Is My 5K iMac Overheating?

[ghsDUDE]

Hi Guys -

I just got my new 5K iMac (Late 2015) and I'm burning my Blu-Rays over to my external hard drive via HandBrake.

I felt the back of my computer and I noticed it felt hot. I downloaded iStat Menus and saw this information - Is my computer running too hot?

If so, is this normal/should I do anything to cool it? (Temperature in Fahrenheit)

 

[maflynn]

Handbrake is a rather intensive program and so that will account for your iMac to run rather hot. The CPU will throttle itself when it gets too hot, though I would maybe recommend it cools down a bit before burning any more blu-rays

 

[ghsDUDE]

Handbrake is a rather intensive program and so that will account for your iMac to run rather hot. The CPU will throttle itself when it gets too hot, though I would maybe recommend it cools down a bit before burning any more blu-rays

So, is my computer too hot? Why is my fan only at 1300 rpm?

Looking at a bunch of threads and supposedly the problem has gone away...am I wrong.

 

[maflynn]

So, is my computer too hot? Why is my fan only at 1300 rpm?

No, though you may try to reset the SMC, that may very well fix the fans.

Looking at a bunch of threads and supposedly the problem has gone away...am I wrong.

Its my understanding that even on Skylake, if you push the CPU hard (like encoding blu-ray), you'll be generating heat. I don't use handbrake, so I don't know if those temps are too hot, but I do know that using that app will cause a spike in the temps.

 

[ghsDUDE]

No, though you may try to reset the SMC, that may very well fix the fans.


Its my understanding that even on Skylake, if you push the CPU hard (like encoding blu-ray), you'll be generating heat. I don't use handbrake, so I don't know if those temps are too hot, but I do know that using that app will cause a spike in the temps.

Thanks. What does SMC mean? And do I need to reset it if my computer is brand new?

And would I feel heat in the bottom or back? The bottom is cool (can't feel anything) but I do feel the heat on the back by the Memory...

 

[maflynn]

Reset SMC

While you're at it, why not zap the PRAM (NVRAM)

 

[CWallace]

My 2015 iMac 5K does not work the fans nearly as hard with Handbrake as my 2014 iMac 5K did, so 1300RPM fan speed may be fine.

 

[ghsDUDE]

Reset SMC

While you're at it, why not zap the PRAM (NVRAM)

Dang...I've been doing this.

My new surge protector comes in on Tuesday and I live in the lightning capital of the US...so for the last 2 days when I'm not using it I shut it down (properly) and unplug it from the power chord (I've probably done it 2-3 times).

So technically, I guess I've done a SMC reset.

Should I continue to do this until my Surge protector arrives (on Tuesday) or not? I've read a few articles on here (and on Apple Support) where they say resetting SMC is a bad thing to do?

 

[ghsDUDE]

Hey Guys -

What temperature would be considered too hot? Just to reference, I'm not burning Blu-Rays, I'm copying them onto an external hard drive. Should I mess with Macs Fan Control so I can turn the fan up so it doesn't get too hot or leave it as is?

 

[Astelith]

The CPU of the newer iMacs can safely run at 200-210°F, plus the internal thermal protection will lower the clock and voltage in case the temp goes over 215°F.
You can't burn your CPU, even if your fan is not working properly.