Too Hot To Handle?

[Mr. Incredible]

So, when I first got my iMac a few months back, I noticed that it was pretty hot on top. I went to the Apple store, and I felt their computers, and it was somewhat warm, but not as hot as mine.

I asked if this is normal, and they asked me where I have my iMac? I told them that its on my desk, but above it, it has some shelves, so there isn't really much air circulating around it. (But now, its still below the shelves, but I have it facing out more).

I told them that their computers are warm, but mines warmer, why is that? They said that their iMacs are in an open area, with A/C running, and its still warm, so its normal. But I thought otherwise.

I downloaded this widget called: iStat Pro. It basically tells me my iMacs CPU, Memory, Battery, Uptime, and Temperature. And under temperature, I have:

HD: Macintosh: 133 degrees
CPU: 117 degrees
Ambient: 81 degrees
Mem Controller: 121 degrees
Northbridge: 135 degrees
Optical Drive: 126 degrees
Power Supply 2: 137 degrees

I just want to, is this normal, or is my iMac getting too hot? Does anyone else have this widget or something better? Here is the link to that widget:

http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/

 

[colourfastt]

So, when I first got my iMac a few months back, I noticed that it was pretty hot on top. I went to the Apple store, and I felt their computers, and it was somewhat warm, but not as hot as mine.

I asked if this is normal, and they asked me where I have my iMac? I told them that its on my desk, but above it, it has some shelves, so there isn't really much air circulating around it. (But now, its still below the shelves, but I have it facing out more).

I told them that their computers are warm, but mines warmer, why is that? They said that their iMacs are in an open area, with A/C running, and its still warm, so its normal. But I thought otherwise.

I downloaded this widget called: iStat Pro. It basically tells me my iMacs CPU, Memory, Battery, Uptime, and Temperature. And under temperature, I have:

HD: Macintosh: 133 degrees
CPU: 117 degrees
Ambient: 81 degrees
Mem Controller: 121 degrees
Northbridge: 135 degrees
Optical Drive: 126 degrees
Power Supply 2: 137 degrees

I just want to, is this normal, or is my iMac getting too hot? Does anyone else have this widget or something better? Here is the link to that widget:

http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/

Your iMac isn't getting hot at all; my iMac's temps are:

HDD: 130º
CPU: 119º
CPU Heatsink: 112º
Airport Card: 149º
Ambient: 79º
GPU: 140º
GPU Diode: 144º
GPU Heatsink: 139º

 

[Mr. Incredible]

Your iMac isn't getting hot at all; my iMac's temps are:

HDD: 130º
CPU: 119º
CPU Heatsink: 112º
Airport Card: 149º
Ambient: 79º
GPU: 140º
GPU Diode: 144º
GPU Heatsink: 139º

What widget are you using? or is it something else?

 

[colourfastt]

What widget are you using? or is it something else?

iStat Pro

 

[Mr. Incredible]

I was first concerned with these numbers:

HD: Macintosh: 133 degrees
CPU: 117 degrees
Ambient: 81 degrees
Mem Controller: 121 degrees
Northbridge: 135 degrees
Optical Drive: 126 degrees
Power Supply 2: 137 degrees

Now, I have this:

HD: Macintosh: 135 degrees
CPU: 142 degrees
Ambient: 76 degrees
Mem Controller: 131 degrees
Northbridge: 142 degrees
Optical Drive: 126 degrees
Power Supply 2: 153 degrees

^And the reason as to why it's at these temperatures, is cause I haven't turned off my computer for the past 3-4 days, cause I've been downloading stuff.

Are these numbers too hot, should I turn my computer off? Or have a fan behind my computer to help cool it down?

 

[Makosuke]

Those aren't even remotely close to abnormal. Computer hardware is designed to get fairly hot, and the cooling hardware in most computers, yours included, is designed to keep it sufficiently cool without being too loud. Unless a fan has failed, it's going to do what it needs to do to keep itself safely cooled. Even in the event of a fan failure, most components have thermal safety built-in, so that the computer would either slow itself down or automatically shut off to prevent damage. Unless you're getting sudden, random shutdowns/freezes/crashes when doing CPU-heavy things for a long period of time, you're fine.

Also, downloading things takes almost no CPU whatsoever, so the computer isn't likely to heat up any more than if it'd been sitting for the same period of time idling. Given that it's designed to run with the CPU going full-bore for days at a time--which is dumping probably two or three times as much heat as idle--stop thinking about it.

There's a reason computer manufacturers don't make that information readily accessible to end users--people see big numbers and somehow get it into their heads that there's something wrong. Same as most cars only have an unlabeled "temp" gauge, rather than telling you how hot the engine actually is (and cars, unlike computers, can actually overheat in some real-world situations, like a very long mountain climb on a hot day).

 

[Anonymous Freak]

As for the jump in temperatures, it could just be the way you were using your computer at the time.

Adobe Flash content is known to cause high CPU usage in Mac OS X. If you didn't have any Flash content open during your first report, but did during the second, then that's perfectly normal.

During really heavy CPU usage (compressing a video, playing a game,) you might even see the CPU get up near 200° F. Again, within limits. (Intel CPUs have a thermal limit of boiling - 212° F, at that point, they will enter "thermal trip" mode and significantly slow down. But they will not allow damage to be caused.) Now, if the DRIVE gets up near 200° F, then you may have a problem, though.