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2019 iMac Fan Noise.

G

gmacattack73

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 8, 2013
8
1
I'm experiencing some fan noise on my new 2019 iMac, and wanted to see if anyone else who's purchased one of the new machines is having a similar issue.

I have a CTO model, with 3.7 Intel Core i5, 8 gb ram, Radeon Pro 580x 8 gb, and a 500 gb SSD.

The fan is audible upon login, with no apps running. It's not running full blast or anything, but it is always audible when using the machine and the room is relatively quiet. In fact, when I check in Mac Fan Control the fan speed is hovering between 1195-1205 rpm, the lowest speed, and all the temps seem normal: 28 degrees ambient and between 35-40 for CPU and GPU.

I want to know if anyone else who purchased a similar machine is also noticing this. I don't remember hearing the fan on any of my older iMacs, but I could be crazy or Apple could have opted to be more aggressive with the fan on this model to keep things cool.
 
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Unfortunately you are not crazy :eek:
I have the exact same experience with my 2019 27", 3.1 i5 and SSD.
It is louder than my previous two iMac's despite the fans running at the same speed.
I am currently experimenting with lowering the fan speed to 1000 or 1100 rpm's and it makes a big difference, 1100 is barely audible, 1000 is not audible.
 
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Giffel said:
Unfortunately you are not crazy :eek:
I have the exact same experience with my 2019 27", 3.1 i5 and SSD.
It is louder than my previous two iMac's despite the fans running at the same speed.
I am currently experimenting with lowering the fan speed to 1000 or 1100 rpm's and it makes a big difference, 1100 is barely audible, 1000 is not audible.
Click to expand...

Hmm maybe it has to do with a design decision made by Apple for better thermals, given they've had problems with that in the past. Is there an app you'd recommend for adjusting fan speed below stock minimum? Have you noticed any negative effects from doing this regarding temps or performance?
 
gmacattack73 said:
Hmm maybe it has to do with a design decision made by Apple for better thermals, given they've had problems with that in the past. Is there an app you'd recommend for adjusting fan speed below stock minimum? Have you noticed any negative effects from doing this regarding temps or performance?
Click to expand...

I am using the method described here:
https://ekartco.com/2018/06/silencing-your-imac-decrease-minimum-fan-speed-to-1000rpm/
Except i am currently using 1100 rpm as minimum.
I have not noticed any downsides yet, just a quiet mac
 
anaudiopro said:
I have the maxed out i9 and have ZERO fan noise.
Click to expand...
that would be weird, I was running unigen heaven for like 30 min and I could clearly hear out the fans. As soon as I Stoped it they went silent. Is it Zero noise under workload or just browsing and such
 
I remember one of the early Apple Insider video reviews (bas and i9 were both in it) saying the fans were slightly louder (and deeper sounding?) on the 2019s at 1200 RPM vs the 2017s. At higher loads the 2019s stayed quieter (more like 1800 RPM) where the 2017 i7 quickly went to max.
 
ZipZap said:
Maybe its the new machine hard drive indexing?
Click to expand...

My system has the same cpu / gpu configuration as the thread starter. I noticed fan noise when I first purchased it, but then it went away. I check it frequently, but it never came back even under moderate load.
 
What about the 21.5 Inch model (especially the core i3)? is there any audible fan noise when doing everyday tasks? I tested the 27 inch Model from 2017 a year ago and sent it back, because the Fan was way too loud for my taste.
 
amoergosum said:
I also have the maxed out i9. There is fan noise but you have to be in a quiet room in order to be able to hear it.
Click to expand...

I also have the same configuration and my iMac is usually about 2-3 feet away from my face. There's nothing wrong with my hearing. I can hear the idle 1200 rpm fan speed if I'm really trying, or if I put my ear close. But it's very quiet for basic (web, email, music and video streaming) tasks, and even under some load. The fans kick on when they should, but not as soon as they did on my 2017 i7 model, which also stayed quiet under normal conditions.
 
Haven’t heard a peep from my iMac - similar model to the OP. It’s so much quieter than my 2011 where the fans constantly fired up.
 
I had the same problem after I bought it last week. I found out the reason and solved it. The problem is with Adobe Creative Cloud. They keep communicating with the cloud. I turn it off, then the temperature goes down and the fan back to normal.
 
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I have a maxed out 2019 21.5 iMac. Fans definitely kick in a LOT sooner and faster than my 2013 iMac, but I only really notice it if its pretty quiet in my room.
 
I ordered the current 21.5 iMac (6 core i5) and can clearly hear the fans in idle mode (have to admit that I have sensitive hearing). Not loud by any means, but in a quiet room they are audible – coming from a 13-inch MacBook Pro (2015) which is dead silent from a normal use-distance the iMac is disappointing in that regard. Thinking about sending it back. Could it be that the Core i3 (quad core) version is more silent? Probably not...
 
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johnscully said:
I ordered the current 21.5 iMac (6 core i5) and can clearly hear the fans in idle mode (have to admit that I have sensitive hearing). Not loud by any means, but in a quiet room they are audible – coming from a 13-inch MacBook Pro (2015) which is dead silent from a normal use-distance the iMac is disappointing in that regard. Thinking about sending it back. Could it be that the Core i3 (quad core) version is more silent? Probably not...
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound right to me and I don't blame you for being disappointed. My 2015 MBP is also silent, I only use it for web/Office so it never works hard, and when my iMac 21.5 iMac (6 core i5) was delivered I was immensely relieved to find it also silent except when being pushed a bit by games. I have a couple of network HDs constantly running in my tiny study and I can hear them whirring quietly all the time, I definitely did not want a noisy computer on my desk. Assuming your ambient temperature is not very high, mine is a pretty steady 72°F, I think you'd be justified in returning the iMac.
 
Had the same issue, had it replaced.

2019 Fan Noise - video

That's what I expected, having had an iMac in the past. Also having built many custom PCs with various fans I know what a knackered fan sounds like.
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
I've ordered and sent back two 2019 iMacs with the i5 9600K because of idle fan noise.

The first iMac was very audible at idle. The second one was better, but made a constant high pitched whine noise which was also unbearable.

My current 2017 iMac 27" with the i7 7700K is much better, but still not as silent (=inaudible at idle) than my 2017 iMac 21.5". Supposedly, all of these machines run at 1200 rpm at idle.
 
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