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iMac Pro iMac Pro - constant fan noise at idle

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Spacey_Mac18

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 13, 2018
3
0
Hi,

I have bought a new iMac Pro (the 8-core standard configuration) and I‘m really confused because I can hear the fan blowing all the time - even if I don‘t use any apps. Although this constant sound is not really loud it’s still annoying.
Until now I used a Macbook Pro and it was totally silent at idle.

Is it normal that there is a constant blowing noise of the iMac Pro at idle???
Or could there be a defect?
 
Spacey_Mac18 said:
Hi,

I have bought a new iMac Pro (the 8-core standard configuration) and I‘m really confused because I can hear the fan blowing all the time - even if I don‘t use any apps. Although this constant sound is not really loud it’s still annoying.
Until now I used a Macbook Pro and it was totally silent at idle.

Is it normal that there is a constant blowing noise of the iMac Pro at idle???
Or could there be a defect?
Click to expand...

should be silent. It sounds like it could be a defect.

mine only blows when using all cores rendering.
 
So, you don‘t hear any sound at all when the iMac pro is at idle?
Because the fans of my iMac Pro are blowing constantly on a low level. If I put my hands under the screen I can feel a very light stream of air blowing - and I assume that this is producing this constant light sound.
But the constant fan blowing remains at the same level when using apps like Safari, Xcode, Youtube etc.
 
Get on the phone with Apple support first. They can log in and run tests over the internet while on the phone with you. Sometimes, these things can be diagnosed and repaired — depending on what the issue is.

There's always the possibility that some ancient bit of code is making your Pro working and you aren't at idle at all. In 2012, I had a 2005 HP print driver give me all sorts of grief till it was found and deleted.

Worth a shot.
 
Mine doesn't really make a noise even when it isn't at idle and all cores are pushed to the max. Quite a change compared to the regular iMac.
 
RobbieTT said:
Mine doesn't really make a noise even when it isn't at idle and all cores are pushed to the max. Quite a change compared to the regular iMac.
Click to expand...

Its an engineering miracle compared to the regular iMac ! my fans are barely on and only after pushing it hard they blow.
the amount of heat coming out the back in 'regular' use when it is silent is very surprising to me - it is super hot.
By regular use I mean loads of safari tabs, all my apps open inc adobe apps, acad, fusion, rhino etc....I love the speed of this thing!
 
mikehalloran said:
I have about 150 open on three monitors during my day gig on a 2010 27" i7. If that's the only thing I used it for, I wouldn't be looking at the Pro.

Does it really run hot when it's just a bunch of browser tabs open?
Click to expand...

Well done. Did you selectively miss all the other apps I said I have open..... they max out all cores and 32gb ram and certainly would cause a lot of trouble on your iMac! The safari comment is very minor in comparison, but was to give an idea of what I use a professional workstation for.
And you would see from my previous comments what happens with the fans.
 
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Hello everyone, thank you very very much for all your helpful answers.
I will get in contact with Apple Support and I‘ll keep you updated.
 
richinaus said:
Well done. Did you selectively miss all the other apps I said I have open.
Click to expand...
I didn't miss that. I asked the specific question I need answered which is if the Pro runs really hot with a huge number of browser tabs open.

I expect that some apps I run will tax the system but I don't run those 8–10 hours daily. Three windows on as many monitors with 150 or more tabs is, however, and if I need to run my AC 8 months of the year to be comfortable again (my G5), it's a deal killer for me for the Pro.
 
All current iMacs have a fan (or fans) that run 100% of the time. They never spin down. They only get faster and louder under load. In a quiet room they are definitely audible even at idle.

Perhaps yours is unusually loud due to a problem, but barring that, it's normal to hear the fans in a quiet environment even at idle.

(I can't stand fan noise, but I've manually turned my iMac's fans down below the normal minimum of 1200 RPM with a nice improvement in the idle noise.)
 
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