iMac 27" Cooling Options?!?!?!?!?!

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Has anyone else noticed how blazing hot this thing gets when you use for a couple hours or so?

I have a small desktop fan in the back but it doesn't really do much. I was wondering if anyone has found a more powerful fanning solution for this.

I was thinking of getting this http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/de12ff.html

...but am not sure of what kind of adapter to get so that I can just plug it into the wall.

Thanks!!!
 

chscag

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2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
I'm surprised that your iMac is getting that hot. An iMac generally runs cool, much cooler than the MacBook or MacBook Pro. Cool air is drawn in from the bottom vents and warm air is exhausted out the top vents.

Why don't you download a temperature and fan speed measuring application and let us know what the temps and fan speeds are. Your iMac has three fans and lots of temp measuring points. Try downloading the free SMCFanControl or iStat Pro.
 
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My 21.5 inch iMac gets hot when I run CPU intensive Apps like Handbrake. I downloaded and installed SMC fan control and I generally jack the fans up to Medium when needed. Without it the machine will peek at about 175F depending on conditions in the room/outside. With SMC I can keep it at about 130(ish)F when running HB. I actually get faster conversion speeds with the cooler temps as well.
 
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Great feedback guys, I will run that app when I get back home later today and let you know what happens. I didnt realize it was possible to control the internal fans like that. Hopefully that will help!
 
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Measurments

Ok so here are some temperature measurements using iStat Pro after running the screen on full brightness for several hours:

HD 58
CPU 58
Ambient 26
GPU Diode 63
GPU Heatsink 61
Mean Controller 57
Optical Drive 52
Power Supply 2 71

And here are the fan speeds:

Optical Drive 1094 RPM
HD 2380 RPM
CPU Fan 938 RPM

I really have no idea if these are good or bad.

But strangely enough I was unable to get SMC Fan Control to work. After installation the program simple didn't respond to my attempts to run it.

I have a 27" i7 running on OSX 10.6.8

Any ideas on what going on here?
 

chscag

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Your temps are within about 10 to 15% to what mine are. My machine is at idle, brightness set to about half way and no CPU intensive process running.

The only fan speed that seems a bit high on your machine is the hard drive fan. Mine rarely goes over 1100 RPM. But that could be from background processes and the larger hard drive. I would say your machine temperatures and fans are normal.

The fact that my screen size is 21.5" versus your 27" may also be a factor in the heat that's being generated.
 
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Ok well that is a relief. I guess its the outside casing that feels hotter than I would like. Any ideas on sources for external industrial strength fans?
 

chscag

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I don't think you need any other source of cooling other than what's being provided by the fans inside, however, it never hurts to have a small fan running in back of the machine. You can probably find a 3" to 5" small fan with industrial teflon bearings (quiet operation) at an electronic supply house either on the net or maybe in your local area.

I wouldn't use an ordinary house fan because for one thing they're too noisy and generally wear out quickly.
 
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Well thanks for cross checking my numbers. If I find a good external fan source I will post it here.

Cheers!
 

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