Just by looking at a few images to check for dead pixels.
Attachments
Last edited:
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New 13 inch Macbook Air Fan Noise
- Thread starter jwkitche
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Just by looking at a few images to check for dead pixels.
seepel
macrumors 6502
I have an 11" Ultimate, but I'll post my experience.
I have mostly been running in clam shell mode so take that into account.
Light Web Browsing - Fan seems to stay around 2000 RPMs occasionally boosting up to 3000 RPMs or so. Dead silent. CPU temperatures around 30C? Didn't really pay close attention.
Heavy Data Transfer Over Wifi (ie. Initial data migration) - Fan was often around 4000 RPMs and I could only hear it when putting my head on the machine, then less often it would bump up to about 5000 RPMs and I could hear it if I moved my head towards the machine (about a foot). CPU temperatures between 40-50C.
Maxed out CPU - Fan is pegged at 6500 RPMs and is quite audible. Spun up to this speed pretty immediately too. CPU temperatures between 60-90C. Enclosure is about 38C.
I have mostly been running in clam shell mode so take that into account.
Light Web Browsing - Fan seems to stay around 2000 RPMs occasionally boosting up to 3000 RPMs or so. Dead silent. CPU temperatures around 30C? Didn't really pay close attention.
Heavy Data Transfer Over Wifi (ie. Initial data migration) - Fan was often around 4000 RPMs and I could only hear it when putting my head on the machine, then less often it would bump up to about 5000 RPMs and I could hear it if I moved my head towards the machine (about a foot). CPU temperatures between 40-50C.
Maxed out CPU - Fan is pegged at 6500 RPMs and is quite audible. Spun up to this speed pretty immediately too. CPU temperatures between 60-90C. Enclosure is about 38C.
I just want to figure out if this is normal.
With just Safari opening and web browsing - the fans are silent. 54 degrees C and around 2000 rpm.
The moment I start a video chat, OR open up Thunderbird, OR use iTunes (not all together) the fans start being very loud, like a freaking jet engine. I hit around 65 degrees C and almost 5000 rpm.
But when I watched a 720p video fro 40 minutes last night, I would occasionally check to see if there was any noise being made and their wasn't.
According to what I'm hearing, my fans are louder than others as people who are streaming videos and web-browing and running a program like Word/Excel aren't hearing anything.
EDIT: Like right now, all I'm doing is surfing the web and using iTunes. I believe Thunderbird/AppStore are running in the background. I can hear the fans a little even through my music and it's 4600 rpm, 64 degrees C.
So what's the deal? Is it normal? I got a Toshiba SSD and an LG Display.
With just Safari opening and web browsing - the fans are silent. 54 degrees C and around 2000 rpm.
The moment I start a video chat, OR open up Thunderbird, OR use iTunes (not all together) the fans start being very loud, like a freaking jet engine. I hit around 65 degrees C and almost 5000 rpm.
But when I watched a 720p video fro 40 minutes last night, I would occasionally check to see if there was any noise being made and their wasn't.
According to what I'm hearing, my fans are louder than others as people who are streaming videos and web-browing and running a program like Word/Excel aren't hearing anything.
EDIT: Like right now, all I'm doing is surfing the web and using iTunes. I believe Thunderbird/AppStore are running in the background. I can hear the fans a little even through my music and it's 4600 rpm, 64 degrees C.
So what's the deal? Is it normal? I got a Toshiba SSD and an LG Display.
Last edited:
Sorry I should have mentioned that. It's the 13" inch i5 128gb.
I've been lying down in bed and using it on my lap or on the bed, if that's of any use. All I'm doing is posting on MR and playing music and it's at 4200.
Honestly, I don't care about the fan noise as much as I care about the fact that everyone might not be having the problem. If it's part of the product that's fine, but there's a defect, I want to get it sorted ASAP.
You're the first one I've seen who is having fan issues with the core i5 model, or maybe most people on here bought the i7 version? Either way, I'd say you should check if there are programs running in the background, if there aren't and if the fans are still noticeable when doing basic things then you should take it back to apple.
I just started up Mission Control and checked - I only have Safari, iTunes, AppStore, and Thunderbird running. That's it.
I called Apple and the rep said that will happen if you use it on your lap. I'm at 5500 rpm right now. I really don't want there to be a problem. Apple Store is a good 45 minutes away and I've already set my computer up to my liking.
Sigh, such a pain.
EDIT: I forgot to mention - I'm also using uTorrent and currently downloading two files. I've also moved to a desk but the fans are still pretty loud. I also checked my Activity Monitor. My computer is 85% idle.
Is it true that if it's on your lap...the fans are going to be louder?
iZeeshan, I believe the temp profile you've characterized is normal for Sandy Bridge, that's the exact same behavior I have seen in my Dell Latitude with i5-540M processor. It seems when TurboBoost kicks in, the temp rises very quickly to 80-90C, and the fans kick in like jet engines, when doing something as simple as opening several new browser tabs. It seems the SB IGP gets overloaded easily and TurboBoost has to kick in. My MBA13 C2D does not do this, probably because it does not have the level of TurboBoost as SB, and because the 320M can better handle graphic loads in a more controlled fashion without relying on TB.
But what about everyone else that has been reporting their MBA 13 inches as dead silent? I'd be fine if everyone had the problem because it doesn't bother me that much. But I hate being singled out. I already got unlock with my Toshiba and LG 😛
But even on a desk now, I;m hitting 3600+ with just iTunes, Thunderbird, and Safari.
Scott6666
macrumors 68000
Sounds like I might sit out this upgrade then and stick with my C2D 2010 Air. At least it's quiet. Seems like I should forget Lion as well for a bit as that seems to be making Air's loud. Very sad. Just got back into the US today and wanted to pick one up tomorrow.
Don't get me wrong. The machine's great. It lagged only once when I accidentally started up like 3 programs at once, tried Video Chatting, and ran Flash. Other than that, it's been flawless. Just can't figure out this fan problem...
Vortron
macrumors newbie
Been using my 13" i7 all day - Quiet as a Mouse
Got my 13" i7 256 GB at the Apple Store in Colorado Springs. Runs much faster for me than the i5 I used as a demo. NO fan noise or much heat at all. I'd definitly take the i7 over the i5 anyday, speed difference is remarkable especially for Photoshop and Final Cut. My neighbor got an i5 and we compared and mine boots almost twice as fast as his. i5 is a wimp compared to this one!
Got my 13" i7 256 GB at the Apple Store in Colorado Springs. Runs much faster for me than the i5 I used as a demo. NO fan noise or much heat at all. I'd definitly take the i7 over the i5 anyday, speed difference is remarkable especially for Photoshop and Final Cut. My neighbor got an i5 and we compared and mine boots almost twice as fast as his. i5 is a wimp compared to this one!
So he's got "Reopen windows when logging back in" checked and you don't? 😀
I can't imagine much about booting a Mac is processor-intensive enough that the i7 would run faster.
Exporting video, ripping DVDs, converting music .. definitely the i7 would be faster. But booting? That's a new one!
Glad you like it!
HiRez
macrumors 603
I haven't used mine long enough yet to know if the fan really is a problem or not, but it might be something that Apple could fix/adjust with a future software or firmware update. I seem to recall some of the old Mac Pro towers having various fan issues (mostly coming on too soon or running higher than they needed to), which I believe were later fixed. Also future Lion updates could implement better power management in general. So it's not necessarily something that's set in stone.
Can SL be installed & run on these new Airs? If so has anyone tried it to test these supposed fan issues?
Just used migration assistant to transfer everything from my 13" i5 MBP (HDD) to my 13" i7 Air... a few mins in and the MBP fans were in over drive while the Air was quiet for the entire time... found that quite interesting!
in my experience, with whatever laptop I've used in the past, my leg (lots of fat...🙄) and the bed are like insulators, they trap heat pretty well.
If it's that much of an issue for you, maybe try running the same apps while on a desk?
Or may use something like the iLap. Helps with the angle, and its made of aluminum, which helps dissipate heat easier than bedding.
thatisme
macrumors 6502
I have the i5 base 13", and have had issues with horrible heat and fan noise until I checked the Activity Monitor. There were 2 processes just terrorizing my processor...
the first was SYSLOGD which come to find out is a problem sometimes when running time machine. I ran Time Machine for the first time, and this process was recording 150% CPU usage. It continued on after Time Machine finished. After restarting the computer, everything was fine and this process was gone.
From what I have read, this is a process that sometimes gets stuck after Time Machine is closed down.
The second was BZIP2, which was logging 100% CPU, and I think this has to do with the Spotlight logging process. My computer had everything checked under spotlight for indexing, and after I unchecked everything other than my documents and files, the process seems to have stopped.
I went from 199 degrees and fans at 6000 rpm, to now running at 118 degrees and no fan noise at all.
the first was SYSLOGD which come to find out is a problem sometimes when running time machine. I ran Time Machine for the first time, and this process was recording 150% CPU usage. It continued on after Time Machine finished. After restarting the computer, everything was fine and this process was gone.
From what I have read, this is a process that sometimes gets stuck after Time Machine is closed down.
The second was BZIP2, which was logging 100% CPU, and I think this has to do with the Spotlight logging process. My computer had everything checked under spotlight for indexing, and after I unchecked everything other than my documents and files, the process seems to have stopped.
I went from 199 degrees and fans at 6000 rpm, to now running at 118 degrees and no fan noise at all.
I'm thinking of bugging Apple to swap my less than 3 weeks old 2010 13" ultimate MBA for the new one, but the temperature got my worried.
My 2010 ultimate 13" MBA never go beyond 75C when using VM fusion and about 50% CPU usage constant along with what I believe some loads on GPU (didn't have any app to check GPU temp). I tried to un-rar 3 big archives and got the CPU running 100% for a while still the most I've seen is low 80C.
199F is about 92C and this doesn't look right, it's matching MBP's temperature.
Appreciate all the reports so far but seems not conclusive that I should keep my 2010 MBA or exchange for the 2011 (if it ever work out).
My 2010 ultimate 13" MBA never go beyond 75C when using VM fusion and about 50% CPU usage constant along with what I believe some loads on GPU (didn't have any app to check GPU temp). I tried to un-rar 3 big archives and got the CPU running 100% for a while still the most I've seen is low 80C.
199F is about 92C and this doesn't look right, it's matching MBP's temperature.
Appreciate all the reports so far but seems not conclusive that I should keep my 2010 MBA or exchange for the 2011 (if it ever work out).
Last edited:
thatisme
macrumors 6502
I believe my situation with these processes running and eating up CPU %, the 199 temp is with Turboboost cranking. I've been on the computer now for about 3-1/2 hours after killing those processes, and I have only hit 125 degrees once, and this is with me working in Excel for that whole time... After 3-1/2 hours, I still have 75% battery, and show 5 hours remaining (moving target) and in that 3 hours the MBA has been cool to the touch and has had NO fan noise.
I also noticed that Safari Flash Plugin was also consuming way too much processor time... I think this came over from my MBP's Time Machine Backup during the migration, so I updated to the newest Flash build, then installed click-2-flash, and that Safari Flash Plugin process has not popped up again (yet).
Another data point. I have used the 2010 13" Air since it was released. Bought an I7 13" unit this morning - I've been working with it all day, and I have yet to hear the fans OR to feel any heat.
One other thing that seems different in the newer model - the keys on the keyboard seem a bit more contoured on the newer model - seems a bit easier to type on .
One other thing that seems different in the newer model - the keys on the keyboard seem a bit more contoured on the newer model - seems a bit easier to type on .