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Cooling in the new 2020 27" iMac?
- Thread starter miretogo
- Start date
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nope. I don’t do any 3D but rendering an HD video and working in/previewing a full song with heavy plugins in Logic didn’t spark up any noise OR fans.
it was a 4 minute full song about 20 layers all running at least 2 to 6 plug-ins EQ, Valhalla Reverbs and delays, vulfcompressor and Portal...stuff like that WHILE rendering videos in After Effects, photoshop files opened and regular stuff like Mail & Safari opened...I was Trying to get it to make noise...I didn’t hear anything at all in a soundproofed music studio. I’m loving this machine.
Download the beta of Macs fan control 1.5.8. It has support for the 2020 iMac.
1.5.8 RC Downloads · Issue #347 · crystalidea/macs-fan-control
What's new: Display temperature of discrete GPU (eGPU) (#209) Improved preferences dialog Improved switching between presets from menu bar (#281 ) Displaying CPU Core (average) on most Apple comput...
github.com
Interesting. Sounds promising. Nit sure whether to go Mac Pro route or iMac route for music production too. You never mentioned vstis though. So we’re they just 20 audio tracks ? No Izotope ozone 8/9 plugins or instances of kontakt or omnisphere ? Big meaty plugins like those ?
I run iZotope, not sure it was on that project. Output Portal is Pretty meaty, I do a lot with that. I also run a lot of hardware too so I have a mix but it was an average size Logic project with all that other stuff going on. It’s more than enough for what I do.
Love portal. So glad I got it. Yeah I think I use a lot more vsts so my use may may those fans wild but then again you were rendering too. Sounds impressive. I just hate fan noise though so I’m torn
I have your solution. Get the i7 set it up and push it. If it makes Too much noise you can return it and get the Pro but if this setup works you will have saved thousands.
The Yo-Yo’ing causes voltage transients, but the effect at stock settings is so minimal it’s basically irrelevant. And handling rendering “in its sleep” is not really a thing. It will run as fast as you let it. If you’re are talking about some mechanism to run the cores slower because 10 cores is still plenty of power ... well yes, that level of control would be nice.That's an interesting and creative response to the cooling debate.
What's been intriguing is the way that the fans kick in even when opening the user interface of Z-Brush. I didn't realise an App could make a Mac work so hard.. Something that didn't even stress my 2012 iMac.
Maybe it would it would be an interesting idea if Apple would allow the turbo function to be turned off for a more measured cooler running iMac. Or have different performance modes depending on burst tasks or more measured computing tasks.
The turbo feature seems to (yes) get the performance going...but it also gets the 'heat' going in burst modes...and the fans (I mean 'fan') have to kick in.
I wonder how this turbo yo-yoing effects the life span of components. 0-60mph then slamming the breaks on. As to a more measured response to a performance task.
Coupled with the irony of turning off the turbo on pricey kit like the iMac.
Still. An interesting response. Even at stock clock without the turbo burst, the Intel CPU should handle rendering in its sleep. It is spread out over ten cores.
I guess the other thing is...is the turbo just on 1 core, 2 cores...or all cores that is causing this 'flush' of heat. (Added to the fact that the fans are 'so...very...' slightly audible even when the iMac is sat in idle doing 'nothing.'). Maybe having 10 cores at 'stock' 3.6 clocks rather than pegging at 4 gig + could be an option. (Yes. I can hear the bells of irony deafening me as I type.)
And just offering decent cooling to keep pace with the internals wouldn't have gone amiss.
Azrael.
That's an interesting and creative response to the cooling debate.
What's been intriguing is the way that the fans kick in even when opening the user interface of Z-Brush. I didn't realise an App could make a Mac work so hard.
Maybe it would it would be an interesting idea if Apple would allow the turbo function to be turned off for a more measured cooler running iMac. Or have different performance modes depending on burst tasks or more measured computing tasks.
The turbo feature seems to (yes) get the performance going...but it also gets the 'heat' going in burst modes...and the fans (I mean 'fan') have to kick in.
I wonder how this turbo yo-yoing effects the life span of components. 0-60mph then slamming the breaks on. As to a more measured response to a performance task.
Coupled with the irony of turning off the turbo on pricey kit like the iMac.
Still. An interesting response. Even at stock clock without the turbo burst, the Intel CPU should handle rendering in its sleep. It is spread out over ten cores.
I guess the other thing is...is the turbo just on 1 core, 2 cores...or all cores that is causing this 'flush' of heat. (Added to the fact that the fans are 'so...very...' slightly audible even when the iMac is sat in idle doing 'nothing.'). Maybe having 10 cores at 'stock' 3.6 clocks rather than pegging at 4 gig + could be an option. (Yes. I can hear the bells of irony deafening me as I type.)
And just offering decent cooling to keep pace with the internals wouldn't have gone amiss.
Azrael.
I’ve been a fan (pun intended) of disabling the turbo boost on my 2017 i7. It really does stop the fan ramping up at all under max CPU load. On my 7700K it doesn’t make a lot of difference on that chip doesn’t as it doesn’t have a big % turbo anyway. I guess on different chips YMMV depending on the amount of performance sacrificed.
Yeah that makes complete sense. Yet I did the exact opposite and ordered the Mac Pro first. It arrives in a few days. Doh!
A purity of response that I enjoyed, Nicole1980.
Questions of a fundamental nature. If a feature is only buying you a 'slight' advantage eg. .5 of second what's the point. I'd like Apple to provide users with the option to turn off such features. Especially if it didn't involve the knee-jerk response of the poor, lone and tortured fan. (I find that level of cooling for the performance triumph in this machine entirely cynical and penny pinching.)
Eg. Rather than ramp a render to 4-5 ghz...ramp up the performance (momentarily...) create a lot of heat...then slam the breaks on...what's all that fan noise for? Wouldn't it be better to have the 10 cores locked at a more measured rate eg. 3.6 base clock for a eg. 3D Render process?
I wouldn't drive a car like we're describing turbo boost. And a part of me feels it's cynical marketing.
It doesn't inspire confidence for the lifespan of the components.
Your comments on turbo and hyper are thought provoking.
Azrael.
Interestingly enough. I was using Blender this morning (without being connected to the Internet) and no fan noise.
Azrael.
That video was compelling. Most things you'd barely notice the difference. Except 3D rendering which takes a 25% hit.
That said. Turbo boost.
3D rendering. I'd take the hit 'if' it meant the fans (I keep saying that ....it is only 1 fan...) was less obnoxious.
Can't the cpu on ten cores run cooler but at a more measured clock speed across all cores? eg. 3.6 base instead of boosting higher and generating heat. Can't the 10 cores actually run together without engaging the fan? At all?
Ie. So I could be doing some 2D work in the fore ground whilst the 3D rendered quietly (...) in the background?
Azrael.
Interesting. I've just installed 'Big Sur.' I also have Windows 10 installed.
So maybe I can test in each OS to see if the same response is invoked.
Azrael.
2D. Logic. HD video (with the new RDNA1 AMD encoding tech'...) should be well within this iMac's capability. I wouldn't expect to hear fans.
3D was kind of the launch performance beach head the iMac had to cross. And it has cross the performance threshold for 3D in games and rendering in 3D.
But the efficiency of Crossing that Rubicon is in question. For the moment.
Azrael.
I am.
So a render can be done in a more measured performance manner.
I don't have to slam the Ferrari in 1st and burn the next guy at the lights.
So my question is can the turbo be turned off and peg the cpu at a more stable thermal clock to do eg. A 3D render without the fan sounding as severe.
If it could run without thermal histrionics on the base clock for all ten cores, I'd be ok with that. I'd take a 25% hit for the fan not to sound like a drunk at a party.
It seems that both thermal management of the cpu in software (OS Catalina) and the 'turbo' at the hardware level could be better managed...? As some are indicating.
*Muses.
Azrael.
Sorry to say that my experiences with the imac and 3D rendering are what you are experiencing.
This was with a 2017 maxed iMac, and also a imac pro with Vega 64. Both are now gone.
The iMac Pro was far better than the imac for cooling and I did really enjoy that computer but had to go mobile for several reasons [which was worse for fans on the 16”.....].
Yes the speed is good overall, but the noise of the fans made me wince in the office every time, and had to ask if I was disturbing people. I can handle the MBP in short bursts of fans but really these laptops and AIO computers are simply not suitable for rendering.
As I have mentioned on a few other threads, I got a PC built instead to take on these workloads, and tbh was the best decision I could make. I can run it at 100% CPU and GPU and the fans barely increase from normal state.
However normal state is louder than the imac, but not too bothersome.
I am.
So a render can be done in a more measured performance manner.
I don't have to slam the Ferrari in 1st and burn the next guy at the lights.
So my question is can the turbo be turned off and peg the cpu at a more stable thermal clock to do eg. A 3D render without the fan sounding as severe.
If it could run without thermal histrionics on the base clock for all ten cores, I'd be ok with that. I'd take a 25% hit for the fan not to sound like a drunk at a party.
It seems that both thermal management of the cpu in software (OS Catalina) and the 'turbo' at the hardware level could be better managed...? As some are indicating.
*Muses.
Azrael.
My computers tend to go from 10 - 100% CPU / GPU use [depending on the app] instantly as soon as you click that render button. All cores blazing !
I will say eGPU rendering in Bootcamp was good on my 2080 super as it took all the loads off the dgpu.
Thank you for your response. I can't disagree with your conclusions so far.
Interesting.
It had been my intention to run the iMac as a general production machine and 'creative' lead...with 'some' 3D capability. Not a 24/7 render machine. I'm getting the PC for that. (Going dual Mac/PC workstation. eg a 16 core Ryzen, Ampere type set up with a 4k monitor.)
I'll continue to play test. (He says with Z-Brush loaded. Just received another 'random' fan burst... Yes folks. The apps is merely open. Browed the Project folder. Open a model file. Doesn't look too taxing...just basic stuff my old quad core iMac could do in its sleep without sweating about.)
Azrael.
Aye.
What app/s are you eGPU rendering? There has been a trend towards gpus doing 3D rendering.
Azrael.