20" Aluminum iMac Overheating?

Hey guys, Im wondering a few things...
Im a multi-media student, I bought a new iMac (specs below), Im running everything from after effects, photoshop and cinema 4d to logic pro8 and reason... Lots of stuff, But im wondering if anyone has had any heating issues. Right now it says my computer is running anywhere from 50 to 75 celcius, Im really wanting this computer to last and Im wondering if anyone has any good ideas or knows of any good products that will lower my temperature by like 10 degrees??

Right now I just have a little fan sitting behind it but I dont think that it's doing too much cooling (other than keeping me cool).


My specs:

iMac (20')
Core 2 duo 2.4 ghz
2 GB ram (667)
Radeon 256 graphics card
300 GB hard drive

My software:

Cinema 4D
Creative suite CS3
Logic pro 8
Reason 3.0


THANKS!

The problem i see is that you probably don't have enough ram to run these programs. They are highly memory intensive. You shoudl probably move your computer to a more well ventilated area, or upgrade your ram.

When my computer runs hot i usually just shut it down, put a fan on it for a while, and then come back 5 minutes later and resume from a fresh start up.

(thats w/ a windows pc though) i'm not getting a mac for a few weeks.

You could always try a fan control program like smcFanControl.

It gives you the choice to change the fan speed so when you think it's running a little hotter then you would like simply turn up the fan and wa-la.

That's what i tend to do anyway.. but i'll admit i don't run the programs you do..

Ram would help performance but I cant say it will help the heat.

It isn't overheating. If it had overheated, it would have shut down automatically as a protective measure.

At what temperatures does a mac thinking about shutting itself down as a precautionary measure?

lol I'd love to know too..

Or at what temp if it doesn't decide to shut it's self down should you shut it down..

I personally don't let my MacBook run much over 55C

D3v1L80Y said:

It isn't overheating. If it had overheated, it would have shut down automatically as a protective measure.

Click to expand...

Ditto.....

If you're going to use your computer for highly intensive CPU or GPU tasks it is going to heat up. A lot of encoding and 3d intensive games are both going to take the temps to the 70C mark.

Am not going to go check now, but according to my now getting senile mind, the shut off temp was something around 85C the last time I went looking for it.

Have used my MBP for hours at a time (6-10 hrs) on too many occasions to count running at 70 - 72C.

All of this temp thing comes from the windows side and all of the folks trying to overclock their CPU's (and I are one) and trying to get a stable speed from a processor that you're pushing to the limit. For the rest of you just using your computer at the speeds it was designed for - quit worrying, be happy.

Like the others have stated. It was made to run at those temps. If it gets too hot, it will shut itself down. 75C is safe.

I have a 24" Aluminum and it goes to 70C

At what temperatures does a mac thinking about shutting itself down as a precautionary measure?

Click to expand...

Nobody can get it to shut down at the critical temperature because it's impossible to get near it, because it's designed not to overheat!!

Like PC BIOS's, the EFI probably has 85C or so at a shutdown temperature.

Hi.

I bought a refurbished iMac which ran extremely hot on the top left and the top left back. I returned it to Apple, and received a replacement. This is the last version of the aluminum iMac just before the ones currently shipping.

2.4 GHz C2Duo, 1 GB RAM, 320 HD, Radeon 2500 Pro Graphics

My second machine still gets quite hot just using it for web surfing and instant messaging, and nothing else.

Here are the operating temperatures of the machine according to iStat Pro:

Sitting idle:

HD - 50C
CPU A - 38C
GPU - 49C
GPU Diode - 52C
GPU Heatsink - 49C
Ambient - 25C
Memory Controller - 41C

The next set of temperaatures is just for having Firefox open and surfing the web, and an instant messenger program, used sparingly, both which barely use the CPU, and only use the HD for cache reading/writing.... certainly not the processor and HD intensive work of ripping a movie, or using a graphics intensive program)

HD - 52C
CPU - 46C
GPU - 60C
GPU Diode - 64C
GPU Heatsink - 59C
Ambient - 28C
Memory Controller - 47C

----------

If these temperatures are within spec for such non-CPU and HD intensive work, then why does the top left of the iMac get so hot?

Also, I downloaded smcFanControl and upped the CPU and HD fan from 1200 to just over 1400 RPM, and it seems to be helping the temperatures a bit, but the top left of the computer still seems to be as hot.

Is keeping the fans running faster detrimental to the machine? Will they wear out sooner?

Should I worry about the heat on the top left, or does everyone else's iMac get that hot?

Thanks in advance!

Greg

Well, I personally don't know a lot about temperatures, but I've read many times that decreasing a CPUs temperature by 10 degrees Celcius, you are extending its lifespan by about 100% (i.e. if you used it ALL THE TIME at 70ºC it would last 20 years, whereas if the regular temperature was 60º it'd last 40). So, if you're interested in getting the thing to work for 10-15 years instead of 6-12, (assuming NOTHING ELSE fails) yeah, use smcFanControl like some of us do.

If these temperatures are within spec for such non-CPU and HD intensive work, then why does the top left of the iMac get so hot?

Also, I downloaded smcFanControl and upped the CPU and HD fan from 1200 to just over 1400 RPM, and it seems to be helping the temperatures a bit, but the top left of the computer still seems to be as hot.

Click to expand...

The case is meant to get hot. It's disappating the heat, otherwise it would remain inside the machine. Worrying that the case is hot is like worrying that your car engine is hot to the touch.

The fans are designed to spin around! Sorry to bring in another car analogy, but worrying about the fans is like worrying that your windscreen wipers won't last if you live in a wet climate!

Thanks! The iMac is running just fine with the temps recorded above.

Yes, the heat is dissipating where it should be, and the fans are working just like wiper blades, so all is good!

I'm playing Crysis on Windows XP and the top of the case gets so hot you can't hold your hand there for more than a couple of seconds.

It's as happy as larry though!

my imac also gets super hot to the touch in the top left. it eventually overheated and froze on me while doing a system update. i couldn't get it to boot, so i took it to the mac store where the guy pointed out my frame was warping (separation between aluminum and glass) and there's discoloration on my screen from overheating. i left it over night and when i picked it up (with a new hd and everything transferred successfully) he mentioned that he was shocked how much dust compacted onto the hd.

it was still under warranty at the time, but that's almost up, and my comp is still super hot. i don't want this to happen again, how do you keep it from overheating?