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villiard

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 22, 2012
9
0
Hey new iMac 2012 users, just out of curiosity...

After turning on the iMac, how silent should the computer be? 'Cause I can definitely hear a slightly subtle 'wooshing' sound of the fan in a quiet room. I did upgrade my iMac with the new FusionDrive hoping to eliminate a significant amount of fan noise. Did I receive a lemon??? :confused:

Thanks guys.
 

mchoffa

macrumors 6502a
Jul 12, 2008
832
52
Asheville, NC
mine is completely silent until I open up either photoshop or premiere, then I get a faint fluttering sound

...but when I either apply a filter or render in premiere, it sounds like a jet getting ready to take off!
 

sjz88

macrumors member
Nov 30, 2012
70
0
Don't worry. My 27" has a constant fan sound as well. It's not really loud or annoying or anything but you can hear it when the room is really quiet.
It think that's normal and just the way it is since other people have reported the same.
 

villiard

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 22, 2012
9
0
Mines as quite as a mouse. Why not have a look at this thread to see if any of the solutions help you out? https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1511429/
If not take it back as it's in warrantee.

Will do, thanks.

----------

it sounds like a jet getting ready to take off!

lol! you should get it replaced. i just ran photoshop on mine, i still get the constant ongoing "whoosh" sound. similar to a jet plane mid-flight on cruise control...

----------

Don't worry. My 27" has a constant fan sound as well. It's not really loud or annoying or anything but you can hear it when the room is really quiet.
It think that's normal and just the way it is since other people have reported the same.

Do you happen to know what your fan speed is? I just downloaded iStat Menus at it says my main fan speed is currently at 1399rpm. The sound isn't annoying, it just seems that my system is being overworked for nothing.
 

2bcool2

macrumors regular
Jan 31, 2008
186
7
my 27 imac fan speed is idol at 1200 ...

hope thihs helps, i too have a dead quiet room and didnt know its normal for the fan to be on all the time
 

azentropy

macrumors 601
Jul 19, 2002
4,013
5,353
Surprise
Hey new iMac 2012 users, just out of curiosity...

After turning on the iMac, how silent should the computer be? 'Cause I can definitely hear a slightly subtle 'wooshing' sound of the fan in a quiet room. I did upgrade my iMac with the new FusionDrive hoping to eliminate a significant amount of fan noise. Did I receive a lemon??? :confused:

Thanks guys.

The fusion drive does nothing to reduce noise, if anything the additional flash storage module adds to noise by generating more heat than a HDD alone requiring the system fan to run longer and possibly at a higher RPM.

Unfortunately Apple doesn't offer a flash only or SSD only option which would have eliminated the HDD noise and cut down the system fan even further since a SSD or flash module generates less heat than a HDD.
 

villiard

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 22, 2012
9
0
The fusion drive does nothing to reduce noise, if anything the additional flash storage module adds to noise by generating more heat than a HDD alone requiring the system fan to run longer and possibly at a higher RPM.

Unfortunately Apple doesn't offer a flash only or SSD only option which would have eliminated the HDD noise and cut down the system fan even further since a SSD or flash module generates less heat than a HDD.

So my fan speed at 1398rpm is considered normal? Thanks for your input.
 

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Reaktor5

macrumors 6502a
Oct 12, 2007
712
24
New Hampshire, USA
My 2011 iMac does this too. I chalked it up to the bearings in the fan.

I'll probably replace it eventually but lugging an iMac to the Apple store is low on my fun scale.
 

Gelite55

macrumors regular
Dec 12, 2012
155
0
My 2011 iMac does this too. I chalked it up to the bearings in the fan.

I'll probably replace it eventually but lugging an iMac to the Apple store is low on my fun scale.

I hate it to. I'd much rather ship it back and forth. But for a repair, it sounds easier to bring it to a store.
 

villiard

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 22, 2012
9
0
Yes, ~1400rpm is the minimum the fan will run at. I can barely hear mine at this speed. So if yours is loud I would say something isn't right.

Okay cool. Yeah it isn't necessarily loud, it is only noticeable in a quiet room. It's not dead silent that's for sure. I may just be really picky...
 
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