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Is it bad to always have the fan at 4000rpm even when they don't need to be that fast
- Thread starter TheJing
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I assume you're using smcFanControl or similar to keep the idle temperatures lower. The fans will at some point stop spinning anyway, and keeping them running a slight bit faster at all times will surely shorten their lifespan a little. How much in real terms? I don't know, probably not long enough for the rest of your MacBook Pro to keep up (read: you likely have a new computer by then).
But it is not needed to bump the fans up a notch anyway. The SMC controller should take care of that on its own. The only benefit is that your MacBook Pro will run a bit cooler, making it more comfortable to use on your lap. If that's your intended use however, put something under your MacBook Pro like a small pillow and you'll barely notice the heat anymore. And you'll have a quieter computer to work with.
Let me know if there's anything else!
~Yousif
But it is not needed to bump the fans up a notch anyway. The SMC controller should take care of that on its own. The only benefit is that your MacBook Pro will run a bit cooler, making it more comfortable to use on your lap. If that's your intended use however, put something under your MacBook Pro like a small pillow and you'll barely notice the heat anymore. And you'll have a quieter computer to work with.
Let me know if there's anything else!
~Yousif
Be careful with the pillow idea. Especially if it ends up clogging the vents, you'll end up overheating the machine.
Put it on a hard surface, a book on your lap if you must, not a pillow/blanket.
Put it on a hard surface, a book on your lap if you must, not a pillow/blanket.
I did say to try a small pillow. The only vents are next to the hinge, so it's unlikely that you will block them with a small pillow, it'd have to be a large pillow allowing the MacBook Pro to sink into it. That I didn't recommend.
A book will do just as well, but I personally find a small pillow to be a lot more comfortable.
You mean a doll size pillow? Let's just say if my pillow were the size of my MBP, I'd wake up every day with neck pain.
So emphasis on small if you want to go that route.
So emphasis on small if you want to go that route.
If the fans needed to run a 4k rpm, they would. You don't need to install something, Apple took care of it.
I did have smc fan control installed so I could keep track of my temps vs. Fan speed, but ditched it because istat(whichever the $20 one is) already does. It actually offers every function of fan control, including different profiles for different owed sources.
I did have smc fan control installed so I could keep track of my temps vs. Fan speed, but ditched it because istat(whichever the $20 one is) already does. It actually offers every function of fan control, including different profiles for different owed sources.
those fans can run from 2000-6000 rpm. So, that's well within its range. It will prob decrease the lifespan of the fan, but the lifespan of the fan is probably so long that it will outlast the computer either way.
Macs Fan Control is free, lets you control fans & temps ,and works on the bootcamp side too, which is huge.
Like it more than SMC Fan Control, especially if one needs to slow a fan down that is running too fast due to a sensor issue. Obviously you must be very careful with this.
Install it and do nothing to the configuration, and you are simply monitoring temps and speed, like lots of other software tools can do.
Like it more than SMC Fan Control, especially if one needs to slow a fan down that is running too fast due to a sensor issue. Obviously you must be very careful with this.
Install it and do nothing to the configuration, and you are simply monitoring temps and speed, like lots of other software tools can do.
brand
Suspended
If it doesn't need to run at 4000rpm then whats the benefit of it running that fast?
You're shortening their lifespan, movings parts that move wear out.
You're also bypassing Apple's default settings which do just fine on their own. You don't need to control fans, the machine will keep itself cool enough to operate smoothly on its own. Apple engineers know their stuff better than you or me do.
Let your machine take care of itself.
I guess it's because when you see a thread up top, you don't automatically assume someone necro bumped it out of the grave.
CoastalOR
macrumors 68040
I hear you. I have been caught by these necro threads myself, so now I try to look at the date of the original poster, but I still miss them until someone points out the dates.
and I bet his fans are still running like new since good quality fans last pretty much forever at any speed