running SMC FanControl 24/7?

[quickmac]

I asked a similar heating question before regarding cooling pads and running CPU intense processes. But I decided to try SMC Fan Control out and it seems to help keep it cooler but I'm concerned about running the fans at full speed all the time.

I'm doing Folding@Home (the Stanford protein folding supercomputer project) and running SMP folding. On default Apple fan control the CPU core temps would reach 102-103C before kicking up to above 5500RPM and never going above 5800RPM.

Now with SMC fan control running at 6200RPM max it's keeping the cores before 94C which still seems a bit high.

As soon as I pause Folding@Home the temps drop to the high 60s/low 70s with or without SMC Fan Control.

So will running SMC Fan Control all the time when folding hurt the fans?

 

[LostSoul80]

The fans don't get "hurt". They are designed to be used no matter the speed (if within the manufacturer's limits of course, which Apple's SMC respects).

On the long run this might reduce their life span. It's common sense not to let them run at their maximum speed for hours and hours, days and days.

 

[ZZ Bottom]

No, but you will increase the likelyhood of the fan bearing prematurely wearing out. Worry not, they can be replaced! I believe the system will automatically shut down if the fan fails since the temperature would then rise too high.

As an Apple tech I only encountered a failed internal fan once, on a 2008 MBP. To decrease your odds of not failing be sure to clean out the system regularly using compressed air. If it's a MBP, you can simply remove the bottom plate (with the system off duh) and blast out any dust bunnies.

 

[GGJstudios]

So will running SMC Fan Control all the time when folding hurt the fans?

It's not a good idea. You don't need any 3rd party app to keep your Mac running with safe operating temperatures. It can manage heat and fans quite well without any interference from the user or apps such as smcFanControl.

 

[thundersteele]

I
I'm doing Folding@Home (the Stanford protein folding supercomputer project) and running SMP folding. On default Apple fan control the CPU core temps would reach 102-103C before kicking up to above 5500RPM and never going above 5800RPM.

I'm sorry, but I think it is a terrible idea to run something like that on a laptop, where cooling is limited simply by design.

You're worried about your fans wearing out, I honestly would be more worried about the whole MBP wearing out...

 

[quickmac]

The fans don't get "hurt". They are designed to be used no matter the speed (if within the manufacturer's limits of course, which Apple's SMC respects).

On the long run this might reduce their life span. It's common sense not to let them run at their maximum speed for hours and hours, days and days.

I'm currently using your fine Ultra program to manage the fans and it works wonders. It's dropped the temps at least 15 degrees C while folding. I'm going to try it out a few days and see how it goes. Thanks!

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It's not a good idea. You don't need any 3rd party app to keep your Mac running with safe operating temperatures. It can manage heat and fans quite well without any interference from the user or apps such as smcFanControl.

I think it depends on the usage and also the program. Lost's program he/she developed seems to work a lot better than SMC fan control at managing temps when doing cpu intensive stuff.

Sure Apple makes em run cool but there is NO reason why the CPU diode should reach close to 100C before the fans ramp up to 5500 or higher and over 110C before they hit 6200 max. I'd rather have a slightly louder computer that stays cooler.

 

[LostSoul80]

I'm glad you're using the application. It lets the fans work according to your preference, automatically adjusting their speed everytime it's needed.
I agree Apple's SMC doesn't manage fans at its best, that's exactly why I wrote the utility.