How Warm Is a iMac Supposed To Be?

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Hi Guys,

I am a little worried about my iMac I am not sure if it is normal I have the 21.5"
If I touch the back of it I can roughly guess it is 25 Degrees atleast most likley warmer

Is this normal?

Cheers,

Matt
 

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Hi Guys,

I am a little worried about my iMac I am not sure if it is normal I have the 21.5"
If I touch the back of it I can roughly guess it is 25 Degrees atleast most likley warmer

Is this normal?

WOW...are you saying 25°C?...that's nothing!!!

MacBooks & MacBook Pros have cpu temps that can get as high as 70-90°C...and even higher...with the external housing warm enough to make your legs turn red...and some folks have reported slight burns.

Do a Google search for a program called "Temperature Monitor"...install it...and see what your actual internal temps are. Remember that the computers internal temps can vary depending on what you're doing...and even by the temperature of the room the computer is in.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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Woops sorry I meant 25 Degrees Centigrade
 

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Results:

Ambient Air: 24 Degrees
CPU A Heat sink: 42 Degrees
CPU Core 1: 46 Degrees
CPU Core 2: 42 Degrees
Display Screen Proximity: 42 Degrees
Main Logic Board: 48 Degrees
North bridge Heat sink: 56 Degrees
Optical Drive: 48 Degrees
Power Supply Position 2: 54 Degrees
Primary Heat Sink: 54 Degrees
SMART Disk: 49 Degrees
Secondary Head Sink: 59 Degrees


Those results are in Celsius!

Does that sound normal?
 
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What do you think 25°C means in my post above? 25°C is 25 degrees Centigrade.;)

- Nick

Oh, Amateur mistake once again :L
 

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Those results are in Celsius!

Does that sound normal?

Yes...very normal!:) I wouldn't even be surprised if the temps jumped into the 70's when you watch You Tube videos...or play some demanding games (if you play any computer games).

- Nick
 
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I like to keep my machines fairly cool, especially the hard drives. I found my iMac and particularly my MBP ran hotter than I liked. I am using a utility called 'smcFanControl' to bump up the minimum speed on my fans so they keep things a bit cooler.

This does mean a bit more noise, there's always a tradeoff... They are still very quiet, but I can just hear the difference in a quiet room.

Do be careful with things like that, of course. Don't want to accidentally go the OTHER way...
 
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Sigh.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ap...k-air-pro-overheating-what-do-i-do-guide.html

Please read the above, at LEAST the first post.

As regards iMacs, they use CONVECTION COOLING. This means the top gets rather warm, because you are putting your hand on the EXHAUST.

Without the whole long spiel -- no, the engineers at Apple aren't stupid, and no they didn't forget to cool the machine. Unless your machine is SHUTTING ITSELF OFF, it is functioning as normal and well within its spec for heat.

There's no need to be an "armchair engineer," as your machine was designed and manufactured properly in the first place. Use of toys like SMC Fan Control can actually MASK a genuine problem and in your case is rather like giving prescription drugs to a perfectly healthy person.

I'll never understand why it's so hard for people to believe that Apple is actually aware of how people use their products and knows how to cool them correctly.
 
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I'll never understand why it's so hard for people to believe that Apple is actually aware of how people use their products and knows how to cool them correctly.

Sure. Apple keeps everything in spec. In some cases toward the high end of the spec. I'd rather my components (in particular the hard drive) stay farther within spec. By bumping the minimum fan speed a tiny bit, I can easily do that. This isn't worry that the machine is going to melt into slag before my eyes, it's about maximizing component life.

Don't want to? Don't use the utility. I just mentioned what I do, and why.

Personally, I believe Apple *chose* to push the limits a bit because in return they were able to slow the fans down some more and get a much quieter machine. And that's fine, but - again - I'm happy with the tradeoff of a bit more noise in exchange for cooler components.

Not that it matters, but I'm not an "armchair engineer". I actually AM an engineer, and understand this stuff just fine.
 
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I've read so many disputing claims about heat damaging things, especially hard drives, vs. the Google articles that say hotter actually isn't a bad thing in reality, and so on... all the way to "bumping up fan speeds kills the fans faster and sucks dust/smoke/moisture/etc. into the computer". Personally, I believe Apple is fully aware of the temps these things get to. I am 100% certain they test them to levels in conditions that the normal user would NEVER get to, and if the normal user did, then they are, in fact the problem. Under normal use, the hottest mine EVER gets, even with rendering/video encoding/gaming... is about 75 degrees C at the power supply (on the iMac) The HDD never exceeds 59 degrees, even under the highest workload I've put it through, which was about 7 hours of pretty large transfers. It idles at about 54-56.

When I first got it, I was paranoid about the heat. I researched this for weeks, constantly using SMC fan control to maintain the temps I thought were best. But after reading TONS of pages of info, I finally decided that (personally I feel) Apple knows what they are doing, I have Applecare anyway, so I uninstalled Fan control, and reset the SMC. It never gets too hot, and I'm 100% confident it will still be kicking years from now. The fan speeds change on their own, and I've noticed it ALWAYS keeps the temps within 5 degrees of a certain level. I am sure they set it that way for a reason. But only you can decide if you feel like you can trust them, or if you feel better cooling it down. There's nothing wrong with either side, in my opinion. I'm no engineer of any kind, but I feel fine and safe letting the computer operate as designed. We'll see how I feel after using the new MBP a bit now :p
 
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Thank You mate!

You have put my mind at rest :) After buying my first Apple computer I am a little paranoid and worried! Thanks though guys! I will let it run as it is for now! If I have a fault I always have Applecare to re-assure me!
 
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My iMac gets so hot you can barely touch it! But hey... Apple devices are hot aren't they? ;) hehe

Not had an overheating issue yet! :)
 
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Hahaa! LOL! As long as you Guys say it is ok I am happy :):):)
 
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I have the same iMac, last time I checked the temperature when I was doing some heavy designing I was hitting around 130 degrees F. I asked an Apple store person about it and she just said to turn it off and let it cool for awhile, obviously past the normal temp. but she didn't seem to worried.
 
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My iMac is on from 11am on a weekend to 2am roughly and on a school day from 3pm to abut 10pm I always have it on but I wouldn't say I work it hard!
 
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...Without the whole long spiel -- no, the engineers at Apple aren't stupid, and no they didn't forget to cool the machine. ... There's no need to be an "armchair engineer," as your machine was designed and manufactured properly in the first place. ... I'll never understand why it's so hard for people to believe that Apple is actually aware of how people use their products and knows how to cool them correctly.

Not to start a fight but people thought the same thing about Toyota and gas pedels or about Ford and tires. I do not think it is unreasonable for someone to ask if a product is performing as it should. Parts break or do not always perform as expected. I know I have purchased case fans that worked great for years, others worked for a while but quit much much sooner, both were produced by the same company. If someone were new to Macs, as I am, I think it is totally a valid question to ask if their product is doing what it should. You have to look no further than the iMac yellow tinge issue to see that sometimes the same parts do not perform the same way, all produced under the watchful eye of Apple Engineers.
 

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