iMac SMC Firmware Update 1.1 - Fan Noise - Late 2013 27 iMac

[bp1000]

I'll put my ear and see. I am thoroughly impressed with the machine. OS X is just so much easier to use. Multi desktops and how well its integrated is brilliant when working from home without needing more screens.

OSX is stunning when you compare it to windows 8.

Without going off on a tangent to this thread... i have to use Windows 8 for 1 program for work and as i got into gaming again i decided to bootcamp and not virtual this time. Windows 8 is truly awful. A bold and bad decision with elements of vista left over, bits of windows 7 stuck in there and terrible usability.

OSX runs rings around the latest windows and all windows for that matter. I don't think you have to be an apple fan to come to that conclusion. Enjoy

 

[Arfdog]

Bottom line here, is the 2012 is damn near silent. It's extremely quiet. No complaints here. Even if Apple made a new iMac truly dead silent, no moving parts, I still wouldn't notice or care one way or the other.

Most normal people (probably excludes many MacRumorers) would say the same .

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I think the reason why the fan noise seems so prominent is the absence of the physical HDD. I'm betting that if we ordered a Fusion Drive instead we wouldn't hear the fan but we *would* be hearing the HDD spinning. So, I think it's a "pick your poison" kind of thing. Either have an HDD with a barely noticeable fan or a barely noticeable fan with no HDD noise.

I hope this helps.

I have the Fusion Drive and I have zero HDD noise 95% of the time.

 

[SkullCrusher]

Ok so I have had received the replacement for my mac and it still makes these same noise.

What should I do next? I wonder if its anything to do with migrating everything from my previous iMac to these new ones?

 

[Philgr]

Ok so I have had received the replacement for my mac and it still makes these same noise.

What should I do next? I wonder if its anything to do with migrating everything from my previous iMac to these new ones?

Exactly the same here - wonder if we are expecting too much

 

[bp1000]

Ok so I have had received the replacement for my mac and it still makes these same noise.

What should I do next? I wonder if its anything to do with migrating everything from my previous iMac to these new ones?

Was yours the mechanical type rattling noise from the fan?

I swapped out a few iMacs and managed to get two which didn't do that but they had the crackling. I just bump the brightness up to 5 or 6 and that goes.

I tries new installs, migrations and not updating the SMC, nothing made a difference and it isn't related to mountain lion or mavericks.

 

[SkullCrusher]

Yes maybe we are expecting too much? Just others say they're silent.

I spoke to someone in the Norwich apple store yesterday and he said that it should be silent.

Bit disappointed with my purchase so far.

Im going to a try a clean install and not migrate my details and see what happens.

 

[MacOG728893]

Was yours the mechanical type rattling noise from the fan?

I swapped out a few iMacs and managed to get two which didn't do that but they had the crackling. I just bump the brightness up to 5 or 6 and that goes.

I tries new installs, migrations and not updating the SMC, nothing made a difference and it isn't related to mountain lion or mavericks.

Mine does not sounds mechanical. It sounds like a fan moving air around. This would seem normal to most people, but it didn't have any air noise before the firmware update. I'm thinking the fans weren't cooling things well enough and the firmware update adjusted the fans.

I'm over it now. My CalDigit external devices make way more fan noise than the iMac. If it's not one thing, it's another

 

[Philgr]

Well i am sat waiting for Mr UPS to collect my original order AND replacement iMac, my 2nd and fingers crossed final replacement will be processed once UPS have confirmed that have taken possession.

My original iMac has a constant whirl / purring noise, which when the machine was put under load changed to an blowing / air movement sound i.e. the fan speed increasing.

My replacement was silent and then would start with the whirl /purring noise only slightly louder than the previous machine, this was with no increase fan speed (1200rpm).

I am currently sat at my 2009 iMac which is totally silent, you cannot hear anything form this even with your ear pushed up against the it.

Im starting to think i should have waited a bit longer and stumped up for a nMP

Fingers crossed for iMac No3

btw - zero arguments from apple, excellent customer service

PG

 

[Brian Y]

Well i am sat waiting for Mr UPS to collect my original order AND replacement iMac, my 2nd and fingers crossed final replacement will be processed once UPS have confirmed that have taken possession.

My original iMac has a constant whirl / purring noise, which when the machine was put under load changed to an blowing / air movement sound i.e. the fan speed increasing.

My replacement was silent and then would start with the whirl /purring noise only slightly louder than the previous machine, this was with no increase fan speed (1200rpm).

I am currently sat at my 2009 iMac which is totally silent, you cannot hear anything form this even with your ear pushed up against the it.

Im starting to think i should have waited a bit longer and stumped up for a nMP

Fingers crossed for iMac No3

btw - zero arguments from apple, excellent customer service

PG

That just sounds like a fan - can you record the noise for us?

Maybe the new iMacs just have a louder fan!

 

[Zenton]

I seriously think people are just expecting too much. For (normal) people the iMac is indeed a very silent computer. But for one who expects absolutely no sound from the machine, it is "loud".

I was expecting a completely silent iMac. Then I heard very faint fan noise. I was disappointed. I thought something was wrong. Then I used my old MacBook, a friend's PC laptop and a tower PC. They all had FAR louder fan noises.

I guess the point is, that everything can be ruined by expecting unrealistic things. Like a COMPLETELY silent iMac.

 

[MacOG728893]

I seriously think people are just expecting too much. For (normal) people the iMac is indeed a very silent computer. But for one who expects absolutely no sound from the machine, it is "loud".

I was expecting a completely silent iMac. Then I heard very faint fan noise. I was disappointed. I thought something was wrong. Then I used my old MacBook, a friend's PC laptop and a tower PC. They all had FAR louder fan noises.

I guess the point is, that everything can be ruined by expecting unrealistic things. Like a COMPLETELY silent iMac.

My 2009 at idle was dead silent. It's not unrealistic by any means.

 

[Philgr]

Update - iMac No 3

Well i have just taken delivery of my 2nd replacement iMac and.....

Its completely silent at idle - no whirling /purring fan - i am proper happy and feel slightly relieved because was beginning to doubt myself that was expecting too much

I am in the process of reinstalling all my application etc.., i have installed iStat Menus to keep an eye on the fan, its currently @ 1192rpm and i cannot hear it and as a final check i have put my first replacement iMac next to the new on and fired it up and straight away you notice the noisy fan.

Yet again very happy with apple service dept, this one arrived in record time and different from the last 2 this one was built in Ireland , maybe there is a batch of faulty fans in the china assembly facility ?

Phil G

 

[bp1000]

Phil mine came from Ireland and I received silent ones too. Just that the silent ones crackle at low brightness.

However my wife can't hear it as the crackle is quite high pitched so might just be my ears.

 

[xraydoc]

My iMac's fan at idle can't be heard over the sound of the two RAID boxes also on my desk. So I really have no idea if the iMac makes much noise or not. But regardless, it's multiple dB quieter than my Mac Pro 1,1 was (of course, so is a jackhammer).

 

[quagmire]

I can hear the fan when there is zero background noise. If the ac turns on, my fridge turns on, etc it's easily drowned out.

I don't know if people are having problems or since they are in completely silent rooms the only noise is the fan. Or mine is defective. Haha.