My almost three year old iMac Pro (10-core) has over a period of time gotten noisy when running Handbrake, Final Cut Pro, basically anything that uses all of the processor cores. It is now noisier than my wife's 2020 8-core 27-inch iMac. My guess is that dust has built up inside. I took it to Apple, they ran their diagnostics, said there are no hardware issues so it must be software. What should I do at this point?
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iMac Pro Fan Noise
- Thread starter FredT2
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My iMac Pro have started to sound louder as well. Bought it last year. It has been dead silent all the time but suddenly started to sound louder even that the fans rpm are at 1100. I wonder if replacing the fans will help here. I am extremely picky about noise levels and that is why I payed premium and bought the Pro instead of the i9 iMac.
I wonder if the latest Mojave update have something to do with it since it was after this I started to even notice the fans noise level. But they are at 1100 rpm which I suppose is the lowest level they can run at?
I wonder if the latest Mojave update have something to do with it since it was after this I started to even notice the fans noise level. But they are at 1100 rpm which I suppose is the lowest level they can run at?
Mine is not any louder at idle. I've always been able to hear it, but it doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the ramping up to full speed when it's under load. I took it in to Apple, told them what I thought the problem was (dust build-up), but because it passed all of their hardware tests, they said there's nothing wrong with it and wouldn't open it up.
Yes I guess it would be hard for their test software to discover dust. =) I bought apple care+ for mine.
Wish somehow now I did not because then I could at least open it up myself to clean it or change the fan module.
Wish somehow now I did not because then I could at least open it up myself to clean it or change the fan module.
It most likely is dust accumulation. Marco Arment has noted on ATP that his iMac Pro's fans have gotten louder over the years and he expects it is dust accumulation.
Right, but what does one do about it? I bought the computer with AppleCare for that very reason, but Apple won't do anything.
I imagine Apple doesn't consider it a warranty item since it is environmental in nature. If the dust gums up one of the fans and they stop working or makes a squealing sounds, that would be something considered eligible for warranty repair.
That being said, you could ask. People have reported on this forum that they have seen Apple Geniuses doing some fan cleaning (without taking the machine apart).
Some say you can vacuum the fan intake and exhaust ports to try and clear stuff out. Not sure how effective it is and while some worry about static discharge, others say that with the case on and machine off this is a non-issue. I have heard it is generally not recommended to blow compressed air inside as it could just blow the dust around inside the case.
Last year I opened up my iMac to swap the HDD for an SSD and it was incredible just how much dust there was in there. There was dust around the fan and it was caked on the blades too. I'm not sure how effective it would be to blow compressed air in there and or vacuum. If/when Apple care expires, you could remove the screen yourself (a royal pain in the butt) or get a 3rd party to do it. You could try another Apple store location to see they will open up the machine. Or, if they will do the fan cleaning without opening it up (as CWallace mentioned), then it would be on them if there was a problem.
We have two of these and they've both definitely gotten louder over the last couple of years - even with the fans at idle. The odd thing is that it's not consistent. Last week I could clearly hear mine with the fans at 1100 rpm. Today I can't.
Had a similar situation with my 2012 27" iMac.
After 8 years, fan was quite rattly and noisey. There is only one solution if you want to do it properly. And that is to replace the fan with a new one. Blowing dust out of the existing fan, will still not make it sound "brand new" again.
I bought a genuine fan off eBay, and replaced it myself. iMac is now dead silent again like it was when brand new.
After 8 years, fan was quite rattly and noisey. There is only one solution if you want to do it properly. And that is to replace the fan with a new one. Blowing dust out of the existing fan, will still not make it sound "brand new" again.
I bought a genuine fan off eBay, and replaced it myself. iMac is now dead silent again like it was when brand new.