IMac running hot

Our IMac is running very hot and the fans are running loudly and constantly. To fit it into a smaller space I took the stand off it. Where are the vents on these machines and what can I do to improve airflow without the stand attached?

The air intakes are located across the bottom of the iMac. If you are blocking the intakes by setting the iMac down off the stand, then you are just moments away from a total meld down.
The iMac's do not do well in tight spaces, you would do better putting the stand back on and finding a more open space or getting a new desk.

Similar Messages

IMac running hot (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)

Hi
I just wanted to give a heads up on my new intel iMac running hot when the monitor is brighter than half way or (newer) games are set to high graphics performance.
I was concerned from the back of the computer feeling very hot so I popped off the front glass and LED screen and took a couple pictures of the logic board where I assume capacitors or on the other side:
You can clearly see where the logic board is getting hot with a little scoring.
to resesolve this issue, I simpy run my games (which are newer ones btw) at lower graphics settings and keep the monitor level below half way. . .
anyway, just thought you should know.

Ok panic over
I found this http://www.derman.com/iMac-Fan-Control
I set the minimum fan speed to 2000, machine is much cooler now. I suppose so long as the fan does not wear out I'll be fine now.
You know picures like you have taken are very worring, iMac is VERY expensive and I expect quality and I don't expect to see what you have. I feel your pain bro...

IMac running hot? How can I check temperatures

I have a 2008 aluminum iMac that seems to be running hot. Have cleaned the air intake and vent. Running Lion. Is there an app or other method to access the temperature of the drive? Several previously popular 3rd party apps could check temps and adjust fan speeds but I can't find any that run in Lion. Any advice?

You could download the free iStat Pro widget which should give you this information (and a whole lot more):
http://istat-pro.en.softonic.com/mac

IMac running hot; what is it DOING?

I understand many people are concerned with how hot iMacs run. I'm not too worried since I'm sure Apple has stress-tested these computers and engineered them such that they will run for many years even if you're doing 3-D renders in Death Valley. Just because a human is uncomfortable at 150 degrees doesn't mean a computer chip will stop working.
But what I don't get is what the iMac is DOING. Sometimes I will be doing a lot of intensive stuff (I check Activity Monitor frequently) and the top of my iMac will only be lukewarm, and other times I leave it idle (doing absolutely NOTHING) for an hour and I come back and the top is HOT.
This is a complete mystery to me. Has anybody been able to figure out what causes these computers to heat up?!

Coming from an electronics engineering background, I can tell you most assuredly that the heat generated inside the current iMac design enclosure is not good for the electronic components over a period of time.
There are a lot of posts here of hard drive failure, CPU, GPU and even logic board failures.
I am convinced that all are heat related issues.
Heat is the enemy of all small electronic components, period!
Component failure and component "brown-outs" can be caused both by fluctuating electric current and/or heat!
Electronic components like to operate in as cool a temperature as possible. Conputer components, at one time were cooled by either water, anti-freeze-like fluids, liquid Nitrogen, etc.
In earlier iMac models, heat was vented by having a case with that has ample venting built-into the case design.
The new iMac designs IMO, do not have enough sufficient, passive venting to vent all of the heat the iMac components generate. I feel the aluminum body conducts as much heat on the inside of the enclosure as it convects outward from the enclosure with an insufficient net reduction in overall internal temperatures.
Apple has definitely NOT done long duration stress testing of its current designs.
It refreshes its product designs every couple of years or so. So why do long-term testing on a design that will be redesigned and refreshed every few years. I believe they do not.
Apple engineers were simply concerned much more with the complete quiet operation of the iMac design than with internal heat buildup issues within the current iMac enclosure designs.
I and many other users use a software fan control to ramp up the iMac's internal fans as well as use an external fan on the backs of our iMacs to further cool them down more directly.
The result is an additonal 15% to 20% reduction in the iMacs overall running temps.
As to your main question, when running OS X applications, OS X is doing things, while the apps you are also running are doing things. These things use CPU, GPU cycles, swapping commands and data in/out of RAM, maybe using hard drive cycles, etc. These processes work different hardware and software components of your iMac and, in turn, increase the components temperatures. Typically the CPU, GPU and hard drive ( and in the case of getting data on and off of discs, the optical drive) do heat up appreciably and heat up even more when the application tasks get more and more demanding of the Mac hardware.

IMac running hot, what's wrong?

My iMac (24" Mid -07, 2.4G Intel C2D, 4GB RAM, OSX 10.6.8) is running real hot and it's not just the summertime.
Temperature Monitor gives me following values:
Hard drive bay: 55c
Display screen proximity: 59c
CPU A heatsink: 59c
Graphics processor chip 1: 70c
Graphics processor heatsink 1: 71c
Graphics processor temperature diode: 75c
Main logic board: 62c
Optical drive: 49c
Power supply position: 89c <------ ***??
Wireless module: 69c
Activity Monitor values:
CPU % User: 26.44
CPU % System: 5.99
CPU % Idle: 70.67
Threads: 588
Processes: 78
Memory Free: 720.6MB
Wired: 410MB
Active: 2.35GB
Inactive: 564MB
Used: 3.30GB
VM Size: 153.77 GB
Page ins: 45.08 GB
Page outs: 2.53GB
Swap used: 2.73GB
I could fry an egg on the computer if I wanted. I have had to replace my hard drive twice because of temp fails and have reinstalled OSX a few times without any help. Fans running like ****. I am running Google Chrome with three windows (21 tabs in total)
I can't say the computer is reallly "unresponsive" per se, but it is slow and not something you'd expect of a 2.4G C2D machine. If I open a Youtube tab, the videos jerk like crazy.
Any suggestions??

As old as your iMac is, have you cleaned out the dust? Dust buildup can lead to over heating issues. Remove any and all things plugged into it including the power cord, Remove the RAM access grille. Vacuum all openings starting with the RAM access area (air intake). Vacuum all ports and plugs, DVD slot and the opening across the top of the rear of the body. Blow compressed air through all your openings and vacuum again to remove any dust you loosend. Reinstall the RAM grille. Plug in the keyboard and mouse if not blue tooth. Insert power cord...
You are now in a perfect position to do a
SMC RESET
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord and ALL peripherals.
Wait 15 seconds.
Attach the computers power cable.
Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on the computer.
It is the 5 second timing that initiates the reset.
Here is a link to a Widget to monitor your temps and other operations:
http://islayer.com/apps/istatpro/

27" iMac running hot, loud fans, restart each day

I have a current model 27" iMac 3,4GHz Intel Core i7 with 16GB Ram, Dual Drive (250 GB SSD, 1 TB SATA) with a second Thunderbolt Display. Each day I run Safari, Mail and Chat along with itunes (Music) or Pandora, and 1 possibly one or two other programs (Photoshop etc) but nothing overly taxing. Without fail, the fans start running and within 30 - 45 minutes the computer starts running slow and freezes up. This happens once a day between 1 and 4 PM.
The temperatures are climing into the 170 range. (I would put more specifics but it is actually starting to freeze up as I type this and I dont want to start over.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

UNINSTALL FLASH PLAYER AND USE CHROME!!
I've had this problem for the past 3 weeks. I've taken it into the apple store and an apple certified technician.
I've done SMC reset and all the things you will find when you research this issue, besides opening up your computer.
I noticed the CPU fan would go crazy 30-40min into using safari. I would put it to sleep, wake it up, it would stop but then start back up in 30min. When I took it into apple, the technician said that flash uses up a lot of processing power, tricking your computer into thinking it's getting hot. (don't quote me on the "tricking" part, that's just how I sum it up.) He said for web browising he uses chrome because it has a built in flash.
My computer was running fine otherwise, apple even said so. The CPU fan was just going crazy.
I uninstalled my flash player, restarted the computer, I now use chrome, and it hasn't happened since.
Not saying that this will solve everybodys problem, just saying this is what worked for me.

IMac running hot! After installing Mountain Lion OS

I installed Mountain Lion and I my iMac is running so hot. The fan is running and the whole case is hot. Hot along the whole back side. Has anyone else had this happen? I call Apple Support and scheduled an appt. today to drop off for evaluation and repairs. Just be aware!

I am curious what you mean when you say that "once this process is complete, things should settle back down to normal levels" with respect to reindexing and "NORMAL" temperature levels.
Would you kindly tell me what "NORMAL" temp levels are supposed to be for an iMac Mid 2011 Intel Core i5 2.5 GHz processor with 8 GB RAM or any iMac with which you are familiar?
Here is what my stuff looks like at present. What is 'normal" operating temp?
Thanks.

Back of my iMac running hot!!

My iMac is running pretty hot around the vent at the top. Is this normal? Or should it be cleaned out? ( if possible )
Any thoughts?
Ideas?
I don't run a lot of the apps most of the time.
Usually Mail safari, ichat, and skype.

TC400 wrote:
My iMac is running pretty hot around the vent at the top.
This can be quite normal. Currently the CPU on my IMac is running at 72 degrees Celsius and the secondary heat sink (which is close to the GPU) is at 85 degrees Celsius. The left top, but in particular the right top, are
very hot.
I recommend you to install some software to measure the temperatures. Lots of options here but I can recommend iStat Menus 3: http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus. It will be the best $16 you ever invested as it shows a lot of details on your Mac and allows you to control the speed of the internal fans as well.
Eric

IMac runs hot after Mavericks upgrade

after upgrading from Mountain Lion to Mavericks the machine (mid 2010 IMac 27 inch) runs much hotter than before. I was hoping the power management would rather be better than worse. The upper part of the enclosure get too hot to touch comfortably without excessive load e.g. just some office programs and safari running. This even now in winter time when room temps are only about 20 deg C = 70 deg F. The fans are running higher than before.
As no topics like this are found, a general compatibility issue could most likely be excluded.
What should be checked?

Do 2-3 SMC Resets, or it also may simply be re-indexing Spotlight. Check Spotlight to determine if that is the issue by hitting Command + Spacebar and see if it's reindexing.

G5 iMac Running hot - fans reving - eventual Kernel Panic

So, I've inherited a sick G5 iMac from a friend.
She told me the fans always revved, and that it eventually "Crashed with a black screen"
She was running Panther 10.3.9 - So, I wiped the HD, installed Tiger, Updated to 10.3.9, Reset the SMU, took the back panel off, and blew out all the dust with a can of air.
The machine boots silent, CPU runs at about 125 Degrees F at the 5 minute mark.
Letting run idle... Within 10 minutes, this machine ramps the fans up, about "Half speed" and the CPU sits at about 150 Degrees F
Running any programs, and using the processor, the Fans "Rev Up" pretty much "Full bore" and the CPU runs at about 175 degrees F.
Using this machine for about a half an hour, with processor intensive tasks, will result in a Kernel Panic, and I'll be forced to re-Start the machine.
This machine qualifies for the "Power Supply / Video Extended repair service up to 3 years after purchase date"
The serial number falls within the listed serials, and it was purchased 2 and 1/2 years ago...
Only problem.... Power Supply is "Cool to the touch", no bulging capacitors, no video problems, All of the heat is originating from the processor, that "G5 Heat Sink" is almost "Un touchable"
It seems as Apple won't honor this extended repair program, on models listed, unless they "Won't start" or "have distorted, fuzzy, or no video"
So.... I have any options OTHER then to strap a bunch of 3rd party fans to this iMac like a ton of others have done?
Can I "Re-grease" the processor HeatSink ? any thoughts out there ?
running this CPU @ 175 Degrees F is eventually just going to burn this thing out, isn't it ??

Running at 175∘ is not a good thing. I'm not sure you would want to try this but this article on how to regrease the heatsink would probably help more, here's the link to get the grease,let me know what you tried...
Miriam

Imac 27 runs hot as ****, won't sleep, and cpu runs wild in w7

I have been having audio issues with the imac 27. plugging headphones or speakers causes cpu to run crazy, the mic in the triband trrs jack does not work, and the imac runs hot, and will not go into power saver mode.
When I came in I found my nephew who was listening to some music on the imac, and I felt the back top of the imac and it was hot as ****. I almost burned my hand. I realized then that he had plugged his headphones in.
Unplugging the headphones or speakers can solve some of these problems.
But, this is not an acceptable fix.
Please contact Apple and urge them to fix these sound card issues.
If anyone does not have these problems in w7 with the imac 27 even after the latest bootcamp and imac updates, let us know right here. I think this affects every one of the late 2009 imacs and maybe some earlier ones too running windows 7.
Here's the post I recently ran on the headphone jack issue.
Not only does the cpu run crazy but the imac 27 gets very, very hot. Since I unplugged the headphones, it runs much, much cooler.
Certainly, some Mac engineers should take care of this problem, it seems it is universal on all the imac 27's and from what I gather, the smaller screened cousins too.
Also, we certainly want a stereo mix option for audio in or out, or what is called "what you hear" or wave out. Imac is supposed to be much geared to multimedia apps.
Finally, the mic jack part of the trrs set up MUST be fixed! A lot of manufacturers are going to headset combo jacks as they call them, mic in and stereo out on the same tribanded plug. But, the old single jack for mic in and single jack for stereo out are two tiny parts of the hardware and super inexpensive for the manufacturer. Why in the **** to go to the "advanced" triplug if the **** thing doesn't work.
Mac has a great reputation. I hope they remedy these problems right away.
Anyone whose imac 27 or 24 whose headset plug is working correctly. Let us know! I don't think anyone's is, but I think that few people understand that their cpu is running so much faster with the plug in, plus few even understand the combo jack and the triband, or trrs audio jack! Out of 4 audio technicians I talked to, not one of them knew what a trrs jack was or that you even have a mic in jack as part of the headset jack!
When I told one senior that it worked on the Mac side, he didn't believe for a while, thought my sound might be recorded from the onboard mic, but I proved it to him by tapping iaudibly on my iphone mic headset and and it showing up in garage band clearly and listening to big difference in audio.
As for a usb audio adapter, I am in a neon light environment and find that those adapters are more sensitive to electrical interference. Besides I want to use the headset jack as it was meant to be used!
Thats it.
Again, if anyone using an imac 27 and windows 7 64 or 32 doesnt have these problems, let us know! We are all anxious for a fix!
Best to all!

Yes, I have been dealing with this problem since early January. I just can't believe that apple would not have the necessary driver for the sound card in the Imac 27! That's like trying to run a race and not bothering to tie your shoes! How can they not have something as basic as the sound connections working???
I was encouraged to buy a top of the line imac 27 because Apple had told us that bootcamp would enable Windows users to use the machine just as if it were a native windows machine, then they don't give us the **** drivers to use the trrs mic jack. And you can't use the external speakers without the cpu going wild and heating up like a pot bellied stove.
This is really disheartening and now I am really thinking I made a big mistake. I wouldn't mind migrating to Mac gradually, but I have lot of scientific and other programs that require windows. At this rate there will be thousands of other mac buyers who will never make the same mistake again.
As you can see I am quite angry about this, and getting more angry with each day Apple ignores every imac purchaser who expected to use Windows on the machine! Is the software for a sound card driver that difficult?
Having a computer which doesn't have sound that works correctly, is like having a car without seat, you can still drive it but isn't very **** comfortable.

17" iMac G5 2GHz (ALS but no iSight) runs hot and LOUD fans

Hi all,
I love my iMac. I've had it for nearly 8 months now. From day 1, I've been surprised by how loud it is under any significant CPU load. Unfortunately for me, I have waited until I'm well out of my phone support window to do anything about it. I have not yet purchased AppleCare.
As I type this, my CPU temp is 70 degrees C and fan is running at 2600 RPM, running nothing beyond the browser in which I'm typing. Should I attempt to work in iMovie and render said work to DVD (the reason I bought the machine), CPU temp will climb to ~76 and fan speed jumps to 4600-4800 RPM. At this speed, the noise is unbearable...but it is annoying even when idle.
Can any of you with this model of 17" iMac comment on your experience? Do these numbers and this experience sound normal? I know I'm not alone in this complaint, but I can't tell how widespread the problem is or whether my machine is normal or defective. I've been told by my local service center (CompUSA) that every single 17" iMac of this revision runs hot and has loud fans, and that there is nothing I can do short of complaining to Apple in the hopes of getting a replacement of a later revision. I was told by a "genius" at a different Apple store that my machine sounded about like he'd expect.
I'm getting a system board replacement tomorrow, but have been told not to expect it to make a significant difference. I figure I must do it before Apple would consider further action.
Any advice at all will be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long message...
Thanks,
ctcaldwell
iMac G5 17" Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Mine is still fairly new as I picked it up off ebay a couple weeks ago brand new. So I don't know when it was actually manufactured. The part of the noise that gets under my skin is that soft but constant background whining coming from the CPU fan. It doesn't really sound like anything rubbing or a bad bearing, just the sound that an electric motor makes. But, it just seems to resonate from the lower left hand side where the air intake is.
So quite accidentally one day I held my hand under the left hand side and it completely muffled the whine sound. You could still here the hum and the sound of air but the irritating element was gone. Playing around a little more, I opted to tape a business card under that lower left hand corner, bridging the gap from front to back to still allow an airspace for the fan's suction. It knocks out about 90% of the whine.
It's been running that way for two weeks with no ill effects. Yes, the fan speeds up and slows down when needed. Normal at rest RPM is 1500 and mid to upper 50's on the temp. The highest temp I've seen under max continuous load is 65 with the fan at 4000 rpm.
I did experiment with something longer than the business card but I did then see a decrease in cooling capability. The isight models have their suction ducted out the back and I bet that gets rid of that resonance.
So all in all it still makes less fan noise than my old B&W, it's just that the B&W wasn't up on the desk so close to our heads. But, If your fans are constantly on high, there is a procedure for resetting something in power management, I just can't find it right now. Hope this helps.

IMac Feels like it is running hot

My Imac 21.5" (2.5, 4 Gig) seems to be running hot. According to Istat:
hdd 47
cpa 47
ambient 33
diode 57
heatsink 53
controller 57
optical 47
power supply 66
All in (C)
Is this too hot ?
I am worried

Yes, those temperatures for the various components, shown in "Celsius", are normal and will not cause any problems during operation.
Hope this helps

IMac 21.5" 2010 Running Hot with Mountain Lion

Hello All -
I have a 2010 iMac i3 with 8GB RAM that I clean installed Mountain Lion on and the thing gets hot (very hot to the touch on the outside) very fast doing ordinary tasks (email, browsing the internet using Safari or Chrome, calendar). Temperatures on the hard drive typically stay below 50C but the power supply specifically can reach 75-80C when running full screen HD video (GPU will be around 55-60C at this time as well). The fans will increase to about 1500rpm for heavy loads and then go back to around 1000-1200rpm during normal tasks. I feel like Snow Leopard did not run this hot and perhaps because of all the iCloud and Notification Center processes running behind the scenes, ML may just require far more power than SL. Honestly, I'm really considering just going back to SL all together as I don't use much of the iCloud stuff.
Has anyone else noticed their iMac's running hotter after installing ML? I realize that it will run hot for up to a week after install because of Spotlight. I installed ML the day it came out, so it's been quite a while. I would really appreciate any feedback.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US
If you don't use iCloud, open System Preferences > iCloud and turn that off

Why is my mac-pro ci7 running hot while working with imovie and eyetv?

Hello,
I am creating short videos of ps-3 gameplays. For recording I use eye-tv and my mac is connected through a HD-Haupauge with my Playstation. When transferring the recording-file from eye-tv to i-movie and getting started to work on the video, my mac runs hot. I have to underpin the mac, so that there is enough space for cooling, which doesn't help that much.
What could be the reason? I bought themac last year in summer. I am not sure about my operation systems number.
Thanks for any reply and good advice i hope to get.
Kind regards

You posted your question in the "Intel iMac" Forum. In order to get a relevant answer you should repost it in the "Mac Pro" Forum

IMac running hot

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