Heat Control

[paulcons]

So got a M4 Mini 6 months ago. Under load (game) it can get pretty hot. Now that it is broiling outside, it’s almost too hot not to have something melt. Have long used Macs Fan Control, just found out it will work with my machine. Ran it, seems the fan was spinning around 1400 (out of something like 4900). Looking at the measured temps, I see about 60° being the top end. Oddly enough, on my 5,1 I ran the app to keep my Northbridge in the low 60s, while many others said low 70s was fine. I do want the fans to kick higher than that but am unsure which sensors to target for custom control. Auto seems wrong, seems it should run higher than 1400. I lack a look at the temps when my room was in the 70s as opposed to the 90s in there now, so need some advice from the good folks here.

 

[dmccloud]

The M4 can easily run up to 100-105C before throttling, so I'm not surprised that your fans are running around 1400RPM at 60C. Right now, the fans in my MBP are off and the SOC temp is at 40C. Even if I turn on Auto Max in TG Pro the fans remain turned off at 40C.

 

[paulcons]

Look, at 60° to 70° the case is just about too hot to touch, like leaving a finger for more than 30 seconds will result in a burn situation. Curious what can explain the same SOC running 20° cooler in the MBP than the mini?

 

[M4th]

So got a M4 Mini 6 months ago. Under load (game) it can get pretty hot. Now that it is broiling outside, it’s almost too hot not to have something melt. Have long used Macs Fan Control, just found out it will work with my machine. Ran it, seems the fan was spinning around 1400 (out of something like 4900). Looking at the measured temps, I see about 60° being the top end. Oddly enough, on my 5,1 I ran the app to keep my Northbridge in the low 60s, while many others said low 70s was fine. I do want the fans to kick higher than that but am unsure which sensors to target for custom control. Auto seems wrong, seems it should run higher than 1400. I lack a look at the temps when my room was in the 70s as opposed to the 90s in there now, so need some advice from the good folks here.

I chose CPU Performance Core 1 for the temperature sensor.

If you can, it would be interesting to see a screenshot to compare:

Also, temp of room is around 70° F (21° C).

We keep hearing that the mini runs hot and that it's OK. Makes me wonder if it eventually does take a toll to have your higher temps instead of what's considered usual?

 

[MacCheetah3]

[...] like leaving a finger for more than 30 seconds will result in a burn situation.

FYI, the top of the case is primarily/foremost radiating the power supply heat.

Apple’s Redesigned Mac mini Has An Aesthetically-Pleasing Power Supply, With Components Aligned Horizontally To Save Space, Tiny Cable Power Entire Computer

A closer look at the redesigned Mac mini shows just how compact and neatly designed its power supply is, and it drives the computer using a tiny cable

wccftech.com

Because of the following thread, I recently (re-)ran some tests, comparing default/auto fan curve to full blast in up to ~27ºC/81ºF ambient.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mini-m4-pro-14core-hitting-103-104c-tg-pro-settings.2459274/

I don’t have the data formatted, etc yet. Nonetheless, suffice it to say, there’s a performance increase with max, aggressive cooling but not as much as most would probably assume.

Ran it, seems the fan was spinning around 1400 (out of something like 4900).

When the CPU is under full load (e.g., Cinebench 2024, Endurance), the fan speed maxed out at ~3150 RPM. CB2024 GPU test required, triggered far less fan speed. And 4900 RPM is loud, in my opinion, much more noticeable than what Apple has the fan set to actually max at.
Note: I am using an M4 Pro Mac mini.

I do want the fans to kick higher than that but am unsure which sensors to target for custom control.

I guess, CPU Core Average or, as @M4th noted, Performance Core 1.
Even if the GPU cores heat up more than the CPU cores at times, it’s more often the CPU will be (much) hotter.

 

[dmccloud]

Look, at 60° to 70° the case is just about too hot to touch, like leaving a finger for more than 30 seconds will result in a burn situation. Curious what can explain the same SOC running 20° cooler in the MBP than the mini?

According to TGPro, my temps with an M4 Pro are similar to what M4th posted earlier in the thread:




Are the vents on the bottom of your mini blocked or obstructed?

 

[Kenny99]

What have you done to help with cooling? Added some rubber feet to the bottom of the Mini, set it on its side to increase air flow, ensure that the fan (in the Mini) is dust free? If you are really concerned and want to try something how about a "Desk top Fridge, frost free"

Frigidaire Red Mini Personal Fridge Cooler, 1 Gal Capacity fits Six Cans, Includes Plugs for Home Outlet & DC Charger - 9.9" D x 7.1" W x 10.6" H​

(on Amazon) add a hole for cables and seal the hole. (add all cables whether you use them of not so you can seal the hole) I just don't have the need for this much cooling but still thinking about it just because.