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My iMac is hottest when asleep

M

MR_Boogy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 6, 2012
140
19
I run a gadget which monitors my iMac temperature and it runs about 35C when doing nothing strenuous.
I put my Mac to sleep overnight and when I wake it up, the temperature is always about 50C, then drops - I hear a whisper as the fans start up.

It seems a bit odd it would be warm when in sleep mode, shouldn't it be using basically no power?
 
You have an issue somewhere.

It shouldn't be hot at all when asleep. It should be cooler than idle temps.

3 possibilities.

A - you have a software issue, you can back up with time machine. and reinstall a fresh macOS with NO apps or user accounts (basically a brand new machine) and test it. If it is cooler when you put it to sleep, then you know you have a software issue.

B - after the fresh install it continues to run hot, it MAY BE a hardware issue and you should take it to Apple or chat/call support to troubleshoot.

C - You have a virus or App that is only active/in use when you put the computer to sleep.

Good luck.
 
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Reactions: MBAir2010
If the fans shut off when asleep, it is not surprising the CPU is warmer. (50C is warm, not hot). The CPU is still running at an idle clock speed, or in various sleep states, and in many cases there is a lot of background activity while "sleeping." (Like backups.)
 
you could program the iMac to shut down at night then turn on any time you chose.
seems to me you should shut down your iMac from now on
until the obvious problem of running a program that runs while the iMac is a sleep.
and
Macs do not get viruses, just bad software implications from developers at Cupertino.
(my Photos keeps crashing)
 
MBAir2010 said:
you could program the iMac to shut down at night then turn on any time you chose.
seems to me you should shut down your iMac from now on
until the obvious problem of running a program that runs while the iMac is a sleep.
and
Macs do not get viruses, just bad software implications from developers at Cupertino.
(my Photos keeps crashing)
Click to expand...
I would be cautious when you state that Mac's don't get viruses. There have been, and always will be ways to infect technology (and Macs have been infected before with viruses)

The dangerous part is, when one starts to think they're safe and protected, that's when they're the most vulnerable. They let their guard down, that's when the skilled and experienced opponent strikes.
 
MR_Boogy said:
I run a gadget which monitors my iMac temperature and it runs about 35C when doing nothing strenuous.
I put my Mac to sleep overnight and when I wake it up, the temperature is always about 50C, then drops - I hear a whisper as the fans start up.

It seems a bit odd it would be warm when in sleep mode, shouldn't it be using basically no power?
Click to expand...
Fans won’t be running and you have a piece of software constantly polling the cpu asking what it’s temperatures are.
 
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Reactions: Nguyen Duc Hieu
If you have Power Nap enabled then likely what is happening is the machine is doing something (software updates, iCloud refresh, mail fetch, etc) and thats bringing the temp up because if im correct Power Nap will keep the fans from coming on under MOST circumstances. I know with my MBP it will be very warm underneath when its sleeping sometimes and there's no fans running and its basically cooling off passively.
 
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