to have the lcd replaced because some weird fungus/stain/dirt was growing on it - now I come back and my fan is on and running like crazy I've never heard this before and its driving me crazy - read every thread here and the SMC reset sounded like the best but it didnt work - freddyaudiophil's post said that when the techs replace the lcd they could screw with the temp gauge and I hope this is my problem as I'm taking it back in to the shop to see what they can do. Extremely annoying going in to fix one thing and having some thing else screw up.
I Think I Solved It!!
Addendum to my earlier post
--This may or may not apply to intel iMacs, but it is a 100% for white iMacs
Okay it wasn't the spring after all, the real culprit was a little black clip on the back of the fan that holds the fan shaft in place. I broke the clip on one fan to get to the spring and when the buzzing stopped, I assumed it was the spring, but another fan was still buzzing, this time I didn't break the holding clip and removed the spring but the fan still BUZZZED,,and buzzed even louder because the clip was bent out of shape when I reinstalled. That is when I discovered it was the stupid little clip!!!!
Long story short, now my fans rev all they like and all I hear is a breeze of air instead of constant buzzing even at low rev. For all the years white iMac owners have complained about buzzy fans and had expensive replacements that had the same problem the gremlin was a small black clip the whole time!!!, funny that, eh?
I included a reference pic, If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask for help.
I would love to see if the intel model's fans have that little black clip, because as time goes on, it is going to start buzzing your ear off.
Addendum to my earlier post
--This may or may not apply to intel iMacs, but it is a 100% for white iMacs
Okay it wasn't the spring after all, the real culprit was a little black clip on the back of the fan that holds the fan shaft in place. I broke the clip on one fan to get to the spring and when the buzzing stopped, I assumed it was the spring, but another fan was still buzzing, this time I didn't break the holding clip and removed the spring but the fan still BUZZZED,,and buzzed even louder because the clip was bent out of shape when I reinstalled. That is when I discovered it was the stupid little clip!!!!
Long story short, now my fans rev all they like and all I hear is a breeze of air instead of constant buzzing even at low rev. For all the years white iMac owners have complained about buzzy fans and had expensive replacements that had the same problem the gremlin was a small black clip the whole time!!!, funny that, eh?
I included a reference pic, If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask for help.
I would love to see if the intel model's fans have that little black clip, because as time goes on, it is going to start buzzing your ear off.
Attachments
I have the constant fan noise problem too. Always on @1200 rpms. My 24" alu IMac is a newly purchased refurb.
It's not loud loud, but annoying in quiet environments especially considering my last 20" alu imac was dead silent and others have said their alu imacs are dead silent as well.
Turn off, unplugging cables and holding power button down for 30 seconds didn't do anything.
I'm guessing it's a temperature sensor issue. I figure a refurb might have been taken apart for inspection or repair.
Temps are similar to what others have posted perhaps a tad higher.
CPU A: 39
CPU B: not listed
Airport: 66
GPU: 54
GPU Diode: 54
GPU Heatsink: 51
HD Bay: 53
Power Supply: 68
Ambient: 23
CPU Fan: 1200
HD Fan: 1200
Looks like a return, but hate to be without a decent computer for a few weeks.
I feel my iMac is humming a bit loudly too.
Do these numbers sound normal?
HD temp: 47 degrees Celsius
HD fan speed: 1600 rpm
I haven't been doing anything special, computer has been on all day, inbetween sleep and me occasionally surfing the web.
Do these numbers sound normal?
HD temp: 47 degrees Celsius
HD fan speed: 1600 rpm
I haven't been doing anything special, computer has been on all day, inbetween sleep and me occasionally surfing the web.
I used to run two towers side by side: a homebuilt PC and a dual G4 (the infamous MDD "Windtunnel" model). Between those two noisy beasts I thought I would literally go mad. And the heat output (combined with a 20" CRT monitor) was unbelievable.
Now I run both OS X and Windows on a single, whisper-quiet iMac. It's pure computing heaven.