How Hot Does the New Mac Mini Run?

3fingerbrown said:

So I'm thinking of switching to a Mac Mini, but I don't want to have the same overheating problems. How does the Intel HD Graphics 4000 perform heat wise? Is the fan always running on the newMac Mini when you crank it up? Would the storage drive choice make a difference? I would probably do either an aftermarket OWC SSD or the stock fusion drive.

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Watching Youtube or a vide with VLC and surfing the internet cause my mini to get up to the low 130 F range. I have the base i7 model.

If you are worried about the temp, there are several recent + good threads on this topic. Member "philipma1957" has extensive experience with this so search up his posts.


https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1501544/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1350849/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1512697/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1495967/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1395462/

You don't need to worry about temp's with the Intel processor. They have built in failsafes to product the CPU/GPU. First by dropping processor speed and then shutting off computer if it gets critical.

Several threads on this already. This isn't such an active subforum as the iPhone one, so go down the page, click next and you'll see different threads regarding the Mini's temperature and all related to it. (Some might be in page 5 or 6, I don't know).

Some are quite new, others have been 'dead' for some time now.

As a quick answer: i5, normal. i7, oven.

dasx said:

As a quick answer: i5, normal. i7, oven.

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That is incorrect. Please define to us what you mean by oven. My i7 operates perfectly fine, but I do make sure it has good air circulation and isn't suffocating in a drawer/cupboard/under a desk. It fairly constantly lives in the high 40s to low 50s C when being used. That is not an oven imo.

3fingerbrown said:

So I'm thinking of switching to a Mac Mini, but I don't want to have the same overheating problems. How does the Intel HD Graphics 4000 perform heat wise? Is the fan always running on the newMac Mini when you crank it up?

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The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat. CPU Tjmax = 105C (221F), GPU Tjmax = 100C (212F) on i3, i5, i7 processors. (Source: Intel)

If you're not already using it, iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) will give you accurate readings of your temps and fan speeds, among other things.

Unless there is a rare defect in a Mac, most temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload being put on it. Websites with Flash content, games and other multimedia apps will put higher demand on the CPU/GPU, generating more heat. This is normal. If you're constantly putting high demands on your system, such as gaming or other multimedia tasks, expect temps to rise and fans to spin up accordingly. It's just your Mac doing its job to maintain temps within the normal range.

It is also quite normal for your Mac to become extremely hot to the touch during intensive operations. The aluminum body transfers heat more effectively than other materials used in computer casings, so you will feel the heat more. This doesn't indicate that it's overheating and will not harm the computer to be hot to the touch.

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm (for MBPs) or 1800 rpm (for MBAs, MBs and minis). iMacs have 3 fans with minimum speeds in the 800-1200 range. They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level.

If your fans are spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC.
(PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help.)

The intake and exhaust vents are in the back of the computer near the hinge on all Mac notebooks (except the new MBP with retina display, which has intake vents along the sides at the bottom). The iMac vent is a slot on the back near the top of the computer. Make sure the vents remain unblocked to allow your computer to perform at its best.

Learn about the fans in your Mac
Apple Portables: Operating temperature

For Flash-related issues:

• Find your Flash version and make sure it's the latest version available.
• Install ClickToFlash (Safari), Flashblock (Firefox) or FlashBlock (Chrome) to control which Flash content plays on websites.
• Use the YouTube HTML5 Video Player to watch YouTube videos, when available. (May impact fullscreen viewing. See link for details.)

3fingerbrown said:

I currently have a mid-2011 MacBook Air with a 27" Thunderbolt display. The Macbook air has the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000. My main complaint is that my MacBook Air runs super hot, especially when I watch any video. Once it heats up the fan seems to stay on forever and is noisy and annoying.

I'm not a gamer, this is my work machine; I usually am running Word, Excel, Adobe Reader, a web browser, and maybe iTunes all at once. I don't have any speed issues with my current setup, it just overheats constantly.

So I'm thinking of switching to a Mac Mini, but I don't want to have the same overheating problems. How does the Intel HD Graphics 4000 perform heat wise? Is the fan always running on the newMac Mini when you crank it up? Would the storage drive choice make a difference? I would probably do either an aftermarket OWC SSD or the stock fusion drive.

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3fingerbrown said:

Over 600 views and no reply? Anyone?

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I feel your pain. Your question is hard to answer due to your use of the thunderbolt display. Here is the bottom line. I would not get a mini unless I was prepared to sell it when the 2013 minis come out. The mini 's 4000 is not a big jump over the 3000 and pushing the 1440p of that big pretty screen will stress the mini not as much as the air but enough that you won't feel like you did a big jump.

When the 2010 mini went from core 2 duo 2.66 to the 2011 sandy bridge it was a really big jump in cpu. We have yet to get the big gpu jump in the mini. Everything I read points to the Haswell gpu being that big gpu jump.

So if you do not mind waiting for a new mini in summer 2013 then wait. Or buy the quad 2.3 mini as a refurb for 679


http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD388LL/A/refurbished-mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

OUT OF STOCK for now but it will come back. use it for 6-9 months then switch to the haswell mini.

I'll say this in regards to fan noise on the Mini. Its almost not there. Apple seems to favor sound over cooling which is good and bad I guess. I have the i7 2.3 Mini and I average 68C during web surfing file management and up to 78C when watching 1080p video. I am also pushing two displays at 1920x1200. I have not seen it go over 80C yet but Apple keeps the fan speed really slow 1800rpm until you break 85C then it will start to ramp up. I have not gotten it to get that hot yet. I have a Windows box with an 3770S I use for trans-coding video since it has a better thermal solution. I applaud Apple for considering fan noise but I think they should run the fan a bit faster to move the heat off this chip faster. I run a MacBook Pro 15 early 2011 with an i7 2.3 at work and its fans will start running at over 85c also that seems to be the sweet spot temp for the fans to start blaring.

JimT1701 said:

I'll say this in regards to fan noise on the Mini. Its almost not there. Apple seems to favor sound over cooling which is good and bad I guess. I have the i7 2.3 Mini and I average 68C during web surfing file management and up to 78C when watching 1080p video.

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I average 46-50C during web surfing and streaming HD video from online it is still in the low 50s. This is with just one monitor running at 1920x1080. Btw fan speeds stays at 1800 rpm during this.

I have the 2012 mini with the TB display. Most of the time its quiet. I have the i7 2.6 proc w/ Fusion drive. High CPU activities will cause the fan to kick in. I just played some full screen video on the TB display and the fan barely kicked in. I love this thing. Just get it.

philipma1957 said:

I feel your pain. Your question is hard to answer due to your use of the thunderbolt display. Here is the bottom line. I would not get a mini unless I was prepared to sell it when the 2013 minis come out. The mini 's 4000 is not a big jump over the 3000 and pushing the 1440p of that big pretty screen will stress the mini not as much as the air but enough that you won't feel like you did a big jump.

When the 2010 mini went from core 2 duo 2.66 to the 2011 sandy bridge it was a really big jump in cpu. We have yet to get the big gpu jump in the mini. Everything I read points to the Haswell gpu being that big gpu jump.

So if you do not mind waiting for a new mini in summer 2013 then wait. Or buy the quad 2.3 mini as a refurb for 679


http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD388LL/A/refurbished-mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

OUT OF STOCK for now but it will come back. use it for 6-9 months then switch to the haswell mini.

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Is a new Mini coming out soon? Weren't they just updated?

get the base mini!
- more powerful than your air
- dead silent and "cold" all the time (the i7 minis are not)
- cheap & you can sell it when the next minis come (or if you're not satisfied with the performance)

palebluedot said:

Is a new Mini coming out soon? Weren't they just updated?

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not soon

palebluedot said:

Is a new Mini coming out soon? Weren't they just updated?

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Yes was released 10/23/112. But rumor/expectation is that when Haswell is released that we will get an updated CPU. Could very well be just a silent upgrade. Wouldn't expect one until the summer/fall.

slickadam said:

get the base mini!
- more powerful than your air
- dead silent and "cold" all the time (the i7 minis are not)
- cheap & you can sell it when the next minis come (or if you're not satisfied with the performance)

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So what is a "hot" computer for you? upper 40s low 50s C is not hot.

53x12 said:

That is incorrect. Please define to us what you mean by oven. My i7 operates perfectly fine, but I do make sure it has good air circulation and isn't suffocating in a drawer/cupboard/under a desk. It fairly constantly lives in the high 40s to low 50s C when being used. That is not an oven imo.

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And oven isn't hot either when you don't demand work from it.

I was talking at full load. Oven.

dasx said:

And oven isn't hot either when you don't demand work from it.

I was talking at full load. Oven.

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Makes no sense. Even an i5 under load/full load would be an oven under your definition.

"Mac mini i5 at full load. Oven."

Full load + raised temps should go together. Heat is a byproduct of all that processing power.

Take away message, i5 Mini will run hot when pushed as well.

Every computer runs hot when pushed, but I would be mindful with the Mini not to have if set flat if you push it. I had the circuit board fry on mine (replaced for free through AppleCare), but I have now gotten a stand to keep it vertical to allow better air circulation to avoid a recurrence. The charm of the mini is that you don't also get the heat generated by the monitor that you would get with an iMac, so that might reduce the problem.

I also have a MacPro, which I keep below my desk (the Mini is in another room), and it keeps my feet warm on cold winter nights.

My 2.3 i7 Mini is hooked up to a Thunderbolt display. When sitting flat on the desk, it ran close to 100C when pushed to 100% (Handbrake.) Running it on its side (Power supply up) it stays in the low 90's when pushed and doesn't even push the fans much. With the bottom off on its side, it runs in the low 90's without ever bumping up the fan from their 1800 standard. I do not think this is an oven. If you are doing the tasks you mentioned, you will never hear the fans.

53x12 said:

Makes no sense. Even an i5 under load/full load would be an oven under your definition.

"Mac mini i5 at full load. Oven."

Full load + raised temps should go together. Heat is a byproduct of all that processing power.

Take away message, i5 Mini will run hot when pushed as well.

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Come on man. Admit it. It's nothing bad or wrong, the computer is ready for it and won't suffer for this reason. But the QC i7 is super hot. Much more than the i5!

Anyways. Wasn't trying to get into a discussion on this, "the i7 is an oven" was my way of saying "get ready to see the temp over 100ºC (212ºF) when at full load". You like that better?

dasx said:

Come on man. Admit it. It's nothing bad or wrong, the computer is ready for it and won't suffer for this reason. But the QC i7 is super hot. Much more than the i5!

Anyways. Wasn't trying to get into a discussion on this, "the i7 is an oven" was my way of saying "get ready to see the temp over 100ºC (212ºF) when at full load". You like that better?

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No I'm not arguing the i7 doesn't get hotter than the i5, because obviously it does due to the CPU design. However, the i7 is not an oven. I have yet to see the following:

"get ready to see the temp over 100ºC (212ºF) when at full load"

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Highest temps I have seen are in the low/mid 90s when I am using Handbrake, surfing the internet and watching a movie all at the same time. Increase the fan speed with smcFanControl and temps drop back down below 90 for me.

dasx, do you own a i7 Mac mini?

53x12 said:

dasx, do you own a i7 Mac mini?

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Dear god… Look for threads started by me in this subforum (Mac Mini) and you'll see I own a 2.6 i7. I'm not gonna waste any time making sure you believe me.

Everyone who's tested this gets the same results, temps over 100ºC. Ask Philip (philipma1957) who has tested several Minis. I'll quote him so he knows I mentioned him.

Maybe your room temperature is 12ºC and you're good with it. Then good for you!

philipma1957 said:

.

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dasx said:

Maybe your room temperature is 12ºC and you're good with it. Then good for you!

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Not actually the room temperature is set at 24C. I have yet to see my i7 hit 100C. Never. Even after putting it under load. Seems you might need to get a side mount so that you can increase the airflow to your mini if you frequently see 100C temps.

dasx said:

Dear god… Look for threads started by me in this subforum (Mac Mini) and you'll see I own a 2.6 i7. I'm not gonna waste any time making sure you believe me.

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You don't need to take it so personally. I wasn't questioning you, just was asking since all your signature says is: "2012 Mac mini." A simple yes or no would suffice.

53x12 said:

Not actually the room temperature is set at 24C. I have yet to see my i7 hit 100C. Never. Even after putting it under load. Seems you might need to get a side mount so that you can increase the airflow to your mini if you frequently see 100C temps.

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Well. I might've gone a little further than that: Here.

dasx said:

Well. I might've gone a little further than that: Here.

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That will work too.

SCREEN shot base mini running netflix a few more windows of safari and prime 95 torture test. time is 4:03 pm

philipma1957 said:

SCREEN shot base mini running netflix a few more windows of safari and prime 95 torture test. time is 4:03 pm

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So that is what, 87-88 C?