Imac fan is loud

When switching on my Imac noted that the fan was loud and stayed on for a long time. After leaving switched off for a number of hours the fan seemed to stop i.e back to normal. Should i be concerned about this and take my imac in to Apple to get checked over.

First try resetting the SMC
Desktop Macs
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.

Similar Messages

IMac fan very loud since upgrade to maverick

A week ago I just took advantage of the free upgrade to maverick from snow leopard on my iMac and already twice I have awoken to a loud fan running or so it appears. I've checked the activity monitor all processes and it seems that it's idle is at 91-94%. Kernal task is the highest activity but only at about 2%. I've done the SMC reset where I shut down my mac and unplugged it and it seems to do the trick but why have I had to do it twice???
If anyone can help I would appreciate it since I don't feel like taking this in nor purchasing a new PC just because of a loud fan. iMac is about 7 yrs old but other than this recent nuisance appears to be running just fine otherwise. Thanks in advance!

It is possible that the update to OS X 10.9 requires more real memory (MINIMUM is 2 GB, 4 is better, more than that is better yet).
The SMC reset should have fixed the problem if the problem is/was related to system management.
I would take it in for diagnosis (free in a Apple store).
Barry

IMac fan super loud

My iMac was running fine yesterday, but when I turned it on today the fan immediately ran at full speed. I've followed all the instructions here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 but there's no change. Any further suggestions besides taking it in?

Contact Apple Service, iMac Service or Apple's Express Lane. Do note that if you have AppleCare's protection plan and you're within 50 miles (80 KM) of an Apple repair station, you're eligible for onsite repair since yours is a desktop machine.

IMac fan running loudly, started suddenly yesterday

I've read through the forum and tried resetting the SMC and PRAM. Didn't do anything. Anything else I can try before I make an appointment at the Mac store? I really HATE not having my Mac at home...
History: Had iMac for ten months, never an issue. Yesterday midday my computer fan started running high. I installed the iStatPro widget, got this info, then realized I haven't a clue what this info means:
CPU: 1197
Hard Drive: 5907
Optical: 998
Obviously the Hard Drive fan is running five times the rate of the others, but is that abnormal? How abnormal is it?
The temps run:
HD: 92
CPU A: 95
CPU Heatsink: 97
Airport Card: 131
Ambient: 72
GPU: 108
GPU Diode: 112
GPU Heatsink: 112
Thanks for any info you can give me

Before taking off to the Apple Store try doing a SMC and PRAM reset again following:
1. Turn off your iMac and unplug everything from it for 30 seconds.
2. Plug in the power cord, keyboard and mouse only.
3. Press the power button and immediately hold down the Option, Command, P & R keys until you hear the second gong then release the keys. Your machine will start up normally, then check for the issues you are having.
BTW, if your don't have it already I would suggest getting AppleCare, it extends your telephone and parts and labor warranty to 3 years from the original date of purchase. If you do already have it when you call Apple ask about on-site service, they will provide it (if you ask) assuming you are within 50 miles of a service center.

IMac fan keeps running despite resetting the SMC

My iMac fan keeps running loudly even when the computer isn't doing any thing, and I just started it up.
I have tried resetting the SMC and that didn't help.
I also recently had to insert a new hard drive instead of the old one that failed. I am thinking that either the SSD is just hotter than the old hard drive, or that the hard drive sensor is somehow inverted in the plug. Is there any way of testing the hard drive sensor to see if that is faulty, or to test the fan. When I look at the Activity Monitor the system is 87% idle...

Although you don't mention which imac you have since 2009 Apple has used hard drives with the temp sensor built in. When replacing one of these late model drives you have to use the same type hard drive or you get fans running all the time because the temp sensor isn't detected. You might want to try some third party software such as iStat Menus, SMC Fan Control or HDD a Fan Control. Google them for reviews.

Fans are loud

is there a patch or an update or anything that will make the iMac's fans run quieter the nearest apple store is about 1hr &30min and it's only 3 months old. Any help is appriciated

update the firmware? I don't know if that'll work, but I do kno that Mac OS X's Software Update doesn't check for out-of-date firmware.
Your fan might be too loud for 3 reasons:
1. You're running your iMac to the max! If you're pushing it to the limit, then the wires and stuff inside get hotter, therefore needs a louder fan that'll provide more heat dissapation.
2. Defective iMac. Maybe you're unlucky, and got an iMac with an unusually loud fan.
3. I don't know. Maybe another perfectly logical reason for loud iMac fans that I don't know of. What I do know is that my iMac intel core duo fan is very quiet, but consider that my previous mac was an ancient G4, with a fan 1000000x louder!
Of course, I could be wrong. But one thing I'm sure of is if you have any warranty, you should make the best of it b4 it runs out.
Hope this helped
peace

No startup chime, red light, fans running loud...

yeah, I know that there are other threads with the same topic, but I just wanted to know how common this problem is?
How many people have experienced this?
What are the common disturbances?
What is going on?
Why is such an expensive, powerhouse computer become such a puny electronic product because of power issues?
I posted this in another thread but,
Here's my story:
I am having the same problem.
Now before you start taking advice to back up all your data, reformat your hard drive, and reinstall all the software; please take note of a few things:
first off, I'm ****** that this is happening to me. I spend $5000+ for a "reliable" Apple computer. Then it doesn't want to turn on because its not safe. Sorry if I drown this post with bitter sarcasm but I am coming to the end of the line with my patience.
I called Apple Care, read a bunch of posts (here and elsewhere), and yes I do know about the SMU Reset button (like that really does anything?).
My problem happened a few weeks ago and I thought nothing of it at first. There was a power outage for a quick second and it turned everything off. When I went to turn on my computer, there was no chime, the red light was on, and the fans were running and eventually began running very loud. After letting it run like that in hopes of the screen lighting up, I turned it off by holding the power button. By the way, there's nothing on the screen and the keyboard doesn't work (I use a wireless keyboard, but I plugged in the OG cord keyboard to push whatever series of buttons recommended by these "geniuses") Trust me, the computer doesn't make it to that part of the boot process, so stop with commandoption+PR or F12 to get the CD out. It doesn't work! What's up with this computer! It can handle all these intense calculations,etc. but a power surge is going to shut it down indefinitely.
So I left the computer came back the next day, turned it on and its fine. Cool, I'm happy. It's Working!! I go on a few weeks, then I go to turn it on this Monday, same problem. But actually a worse situation. I had a client come over and the computer wouldn't work. I looked like a idiot. Couldn't do anything cause my computer didn't want to turn on. I do music production/editing. I use my G5 for running ProTools LE. I have other programs but that is the main one I use. There's nothing wrong with it. It's optimized for use with the mac. So those people who are going to advise me to uninstall all my software and all that - I appreciate your concern but don't give advice when you don't know anything!
So I am getting frustrated. My client left a little disappointed, but what can you do? I tried to call AppleCare on Mon. but it was Memorial Day. So I waited for Tues.
Tues morning, my computer turns on like everything is fine.
I'm happy but cautious. I talk to AppleCare rep. He tells me that it is a common problem they have heard about with the G5's. Wherever blackouts, brownouts, spikes, sags, dips, and other electricity inconsistencies occur, the Power Mac G5 has a breaker in it which flips so it doesn't receive uneven power supply and damage internal components.
I like that feature. Good thinking Apple. Protecting my investment from bad electrical grids. But I don't like the fact my computer has a mind of its own where it decides when it wants to boot or when it wants to sit there and run its fans all loud.
I shut down Tues morn to go to work. I come back in the evening, it doesn't want to boot up. Instead of getting angry trying a bunch of times to turn on/turn off the computer, I leave my house all together and go and have a few drinks. I come home ,don't even look at my computer, and go to bed.
I wake up Wed. morning. Go to turn on my computer. Successful boot. It's running. Okay, I think, I'm going to get down to the problem. I read all the logs, not like I know every piece of info, but just to see what's happening. Everything looks fine. I decide to run the AppleCare CD Tech Tool. It says restart holding down C. I do that. When the gray Apple Logo comes up, all this writing about kernals comes up and it tells me to restart or shutdown. I shutdown and attempt to restart, same problem: no chime, red light on, and fans eventually spin loud. Now the CD is stuck in there. I'm going to take it to the Apple Store tomorrow to if these "geniuses" can figure it out.
(Just a side note: Apple calls them geniuses, but its hard for me to think some disconnected college kid with a bad haircut and questionable social skills knows what's up with the power supply issues of a computer; maybe I'm wrong, but you can run your diagnostics and look at the chart of what to do and all that BUT Apple needs to listen to the people)
I am going to get a UPS (uninteruptable power supply) with a clean sine wave output to curb the issue at my end. It's not my fault I live in a area that receives uneven power output. I live in Los Angeles. Summer is starting up and I think its going to be hot, so blackouts, power dips and sags are inevitable. I just don't understand why Apple hasn't considered this problem and fixed it with something:
A recall to change the power supply, Is it something on the logic board?, are they going to reimburse me for lost income (Ha, yeah right)
I really want to know how many people are having this problem?
From what I've heard, it is a common problem.
So I think we need a common solution.
If its so common, it must be the computer. We are all going to live in different areas where the power may vary. Not all of us have the consistent power flow of 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA. So if it is such a common problem, Apple needs to fix it.
I can't spend more than five grand on a super duper computer and have it wuss out on some power issues.
Its a loss of income and productivity to me.
I can't have that anymore.
Sometimes my computer turns on, sometimes it doesn't.
I bought my PowerMac G5 in April 2006, its been about a month and a half and I'm having these problems.
Thank you for your time.
If anyone else has been having this problem, I feel for you.
It was been very difficult for me not to curse in this post, but I have tried to extend the same respect to all that use these discussion boards to create dialogue, find help, and create solutions.
LETS FIX IT!
Peace,
Swami G
Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6) Dual 2.3 Ghz / 4.5 GB RAM

Well, you can see my specs below. I have the same problems as you, just worse. I am also running (as I have my previous systems) on an APC Smart-UPS 2200, and it doesn't solve this problem.
I bought my machine last December. In early March (just 2 days before my 90 days of phone support were up), I woke the computer from sleep to check email; about 5 minutes later it just froze. I had to force it down, but it never even got to the startup chime.
Called Apple, bought Apple Care on the spot, spent about 45 minutes on the phone with two levels of support, and Apple couldn't really diagnose the problem. They decided to send out a replacement logic board, processor unit and power supply for on-site service (I don't have an Apple service center nearby).
Nearly two weeks later the technician arrived with the parts, installed all of them, and - nothing. The system still exhibited the same symptoms as before the repair. He spent around five hours here, most of it on the phone with Apple. They decided that the processor unit they shipped was defective, so they sent another processor unit.
Nearly another two weeks later, the re-replacement processor unit arrived with the tech. He installed it, and everything worked. This was around April 1.
Fast forward to last Wednesday. Arrived home from work, tried to wake the Mac. Nothing happened. Had to force the machine off. Never booted again. Called Apple and went through the motions again. They're sending another logic board, processor unit, and power supply.
I asked about having the machine replaced since this will be the third repair attempt, considering it took two visits and nearly a month to repair it the first time it died. Apple was unwilling to replace it but I was told that if I had another failure, a replacement would be in the cards.
I agree with you about needing reliability in a computer as expensive as a Power Mac. It is not acceptable to have this kind of failure, repeatedly, with this kind of system. If my Windows PC has a hardware failure, I can take care of it myself. A top-end power supply is ~$200, a quality system board is ~$200-$300 - all very doable, and in very little time, if the need arises. A Power Mac logic board is ~$1K, a cpu module is well over $1K, who knows how much that crappy power supply costs, etc. If you have Apple Care, you face the kinds of downtime I'm having to deal with. A month without use of your computer. I mean, if I buy a Dell workstation, or an HP workstation, and pay an extra $200-$300 for service and something fails, Unisys will be here the next day and it will be fixed. That's the standard business class service experience you get from those companies with a computer that costs $600, much less the $3000+ you dish out for a Quad Power Mac. Apple's response is unacceptable.
It's a good thing I have kept my Windoze machine around, cause it's really saved my butt the last 2-3 months; that also makes me really sad, because in the last 6-7 years of Power Mac ownership I've had zero problems with any of them. My dad has my previous machine, a Rev A Dual 2.0 G5, and it's rock solid.
I sure hope that the Intel based Power Mac replacement doesn't suffer from what ever seems to afflict the recent Power Macs. I would absolutely hate to abandon OSX, but I will not put up with this kind of quality failure (hardware & service) again.
Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.4) Quad 2.5 GHz, 4GB RAM, Disk0: 74GB WD Raptor

MacBook Pro Retina 13" fan very loud/overheats when playing full screen video/games

Hi,
Just purchased a MacBook Pro Retina, refurbished (because why not - the same product for a cheaper price) around a month ago. It's the 13 inch and is the model before the most recent one came out (4GB of RAM instead of 8GB - late 2013). From the very first day, playing a full-screen video on any site (be it YouTube, Facebook, etc) just makes the fan much louder than usual (so loud that you can almost hear it more over the video itself). Thought it may have been just a thing with Flash Player being buggy, but the problem has persisted for a while now. I'm not even pushing the CPU to any limits - literally playing a full-screen video on Facebook (not even in HD) makes the fan go crazy.
Just last night I tried installing Borderlands 2 and it was the same thing - FPS rate was fine, no lag, just the fan was so loud that I actually got scared for my computer and turned it off. After closing the app and checking out the fan temperature, it was at 91c.
Never happens when browsing/surfing or doing my usual work.
Should I go give it back to Apple? The thing is I start university in less than a week (and hence will be traveling), so not sure if I can afford to give my laptop in to them for a long period of time (I know it should be free though since mine is a refurb item). May it just be an issue that is quickly repairable or is this worse?

During processor intensive activities—such as processing HD video or playing a game that makes extensive use of the graphics processor—the fans speed up to provide additional airflow.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4543
Reset SMC. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Choose the method for:
"Resetting SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own".
If this does not help, contact Apple.
Genius Bar reservation:
http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/
Best.

IMac Fan Noise - Not The Usual Problem

Hi,
I have seen plenty of discussions on iMac fan noise but mine is a little different. A week ago, a 'tink' noise (similar to tapping your fingernail on a glass) started coming from my mid 2011 iMac. At first, I thought it was the "click of death" for my hard drive, so I replaced it myself. This didn't fix the noise, so I ran an extended hardware test. This came back with a 4MEM error. I had some spare RAM, fitted it, ran the test again, no 4MEM error.
So, I booted the iMac again. 'Tink'... 'tink'. I finally located it to the bottom right of my iMac, where the optical drive fan is located. This fan has always rattled a little now and again but now it seems intent on driving me round the bend with its very own form of torture. At first, the 'tink' was now and again, but now it constant. 'tinktinktinktinktink'. Is there a way to stop the optical fan for now? I don't use the optical drive often anyway. Or would it just be a replacement fan?
Resetting SMC or PRAM does nothing.

This may be way off target, in which case ignore me. Do you have an app called Free Memory installed? There have been a few posts on here where it seems to cause repetitive odd noises to occur, particularly when running Mavericks?

IMac Fans continue to run after iMac puts its self to sleep Automtically

My iMac fans continue to run when it puts its self to sleep using the energy saving preference pane in settings. The iMac sleeps normally, The Fans Turn Off, hard disk sleeps and all when i press the power button and do it manually but not when it does it automatically. Does anyone have a fix to this as i need it to sleep its self for the new free government EnberTech Power Saving AC adapters to automatically shut off all of my connected devices

My iMac fans continue to run when it puts its self to sleep using the energy saving preference pane in settings. The iMac sleeps normally, The Fans Turn Off, hard disk sleeps and all when i press the power button and do it manually but not when it does it automatically. Does anyone have a fix to this as i need it to sleep its self for the new free government EnberTech Power Saving AC adapters to automatically shut off all of my connected devices

Why did my iMac fan come on very noisy after 1 hour of use ? I had to turn it off to stop it

Why did my iMac fan come on very noisy after 1 hour of use ? I had to turn it off to stop it

Just updated details - os x 10.8.5 .....
found an answer that could have been problem with CPU and a runaway application (possibly Bin Weevils) which my son was running at the time. I shall check the activity monitor next time to see what percentage cpu is being used..
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1473
thanks for response

IMac fan won't stop running after Mavericks install

My fan seems be running all the time, in sleep mode and shut down (when power cord is plugged in).
This started after installing Mavericks??????????????????????????????? HELP.

I have the same issue with my 2012 iMac 2.7 Intel Core i5 21.5"
The iMac fan runs constantly immediately when it is shut down and after a minute or so when it is put in standby.
This iMac just started doing this.
I have done the SMC reset numerous times and also the PRAM and DVRAM reset by hitting the Command, Option, P, and R after restarting.
This issue is beyond frustrating as the only way to shut off the fan ever is to pull the power cord.
Any additonal help would be appreciated.

My macbook pro's fan gets loud, extremely hot, and super slow on tumblr

Everytime I get on tumblr, my macbook gets very hot, slows down, and the fan gets loud. Its only on this website and it's only a recent thing. I have been using this website for almost a year and have never ever had an issue before. Is it the website or my computer? Please asist me. It's getting quite old.

knockoutnerd1 wrote:
do you think i would benefit from getting the hardrive cleaned out? like do you think it's to dusty and dirty inside?
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
In short, no. This is not something that is done. You do not say what Mac you have but indicate OS 10.6.8 so I suspect an older machine. Dirt and dust can accumulate around the fans and exhaust ports and can lead to increase temperature.
Apple genius bar would be able to help you over the counter if it is a continued concern.
You can try a simple SMC reset to see if improves your situation.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

MBP 13" fans too loud, sound like a motor saw

Hi there
My MBP went crazy last night, well the fans did
They seem to be in overdrive if you just listen to them, but both SMFC and iStatPro say that they are spinning at maybe 3500 RPM.
I tried to reset the SMC, but it didn't change anything. I hope there is a software fix for this cause I'd hate to send it in for repair since it would mean beeing without it for at least a week.
Wonder if reinstalling Snow Leo would make a difference?

MickiWilliams wrote:
My fans run loud almost constantly. When my iSight starts up, certain websites, even just watching videos, the fans get really loud. How do I find out what apps are causing it?
Use your Mac's "Activity Monitor". It is in the Finder > Go > Utilities folder.
You can sort processes by CPU% (descending) to quickly find the biggest user.
For more info, launch the utility and use Activity Monitor > Help.
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2)
MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2) LED Cinema Display
G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) External iSight iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)

Fans are loud what should I replace them with and how?

Just like the subject says my fans on my power mac g5 seem to be a bit on the obnoxious loud side. Was this just with the early G5 models? Anyways I wanted to know if it would do me any good to by different fans for it. If so which fans do you recommend? How easy is it to to put onto the computer?
-jim

I think pretty much all the fans are custom made for Apple, at least that's what they look like - not at all like the typical PC fans...
Which fans are loud? You could use Hardware Monitor to show how fast they spin - and compare to these numbers of other G5 owners. Which model do you have anyway?
(Check in /Applications/Utilities/System Profiler -> Hardware Overview)
And which graphics card is installed? Cause its fan might be loud (if it has one - the default cards usually don't) - it was in my case (currently Geforce 7800 GT) as well as with my earlier G5 (dual 2.0 GHz, 2003 model, with CTO Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB). The video card fan is replaceable if one has some experience. The rest of the G5's fans are more difficult. If a particular fan is bad, you might be able to get a replacement for it as a service part, from some mac dealer in your vicinity.
It may also help to carefully vacuum the huge heatsink on the G5 processors and air outlets in the back. The G5 must be off of course, and don't touch or even go close to the RAM or Mobo, as the vacuum machine might be electrostatically charged.
Quad G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7) 4 GB ECC RAM, Raptor 150 GB, Seagate 750 GB, GeForce 7800 GT

Imac fan is loud

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