Are Running the Fans Bad?

[kardiackeith]

I have the 2011 MBP, 15 inch base, and I use SMC to dictate the speeds I want the fans to run at. Plain and simple, I don't like or want my MBP to get hot. I typically run the fans at 3500 rpm, then bump it to 5000 rpm solely when I'm using video chat.

Is this bad? Anyone do the same stuff?

 

[Derango]

Running the fans at a higher speed could possibly cause them to wear out faster and break down. Moving parts like that always have a limited life span and if you stress them harder they'll break faster.

That said...we're talking a ways down the line here. Unless the fan is defective to begin with, they're designed to operate for years.

So bottom line is...do what you want and it shouldn't be a big deal. I'm fine with the computer's sensors handling the fan speed for me though.

 

[GGJstudios]

I have the 2011 MBP, 15 inch base, and I use SMC to dictate the speeds I want the fans to run at. Plain and simple, I don't like or want my MBP to get hot. I typically run the fans at 3500 rpm, then bump it to 5000 rpm solely when I'm using video chat.

Is this bad? Anyone do the same stuff?

You don't have to do any of that. Your MBP will manage heat quite well without your intervention, spinning fans faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level.

Install iStat Pro to get accurate readings of your temps, among other things

High temps are perfectly normal, as searching the forum with Google will reveal:

Macbook Pro Heat Dissipation
2010 Macbook Pro 17" i7 heat question
Heat on my i7 Macbook Pro 15"
Macbook overheating?
My Macbook Pro reached 106 degrees !
Macbook pro heat problem
MacBook Pro Over Heat Issue
Heat on my i7 Macbook Pro 15"
Macbook pro Hot after 10.6.3. Update
Macbook Pro too HOT!!!
My Macbook Pro Runs Hot
Macbook Pro gets really hot when running windows 7
How hot should my macbook be getting?
Macbook Boiling Hot!
Hot 15" i5 MBP!
MacBook Pro Overheating or That's What I Think It Is?
Macbook pro temperature
MacBook Pro heat causing pain in hands
Alu Macbook vs. 13" Macbook pro: Heat & Battery Life
Etc., etc., etc.

 

[kardiackeith]

You don't have to do any of that. Your MBP will manage heat quite well without your intervention, spinning fans faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level.

Install iStat Pro to get accurate readings of your temps, among other things

High temps are perfectly normal, as searching the forum with MRoogle will reveal:

Macbook Pro Heat Dissipation
2010 Macbook Pro 17" i7 heat question
Heat on my i7 Macbook Pro 15"
Macbook overheating?
My Macbook Pro reached 106 degrees !
Macbook pro heat problem
MacBook Pro Over Heat Issue
Heat on my i7 Macbook Pro 15"
Macbook pro Hot after 10.6.3. Update
Macbook Pro too HOT!!!
My Macbook Pro Runs Hot
Macbook Pro gets really hot when running windows 7
How hot should my macbook be getting?
Macbook Boiling Hot!
Hot 15" i5 MBP!
MacBook Pro Overheating or That's What I Think It Is?
Macbook pro temperature
MacBook Pro heat causing pain in hands
Alu Macbook vs. 13" Macbook pro: Heat & Battery Life
Etc., etc., etc.

Thank you. I lol at the "without your intervention" comment.

 

[Looon]

The fans weren't made for use they're just there for looks of course.

 

[Inside_line]

When it comes to electronics, heat is the enemy. Altering the fan speed is a tradeoff between saving the hardware or saving your fans. Seeing as how you will want a new MBP in 3-4 years, controlling the fans speeds is unnecessary. But if you like running them harder... no reason not to... Those fans are brushless and will go for a long long time.

 

[Robbug]

Related but in a weird and different way....

Brushless DC fans can take some serious abuse. My wife has cats. Cats use the litter box. I hate the litter box in any of my living space....litter every where and if in the bathroom...ya gettin out of the shower to step onto litter is plain gross.

Ok so I built a box in my garage attached to my inner wall so the cats can go do their business and all that.

I installed on top of this box a PC power supply supplying DC to 2 brushless fans to prevent any odors from getting into the house. Yes over kill but the parts were spare.

Litter is dusty.

The fans look like they have been moving dirt at the moment. This setup in the worst possible environment has lasted over 5 years strong. So....morale of the story? DC brushless fans can withstand dusty litter infested super stinky environments


So controlling your fans won't "kill" them earlier unless they are already defective.... but... your mac does have controls in place to umm automate what your doing and if you feel the need to take control... welp more power to you

 

[akhbhaat]

The 80 mm exhaust fans in my desktop case range from 8 to 12(!) years old. The oldest among them has probably seen somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 hours of use.

I've seen MTBF estimates for cheap sleeve bearing fans in the vicinity of about 40,000 hours. A higher quality ball bearing fan may run about twice that--i.e. decades of casual use.

Even if the fan does fail, it's hardly the most expensive (or most troublesome) component to replace. Definitely not a cause for concern.