Fanned cooling pad for Mac Mini?

[The Saint]

I'm in Arizona in July, looking at an outside temp of 93 F (at 2 am) and currently have iStat Pro Menus showing internal temp of 62 C and fan speed of 2387rpm...

First, are these temps the danger I think they are to my Mini? Second, does anyone know of a cooling system I could place near or under the Mini to lower the internal temp and fan speed to healthier levels?

 

[techound1]

How about a laptop cooling pad (the spinning fans thing)?

 

[drconehead2000]

My macmini is in a climate controlled environment and keeps the fans pretty consistently around 1500 rpm with cpu temps around 51-55...that said...the fan for the mini is on the back so I dont think a cooling pad that has fans will help the way it does with a laptop (where the fan vents usually are on the bottom)....hope this helps... but I dont think your system is in trouble at the range you specify.

 

[The Saint]

Well, the reason I was considering a fan is that my (then current) temperature wasn't the highest I was getting, only a median. The peak temp hung around 75 C with fan speed of 4800 rpm or higher.

Now I know the fan is in the back, I can feel hot air being pushed from there. The reason I was thinking of a cooling pad is that the intake vents for the Mini, as most of you know and some may not, are located on the bottom edge of the machine. Always better to cool the air going into them as much as possible.

If the consensus is still that peak temps like the ones listed in this post aren't really a problem, I won't worry about it. It's not a problem with the machine's internal cooling, it's the external temperature the machine is operating in, 110+ degree climate outdoors and minimal air conditioning in the current residence. I can handle it -- just want to make sure my investment and livelihood can handle it.

 

[drconehead2000]

Honestly..I' not sure. My CPU and Fans have gotten that high when I have many app's open including CS3, web browser, itunes, and a few other things.

I guess its just a judgment call.

Alex

 

[snberk103]

check the Mini Tech Specs

Check the technical specifications for the Mini on the Apple site, or your paper manual if you still have it. Somewhere it should list the ambient temperature range the Mini is designed to work in. That will at least give you an indication of whether to be worried or not.

In general, move the Mini closer to the floor since warm air rises, and ensure the Mini has room room to breathe... ie that the warm exhaust air isn't being trapped and sucked back in the intakes.... but it sounds like you would already have that covered, so that that may be stating the obvious.

Good Luck.... you probably don't need to worry, is my gut feeling....

 

[Arosuperfly83]

I want a cooling pad also

I found this forum in search of a cooling pad for the Mac Mini. Is what I would like is a nice thinner version of the NewerTech miniStack that is only set up with a usb fan to cool the mini down.

I am pretty sure such a device does not exist, but if anyone knows of something similar please let me know.

In regards to your temps... In general cool is always better. At the rate of processor/ram increases we are seeing, new systems are continuing to run hotter and hotter. A cooler system will potentially add additional years to a system. Plain and simple. One reason laptops don't last as long as desktops (in general) is because they are not cooled down as efficiently and consistently. The mini is a desktop, yet with laptop components that are crammed tightly together, and is thus akin to a laptop. One good thing is that it wont ever be on your lap getting even more heat (at least I hope not).

If you are experiencing those temps on a casual basis then I would not worry, but if it is consistent - look further for cooling pads and perhaps get the smallest laptop cooling pad available to put underneath (there may be a netbook cooling pad out there that would work good, im not sure).

Apple will likely say those temps are fine, as the computer is built to handle such heat. Which is true in an immediate sense, however, it is still not good for the life of the computer.

As for my mini, it doesnt run that hot consistently even after putting in a new 320GB 7200 RPM drive. Yet, I would like to cool it down anyway as to add life to the computer, and I do see temp peaks when using CS4 while multitasking with many other apps. (I also just moved to Sacramento and am expecting it to be a hot summer as usual).

So continue to look, and those that know of any potential solutions please continue to post.