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M1 iMac Fan/s
- Thread starter throwinrocks
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Yes, it's been mentioned in MR forums and elsewhere on the Internet in reviews. Apparently it's not required to maintain operating parameters with one less core.
Yes, but it's misleading for sure. That should be disclosed and It took me 15 minutes to get Apple Support to admit and confirm it. I just happened to see a YouTube video discussing heat and speed. I guess I shouldn't have tried to save $200 but I didn't know at the time that the base model only had one fan. It's my first iMac as I just switched to iPhone and decided to get one. Maybe I should've stayed with Android and Windows. At least I knew what I had with my Windows PC.
Not sure how Apple mislead here but you always have the option to return that M1 and get the upper-end 8 core unit if you want an extra fan or even purchase something else altogether.
Not showing anywhere on their site that the base model only has one fan is misleading. IMO
You're correct that I have options. I think I'll keep this one and use that $200 I saved and purchase the 3yr AppleCare+ Warranty. 👍
To my knowledge, Apple has never listed the number of fans in a iMac or MBP on their main site. I don't think you were mislead.
Is the iMac not able to do what you need it to do, or are you just now happy because you found out it only has the one fan?
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I could be wrong here but I suspect Apple Marketing doesn't feel fan count is an important, published specification for most of their site's visitors.
Well when I have only two browsers open and they freeze up to me that's an issue.
Why would I be happy to find out it had one fan?
Installing 11.4 hoping that fixes the issue and if it doesn't I can still return it since it's only 5 days old.
If you only have 2 different browsers open the same time, (Like Safari and Firefox) your Mac shouldn't freeze up on you. That sounds like a software problem not hardware. The M1 is much more capable even with 1 fan.
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Both Safari. Then installed FireFox and Chrome. All 3 do it. Finished installing the update and it seems to be working fine but I had to hard boot as it wouldn't let me back in. I don't think it should've even asked since I'm already signed into iCloud. It wouldn't let me type crap. After the hard boot it went right to my home screen. Everything is good for now.
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hope you went with the 16GB ram upgrade.
there are all sorts of YouTube videos on the 8GB Ram base model maxing out it's ram
there are all sorts of YouTube videos on the 8GB Ram base model maxing out it's ram
Yes, but it isn't getting mentioned enough, imo.
From tests from Max Tech, the one less GPU core doesn't really make a difference when it comes 1-fan versus 2-fan cooling, but using the CPU cores, there is a significant difference.
Since both models have the same amount of CPU cores, the difference in number of fans and cooling design between the two models is significant.
Basically, the base model runs hotter, has more fan noise, and the $200 price difference between the two 24" iMacs might be well worth paying for not only the stuff Apple has told us about, but the stuff they were keeping from us as well.
When comparing Intel to AS iMac designs, Apple said that there was two fans in the new 24" M1 iMac in the keynote.
Definitely misleading:
I agree. They should have clearly stated the base model is the exception in that video.
It isn't just an extra fan, but also a heat pipe to transfer more heat.
The performance difference is pretty significant as well.
Noise and heat are big factors when people shop for Macs and computers in general, and the fact that for only $200 buyers could have gotten the better cooling and a more quiet Mac, on top of the extra ports, ethernet, Touch ID, etc. that would have made the difference between purchasing the higher end model.
It is bull that Apple is misleading people, and they should really be held accountable for this.
I have been a long time Apple user, and a long time fan on the Mac, but I point out when Apple does crap like this. I just have no idea why it isn't getting more attention.
People cry murder when they stick a giant iPhone 6 Plus in their back pocket and it bends a little when they sit on it. They go nuts when people hold the iPhone 4 in a particular way that would never be natural for anyone, and they lose a bar of cell service.
But when Apple is clearly misleading people, saying that the M1 iMac has two fans for cooling, but some don't, we get crickets. Maybe because it is a Mac....
It isn't a design flaw, but a design decision, and the choice to not inform their customers of this design decision.
But again, crickets.
The performance difference is pretty significant as well.
It is very misleading.
Noise and heat are big factors when people shop for Macs and computers in general, and the fact that for only $200 buyers could have gotten the better cooling and a more quiet Mac, on top of the extra ports, ethernet, Touch ID, etc. that would have made the difference between purchasing the higher end model.
I would return it and let them know why.
It is bull that Apple is misleading people, and they should really be held accountable for this.
I have been a long time Apple user, and a long time fan on the Mac, but I point out when Apple does crap like this. I just have no idea why it isn't getting more attention.
People cry murder when they stick a giant iPhone 6 Plus in their back pocket and it bends a little when they sit on it. They go nuts when people hold the iPhone 4 in a particular way that would never be natural for anyone, and they lose a bar of cell service.
But when Apple is clearly misleading people, saying that the M1 iMac has two fans for cooling, but some don't, we get crickets. Maybe because it is a Mac....
It isn't a design flaw, but a design decision, and the choice to not inform their customers of this design decision.
But again, crickets.
Yep good thing for reviews huh. People like Max Tech doing a good job. shady tactics like this what companies use to up sell.
It's because the M1 can operate without a fan as well. The iPad Pro and M1 MBA don't even have fans also cause its the base 24" iMac.
There also the notion of people who buy the base 24" are not power users.
BUT Apple should still inform the customer at the BUY page.
If this was a Pro Mac, people would definitely be outraged. Its just not Apple who pull this sort of crap but other PC/mobile companies do so as well. WE should educate ourselves and not fall victim to these tactics.
Yes, I love Max Tech and others, as well as iFixit for their teardowns.
Informing us before making these large purchase decisions.
I remember watching a YouTube video prior to the iFixit teardown reviewing the two 24" models, comparing with a few test. The reviewer noted the difference in performance between the model, and was speculating that the higher end model might of had a tweaked M1 chip providing more performance.
Of course he couldn't of known about the lack of cooling in the base model, but because of teardowns people are able to make a more informed decision.
I personally don't care that Apple designed the base model the way that they did. I just think they should let the customers know the difference, and not learn about it from a YouTube video or MR forum.
Yep I agree and I also mentioned that in my above post
They can't specify everything..
Next, people will ask Apple to disclose all sort of things.
Why not disclose the number of decibels the keyboard keys make when typing to compare between the Air and Pro
"Omg if I knew the Air keys clicking were 8dB and the Pro were 9dB I would have purchased the Air! that's misleading I hate Apple!"
Why not disclose the RGB code of the blue iMac color "omg If knew the iMac color is #ff22e5 I would have purchased the purple to fit better with my latte mug! that's misleading! I hate Apple!"
Start a class action if you are unhappy
Next, people will ask Apple to disclose all sort of things.
Why not disclose the number of decibels the keyboard keys make when typing to compare between the Air and Pro
"Omg if I knew the Air keys clicking were 8dB and the Pro were 9dB I would have purchased the Air! that's misleading I hate Apple!"
Why not disclose the RGB code of the blue iMac color "omg If knew the iMac color is #ff22e5 I would have purchased the purple to fit better with my latte mug! that's misleading! I hate Apple!"
Start a class action if you are unhappy
I agree - Apple can't specify everything unless you happen to be the HW designer....
My base M1 Mini with ONE (1) fan works flawlessly and still stays ice cold all day long.
My base M1 iMac also works flawlessly and stays cold - never heard the fan yet...
If the OP isn't happy because he feels cheated by getting 1 rather than 2 fans, then by all means spend another $200 or $400 for another fan!
They don't have to specify everything.
But they should be honest with what they do specify.
During the keynote when discussing the innovative design of the M1 iMac it was pretty clear that they said it was designed to be cooled with...
"two small fans. This keeps the system cool, while running exceptionally quiet. In fact, for typical use the iMac says under 10 decibels."
Then they talk about how quiet the M1 iMac is, due to the two-fan system and less need to spin up the fans.
The thing is, they were most likely not referring to the base iMac.
Watch Max Tech side-by-side test. The base model always ran hotter, with higher, louder fan speed, under load or even at idle. It also negatively affected performance.
So, no. Apple does not need to specify everything, but they should specify if features they were specifically advertising about during the keynote, two-fan cooling, low fan speed, low fan noise, was not available on the base model.
If anything, they could have kept quiet about two fans all together, and this wouldn't have even been an issue.
Maybe Apple doesn't have to specify the presence of an extra fan but they SHOULD say that one unit is faster than another. In the videos of YouTubers comparing them it seems the mid range model is 10 to 15% faster. So it should say "15% faster speed" or something in the comparison table at least.
They do specify about 1 less GPU core but the CPU performance matters too (for example for people who might be doing audio editing or some other processor intensive but not GPU intensive tasks who may falsely think they won't see a difference between the models).
They do specify about 1 less GPU core but the CPU performance matters too (for example for people who might be doing audio editing or some other processor intensive but not GPU intensive tasks who may falsely think they won't see a difference between the models).
Yes, you know what you have with Windows. Bad software, less quality and a lot of struggle. Concentrate on the user experience. See how things work and do not think about the fan.