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Anyone else stand their Mac Mini vertically?

C

C.D.Burner

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 24, 2020
34
5
I started doing this because the bottom was quite hot. Seems to be a little bit of an improvement, don't know how much.

I am now using an older PPC model which is a lot thicker, so it's quite stable when it stands, but I wish I had tried it with a newer Mac Mini I had, which was thinner and wider. That one eventually croaked after the fan went into overtime while I had a bunch of tabs on, with several youtube videos (although I think not all playing at the same time) and other pages. Probably somewhat my fault because I think I could have used power scaling.
 
What vintage was your "newer" MacMini? I've been wanting to purchase a 2018 one, but reports of heat issues and BlueTooth issues have made me pause, and perhaps wait for the ARM version. I do use a stand my my 2015 12" MacBook while running closed (driving a USB-C monitor, vent pointed up). It seems to help with heat.
 
jazz1 said:
What vintage was your "newer" MacMini? I've been wanting to purchase a 2018 one, but reports of heat issues and BlueTooth issues have made me pause, and perhaps wait for the ARM version. I do use a stand my my 2015 12" MacBook while running closed (driving a USB-C monitor, vent pointed up). It seems to help with heat.
Click to expand...
I think it was from around 2014. But basically I should avoid having too many tabs in my browser and other stupid things. I wasn't using MacOS when it happened, but I also never bothered with the power scaling options, which would keep the processor cool. Later I started using a PC laptop, and got more conscious about it, even sometimes using a CPU thermometer app.

Surprisingly, the Mac Mini from around 2005 I'm using now is running very smoothly, although I'm using kind of a hack for youtube.
 
jazz1 said:
What vintage was your "newer" MacMini? I've been wanting to purchase a 2018 one, but reports of heat issues and BlueTooth issues have made me pause, and perhaps wait for the ARM version. I do use a stand my my 2015 12" MacBook while running closed (driving a USB-C monitor, vent pointed up). It seems to help with heat.
Click to expand...
I recently got the 2018 mini. 0 bluetooth issues or heat issues. Just don't use the USB A ports and stick to USB C and you'll have no bluetooth interference. Download a fan control to crank up the fans at a certain temp and it'll always stay cool. Very satisfied with it so far. Also the trade in value of $500+ whenever I want to upgrade is nice.
 
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Yep. I feel it makes sense for the hot air exhaust vent to be pointing upwards. It's like a chimney.

My 2018 mini is out of sight underneath the desk, so I don't mind that it looks odd in this orientation with the cables plugging into the top of the unit.
 
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frou said:
Yep. I feel it makes sense for the hot air exhaust vent to be pointing upwards. It's like a chimney.

My 2018 mini is out of sight underneath the desk, so I don't mind that it looks odd in this orientation with the cables plugging into the top of the unit.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I have it 90 degrees from yours, even though I don't really use the CD slot after I installed the OS I wanted.
 
I bought an aluminum vertical stand around 2011 for my Mac mini 2010. When I replaced that system with the current 2018 model, I kept on using the stand since they were the same dimensions.

I got it to save desktop real estate not for cooling purposes.
 
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I do (now). Previously, I raised it with some mesh business cardholders to create extra airflow as well as used a USB desk fan when the room temp was higher (summer, etc). However, the USB fan was L-O-U-D but did notice having airflow across the top and bottom of the casing was the most efficient cooling. So, I decided to get an aluminum alloy stand and hydraulic bearing fan.
workspace.pngMac_mini_ext_LED_fan.png
It's not the most elegant looking setup. However, plugging and unplugging items is easier as well as the CPU temp fluctuates from ~87ºC to 91ºC with the internal fan speed never exceeding 2500 RPM even with Folding@Home running at "full" nearly 24/7. Oh, and it's whisper quiet.

The only thing I would have done differently now that I've seen it is to go blue or red LEDs rather than green. I chose green because, at the time of purchase, it was several dollars cheaper.
 
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F23 said:
I recently got the 2018 mini. 0 bluetooth issues or heat issues. Just don't use the USB A ports and stick to USB C and you'll have no bluetooth interference. Download a fan control to crank up the fans at a certain temp and it'll always stay cool. Very satisfied with it so far. Also the trade in value of $500+ whenever I want to upgrade is nice.
Click to expand...
I have a late 2018 Mac Mini, and really like the machine. It performs very well.

I don't have many tabs open while I am using the machine, but the times it gets somewhat hot are when I use 1) Tech Tool Pro and Onyx to perform disk cleanup, maintenance, and (rarely ever happens) repairs, and 2) SuperDuper! for my backups (I make 2 of them each week to two separate external SSDs, with Samsung 850 Pro SSDs inside Orico enclosures). I use one of the USB 3.1 ports for the backups.

I just downloaded Macs Fan Control, and wondering if that is the one you use. Also, I did a Custom setting for the speed, and adjusted it up to 2500 rpm. Did you do something similar, and is there anything else I can do?
 
Does this count?

macminis.png


The Mac mini is designed to be able to run hot. The case is a giant heat sink. By definition it should be getting warm when stressed. Just because a device feels too hot to touch doesn't mean that it is running outside of Apple's specifications. When I play a game that stresses both the CPU and internal GPU, my 2018 Mac mini becomes too hot for me to comfortably touch for an extended period of time. That doesn't mean that it is operating outside of manufacturer parameters.
 
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jazz1 said:
I've been wanting to purchase a 2018 one, but reports of heat issues and BlueTooth issues have made me pause
Click to expand...

What reports have you seen about "heat issues"? I don't think I've seen these, although some people just don't like "hot computers". As @Colstan said, the Mini is supposed to get hot. My 2018 Mini gets pretty warm at times, especially when doing a lot of disk access - these really fast SSD's run quite hot. Not at all concerned about this myself, and was not concerned when my 2012 quad Mini got hot either. Both of them are just sitting on my desk. And I have a 2014 Mini as a media server that sits inside a closed cabinet.
 
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Have the Mini 2018 i7 and use it in a vertical laptop stand made of metal. Definitely an improvement versus placing it horizontally on the table. Additionally, I use Mac Fan Control with a constant value of 2804 rpm for the exhaust fan. My average temps are 50-58 Celsius during work. Every 6 months or so I remove the back side and clean the dust inside. Never have any heat problems so far with approx. 10 apps open. But I also use external SSD disks via TB3 for most of my data.
 
brandair said:
Have the Mini 2018 i7 and use it in a vertical laptop stand made of metal. Definitely an improvement versus placing it horizontally on the table. Additionally, I use Mac Fan Control with a constant value of 2804 rpm for the exhaust fan. My average temps are 50-58 Celsius during work. Every 6 months or so I remove the back side and clean the dust inside. Never have any heat problems so far with approx. 10 apps open. But I also use external SSD disks via TB3 for most of my data.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that. Mine is a late 2018 i5 model, and I also use external SSDs for 1) storing date, and 2) my SuperDuper! backups.

Just curious how you arrived at the value of 2804 rpm. Yesterday I downloaded and installed Mac Fan Control, and set it to a constant value of 2500 rpm for my exhaust fan.

And great tip about cleaning out the dust! I'll need to do that. IN fact, I think I'll do it today, as I've had the machine since February.
 
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honestone33 said:
I have a late 2018 Mac Mini, and really like the machine. It performs very well.

I don't have many tabs open while I am using the machine, but the times it gets somewhat hot are when I use 1) Tech Tool Pro and Onyx to perform disk cleanup, maintenance, and (rarely ever happens) repairs, and 2) SuperDuper! for my backups (I make 2 of them each week to two separate external SSDs, with Samsung 850 Pro SSDs inside Orico enclosures). I use one of the USB 3.1 ports for the backups.

I just downloaded Macs Fan Control, and wondering if that is the one you use. Also, I did a Custom setting for the speed, and adjusted it up to 2500 rpm. Did you do something similar, and is there anything else I can do?
Click to expand...
I use the sensor based exhaust value set at using the CPU core average temp. Set to increase fan speed above 140 F. Rather not have it running constantly at a high rpm.
 
honestone33 said:
Sorry to ask, but what is that, and where is that setting? Here is what my settings look like in Macs Fan Control:
Click to expand...
In the menu bar, theres a section called available fans, and in that section it says exhaust. From there you can select which component you want to use.
 
The Mac Mini from 2014 (I really don't remember, could just as well have been 2012) I had also had another problem. The wifi receiver was really weak, even in comparison to a laptop at least 4 years older. It worked, it just didn't always work that well, at times it dropped out or was slow if farther from the transmitter.

I never used the bluetooth on it, so I can't comment on the alleged problems of older Mac Minis in that area.
 
I have always stood the newer, Core i's on end, mainly because of the footprint. 2012, Late 2009 with iomega external and G4 with Acomdata external. Only heat issues were when I was without air conditioning in the summer. Wish Apple would go back to the 6.25"X6.25" size - ARM with component units.
IMG_1850.JPG
 
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I bought one of those aluminum stands off Amazon for my 2012 a few months back.
Got it to help take up a smaller footprint on my desk and possibly assist with cooling.

Accidentally ordered the space grey color, but that actually works out because I have a 2018 model coming in a few days. :)

IMG_2055.jpg
 
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yes, have mine in a Mosiso laptop stand that can be adjusted to accommodate a mini. Mainly because it's on the floor and it didn't seem sensible to have it flat on carpet for heat reasons, but also makes me less likely to accidentally kick it or stand on it or something. Quite like how it looks too.
 
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Using the 2018 i7 model, removed the black plastic cover and attached a filter.
 

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