Mini M4 Pro 14core - hitting 103-104C - TG Pro settings?

[Astrohunter]

Hi,



I'm hitting really high temps., I've TG Pro installed and looking for good configuration to keep the temperatures lower, don't really care about noise.

Thanks

 

[splifingate]

What are you doing/using that taxes your system so much?

 

[Astrohunter]

What are you doing/using that taxes your system so much?

Pixinsight, but I've heard of people getting such temps playing games like WoW.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Don’t worry about the temps. Seriously. Apple is one of those who favors audible comfort over aggressive cooling. In other words, they intend and expect the behavior.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-mini-getting-too-hot.2453320/page-3?post=33811660#post-33811660

With that said… Is that fan speed (i.e., I see 1001 RPM for the Main Fan in your screenshot) accurate, or am I misreading the app?

Nonetheless, if you want — again, unnecessary — you can set it to Max / Auto Max:

TG Pro User Guide

Extend the life of your Mac with TG Pro. Monitor all internal temperatures, use full fan control, check diagnostics and get local/email notifications. Supports all Macs from 2008 to 2019. Try it now for free.

www.tunabellysoftware.com

 

[Astrohunter]

Don’t worry about the temps. Seriously. Apple is one of those who favors audible comfort over aggressive cooling. In other words, they intend and expect the behavior.


With that said… Is that fan speed (i.e., I see 1001 RPM for the Main Fan in your screenshot) accurate, or am I misreading the app?

It's set to average RPM.

Apple is known for poor cooling which results in throttling and lower life span.
I prefer loud Mac that doesn't throttle.

 

[JSRinUK]

My M4Pro MBP would get over 95C, with the fans ramping up, when running LLMs (it’d drop back down straight after responding). My solution was to buy a Mac Studio (okay, I bought that for the 128GB really, but the better thermals definitely helps).

 

[heraldo_jones]

As much as Apple generally prefers their computers to be silent even at the cost of overheating, there's absolutely no reason why such a situation should be acceptable—especially if a user wants to enjoy their device for many years with proper performance.

That said, @Astrohunter this is the configuration I use on my Mac mini, and you can easily set up something similar on your MacBook Pro:

 

[Kenny99]

How about a Home Project for cooling? A insulated cooler, an aquarium pump, a AC “box” fan, and some plastic or copper hose.

 

[maflynn]

I'm hitting really high temps., I've TG Pro installed and looking for good configuration to keep the temperatures lower, don't really care about noise.

I just use Macs Fan Control, one of the options is to manually set the fan speed. I find that to be helpful those times when my temps are higher then I like.

I'm of the nature, that if the CPU is showing 95c, other components that are less resilient could be a little too. toasty, so my mindset is to avoid high temps at all cost. I've done this on my PC (much harder with intel Cpus and modern gpus), and now with my Mini thanks to Macs Fan Control

There's a free version, but I'll be buying it, as I think we need to support folks who make very good software. Try using the free version and see if that helps

 

[Allen_Wentz]

It's set to average RPM.

Apple is known for poor cooling which results in throttling and lower life span.
I prefer loud Mac that doesn't throttle.

No, IMO Apple is not generally known for poor cooling. I have always owned Apple's top laptops used hard, and for the last 15 years I would strongly disagree with the statement: "Apple is known for poor cooling." My MBP (2011, 2016, 2022) fans seldom even kicked in, unless it was a hot work space and I was working images hard. And the fans are not offensive.

Yes the lowest end Macs can be forced to throttle due to heat when they are worked over-hard for what they are. But that is just what happens when one overdrives a lowest end Mac to attempt the tasks that higher end Macs are engineered to do. If one's Mini throttles, get a Studio; if one's MBA throttles, get a MBP. For LLMs get an M3 Studio Ultra with 500 GB RAM.

 

[maflynn]

No, IMO Apple is not generally known for poor cooling.

Apple prioritizes less noise over cooling.

My M4 Pro Mac Mini is a prime example, with the setting for high power, and playing a game, my temps hits 80 to 90c and the fans are not spinning up too much. I need to use a utility to manually keep my Mac cooler

 

[JSRinUK]

I hadn’t used TGPro before, but I installed it last night and did some LLM runs on my MBP. According to TGpro, performance cores and GPU all spiked over 100C at times (this dropped quickly after the LLM had finished responding). But, then, I guess that’s one of the reasons I went for a Studio for LLM work.

Doing something as simple as pointing my little desk fan at the bottom of the MBP brought the temperatures down to a little over 80C while it was responding. I don’t know if that’s a practical way of handling the temperature issue.

I think it’s fantastic that these devices are capable of doing so much, but I guess each of them has their own little compromises.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

I have no idea why so many of posters come in the defense of Apple computers and other devices. The reality of it is that the smaller, or thinner, or more compact the computer's case is, the more difficult cooling the electrical components inside of it becomes. Also, the electrical components' lifespans are reduced by extended periods of high temperature operation, regardless if the CPU is throttling or not. I am not making this up, you can look at it by yourself.

End yes, one can choose or to buy/to not buy any of the Apple devices since it is a personal choice, but at the same time- instead of coming to the defense of the computer maker-be it Apple or not- why not trying to assist the OP with answers that may serve as "solutions" to a problem?

Just look at all the posts about Mac computers' cooling, or how to keep them clean or free of dust, or about the amount of power available at each port on the bus, and so on. People don't ask such question just because they are "quite peachy" about their computers. A computer is not a frying pan in which one can fry and egg

 

[dmccloud]

I have no idea why so many of posters come in the defense of Apple computers and other devices. The reality of it is that the smaller, or thinner, or more compact the computer's case is, the more difficult cooling the electrical components inside of it becomes. Also, the electrical components' lifespans are reduced by extended periods of high temperature operation, regardless if the CPU is throttling or not. I am not making this up, you can look at it by yourself.

End yes, one can choose or to buy/to not buy any of the Apple devices since it is a personal choice, but at the same time- instead of coming to the defense of the computer maker-be it Apple or not- why not trying to assist the OP with answers that may serve as "solutions" to a problem?

Just look at all the posts about Mac computers' cooling, or how to keep them clean or free of dust, or about the amount of power available at each port on the bus, and so on. People don't ask such question just because they are "quite peachy" about their computers. A computer is not a frying pan in which one can fry and egg

There are no "one size fits all" set of rules for thermals. Some components can easily handle higher temperatures for extended durations, while others can barely anything above 80C. The M4 seems to fall into the first category given how the internal fan curves were set by Apple. Keep in mind that the 100-105C temps being seen with M4 are well above the TJMax of both Intel and AMD flagship CPUs (e.g. Intel Core 14900K, Ryzen 9 9950X3D, etc.), all of which would have throttled down between the 90-95C mark. So there is clearly something different regarding the M4 design or construction which allows for higher temps under load before throttling.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

There are no "one size fits all" set of rules for thermals. Some components can easily handle higher temperatures for extended durations, while others can barely anything above 80C. The M4 seems to fall into the first category given how the internal fan curves were set by Apple. Keep in mind that the 100-105C temps being seen with M4 are well above the TJMax of both Intel and AMD flagship CPUs (e.g. Intel Core 14900K, Ryzen 9 9950X3D, etc.), all of which would have throttled down between the 90-95C mark. So there is clearly something different regarding the M4 design or construction which allows for higher temps under load before throttling.

You are correct about some components handling higher temperatures for extended durations while others don't. But that is not what I have referred to in my previous post. Regardless of which components inside a computer or any electrical device, the temperatures that are the most detrimental to the components lifespan are the high temperatures in its operating range, regardless of operating time. For example high temperatures for short periods of time, or high temperatures for extended periods of time. Both reduce the component's lifespan, although long duration is the worst. By the way, the same principle applies to all computers, not just Apple's.

It even applies to battery-charging processes, including the one in my iPhone

 

[Astrohunter]

No, IMO Apple is not generally known for poor cooling. I have always owned Apple's top laptops used hard, and for the last 15 years I would strongly disagree with the statement: "Apple is known for poor cooling." My MBP (2011, 2016, 2022) fans seldom even kicked in, unless it was a hot work space and I was working images hard. And the fans are not offensive.

Yes the lowest end Macs can be forced to throttle due to heat when they are worked over-hard for what they are. But that is just what happens when one overdrives a lowest end Mac to attempt the tasks that higher end Macs are engineered to do. If one's Mini throttles, get a Studio; if one's MBA throttles, get a MBP. For LLMs get an M3 Studio Ultra with 500 GB RAM.

Stop coping, seriously.

Almost all Macs have problems with cooling, and it's been a thing for years/decades.
I guess you've never monitored the CPU/GPU performance while doing heavy tasks.

And what kind of argument is that to get a Studio? Oh yeah let me spend another few thousands because Apple doesn't care about cooling. 😂
I don't get it why some people have the need to defend some multibillion corpo.

EDIT:

Btw. Studio has problem with throttling too. ✌🏻

 

[Astrohunter]

Here are my settings for TG Pro that I'm using now

 

[Astrohunter]

How about a Home Project for cooling? A insulated cooler, an aquarium pump, a AC “box” fan, and some plastic or copper hose.

I'm surprised there is no product yet that would improve temperatures. Some mod that would push air in at the front.

 

[Kenny99]

I'm surprised there is no product yet that would improve temperatures. Some mod that would push air in at the front.

Their are a number of “Cooling Fans” for the MAX Mini on Amazon. OR search for Table Top Freezers. (get a frost free model) A little thought and this would be easy to modify (cable routing).

 

[Astrohunter]

Their are a number of “Cooling Fans” for the MAX Mini on Amazon. OR search for Table Top Freezers. (get a frost free model) A little thought and this would be easy to modify (cable routing).

I can only see some junk 3D printed ones with a fan at the bottom, I think they might mess with the circulation and push hot air back inside.