Should I worry when the fan kicks in?

locoender · Nov 23, 2006

Hey ya, so this is my first Mac and my first laptop

So concerning the fan... should I let the computer cool done when it starts? or is it still safe to use it? and sometimes, when I use a certin application, the fan kicks in, so Im guessing it's making the computer work harder...so should I stay away from such applications?

D3v1L80Y · Nov 23, 2006

You have nothing to worry about. The computer is functioning the way it was intended to.

cazabam · Nov 23, 2006

As D3v1l80Y said, this is normal. What is strange about the macbook, compared to other notebook computers, is that it will increase fan speed if the CPU usage increases, even if the temperature hasn't started rising yet. This is to prevent it getting hot in the first place. So, if you're running a 3D game or encoding a DVD with iDVD or something, the fans will come on even if the processor is still at 'nominal' temperatures.

Nothing to worry about at all

eric · Nov 23, 2006

technically, you should worry if the fan doesn't kick in.

locoender · Nov 23, 2006

haha, okay thanks

Dark · Nov 23, 2006

I run smcfancontrol and set the minimum fan speed to 3500, this helps keep it cool all the time without getting warm at idle/light usage.

locoender · Nov 23, 2006

so is it safe running smcfancontrol at 3500 all the time? or just once in awhile?

Dark · Nov 23, 2006

there is nothing wrong with it. worst scenario the fan will die faster...but if its having to go from 1000 to 6000+ all the time then it might in fact extend the life a hair. either way, a 3500 minimum run speed is only helping your system.

locoender · Nov 25, 2006

how many fans does the MacBook have? smcfancontrol has the option to control 2 fans,but i can only move one...

cazabam · Nov 25, 2006

Macbooks only have one fan, located somewhere beneath the 8/u/j keys (approximately - if somebody has accurate measurements let me know) that blows out of the vent under the screen. Don't worry about the other fan - that's for MBP users.

mac747 · Nov 25, 2006

So what I hear spinning up every now and then is the fan? I thought it was the cdrom...

t

Chundermuffin · Nov 25, 2006

mac747 said:
So what I hear spinning up every now and then is the fan? I thought it was the cdrom...

Your CD-ROM shouldn't spin up without a disc in there.

locoender · Nov 25, 2006

cazabam said:
Macbooks only have one fan, located somewhere beneath the 8/u/j keys (approximately - if somebody has accurate measurements let me know) that blows out of the vent under the screen. Don't worry about the other fan - that's for MBP users.

Thanks for clearing that up, got worried for a sec.

caribiner23 · Nov 26, 2006

mac747 said:
So what I hear spinning up every now and then is the fan? I thought it was the cdrom...

t

The CD/DVD drive is not "spinning up": sometimes it will make a noise when the machine initializes.

This happens for me when I open the MacBook after it's been asleep or when I fire up Parallels. I was told by a guy at the Genius Bar this was normal, and he demonstrated on a store unit.

cazabam · Nov 26, 2006

Yes, the optical drive should only make a sound at power up, wake from sleep or if there is a disk in it. The constant quiet hum that occasionally gets louder is the fan.

parkinni · Nov 27, 2006

I just got a new MacBook last Friday (my first ever Apple) and I heard something similar to the DVD drive spinning up while I was surfing the Web, although there was no vibration from the case. The noise started off low in pitch and volume, but then got progressively louder and higher (like a plane taking off), before spinning back down to almost silence. Not having heard a MacBook cooling fan before, is this what it was?

PS. I did pop a disc in the DVD drive later, and the noise made was different.

Dark · Nov 27, 2006

parkinni said:
I just got a new MacBook last Friday (my first ever Apple) and I heard something similar to the DVD drive spinning up while I was surfing the Web, although there was no vibration from the case. The noise started off low in pitch and volume, but then got progressively louder and higher (like a plane taking off), before spinning back down to almost silence. Not having heard a MacBook cooling fan before, is this what it was?

PS. I did pop a disc in the DVD drive later, and the noise made was different.

Yes, that was the fan.
With smcfancontrol you can watch the rpms rise.

Techno Mutant · Nov 27, 2006

I also find that the cpu works alot when on sites like youtube once you leave those sites it stops. I believe the fan is closer up then the U,J,7 keys.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vEPzlIkBnGs