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Is it okay to have your fan on full blast for long periods of time?

I

iMackPro

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 31, 2011
333
0
I noticed while i was prepping a movie to watch and then while i was watching it my fans were running pretty good. I just downloaded SMC FC and i really like it I cranked them up as high as they would go! Just for the fun of it, because i cant hear the noise during the movie. I know the entire purpose of the fans is to keep it cool and they are made to be on all the time but is it too much if they are on full speed for lets say about 5 hours straight?

Is it too much to watch like 3 or 4 movies in a row and keep the fans on full blast the whole time? besides battery stuff.
 
iMackPro said:
I know the entire purpose of the fans is to keep it cool and they are made to be on all the time but is it too much if they are on full speed for lets say about 5 hours straight?

Is it too much to watch like 3 or 4 movies in a row and keep the fans on full blast the whole time? besides battery stuff.
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If having them on full blast is what gives you pleasure, I say go for it. The fans are certainly designed to run as much as needed without being damaged. And I think they aren't too hard to replace yourself, either. But I do hope you will find other, more fulfilling pleasures somewhere down the long, winding road of life:eek:.
 
frankieboy said:
If having them on full blast is what gives you pleasure, I say go for it. The fans are certainly designed to run as much as needed without being damaged. And I think they aren't too hard to replace yourself, either. But I do hope you will find other, more fulfilling pleasures somewhere down the long, winding road of life:eek:.
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dude its not like i just sit there and watch my fans spin in circles you ass :eek:

but i do like watching a movie or two and then picking up my computer and using it on my lap to do something, and since i had my fans on full blast for 20 minutes before i started the move, during the movie and after. my mac remained cool the whole time! pretty neat imo, as long as my fans don't die in 2 weeks or one of them fly off inside my mbp and cuts up something crazy, not like that would ever happen but if it DID ever happen, it would happen to me. fml
 
iMackPro said:
well i mean i figured it wouldn't be a problem, but you now how it goes after spending 3k on a laptop you gotta be 100% in the know on anything that could go wrong!
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Yeah I know how that feels... But a few years and a few more Macs will obliterate the worrying ;) I've hammered my iBook, MBP and iMacs and they're still all going fine (except one of the iMacs).
 
I would bet that it may cause premature failure, but nothing abruptly soon...Like only lasting a few years, instead of like 8+ years...In any case you would hear a noticeable sound, like a dry bearing. You could replace the fan ridiculously easy if/when it occurs though.
 
I'm curious, what about running CPU/GPU consuming heavy game for hours with 15" highest BTO? In other words 80~100 temprature (CPU/GPU) for hours. This is the last thing keeping me from buying 2011 model... Would doing so hurt logicboard or chips?
 
hystery said:
I'm curious, what about running CPU/GPU consuming heavy game for hours with 15" highest BTO? In other words 80~100 temprature (CPU/GPU) for hours. This is the last thing keeping me from buying 2011 model... Would doing so hurt logicboard or chips?
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If it did, gaming would void your warranty, don't you think? Go for it, use the thing, you'll probably throw it away or sell it before the chips start to age.
 
If YOUR fans are going crazy, it might be a sign of a serious condition and you might want to check this with your health care provider. :)

Your computer, on the other hand, will be just fine.
 
They will wear out faster. If you don't mind selling you car to get your laptop fans fixed in a year when they die then go for it. Apple charges ridiculous amounts of money for repairs for out of warranty products.
 
I've had to make sure I keep my 2007 Macbook Pro fans on full blast otherwise it gets uncomfortably hot on the bottom. And as a result, I recently had to replace the fans myself(It was about 5 years old.) And I still keep the fans going at the maximum. I see the temperatures of my system using istat widget. And My cpu is hovering at around 130ºf and the heatsink is about 15ºf cooler.
 
Off-Topic question.

I saw you have a 2011 MBP. So do I, but watching 720p HD videos does not make the fans go wild.

You may want to have that checked out first, then you have less to worry about.

FYI 1080p is 1920x1080, which the 1440x900 MBP screen is not capable of. It will look slightly better than 720p, but if you want best performance for least quality sacrificed go with 720p.

OT: Fans are less of a concern than temperature. Prolonged use at high temperatures can reduce the life of several chips, and going above 105º for just a few seconds can internal failure. Don't mind the fans, but keep an eye on your temperature.
 
nsbio said:
If YOUR fans are going crazy, it might be a sign of a serious condition and you might want to check this with your health care provider. :)

Your computer, on the other hand, will be just fine.
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there are many crazy fans out there.. just take a look at Nicky Minaj's fan group.
 
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