I have a 2018 i5 mac Mini that I upgraded to 32GB RAM following iFixit's instructions to a T and now it runs hotter. Swapped the old RAM back and still running hotter. I am running F@H almost 24/7 (on MacRumors team of course) and I use Intel Power Gadget to monitor CPU speed and temps, Macs Fan Control to keep CPU PECI at 70˚C, and Turbo Boost Switcher to disable turbo boost (helps me maintain 70˚C with fan speed relatively quiet at around 3500 rpm). Ever since opening up my mac Mini for the first time, my same setup now has the fan on full blast 4400 rpm struggling to get to 70˚C and I have to run at 80˚C for the fan to stay at 3500rpm. Also, when leaving turbo boost enabled, the CPU hardly ever throttled from 3.9GHz but now it's around 3.6-3.7GHz. The mac Mini case also seems cooler to the touch but I don't have any numbers to back that up. Everything else is the same (no extra software running or updated, room temp the same, mac Mini position and placement the same). Any ideas what happened? My current theory is that handling the logic board somehow loosened the thermal paste the heatsink and CPU.
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mac Mini 2018 running hotter after RAM upgrade
- Thread starter t^3
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That's a reasonable assumption. I would also wonder if the fan shroud is truly seated properly when you replaced it. It could have lined up, but not seated fully so it can't channel the air properly. That's the first thing I would check.
Apple would probably recommend an SMC and NVRAM reset. Just shut down, unplug the computer for about 15 seconds (for the SMC), and then hold Command+Option+P+R at boot & "you can release the keys after the Apple logo appears and disappears for the second time"
I did check the fan shroud seating already, looked fine. Even ran it without the shield so I could check for leaks. Just reset the SMC and NVRAM, no change either. I can get the temps and thus fan speed to go down if I lightly pull on the area where the fan is seated and screwed into the vent. Looking at the heatsink design, I'm thinking that's putting more pressure on the heatsink where it's screwed over the CPU and perhaps making better contact between the heatsink and CPU. I'm just afraid of breaking something if I start tightening the heatsink screws.
Hey there! I also just did a RAM upgrade on my 2018 (i7) and thought it was running hotter today than usual. Just did a Google search and saw this. I noticed it seemed to run a lot hotter when TimeMachine was rolling, but I chalked it up to several GB of new files to index with my daily workload. Still seems odd. I'll reset my SNC and NVRAM as well and see how it runs tomorrow.
Mine ran HOT because I didn't seat the fan connector correctly. I did notice (after fixing the fan connector) that initially with Time Machine running for the first few times, Photos updating and doing its thing, me installing apps, etc., the aluminum casing did feel rather warm. iStat told me it was running between 60-80C unless I was exporting from Lightroom.
Fast forward a few weeks, right now with just web browsing it's showing 46C. With Lightroom and Photoshop running and updating/exporting/etc, it will go up to 90+ for short periods.
My mini (i7/64GB/512GB) is connected to TS3+ dock that is connected to a 27" 4K monitor via displayport. The dock is also connected to 1Gb ethernet plus 3 USB3 drives (one being Time Machine).