Running fans at higher rpm

[imswimmin]

I have installed smc fan control on my 2011 13" macbook air. Is there any harm in running the fans at a higher rpm for extended periods of time?

I am asking this because my mac tends to get quite warm when couch-surfing. Therefore, can anything go wrong by increasing fan speed to cool down the system?

 

[alust2013]

Nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't put it too high, as that gets noisy and can wear the fan out, but bumping it up a few hundred RPM won't hurt anything. I use the app Fan Control rather than smcfancontrol, as it lets me set a smooth curve for how I would like the fan to behave vs. temperature. Right now it's at 115F and the fan is only going 1100 RPM, and it will ramp up gradually as temperature increases, helping it to stay cooler and heat and cool more gently.

 

[imswimmin]

Thanks for the reply! I'll definitely take a look into Fan Control!

 

[wpotere]

Thanks for the reply! I'll definitely take a look into Fan Control!

The system is smart enough to cool it when needed. If you are worried about your lap, buy a latop cushion and let the system control it's cooling. By running the fans at high constantly you could shroten their lives.

 

[EJ8]

I really don't understand this fan control thing. Are you really saying that you are smarter then the engineers that set the fan control speeds / temps for the mac?

 

[imswimmin]

I really don't understand this fan control thing. Are you really saying that you are smarter then the engineers that set the fan control speeds / temps for the mac?

Not at all! It is just that I am concerned about the temperatures my macbook reaches while I'm using it. Seeing as there is some sort of solution to ease my poor soul, I am merely taking advantage of publicly available tools and fixing my issue.

 

[alust2013]

I really don't understand this fan control thing. Are you really saying that you are smarter then the engineers that set the fan control speeds / temps for the mac?

That's not the point of it. The point is to keep the computer cooler in general, although I do think Fan Control is better than the stock setup. I don't think every single piece of software apple puts on their computers is the best for what I want to do, so I use 3rd party software. It's the same thing.

 

[ZipZap]

Continuous high RPM is probably not in the fan's expected duty cycle.

I would get rid of that software if you ever have to take it in for Fan issues.

 

[vitzr]

All laptops (not just Macs) are designed to be used on a flat surface, thats why they have the rubber pads on the bottom. They rely on airspace below the case for circulation & cooling. If you put it on your lap you are defeating that & creating a hotspot.

The correct way to use it is to place it on a flat surface. I use a very nice, light & thin X-Pad. It's got a grippy bottom for use on your lap while giving room for air to circulate. It doesn't have fans or batteries or any of that. Best of all I'm not screwing around with the fans needlessly.

The older MBP's needed fan control but not the new MBA's.

http://www.xpad4laptop.com