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Keeping the MP cool over the summer

fluidedge

fluidedge

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 1, 2007
1,365
16
Any tips on keeping the MP cool - it's getting a bit hot here in the UK and my iStat numbers are about 10 degrees higher than from a few weeks ago.

the numbers range from about 27 - 35 with the memory being a bit higher at about 50 degrees C.

Are these numbers about right?

Are there any apps you can download that help keep the mac pro cool - i don't mind a bit of extra noise from the fans as i usually have noise from itunes to drown it out.
 
Is it the new mac pro, these seem to run cooler.

Those numbers are normal, only my power supply fan seems to be going faster, but only by an extra 74rpm lol.

I wouldn't worry
 
Mines gone up as well (surprise surprise) The RAM being the hottest at 51ºC while in a pretty much idle state, still well within what is acceptable, and i have not doubts that the mac will keep these figures well below the point things go pop :)

However, if you really are super concerned about it, SMC fan control is what you want, just crank up the RPM and watch the temps fall
 
I boost my MP's fan in the summer months to 1300 RPM with SMC Fan Control. Makes a tad bit more noise, but better than overheating. Especially with 2 video cards and 4 hard drives...
 
smc doesn't seem to work for me??

It seems to only work with laptops? I have the new (january 08) mac pro.
 
You don't really need to do ANYTHING to keep your Mac Pro cool, it's been designed to operate in normal conditions and a UK summer is hardly something which is going to cause any problems. Yes, your internal temperatures are going to be a bit higher due to the higher ambient temperature, but it's still well within the normal temperatures the components are designed to operate in.

I used to get all obsessed with fan speeds, temperatures etc when I was in the land of high-end gaming PCs, however with a Mac it's ultimately enjoyable just to be able to plug the thing in, turn it on and forget about it's inner workings. Just use your machine, forget about the internal temperatures, fan speeds etc and enjoy it like you would any other electronic device :)
 
fluidedge said:
Any tips on keeping the MP cool - it's getting a bit hot here in the UK
Click to expand...

Amuses me that you think it's getting hot in the UK. Try where I live, which is Darwin in northern Australia. Temperatures can get as high as 38 degrees celsius, with humidity near 100%.

Right now, the temperatures are around 33 degrees celsius, and the humidity has diminished significantly. I'm not using the air-conditioning, instead just sitting under a fan, and my Jan 2008 Mac Pro seems quite content.
 
being british we don't react very well to anything other than 12 degrees C and rain.

It got up to about 25 yesterday! Positivly boiling i'm sure you'll agree!

The entire road/transport system collapses under 5mm of snow too!
 
LOL, I recall - shouldn't you be outside turning red like a lobster, making the most of the great weather. ; D

But smcFanControl does the job quite nicely. Though I hardly need it for normal usage, only when I render or game. Even in hot conditions of 25+, with no AC/Fan in the room.
 
Im also in the UK, and my temps have risen recently too. Nothing to worry about though, the UK will never cause the MP any problems. My old quad core PC used to idle at 50C, so the temps we get on these are fabulous.

I agree 12C and rain, or i am FAR too hot. :p
 
My OWC ram has hit 61c since day one. It's going to be hotter than that in the coming months.

If you're worried, take the side panel off. I think that may help 5-10 degrees.
 
i was downloading the old version of smc fan control! It's working now.

Great little tool. Will be really useful to just up each fan by 400rpm and you don't even notice the difference.

cheers.

It's a bit cooler here today, about 23 degrees C. :D
 
just in the last 5 mins i've brought the memory temps down from 51 to 44
 
Its not the temp of my mac pro im worried about this summer - its me and my room!

The mac pro fans have gotten louder to cope, but this does mean that it acts as a radiator for my room lol..might have to pick up a desk fan just to keep me at a reasonable temp lol :)
 
Spud1 said:
Its not the temp of my mac pro im worried about this summer - its me and my room!

The mac pro fans have gotten louder to cope, but this does mean that it acts as a radiator for my room lol..might have to pick up a desk fan just to keep me at a reasonable temp lol :)
Click to expand...

Tell me about it... my room is like an oven with my Mac Pro on. I usually leave it on 24/7, but after the recent warm weather, I've taken to sleeping it when not in use, the room ends up noticeably cooler after a while :rolleyes:
 
m1stake said:
Taking off the side panel disrupts air the way air is supposed to flow, it's a bad idea.
Click to expand...

I thought that was just with the G5?

Anyways, no need to worry about the MP overheating. I went through a brutal summer last year, I even kept the MP inside a cabinet (don't ask me how) and it actually turned out fine.

Of all Apple Computers, the Mac Pro is the finest one because it has the fewest amount of problems if any (for what I've used, so don't bash me if I'm wrong)
 
It is just the beginning of May, but already the room temp where my MP is placed, reaches 27 degrees C when not running the AC continously. This temp reading is according to iStat (it says ambient temp is 27 C). When reaching such a high temp, the PSU fan gets busy, cranking up from the default 599 rpm to around 700. When pushing the Mac a bit when working or gaming, the PSU fan goes up to 750 (this is without smc fan control, obviously).

The rest of the fans stay put at their default settings. With this, I can hear the machine's fan noise all the time, so I won't use smc fan control unless necessary.

The slightly more worrying bit is the fact that the memory temps are getting high. I don't know what is considered normal, or a safe maxed out temp limit for RAM. I've got 10 GB in total (2 x 4 GB from OWC and 2 x 1 GB stock RAM from Apple). Almost all of the memory modules tend to max out at 64-65 C (when I stress the system with heavy work over a longer period of time - say 3 hours and more), but two modules - A1 and A2 - reaches 75 C at times.

Is this reason to get worried? If so, then I might just have to start using smc fan control, at least during the summer months. Or I could install an extra fan for the RAM modules, but that would probably not make the system any less noisy.
 
Plus being an aluminum enclosure should mean that the MP acts like one big heatsink.
 
Pointless topic. Unless your mac pro has five 10,000 rpm hard drives, 8 ram slots filled, is overclocked, with broken thermal control software (built into the OS), and already on the brink of overheating, with fans at max speed — there is nothing you need to do to keep your MP cool over the summer.
 
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