Retina 13" fans?

[fruu]

I know I'm probably overreacting big time (!), but I don't have anyone to consult it with, so please, bear with me .

I ended up buying 13" Retina. It came a week ago and I loved it instantly; thing was dead silent, fans were kicking in when doing some hard tasks only. It was like a Holy Grail, especially having experienced big fan + HDD issues in my PC. It being so quiet made me even more pleased with the switch.

Now however, for like two days fans started to kick in just after booting up the computer. It's not very noisy or anything it just makes me wonder: is it supposed to be like that or maybe is this just going to get worse and worse; should i replace my unit then?

I might add I tried booting up the computer being very cold after several hours of break from using it; temperatures were normal, v. low; so i dont understand why the fan is on?

I wonder, the noise comes just from the left side of the computer, the right side is completely silent. Any guesses? Should I install SMC FanControl?

I know it may seem crazy, and if so you are welcome to point that out obviously hah.

I'm sorry for all these stupid questions, I'm still new to Mac + I'm within my 14 days return time and I want to save myself all this hussle later (I cant handle any more after having so much trouble with PCs lately). I'm not from the US, there's no Apple stores, my only option is to return it online, that's why I'm asking all these questions here.

Thank you in advance!

 

[GGJstudios]

If you're not already doing so, use iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) to get accurate readings of your temps, fan speeds, etc., rather than relying on your sense of touch or sound. A forum member has posted a copy of iStat Pro that has been "tweaked" to enhance compatibility with Mountain Lion. You can download it here.

The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat. CPU Tjmax = 105C (221F), GPU Tjmax = 100C (212F) on i3, i5, i7 processors. (Source: Intel)

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm. They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level.

If your fans are spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC.
(PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help.)

 

[57004]

Like GGJstudios says, check your temps, are you sure the air intake isn't blocked or something?

I never heard the fans on my 13" rMBP yet, even if it was fairly busy.

 

[fruu]

I am quite sure that the air is not blocked, I always use my computer on a desk or a table.

GGJstudios, this widget is really amazing! Thank you a lot! Hmm, according to it fans are spinning about 2000 rpm, temp. around 25-30 C.

I know I'm overreacting probably for majority of people. I can't really hear the fan (unless I'm playing video in the background while doing sth in PS; and maybe I should mention it wasn't the case at first and it has been only a week or so).
Right now, while typing this I can hear it only after putting my ear closely to the keyboard. I guess I'm getting ridiculous...
It's just I was so astonished when I got it out of the box: no sound whatsoever, it was so peaceful. Especially comparing to my old PC lol. It made me fall in love instantly, and now I guess I want to preserve it in perfect condition so it stays this way as long as possible and there's a difference already so I worry it will become more and more hearable.

The environment I sometimes have to work in can get quite dusty, even though I clean like crazy and this is my another major concern, but it does seem quite ridiculous that that amount of dust would get in after just a week of using the machine.

GekkePrutser, wow! How long have you owned your Retina? You really hear nothing even when sitting v close? Woah, I'm jealous lol.

 

[GGJstudios]

I guess I'm getting ridiculous...

Pretty much.

The environment I sometimes have to work in can get quite dusty, even though I clean like crazy and this is my another major concern, but it does seem quite ridiculous that that amount of dust would get in after just a week of using the machine.

Unless you work in a dust storm, it shouldn't be a concern. While the design is a bit different, I recently opened a MBP for the first time in 5 years. There was almost no dust inside, even after 5 years of constant use, extensive travel, and a variety of environments.

Just relax and enjoy your Mac. It's more durable than you think.

 

[wheredanton]

I too also bought a MacbookPro 13 inch retina a few days ago. Love the machine, however from what I remember when I took it out of the box and first started it up and on day 1 I could not hear any fans. Nothing.

Today I noticed the fan sound. Should I be able to hear the fans in a quiet room when they are spinning at around 2000 rpm?

 

[B...]

I too also bought a MacbookPro 13 inch retina a few days ago. Love the machine, however from what I remember when I took it out of the box and first started it up and on day 1 I could not hear any fans. Nothing.

Today I noticed the fan sound. Should I be able to hear the fans in a quiet room when they are spinning at around 2000 rpm?

2000 RPM is the lowest the fans can be; however, if you are in a quiet room and are listening for them, they can be heard.

 

[wheredanton]

2000 RPM is the lowest the fans can be; however, if you are in a quiet room and are listening for them, they can be heard.

Weird. I could not hear them at all yesterday. Maybe it was there and I never noticed. Yesterday I had to put the machine right to be ear to even know if any fan was on. Tonight i can clearly hear the fans in a quiet room.

If I put my ear to the keyboard, the right fan appears to be noisier and higher pitched, whereas the left is quieter and lower pitched. This lines up with what is being reported by i stat, which says the right fan is spinning a little faster.

Maybe I just did not noticed yesterday.

 

[B...]

Weird. I could not hear them at all yesterday. Maybe it was there and I never noticed. Yesterday I had to put the machine right to be ear to even know if any fan was on. Tonight i can clearly hear the fans in a quiet room.

If I put my ear to the keyboard, the right fan appears to be noisier and higher pitched, whereas the left is quieter and lower pitched. This lines up with what is being reported by i stat, which says the right fan is spinning a little faster.

Maybe I just did not noticed yesterday.

Could be a placebo effect from reading this thread.

 

[fruu]

Could be a placebo effect from reading this thread.

Oh well. But then, you never know haha.

However, wheredanton, this is quite similar to what I experienced. After buying the machine no noise whatsoever, and now you can definitely hear them, even at 2000rpm.

GGJstudios, wow, this definitely is a relief! I am sorry for bothering you all, it's just after experiencing so much drama over hdd & fans in my old pcs I just would want to be as careful as I can.
Thank you a lot again! I hope that my "relationship" with this rMBP will be a long and a happy one lol.

 

[vatter69]

Interestingly, my left fan is 2000 and the right one 2200. Anyone?

 

[terriyaki]

Interestingly, my left fan is 2000 and the right one 2200. Anyone?

My left usually runs at a higher rpm than my right.

 

[wheredanton]

Interestingly, my left fan is 2000 and the right one 2200. Anyone?

MY right fan runs a little bit faster. Usually 100 rpm more.

Edit - OK very odd. Its gone back to dead silent in a quiet room. According to i stat the fans are spinning at the normal 2000rpm rate, but I can only tell if I put my ear up to the case. It's absolute dead quiet now.

Maybe at certain rpm's it creates an odd resonance like a high pitched buzzing, like the fan was loose or something? I'm glad its gone.

 

[mobidutch]

If you say this started happening a few days after you got the machine, chances are it is related to some piece of software you installed that is hogging the CPU on occasion. Have you checked the Activity Monitor while your fans are going bonkers?

 

[wheredanton]

If you say this started happening a few days after you got the machine, chances are it is related to some piece of software you installed that is hogging the CPU on occasion. Have you checked the Activity Monitor while your fans are going bonkers?

According to I stat the fans were spinning at around 2000rpm the whole time.

The noise I'm talking about sounds like they are spinning faster, but I stat indicates low normal rpm of 2000rpm or so. I wonder if i stat is not correctly reporting fan speed?

 

[fruu]

A few days ago I started to hear the fan all the tim when putting my ear near the bezel (which wasn't a case before) now I can hear both of them at times. I'm not sure why's that if they're spinning about 2000 - 2200 rpm (and I used to not hear them at all).

Yesterday I watched a 40 min tvshow (tops!) and I noticed that after the fans are spinning around 3500 rpm, the temperatures were about 40-50 C (CPU was the highest, I think about 50C). Is this normal for watching a video? It was not a case before even when I was watching a full three hour movie (brightness of the screen was about 1/2 and the audio like on the 2 or 3 points out of xx scale).

What is the reason of such rapid change? Do I do something wrong? I never put it on my bed or anything like that, it always lies on a desk or a small table.

P.S Interestingly, my right fan is spinning a little faster that my left one (it was like this from the beginning [at least since I installed the app and I actually have the knowledge to say so]) but as I said I started to hear it max two days ago; so sometime later than I could hear the left one lol.

The noise I'm talking about sounds like they are spinning faster, but I stat indicates low normal rpm of 2000rpm or so. I wonder if i stat is not correctly reporting fan speed?

Well, I got the same impression, but now I think maybe they were just brand new and that's why we couldn't hear them at all, and now they are just spinning normally, slightly noticeable.
However, for me at least it never went again to the complete lack of sound I had a few days after purchase.

 

[syd430]

Yesterday I watched a 40 min tvshow (tops!) and I noticed that after the fans are spinning around 3500 rpm, the temperatures were about 40-50 C (CPU was the highest, I think about 50C). Is this normal for watching a video? It was not a case before even when I was watching a full three hour movie (brightness of the screen was about 1/2 and the audio like on the 2 or 3 points out of xx scale).

Unless we can actually see the activity logs from your computer, no one here is going to be able to help you. Telling us that "watching a 40 min tv show" sped up the fans more than a "3 hour movie" means nothing to us.

Was the tv show and the movie using the same fortmat (html5/flash?), was it the same website? was there many flash ads playing on the page of the tv show if it was a different was site? did you have 50 tabs open when watching tv show vs 3 tabs when watching the movie? what background programs were open? could there have been background processors hogging cpu/ram that you wernt aware of? Did you have torrents downloading? Could there have been software updating in the background that you wern't aware of?

I don't wan't answers to these questions, but I think you get the point.

Also, I have a 13 rmbp and I can tell you that 3500rpm is still dead quite. You would still need to hold your ear up to the laptop to even hear that, so i'm not sure what the issue is? To me it sounds like your going out of your way to try and find a fault.

 

[vatter69]

It's also a big difference if you watch a 3h blu-ray via Quicktime or a 40min TV Show in VLC.

Quicktime uses alot less CPU power to encode mp4/mov than VLC does - for whatever reason.

 

[Rocketpaul]

It's also a big difference if you watch a 3h blu-ray via Quicktime or a 40min TV Show in VLC.

Quicktime uses alot less CPU power to encode mp4/mov than VLC does - for whatever reason.

this is the same for me, quicktime is incredibly efficient at playing video.

 

[RadDave]

My left usually runs at a higher rpm than my right.

Just joining this thread and new to the forum, and also a new rMBP user (less than 2 wks) - just downloaded the iStat Menus programs, and was curious about the slight discrepancies in fan temps (pic did not show up in this quote - attachments usually will not) - but my fans are just the opposite, i.e. right one running a little faster (both near 2000 rpm) - I have my laptop on my lap (appropriate I guess ) - the bottom of the right side is resting on my thigh while the left is in contact w/ the air - believe my body temp is raising the temp a little bit more - so the local environment may be a consideration.

And thanks to those bringing iStats to my attention -

 

[GGJstudios]

(pic did not show up in this quote - attachments usually will not)

Here's how to take a screen shot and post it.

 

[RadDave]

Here's how to take a screen shot and post it.

Thanks but not quite what I meant, sorry - the attachment posted by terriyaki did not show up when I used the 'quote' reply - so I just did a screenshot and attached it to this post.

As mentioned, my fans at the time were about reversed w/ similar rpms - Dave

 

[Amer Muzaini]

I bought my first rMBP 13" late 2012 i5 128 SDD a month ago
can anyone check if the temperature and fan speed are both normal ?
I am currently just using google chrome around 11 taps are opened and feeling a warm under letter keyboards.

 

[robvas]

Never understood why people obsess over these little things that don't matter. They must not be doing any actual work on their Macs.

 

[chrise2]

i have the 13" i7 Retina. When i do CPU intensive tasks, it sounds like a freaking jet engine. It happened in a meeting recently and people were like "Uh, is your laptop ok?". Pretty funny. Mine is quiet most of the time though.