Imac fan noise

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 1, 2013, 02:56 PM

When my imac is on and I am in a relatively quite room. I can hear it running it makes a low hum. The sound never speeds up or slows down its just a constant low hum. If I walk away from it the sound becomes hard to hear. Is this normal or is this the fan noise problems that people are posting about?

GGJstudios · Feb 1, 2013, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tbdbuckeyeitl

When my imac is on and I am in a relatively quite room. I can hear it running it makes a low hum. The sound never speeds up or slows down its just a constant low hum. If I walk away from it the sound becomes hard to hear. Is this normal or is this the fan noise problems that people are posting about?

If you're not already doing so, use iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) to get accurate readings of your temps, fan speeds, etc., rather than relying on your sense of touch or sound. A forum member has posted a copy of iStat Pro that has been "tweaked" to enhance compatibility with Mountain Lion. You can download it here.

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on. 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.)

Learn about the fans in your Mac

TouchMint.com · Feb 1, 2013, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

If you're not already doing so, use iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) to get accurate readings of your temps, fan speeds, etc., rather than relying on your sense of touch or sound. A forum member has posted a copy of iStat Pro that has been "tweaked" to enhance compatibility with Mountain Lion. You can download it here.

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on. 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.)

Learn about the fans in your Mac

Do these run on windows or do you know of any windows options?

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 1, 2013, 03:05 PM

Can you guys hear your imac like I described?

GGJstudios · Feb 1, 2013, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tbdbuckeyeitl

Can you guys hear your imac like I described?

Did you run iStat Pro to check your fan speeds? You shouldn't hear them if they're at normal minimum speed.

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 1, 2013, 04:54 PM

I don't think I am hearing a fan sound but just an idle sound noise. Just a low hum. I just wish it was completely silent.

jmpage2 · Feb 1, 2013, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tbdbuckeyeitl

I don't think I am hearing a fan sound but just an idle sound noise. Just a low hum. I just wish it was completely silent.

There's no such thing as a completely silent computer unless you custom build one that has no fans at all and uses only an SSD and a very high end power supply, such as a PiCO power supply that is also fanless and does not have any AC/DC whine.

My 27" is so quiet it is almost inaudible. If I hold my ear up to it I can just barely hear it running. I would say it would be very hard for me to determine if it is quieter or not than my 2009 iMac when both are at idle, but when I would do big jobs on the 2009 iMac it would heat up and the fans would go into overdrive. Even if I spend an hour playing Diablo III on the new one the fans are barely going.

All in all it's pretty hard to find fault with this unless you have one with a faulty part.

I think that Apple products attract OCD people and that sometimes they start to believe there are problems where there aren't.

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 1, 2013, 06:26 PM

I think I am hearing the seagate drive running. And making a slight fan tick noise.

kidwei · Feb 1, 2013, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tbdbuckeyeitl

When my imac is on and I am in a relatively quite room. I can hear it running it makes a low hum. The sound never speeds up or slows down its just a constant low hum. If I walk away from it the sound becomes hard to hear. Is this normal or is this the fan noise problems that people are posting about?

That sounds normal to me. I can hear my imac fan for sure if I listen for it but it's pretty quiet. I don't think it's possible for the imac to be silent, considering it has a real desktop processor and a fairly powerful gfx chip. I'm pretty sure this is totally normal based on what you're describing.

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 1, 2013, 06:52 PM

Thank you all. I have read all these posts and I am worried its rattling and humming to loud. It's in my head know. I have the 27 inch i7 1g fusion 680. If anyone has this model and hears it please let me know.

Nismo73 · 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tbdbuckeyeitl

Thank you all. I have read all these posts and I am worried its rattling and humming to loud. It's in my head know. I have the 27 inch i7 1g fusion 680. If anyone has this model and hears it please let me know.

I got the same build as you today...I just hear a very low level of noise which seems to be a combination of the fan itself and the air blowing out from the bottom, or actually the back; this is at the fan idle speed of 1200rpm - in a room that's dead silent w/ the exception of some wind noise from outside. Kind of impressed seeing that it's an i7 with the 680 gpu. Every other PC computer has been way louder than this thing...

However, I would say any rattling is not normal though... :shrugs: Hard to say without comparing the two.

TinHead88 · Feb 1, 2013, 07:33 PM

What you're hearing sounds to me like the hard drive humming which is transferred to (and often amplified by) the surface the computer stands on. Try lifting the iMac slightly and see if that reduces the humming. The clicking could be normal hard drive access.

If you want to get rid of this noise you could go all SSD in the iMac and use externals (at a distance) for larger files.

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 2, 2013, 09:15 AM

Is the ticking and clicking highly noticeable? Can you hear it from a few feet away? I hear air pushing through mine, unless I stick my head to the back of the machine then I might hear clicking or ticking. Is this normal.

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 2, 2013, 10:57 AM

Anyone is the ticking and grinding highley noticeable from a few feet away.

jmpage2 · Feb 2, 2013, 01:01 PM

I have the same machine as you and I don't notice it but if I turn my ear towards it and lean in I can just barely hear it. Why don't you go listen to one at the store and determine if yours is abnormal. You seem to be obsessing over it a bit much.

Tbdbuckeyeitl · Feb 2, 2013, 01:09 PM

I am heading to store now to compare. I am obsessing I just don't want a bad computer. I just wonders if the noises were audible across too or only right up next to it.

jmpage2 · Feb 2, 2013, 01:15 PM

It has a warranty for a reason. If there's something wrong with it they will fix it or replace it. It's man made so it will never be "perfect" but they try to come as close as possible.

SpectreOne3 · Feb 8, 2013, 05:51 PM

I've started to notice a fan "rattle" in my mid-2011 iMac. Its definitely coming from the ODD side of the machine.

Its not loud but certainly noticeable. Anyone had any issues getting it taken care of under warranty?

Feb 1, 2013, 02:56 PM	#1
Tbdbuckeyeitl macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	Imac fan noise When my imac is on and I am in a relatively quite room. I can hear it running it makes a low hum. The sound never speeds up or slows down its just a constant low hum. If I walk away from it the sound becomes hard to hear. Is this normal or is this the fan noise problems that people are posting about?
	0

Feb 8, 2013, 05:51 PM	#18
SpectreOne3 macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2012	I've started to notice a fan "rattle" in my mid-2011 iMac. Its definitely coming from the ODD side of the machine. Its not loud but certainly noticeable. Anyone had any issues getting it taken care of under warranty? __________________ 21" iMac, 2.5 GHz i5, 4 GB RAM iPhone 5 16 GB iPad 2, 16 GB
	0

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Feb 1, 2013, 03:05 PM	#4
Tbdbuckeyeitl Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	Can you guys hear your imac like I described?
	0

Feb 1, 2013, 04:54 PM	#6
Tbdbuckeyeitl Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	I don't think I am hearing a fan sound but just an idle sound noise. Just a low hum. I just wish it was completely silent.
	0

Feb 1, 2013, 06:26 PM	#8
Tbdbuckeyeitl Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	I think I am hearing the seagate drive running. And making a slight fan tick noise.
	0

Feb 1, 2013, 06:52 PM	#10
Tbdbuckeyeitl Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	Thank you all. I have read all these posts and I am worried its rattling and humming to loud. It's in my head know. I have the 27 inch i7 1g fusion 680. If anyone has this model and hears it please let me know.
	0

Feb 1, 2013, 07:33 PM	#12
TinHead88 macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2008	What you're hearing sounds to me like the hard drive humming which is transferred to (and often amplified by) the surface the computer stands on. Try lifting the iMac slightly and see if that reduces the humming. The clicking could be normal hard drive access. If you want to get rid of this noise you could go all SSD in the iMac and use externals (at a distance) for larger files.
	0

Feb 2, 2013, 09:15 AM	#13
Tbdbuckeyeitl Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	Is the ticking and clicking highly noticeable? Can you hear it from a few feet away? I hear air pushing through mine, unless I stick my head to the back of the machine then I might hear clicking or ticking. Is this normal.
	0

Feb 2, 2013, 10:57 AM	#14
Tbdbuckeyeitl Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	Anyone is the ticking and grinding highley noticeable from a few feet away.
	0

Feb 2, 2013, 01:01 PM	#15
jmpage2 macrumors 68030 Join Date: Sep 2007	I have the same machine as you and I don't notice it but if I turn my ear towards it and lean in I can just barely hear it. Why don't you go listen to one at the store and determine if yours is abnormal. You seem to be obsessing over it a bit much.
	0

Feb 2, 2013, 01:09 PM	#16
Tbdbuckeyeitl Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2012	I am heading to store now to compare. I am obsessing I just don't want a bad computer. I just wonders if the noises were audible across too or only right up next to it.
	0

Feb 2, 2013, 01:15 PM	#17
jmpage2 macrumors 68030 Join Date: Sep 2007	It has a warranty for a reason. If there's something wrong with it they will fix it or replace it. It's man made so it will never be "perfect" but they try to come as close as possible.
	0