should i be concerned with these temps?

[curlyimac]

I have the new 27" iMac retina i5. I just installed temperature gauge app and noticed that the cpu temp hovers around 80 F
normally. I converted a video in handbrake and it jumps to 192F.
Will this type of temperature kill the cpu over time? I don't do a lot of converting, only occasionally.
What is the max temp? I know the i7 is more for editing but I would think that gets pretty hot too.

 

[chscag]

Those temps are not out of the ordinary for your iMac. The newer iMacs both retina and standard model use only one fan. You'll notice that cool air is drawn in from the bottom vent openings and warm air is expelled out of the back vent which sits above the monitor stand holder. When you use handbrake to convert video that taxes both the CPU and GPU which is why the additional heat is generated. When you were doing the conversion you should have heard your fan increasing in RPM.

 

[pigoo3]

I converted a video in handbrake and it jumps to 192F.

Handbrake is an app that max's out a computers abilities. So what you're experiencing is what happens when the computer is pushed to it's max.

What is the max temp?

When the computer shut's off by itself automatically. Honestly…you would have to speak with an Apple engineer to find that out.

- Nick

 

[curlyimac]

I tried converting another video this morning in handbrake. I had the temperature gauge app open. The cpu core lines turned yellow and in notification center I got a message that shutting down the computer or sleeping it for a while will cool it down.

Does this mean I can't use handbrake on this machine at all?

i haven't tried iMovie yet. That is disappointing. I had no other apps running other than mail running at the time

 

[pigoo3]

I tried converting another video this morning in handbrake. I had the temperature gauge app open. The cpu core lines turned yellow and in notification center I got a message that shutting down the computer or sleeping it for a while will cool it down.

Was this message generated by the temperature gauge app?

- Nick

 

[curlyimac]

Was this message generated by the temperature gauge app?

- Nick

Yes. It came on the notification center.

 

[pigoo3]

The reason why I asked if the message came from the temp app is…retina 5k iMac's are a relatively new model…and the temp. app may not have been updated to reflect things. So the temp app. is spitting out this message…and it may not apply to retina 5k iMac's.

Apple computers are designed to shut down automatically if they overheat. If 192°F was too high…the iMac would shut down. The fact that the computer runs at a very "cool" 80°F when not using handbrake…to me sounds like this computers cooling system is working just fine.

If you are SUPER concerned about this…stop using handbrake!

- Nick

 

[curlyimac]

I wouldn't say I'm super concerned but I spent $2500 on a new machine and should be able to do what I want with it. Admittedly I didn't think I would need the i7. I probably should have just coughed up the extra for it, but didn't think i needed to since i'm not a major video user.

 

[vansmith]

I've seen temperatures hit the high 70s/low 80s when crunching a lot of data (gaming with intense graphics, encoding video, etc). In shorter intervals, I wouldn't worry about it.

While prolonged use at such temperatures might do damage (assuming the safety mechanisms in your Mac didn't shut it down to force cooling), I would let your Mac regulate temperatures and operation without worrying about it. It's easy to get wrapped up in things that might go wrong and sometimes harder to let things just happen.

 

[pigoo3]

I wouldn't say I'm super concerned but I spent $2500 on a new machine and should be able to do what I want with it. Admittedly I didn't think I would need the i7. I probably should have just coughed up the extra for it, but didn't think i needed to since i'm not a major video user.

This is why we are saying…don't be concerned about it! When you use handbrake…it max's out the computers resources…thus hitting the highest temps you are going to see.

In fact…unless you always run this computer in an air-conditioned room (same temp as the room it's in now)…those computer temps will probably get even higher with Summertime temps. Again if it gets too hot…it will shut down automatically.

And by the way…if you think that getting an i7 CPU would have made the computer run cooler…no it wouldn't have. If the i7 CPU option was more powerful…handbrake would have just taken advantage of the extra performance (generating more heat) and resulting in even higher temps.

Again…don't worry about it. And the safety net…you have/had 12 months of Applecare when you purchased the computer. Still concerned??…purchase Extended Applecare/Applecare+ (and get a total of 3 years of coverage).

- Nick

 

[chscag]

Still concerned??…purchase Extended Applecare/Applecare+ (and get a total of 3 years of coverage).

+1. Macworld very specifically recommends the purchase of extended Apple care for the retina iMac. Repairs such as replacing the display or logic board could run close to a $1000 or more.

 

[curlyimac]

Yes, I am planning on purchasing apple care. Always do.
I thankfully have never needed to use it on any of my macs in the past

 

[chas_m]

Your whole post hinges on the fact that you believe that Apple, the company with the most highly-regarded engineers in the entire computer industry, forgot to make sure the machine could cool itself properly under load. Oopsie!

I'm sure, put that way, you understand how completely ridiculous that sounds.

It's fair to say that iMac is not designed to run at top processing power all day, every day (and nobody is suggesting you've done anything like that). But barring some kind of defect (of which there is zero evidence thus far), your iMac will cool itself just fine, even under heavy load. The machine will simply shut completely off by itself if it ever gets so hot that it can no longer protect the processor. If this hasn't happened, then everything is working as it should and don't worry about it.

 

[bobtomay]

...
It's fair to say that iMac is not designed to run at top processing power all day, every day (and nobody is suggesting you've done anything like that). But barring some kind of defect (of which there is zero evidence thus far), your iMac will cool itself just fine, even under heavy load. The machine will simply shut completely off by itself if it ever gets so hot that it can no longer protect the processor. If this hasn't happened, then everything is working as it should and don't worry about it.

I wouldn't say that is fair at all... I would say it is fair to believe that any computer an individual buys should be able to handle whatever job the owner wants to accomplish with it that the hardware is capable of doing - including encoding video 24/7 if that's what the owner wants to do with it. And I believe, the iMac can do just that.

With over 10 yrs experience overclocking in the other camp by the time I got my first Mac, I was astounded (and stressed out) that it was running temps in the 90-100°C range (194-212°F) while gaming and encoding video. The goal on my custom built air cooled overclocked rigs at the time were temps below 30°C at idle and I rarely saw anything above 50°C under stress. Holy Cow I thought - what now?

You can't go in and pull the CPU and lap it. You can't upgrade the CPU cooler nor the fans. You can't add liquid cooling to it. You can't overclock it <-- the primary reason temperature monitors became vogue in the home PC market, as the cooler you could get the system to run the higher the overclock you could achieve.

I can't even begin to tell you how many hours my '06 MacBook Pro has spent encoding video, not to mention the 6-10 hour sessions spent gaming on it - all with the temps sitting in the 90+C range. (I may still have the red marks on my legs to prove it.) It's still here and still being used. Bought the kid (he's an art museum curator) an iMac that same year. He spent a few years putting together videos on that machine and is still using it today as his primary iTunes library server.

The higher the percentage of the processing power being used by the CPU and GPU - the higher the heat is going to be - period...

Now I'm not saying you should expect to use most computers in an area where the air temp is 100+°F and not expect to have some issue running CPU/GPU intensive tasks on it. But, if the air temp is below 75-80°F, you shouldn't have an issue.

Bottom line - I did all the stuff - Want my advice? Trash the temperature app and forget you ever heard there was such a thing. You'll be much happier. Use your machine to do what you want to do with it. If/when it starts having heat issues, it will let you know.

What a joke - an app that recognizes when you're actually doing some work on your computer and then pops up to tell you if you shut it down it will cool off - duh!!!! - what a freaking asinine statement and waste of space - get rid of that stupid app and use your computer to do the things you bought it for.

 

[vansmith]

Your whole post hinges on the fact that you believe that Apple, the company with the most highly-regarded engineers in the entire computer industry, forgot to make sure the machine could cool itself properly under load. Oopsie!

I'm not sure I'd say that Apple tops that list. I'm pretty sure a solid case could be made for IBM's Watson team and indeed, without evidence to the contrary, any group of engineers could top that "list." And lets not forget the litany of articles and explorations of Apple's software engineering "quality" as of late.

I'm sure, put that way, you understand how completely ridiculous that sounds.

If you say anything in a condescending fashion, it can sound ridiculous.