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iBook fan going crazy!

slooksterPSV

slooksterPSV

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Apr 17, 2004
3,546
309
Nowheresville
I've just been sitting here using my iBook, listening to music, email, internet and the fan is just cranking, you can hear it, its going like if I were working on a big movie project. Anyone know why. yes the hard drive is hot and so is .... ventalation? could that be it. let me see if I can prop it up a bit and get more air under it. Is this a problem if the fan comes on like this constatnly?
 
slooksterPSV said:
I've just been sitting here using my iBook, listening to music, email, internet and the fan is just cranking, you can hear it, its going like if I were working on a big movie project. Anyone know why. yes the hard drive is hot and so is .... ventalation? could that be it. let me see if I can prop it up a bit and get more air under it. Is this a problem if the fan comes on like this constatnly?
Click to expand...

My fan has come on once in a year.
 
Go into the Activity Monitor and see what your CPU usage is. Look for Finder and see if it's using all available resources. If so, force quit it to restart it.
 
If you use it on a surface like a bed, or something soft, the fans will come on real quick. On an iCurve they never do, and on a flat desk, they only do if you render iMovie or a huge PS project or something.
 
Activity Monitor is a good idea but also see if there's anything that could be constantly writing or reading to or from your hard drive such as torrent/P2P apps and ensure the thing is well ventilated. :)
 
Right now, I decided I'd rip some cds, but it started before that. I just listened to a Podcast then started on the Radio - Vocal Trance. I have Adium, Safari, iTunes, Finder, and 9 Dashboard widgets, running. I'll open activity monitor after its finished ripping some music.
 
More RAM will cut down on the OS having to use the hard disk as Virtual RAM. Yay! :)

I wouldn't bother with AppleCare, I think your Mac's just fine.
 
You didn't mention if it was plugged in or not. My rev 4 12: was initially set (in system preferences) for miximum performance when plugged it-- so it ran incredibly hot and the fan ran, just playing itunes and surfing. Crank it back to "normal" and to "better batttery life" when unplugged and you wont hear a lot of fan.
 
Sometimes users have reported suddenly getting a lot of fan activity with an Apple system dot upgrade, and then losing it with the next dot upgrade...no one seems to know why. My fan worked a lot harder during 10.4.2 than it did before that, and it seems to be back to close-to-normal now. Strange strange strange. :confused:
 
mkrishnan said:
Sometimes users have reported suddenly getting a lot of fan activity with an Apple system dot upgrade, and then losing it with the next dot upgrade...no one seems to know why. My fan worked a lot harder during 10.4.2 than it did before that, and it seems to be back to close-to-normal now. Strange strange strange. :confused:
Click to expand...
I had mine sitting flat on the desk, my processor usage is set to max, sorry automatic just won't do for me. I've gotta have that extra 133MHz (right, 1.33 runs as 1.2 with reduced? - my old ibook ran at 500 max, 400 reduced) I use large amounts of RAM and it's amazing. My teacher and I were talking about this today. He has 2GB of RAM in his PMG5. Just working with Photo's he's got that RAM used *snap* like that. If push comes to shove, I'll talk to him about upgrading his RAM from the other computers that don't really have a need for it. E.g. students who really don't use data intensive programs. - I think its a Max Processor/RAM usage thing... but wait... iTunes??? all I had was iTunes, Finder, 1 Widget (calcumatator :p), Mail, Adium, and Safari. Not ripping a CD - listening to a Podcast.
 
slooksterPSV said:
I had mine sitting flat on the desk, my processor usage is set to max, sorry automatic just won't do for me. I've gotta have that extra 133MHz [...] all I had was iTunes, Finder, 1 Widget (calcumatator :p), Mail, Adium, and Safari. Not ripping a CD - listening to a Podcast.
Click to expand...

On the same 12" ibook, with just two or three widgets, itunes, thunderbird and a firefox window or two opened, on max processor, mine gets hot as a firecracker and the fan runs. I think anything with max processor heats up a 12". :( Fortunately, with this kind of light use, I can't tell any performance difference with a lower processor setting.
 
rosalindavenue said:
On the same 12" ibook, with just two or three widgets, itunes, thunderbird and a firefox window or two opened, on max processor, mine gets hot as a firecracker and the fan runs. I think anything with max processor heats up a 12". :( Fortunately, with this kind of light use, I can't tell any performance difference with a lower processor setting.
Click to expand...


Does yours stay nice and cool with a lower processor setting and the light usage you described? I am getting the same iBook that you own and would like to know at about what temperature it would run at with light apps running and auto or reduced processor levels.
 
rye9 said:
Does yours stay nice and cool with a lower processor setting and the light usage you described? I am getting the same iBook that you own and would like to know at about what temperature it would run at with light apps running and auto or reduced processor levels.
Click to expand...

Yes; I use it on my lap all the time; it is generally quite cool on both "reduced power" and "longer battery life." It gets only warm watching DVDs on my lap on "reduced power," and by "warm" I mean not nearly as hot as it does on highest processor setting. Its a great computer.
 
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