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Fans while gaming on iMac?

jpross123

jpross123

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 18, 2012
86
17
Kentucky
I was wondering if the fans are as loud on the iMac while gaming as the late 2011 Macbook Pro 13'. I like to play Minecraft but the fans are so annoying on my Macbook that I don't really want to play it. I am getting a 2011 iMac soon which is why I am asking.

Thanks for your help!
 
The fans on Intell iMacs rarely rev up. This behavior is normal. It is because of the iMac's very well designed heat removal system that uses the iMac's body as a big passive heat sink. This is also the reason why iMacs tend to feel "hot" to the touch.
 
On the iMac in my signature the fans don't seem to increase for anything apart from video encoding. When i play Minecraft or Diablo 3 I can't hear them so I guess they don't increase from the stock speed unless you do something really heavy like video encoding.

I have a MacBook Pro 13" as well and the iMac is pretty much silent in comparison.
 
JaHull said:
On the iMac in my signature the fans don't seem to increase for anything apart from video encoding. When i play Minecraft or Diablo 3 I can't hear them so I guess they don't increase from the stock speed unless you do something really heavy like video encoding.

I have a MacBook Pro 13" as well and the iMac is pretty much silent in comparison.
Click to expand...

My Macbook pro just sounds like its going to take off while playing Minecraft :p
 
I have the base model (In Sig) and the computer well maybe hit 120F when Im playing minecraft, but The fans will not kick up unless I use SMC Fancontrol.
 
At what spec do you play minecraft on? The fans could kick up because it is requiring more from the GPU. Remember for the 13"MBP it is integrated graphics, unlike the iMac with a discreet GPU, and has less of a heat sink than the iMac.

Just out of interest: what iMac are you getting, along with spec?
 
I've played Minecraft/Half Life 2/Portal etc. on my iMac and I haven't noticed any extra fan noise whilst doing it. I sometimes forget it's on because it's so quiet compared to my desktop (which I thought was quiet before I got the iMac :p).
 
jpross123 said:
My Macbook pro just sounds like its going to take off while playing Minecraft :p
Click to expand...

i can also vouch for this happening. I believe it's because Minecraft is really resource heavy and likes to eat up the GPU power really fast, so it can make the fans run. I've left Minecraft open for like 5 hours at a time before and my computer remains fine. I don't think the issue would happen on the iMac since it's better designed + has a separate graphics.
 
macmastersam said:
At what spec do you play minecraft on? The fans could kick up because it is requiring more from the GPU. Remember for the 13"MBP it is integrated graphics, unlike the iMac with a discreet GPU, and has less of a heat sink than the iMac.

Just out of interest: what iMac are you getting, along with spec?
Click to expand...

I usually play the game on the highest settings, which is probably why I hear the fans so much.

It is the base 2011 model
2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
1920 x 1080 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
500GB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB
 
Here is a question, and I don't mean to derail, but I have iStat Menus installed. I created a setting "gaming" that bumps up the fan speed, and turn it on when I play games to keep temps down. Sometimes I forget to turn it on, but I've never heard the fans rev up at all.

My question: does installing iStat menus or SMC fan control alter the natural behavior of the fans therefore putting the components in jeopardy?
 
Intell said:
Just to make my posts slightly more unique. Plus it matches my username very well. Between the misspelling and my signature, I get a few strange comments about them.
Click to expand...

Lol, that's interesting but I somehow thought you would have had a more complicated reason. I thought you were trying to avoid search strings for "intel" leading to this forum because you don't like intel - or something like that.
 
Razorhog said:
Here is a question, and I don't mean to derail, but I have iStat Menus installed. I created a setting "gaming" that bumps up the fan speed, and turn it on when I play games to keep temps down. Sometimes I forget to turn it on, but I've never heard the fans rev up at all.

My question: does installing iStat menus or SMC fan control alter the natural behavior of the fans therefore putting the components in jeopardy?
Click to expand...

No, it only increases the MIN fan speed.

I use MacFan in Windows (similar) to keep my GPU under 80C, while also increasing the GPU clocks.

Without MacFan my 4850M can easily reach 90C in some games.
 
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