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Fan problems?

R

robot62155

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 5, 2011
32
0
Hi everybody, this is only my second post so bear with me please. I have a Macbook Pro 2011 that I bought this June. I downloaded a software that would control the fans and decided it might screw up my computer so I deleted it. I felt that the fans were to loud so I did a few SMC reboots and now I am not sure if my fans are working correctly. I hear a faint sound and I have located it to be coming out of the right side of the computer right next to the track pad. I'm not sure if this is a fan, modem, or I'm just being paranoid. Does anybody else hear this and is it normal. I have hardware protection so I can get the fans replaced if I need to but I would rather not. Please help me. :)
 
Well from what I gather, you are describing the location of the hard disk. They do make some noise, including what might be described as kind of a scratching sound when reading and writing, although the actual level of noise will vary from one drive to another.

If it is very faint, it is probably nothing to worry about.
 
Thanks

Thanks for responding and I know exactly what you are talking about with the hard disk. I was describing something else but ever since I first got the computer I have been hearing that scratching noise. Is that completely normal?
 
robot62155 said:
Hi everybody, this is only my second post so bear with me please. I have a Macbook Pro 2011 that I bought this June. I downloaded a software that would control the fans and decided it might screw up my computer so I deleted it. I felt that the fans were to loud so I did a few SMC reboots and now I am not sure if my fans are working correctly. I hear a faint sound and I have located it to be coming out of the right side of the computer right next to the track pad. I'm not sure if this is a fan, modem, or I'm just being paranoid. Does anybody else hear this and is it normal. I have hardware protection so I can get the fans replaced if I need to but I would rather not. Please help me. :)
Click to expand...

Reinstall SMC and it will show the RPMs of each fan. I had a fan go out and it only read 0 RPM.
 
Probably you used some software which prevented the system from taking control of the fans and didn't reassign the right priorities. If that's so, download my app (look at my signature), open it and close it. Every time you quit it, the default context gets set.

If that's still doesn't work and has really something to do with the fans (given that there's actually some problem), that could be hardware related.
 
Not sure what to do....

LostSoul80 said:
Probably you used some software which prevented the system from taking control of the fans and didn't reassign the right priorities. If that's so, download my app (look at my signature), open it and close it. Every time you quit it, the default context gets set.

If that's still doesn't work and has really something to do with the fans (given that there's actually some problem), that could be hardware related.
Click to expand...


Well, I'm sure that your app works, but I don't want to risk screwing up my computer again. What are you telling me to do. Are you saying that I should open your app and then just close it? Will this tell my computer to take control of the fans again? Thanks for the response by the way.

EDIT...

Also what do you mean by install SMC Greenchiliman?
 
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Thanks

LostSoul80 said:
Exactly.
Try also setting a target, then quit it. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks so much everybody. That is exactly what I wanted to hear. You all rock and thanks for helping me. I am definantly going to use the website more often. And here is something really random but I found the Titanic online and I watched it. If anybody wants to see it go to this website.

http://www.watchmoviestreaming.com/?p=234
Happy Holidays!

EDIT
Well I downloaded the app and I think it helped my problem, however. I already made an appointment at the apple store and since I have free hardware care I guess I will still go in because I want them to check it out. Maybe there is some dust or something in the fan. Once again thanks everybody for your help, you have definantly turned me on to this website, and happy holidays!

EDIT 2
One more quick question. What is the ideal temperature I would want to keep my Mac at, and is it good for the fans to always be running with this app?
 
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Don't be overly concerned about the Mac`s temperatures, OS X will take care of that for you. SMC fan Control is useful for setting profiles up; battery, mains, charging and you can assign set minimum RPM`s or just anticipate a heavy load

UltaFan allows a preset maximum temperature to be maintained by increasing/decreasing fan RPM`s. simple and effective for those that wish to maintain temperature

In general OX S does a good job of thermal managment and for most and can be left to its own devices. Older Mac`s benefit more from 3rd party cooling apps, my own MBP 2.4 C2D Penryn idles at over 60C versus its replacement MBP 8.2 2.4 i7 SandyBridge
 
Queen6 said:
Don't be overly concerned about the Mac`s temperatures, OS X will take care of that for you. SMC fan Control is useful for setting profiles up; battery, mains, charging and you can assign set minimum RPM`s or just anticipate a heavy load

UltaFan allows a preset maximum temperature to be maintained by increasing/decreasing fan RPM`s. simple and effective for those that wish to maintain temperature

In general OX S does a good job of thermal managment and for most and can be left to its own devices. Older Mac`s benefit more from 3rd party cooling apps, my own MBP 2.4 C2D Penryn idles at over 60C versus its replacement MBP 8.2 2.4 i7 SandyBridge
Click to expand...
Ok thanks for the help. I took it in to apple today and they said everything was fine. I guess I was being a little paranoid.
 
robot62155 said:
Ok thanks for the help. I took it in to apple today and they said everything was fine. I guess I was being a little paranoid.
Click to expand...

No problem: The outer temperature of the aluminum case can be alarming for those relatively new to Apple & OS X, which in turn draws many to focus on the internal temperatures. It`s possible to reduce the the outer case temperature and fan RPM`s to some extents, with some specific powered coolers like the Moshi Zefyr 2, most regular PC orientated coolers do little or nothing as they are not designed with Mac`s in mind.

Passive coolers work well with Mac`s RainDesign`s iLap, Mstand & AViiQ portable laptop stand are excellent examples, and once again they help to reduce the case temperature and fan RPM`s. As for internal temperatures the only solution is the internal fans and the management of them.

Third party solutions such as SMC Fan Control, UltraFan and several others simply override OS X`s cooling algorithm. They can bring positives and negatives; cooler case & internal temperature, put you in control of system temperature. Greater noise, reduced fan lifecycle (high RPM`s will draw in more dust in dry environments) some apps run daemons and can be problematic to fully remove and reset default RPM`s.

All in all I run SMC Fan Control to monitor and add 1K RPM while charging, preferring the passive cooler stands. The Moshi Zefyr adds another dimension, and it does as advertised just mind we are talking about reducing case temp not internals...
 
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