1200 rpm is too loud.

[WillemSleegers]

It’s interesting you can hear your i5 idling. I haven’t noticed anything idling with my i9 and I built my studio to be very quiet with insulation even in interior walls and the best acoustic rating I could get on ceiling tiles from my local dealer and it’s underground. I even did sound dampening on the ductwork I put in. I don’t even work with audio much I just wanted it to be quiet, lol. Even when I get it to ramp up I don’t notice it much. Now the 2017 iMac i7-7700K—I had one of those at my last job and if you want to complain I invite you to try out that model, lol.

Hm... but we know the fan is on at 1200 rpm. I think this means it should be audible.

Do you hear a difference when you put the computer to sleep and then back on?
[doublepost=1554724713][/doublepost]

Or just put on some music, get one of those water fountain devices, run the air conditioner or furnace fan, flush a toilet, run the water, etc.

Or not.
[doublepost=1554724836][/doublepost]

Hmm.. listening back to these audio samples I can imagine the difference is not very clear if you haven't heard it for real. In real life the 2019 is audible if you work in a quiet room whereas the 2012 is completely silent.

Thanks for making the samples.

Although for me the relevant difference is that of the idling fan noise and nothing.

 

[Jimmdean]

If you cannot hear any 2017 or 2019 iMac fan at idle then your room is not quiet enough, your fan isn't working, or you are just getting older. (sorry if you are getting older...)

If you really want to test it out though download Handbrake and do some encoding. It really pushes all the cores - won't take long to notice...

 

[DRuser]

There was the same discussion going on when the 2017 model came out. It seemed there has been sample variation as one user pointed out. He had the chance to do a side by side comparison between two models with the exact same configuration. Resulting in a noticeable difference in terms of idle noise. Maybe Apple has again different suppliers for their fans.
What I did to improve the idle noise was the old software trick (combining two apps in order to be able to lower the min rpm below 1200). Adding up to this you may want to build a funnel to prevent the airstream from hitting the base. Looks ridiculous but helps quite a bit.

 

[WillemSleegers]

There was the same discussion going on when the 2017 model came out. It seemed there has been sample variation as one user pointed out. He had the chance to do a side by side comparison between two models with the exact same configuration. Resulting in a noticeable difference in terms of idle noise. Maybe Apple has again different suppliers for their fans.
What I did to improve the idle noise was the old software trick (combining two apps in order to be able to lower the min rpm below 1200). Adding up to this you may want to build a funnel to prevent the airstream from hitting the base. Looks ridiculous but helps quite a bit.

I also found a way to reduce the fan speed, but then it no longer adjusts depending on the temperature, which is too dangerous to me. Have you found a better way?

 

[DRuser]

I thought there wasn't this kind of trade-off of not having fan control anymore. Not sure if I remember correctly as it is quite a while ago (I returned the device).

 

[Plx32]

I received my i9 iMac (with Vega and SSD) this morning and this issue is also bothering me.

You can clearly notice the fan spinning at idling. It's on the quiet side but clearly present. I have the impression to have an external hard drive plugged in all the time (those external drives generally make a little noise while plugged in and powered on over usb, even when idling).

Is it possible that another component produces this sound. Is there another fan (SSD, Graphics...) ?

Because when I increase the fan speed to 1600 rpm then go back to 1200 rpm, I clearly hear the fan ramp up then becoming almost silent but it's as if this sound come from another place...

Also what is the trick to force the reduction of fan speed (to say 1000 rpm or 1100 rpm) ? I tried smcFanControl but the command line to force a lower threshold gives an error and is not working...

 

[macduke]

Hm... but we know the fan is on at 1200 rpm. I think this means it should be audible.

Do you hear a difference when you put the computer to sleep and then back on?

Not really, but maybe I could do some more testing. I actually haven't used it since last Friday because I've been out of town.

 

[macduke]

I tested it some last night. I couldn't hear it over HVAC which isn't even loud down in my studio compared to somewhere like my master bedroom that is right above the unit. I was even using over 1500% CPU in Handbrake converting a movie. I got out my temperature gun. My desk surface was 65F. The aluminum right next to the exhaust vent was 98F. When I aimed it straight into the vent, the air blowing out was 119F. I installed a trial of iStat Menus (I'm hesitant to buy it because it seems like it's towards the end of the lifecycle for the current version) and it was only running at 1200rpm with all those cores going. It was weird. I need to do more testing. But yeah, it was pretty chilly down there since the a/c was running. I insulated my studio on all sides when I built it last summer and it holds whatever temperature is pumped into it, cold or hot.

 

[Plx32]

I also found a way to reduce the fan speed, but then it no longer adjusts depending on the temperature, which is too dangerous to me. Have you found a better way?

With Macs Fan Control, after having reduced the minimum fan speed to 1000 rpm, you can use a personalized setting based on CPU Proximity temp where it will automatically increase fan speed when it reaches that temp. So you can create an almost normal behavior where it will fluctuate between 1000 to 2700 rpm instead of 1200 to 2700 rpm (system settings)

I am just trying to figure out what temp would be appropriate for fans to kick in. Maybe 55C or 60C ?

 

[cynics]

With Macs Fan Control, after having reduced the minimum fan speed to 1000 rpm, you can use a personalized setting based on CPU Proximity temp where it will automatically increase fan speed when it reaches that temp. So you can create an almost normal behavior where it will fluctuate between 1000 to 2700 rpm instead of 1200 to 2700 rpm (system settings)

I am just trying to figure out what temp would be appropriate for fans to kick in. Maybe 55C or 60C ?

Wouldn't hottest core make more sense? I was just doing some video work and CPU proximity had a max temp of 70c in my usage. CPU Core 2 have had a max temp of 94c.

What is the minimum RPM the app allows? Apple is using their minimum start RPM as there minimum speed (for safety and longevity). I wouldn't go much below 1000 RPM if the app allows it. It might be perfectly fine but I doubt Apple would have invested much into the motor for lower RPM operation with no plan to ever leverage it.

This is why the MacBook fans shut off and don't modulate down below 1250 RPM (2018 13" model) btw. If it was as easy as just reducing the fan below the motors minimum speed they would just do that.



You could test the temps yourself based on the default SMC fan profile using these commands in terminal (4 instances = 4 core)....

yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null &

then type.....

killall yes

Using the up arrow to recall you can cycle between those commands quick enough to work the temp up and have it maintain whatever temp you want. You can even go into activity monitor and kill one of the "yes" processes to keep it running on other cores. Even around 75c my fan is sitting at 1200 RPM.

 

[mj_]

Are you sure it's the fan you're hearing and not the HDD part of the Fusion Drive?

 

[Plx32]

Are you sure it's the fan you're hearing and not the HDD part of the Fusion Drive?

It's definitely the fan. I have a 512 GB SSD iMac which is totally silent besides the fan.

And lowering the fan to 1000 bpm solves the problem...

 

[mj_]

How can you lower the fan to less than 1,200rpm? That's the minimum stored in the iMac's firmware, at least in the 2017 model. There is absolutely no way to lower the RPMs to less than 1,200. Is the 2019 model different?

 

[Plx32]

It's still possible thanks to a trick explained here :

https://ekartco.com/2018/06/silencing-your-imac-decrease-minimum-fan-speed-to-1000rpm/

 

[mj_]

Interesting, thanks. Gotta try that some day. Fortunately, I can't hear my iMac's fans at all, and I'm usually very sensitive to any kind of noise.

Anyway, my initial question was directed @WillemSleegers but he/she hasn't responded yet.

 

[ferencav]

It's definitely the fan. I have a 512 GB SSD iMac which is totally silent besides the fan.

And lowering the fan to 1000 bpm solves the problem...

Are u still using this trick for your new iMac 2019? I am curious about trying this out, but also a bit worried it will damage something. If 1000rpm is safe, why did Apple set the minimum to 1200rpm? I thought Apple always choose silence above performance.

After twelve days of working on my new iMac, I am getting used to the increased fan sound. But still, my iMac 2012 was better. I don't think it's the increased volume, but rather the different type of noise I don't like. It's not constant, it's like a HDD spinning very silently in the background. Does anyone recognise this?

It's interesting to read some people don't hear any sound when idling. I am very curious if there is much difference between models.
[doublepost=1555447966][/doublepost]Ok, so I've installed TG Pro on my old iMac and this machine is also running at 1200 rpm but is dead silent. It's also 10°C hotter when idling, so there's definitely another type of fan in this machine.

 

[Plx32]

Are u still using this trick for your new iMac 2019? I am curious about trying this out, but also a bit worried it will damage something. If 1000rpm is safe, why did Apple set the minimum to 1200rpm? I thought Apple always choose silence above performance.

After twelve days of working on my new iMac, I am getting used to the increased fan sound. But still, my iMac 2012 was better. I don't think it's the increased volume, but rather the different type of noise I don't like. It's not constant, it's like a HDD spinning very silently in the background. Does anyone recognise this?

It's interesting to read some people don't hear any sound when idling. I am very curious if there is much difference between models.
[doublepost=1555447966][/doublepost]Ok, so I've installed TG Pro on my old iMac and this machine is also running at 1200 rpm but is dead silent. It's also 10°C hotter when idling, so there's definitely another type of fan in this machine.

Yes still is using this trick on the new 2019 iMac...

The difference seems to be minimal for operating temperature. Maybe a few degrees but nothing really significant. The difference in quietness is impressive. The average temperature is always 35c-40c which is very ok I think.

But I guess the temperature should be monitored closely, and make sure the fans are ready to kick in if temperature should exceed 60c-65c, that's why my settings are set this way.

But this machine runs so cool that this situation almost never happens, I've never been more than 50c -55c so far...

 

[WillemSleegers]

Are you sure it's the fan you're hearing and not the HDD part of the Fusion Drive?

I have an SSD only.
[doublepost=1556280061][/doublepost]

With Macs Fan Control, after having reduced the minimum fan speed to 1000 rpm, you can use a personalized setting based on CPU Proximity temp where it will automatically increase fan speed when it reaches that temp. So you can create an almost normal behavior where it will fluctuate between 1000 to 2700 rpm instead of 1200 to 2700 rpm (system settings)

I am just trying to figure out what temp would be appropriate for fans to kick in. Maybe 55C or 60C ?

Interesting!
[doublepost=1556280202][/doublepost]

After twelve days of working on my new iMac, I am getting used to the increased fan sound. But still, my iMac 2012 was better. I don't think it's the increased volume, but rather the different type of noise I don't like. It's not constant, it's like a HDD spinning very silently in the background. Does anyone recognise this?

It's semi-constant I guess? I would describe it as literally hearing the air flow (which to be fair is exactly what is happening). It's different compared to my 2011 iMac, which sounds more like a spinning fan, rather than the resulting air flow.

 

[MrGreene]

I had to replace my iMac (i5 3.7, 580X) since the fan made mechanical noise which sounded a bit strange. While I‘m happy with the new one in terms of idle noise I feel like the fans are kicking in immediately. So if I start doing some more intensive activities the CPU seems to get hot very easily. The one I had before was much better.

Can I be unlucky that I received a kind of “lower quality” CPU / GPU?

 

[Zdigital2015]

Just as an aside...I suspect the higher idle fan speed is because the 2012 iMac used a 77w TDP CPU versus a 95w TDP CPU for the i5-9600K and the i9-9900K. As someone else suggested, if you have your iMac up against a solid vertical surface, such as a wall, do yourself a favor and invest in a few acoustic tiles, glue them to a frame or a piece of plywood and "hang" it from the wall to absorb the sound instead of reflecting it back towards you. I would venture to guess that little bit of sound you are hearing will go away once it can no longer bounce off of a hard surface or continue to echo in a larger room.

Then, for the love of Mary, stop messing around with manually lowering the fan speeds and working around what Apple embedded in their FIRMWARE as the minimum speeds to cool that expensive hunk of aluminum you just invested $3,000.00 in when you can fix the problem with $20 worth of foam tiles and a picture frame instead of creating a two page forum post filled with software hacks designed to defeat safeguards Apple put in place to keep components cooled. I cannot be the only one who sees the irony, given that so many posters get upset with how much heat iMacs generate under load and seemingly obsess over the CPU and GPU temperatures of their iMac, minis or MacBook Pros under load.

 

[_Skyfire_]

Then, for the love of Mary, stop messing around with manually lowering the fan speeds and working around what Apple embedded in their FIRMWARE as the minimum speeds to cool that expensive hunk of aluminum you just invested $3,000.00 in when you can fix the problem with $20 worth of foam tiles and a picture frame instead of creating a two page forum post filled with software hacks designed to defeat safeguards Apple put in place to keep components cooled. I cannot be the only one who sees the irony, given that so many posters get upset with how much heat iMacs generate under load and seemingly obsess over the CPU and GPU temperatures of their iMac, minis or MacBook Pros under load.

I don't see nothing wrong with lowering the fan RPM, if that is sufficient to cool the iMac under casual usage.
Under load ofc is another matter entirely

 

[Benz63amg]

I have the 2019 27 inch iMac i5 with 580x GPU with a built
In 2 TB Fusion Drive and the iMac is silent when sitting in front of it in a quiet room. Not sure why your’re hearing any noise at idle I mean the iMac is literally silent to a point where I can’t tell if it’s in sleep mode or in idle when the display is off

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Maybe I should move closer to a motorway.

Just launch iTunes, increase the volume and play your favorite songs

~Just kidding
[doublepost=1557617958][/doublepost]

I have the 2019 27 inch iMac i5 with 580x GPU with a built
In 2 TB Fusion Drive and the iMac is silent when sitting in front of it in a quiet room. Not sure why your’re hearing any noise at idle I mean the iMac is literally silent to a point where I can’t tell if it’s in sleep mode or in idle when the display is off

I got the same iMac and can't hear the fan. Could be my hearing, but so far it seems to be very quiet.

 

[egorev]

Can definitely hear the fan on my 2019 iMac (27 inch). Was a bit surprised to actually hear it at 1200rpm and would also prefer to have it quieter

 

[Bohemien]

I hear the fan, but am not finally decided if it bothers me or not. To me, from sound and volume, I think it's comparable to having a spinning drive in my iMac (which I haven't). I hear it when it's quiet at night, and then sometimes it bothers me, but for example now my window's open and the sounds from outside completely cancel out the fan.

I think there's two things to consider: first, I guess you can't expect the kind of performance this machine offers (I have the i9) in a slim package and have a completely quiet machine at that price. If "quiet" is one's main concern, I think a Macbook with a 15W or 45W TDP processor would be the way to go.

Second, remember how computers sounded back in the 90s, or even just 10 years ago when you got a powerful machine sitting under your desk. I think compared to that, the new iMac is nothing.

But still, of course it's everyone's right to find the new iMac's noise level acceptable or not. If the answer is "no", however, I think the only way is just not to buy the machine.

A little side note: I'm replacing a 2011 MBP with the 2019 i9 iMac. Main uses are office/graphics work and photo editing. I ran some RAW processing tests (exporting 150 photos with edits and resizing) and while on the MBP the fans ramp up after 40s and stay at maximum during the export, the iMac stays as quiet as it is from the beginning, while rendering MUCH faster. Needless to say, the fan noise from the MBP during the export is much louder than the iMac... No complaints here about this part of the equation!