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2011 Mini Owners: Elevate your mini!

So does the 2011 Mac Mini tend to run hotter and noisier than the current Ivy Bridge 13" MacBook Pro when running certain programs?

I've been waiting for a new Mac Mini but I've been leaning toward a base model 13" MBP instead. A new MBP can be had for $999 vs. the $1199 list price.
 
eutexian said:
Did this.. left it alone with the video running for 15 minutes on my asus pro art monitor. after 15 minutes the temp was 46c and the fan was spinning at 3100.

fwiw my mini is the base model - completely standard apart from 8gig of RAM.

all i can conclude from this is that left standard - the mini copes well with this type of load and so I'm left wondering if one or more of the many modifications you have made are the source of your fan noise issues.
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Thank you for this information - I have been wondering about the base Mac mini (i5 2.3 Ghz) and heat developped in that one.

@allan: the i5 2.7 Ghz with discrete GPU Mac mini is the one that runs the hottest of the lot, I had the i5 2.5 Ghz with the GPU and it was running at idle too hot for my liking. I run my machine 5/24 (5 working days at 24 hours) and need reliability, speed is not that important.

The i5 server runs slightly cooler and the minimum (default) fanspeed (fort he server) is 2300 rpm. The i5 2.5 Ghz with GPU runs at 1800 and things improved when I increased that to 2200 rpm. (am running it continously at approx 8-10% CPU utilisation)

The core 2 duo (both server and the base) run a lot cooler - at present my server is running at 38 C for CPU.
 
Get a $1.00 stand from Ikea

My temps hover around 41*F idle (2010 Mini 2.4 GHz) and I've never seen load temps go above 65*F for hours on end on ambient air temp of 34*F. I have it standing vertically, with PSU/power button on bottom since it heats up substantially, and having it in this configuration seems to cool down the PSU as well. I have had it overheat once already and taken to Apple store to get the mainboard replaced. It has not happened since.

I also use FanControl and set the max temp to kick up max fan at 80*F. I have fan speed on default until it reaches 55*F (since I'm trying to get the northbridge at least lower than 43*F at all times). I use Temperature Monitor to monitor temps on all my macs.

Played around with my cousin's 2011 mini server (@2.00 i7-quad core), and put it in the same configuration as mine. With two OS X VMs running, and constant mail serving/iChat server/Oracle server + Apache on Linux, and CPU at nearly 75% most of the time, I've never seen the temps go higher than 75*F. Again, goal is to get the mainboard/northbridge to temps below 43*F (this was the temp my mini failed the first time, requiring mainboard change), and have FanControl automatically kick in to adjust fans at 55*F.

The stand is available here:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50107051/

I also use the stand for vertically positioning my 2011 MBP 15" in clamshell mode.

I remember the days when my Mac MIni 1,1 1.42 GHz G4 ran at 41*F on load... without having to reposition my Mac for optimal ventilation...
 
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yeah I'm looking at i7 mini. Been following threads on the heat thing. Seen many innovative ideas, Interestingly though I've noticed several examples of mini being set on side (with/without stand)I haven't seen any where it's placed with rear up.

Would've thought in that position air flow would be maximum - exit vent above, intake below. Would be interesting to hear if anyone has tried it. Perhaps it makes cable management more difficult I'm not sure....
 
Che Castro said:
Does the 2012 Mac mini need to be elevated ?
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allowing good air circulation is always helpful. the 2012 quad 2.3 and 2.6 are hotter then the base machine. do they need to be elevated ? for some users yes for some users no. the base 2012 is really hard to overheat. so I would not worry about elevating it. still don't bury it in a tight spot.
 
cobie8 said:
My temps hover around 41*F idle (2010 Mini 2.4 GHz) and I've never seen load temps go above 65*F for hours on end on ambient air temp of 34*F. I have it standing vertically, with PSU/power button on bottom since it heats up substantially, and having it in this configuration seems to cool down the PSU as well. I have had it overheat once already and taken to Apple store to get the mainboard replaced. It has not happened since.

I also use FanControl and set the max temp to kick up max fan at 80*F. I have fan speed on default until it reaches 55*F (since I'm trying to get the northbridge at least lower than 43*F at all times). I use Temperature Monitor to monitor temps on all my macs.

Played around with my cousin's 2011 mini server (@2.00 i7-quad core), and put it in the same configuration as mine. With two OS X VMs running, and constant mail serving/iChat server/Oracle server + Apache on Linux, and CPU at nearly 75% most of the time, I've never seen the temps go higher than 75*F. Again, goal is to get the mainboard/northbridge to temps below 43*F (this was the temp my mini failed the first time, requiring mainboard change), and have FanControl automatically kick in to adjust fans at 55*F.

The stand is available here:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50107051/

I also use the stand for vertically positioning my 2011 MBP 15" in clamshell mode.

I remember the days when my Mac MIni 1,1 1.42 GHz G4 ran at 41*F on load... without having to reposition my Mac for optimal ventilation...
Click to expand...

The ikea product is very interesting. You are saying that you rest your mac mini vertically on it? Since its designed for napkins, does the stand show any signs of cracks yet?

Cuz my local ikea has this stand too


And besides, does anyone know the disadvantage of a high rpm... ive an urge to set my smcfancontrol rpm to the max and leave it as it is
 
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saha-med said:
And besides, does anyone know the disadvantage of a high rpm... ive an urge to set my smcfancontrol rpm to the max and leave it as it is
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the way i see it, apple likes to keep their machines quiet. i appreciate that. but for people who look for max performance, such as myself, i drive my CPU usage up quite a lot. i get uncomfortable seeing temperatures near tj max (i'd define that as 90*C). id rather drive up fan speed than crack a capacitor near the chip due to heat. i've seen it happen on an old AMD Thunderbird Duron CPU (well, ok heard the popping sound, and when we popped the machine open, saw the blown-out capacitor near the die).

also, due to the shrinking nature of cpu lithography, there are some companies whose chips have been known to lose contacts with the chip substrate due to heat (remember the mbp5,1 which had the bad screens due to the geforce 9600 chip?).

ive gone back and forth on the mini due to heat. particularly the quad-core versions. i keep a mac pro since that's better in terms of managing heat (but not power usage), and now a PC for my server since that manages power and heat better than both mac mini and mac pro.
 
useme2305 said:
i put my 2011 Mac Mini Server in the top drawer of an ikea drawer cabinet. it's dead quiet and cool at all times thanks to the big 12 inch fan. i'm happy!
fresh air comes from the drawers below and hot air is exhausted through the back of the cabinet automatically...no fans required for exhaustion!

for anyone who wants to do this: check out the Ikea MALM drawer cabinets...they offer perfect conditions for this kind of project. a small two-drawers cab beside the desk will do.


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for more pics click here!
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This is so good! I wish someone would sell an aftermarket thing like this. I would never worry about heat again :)
 
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I'm thinking if you raise the mini, it might reduce the air flow restriction. If that were true then the fan motor might require less amps to move the same speed. If that were true, you might have a heat and wear and tear savings right there.

Can't wait to try it out myself.

I wonder how well the AirPort would work if I kept the thing in the fridge. Then you could reduce the fan speed to like 200 RPM and the machine would be super quiet!


B
 
imahawki said:
I'm sure I'll get flamed for this but I love how everyone thinks they know more about heat management than Apple engineers. For every person on this forum who elevates their mini there will be 200 people out in the wild who plop it on their desk and use as intended with no problems.
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This. If Apple designed a Mini to be used upside down or on its side then don't you think that's what they would direct people to do?
 
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What really works for me is an old CD spindle case. Free, raises the Mini up perfectly and since I keep it hidden away, not an eyesore.
 
Hello I too noticed the fan blowing aggressively and all I do is watch movies and play hearthstone. Since reading these threads I have since elevated the Mac mini.right now it's sitting on napkin holder. It allows for ambient heat to be distributed better as opposed to sitting on my wooden desk. Thanks toss22. The computer still doing the same work and putting out the same heat but the fan didn't blow hi one time
 
Admittedly late for this reply, but lets think a minute....
The 2006 Mac mini is a totally different beast than the late 2010 and newer. A huge difference being the 2004-2009 external power brick. On the early 2010 aluminum unibody minis the power (and heat it generates) moved from an external brick to right inside the unibody.

I work in a multi mac mini environment. End users are NOT clean, courteous and careful.
Books, papers, wrappers, DVDs, tools, and everything imaginable gets piled onto and around the minis.
What very little clearance there is for the bottom sucking fan (which Apple most likely tested on a pristine uncluttered desktop) is blocked an obscured. No airflow = shorter life.

While the mini may not have a catastrophic all at once failure, it will over a short period of time, exhibit weird behaviors and freezes as the heat damage (cumulative BTW) builds and compounds.

Vermifuge said:
I must have done 200+ disks on my 2006 mini, countless hours of use. And even used it as a mine craft server 24/7 for many months. It still works to this day. I'm sure the new minis will hold up just fine.
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I've got my '12 2.3/QC sitting on a Cooler Master 120mm fan, blue LED (clear, looks very cool), ultra quiet - I wired it into a USB cable and plug that into the Mini (so when it's off it shuts it down), and I used some little rubber feet/standoffs on the corners of both sides so it gives it a little space, grip and solid stability. Used a shredded USB cable and a fan sitting in a box of parts so it was free, and it if it drops the temps a few degrees, it was worth the <30m of construction time :D
 
imahawki said:
I'm sure I'll get flamed for this but I love how everyone thinks they know more about heat management than Apple engineers.
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Do you really think Apple cares that your Mini lasts beyond 3-4 years? Hardware upgrades are what add to their bottom line, not those who cheat the reaper by taking extra precautions with their Mac hardware. Planned obsolescence is designed into the Mini, and most of those failures will be heat related by virtue of its design.

dogslobber said:
If Apple designed a Mini to be used upside down or on its side then don't you think that's what they would direct people to do?
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Eh, I defer to darknite's response, but my overheating problems weren't rectified until I moved it up on its side using

31gyyp-qofl-jpg.327179

darknite said:
Admittedly late for this reply, but lets think a minute....
The 2006 Mac mini is a totally different beast than the late 2010 and newer. A huge difference being the 2004-2009 external power brick. On the early 2010 aluminum unibody minis the power (and heat it generates) moved from an external brick to right inside the unibody.

I work in a multi mac mini environment. End users are NOT clean, courteous and careful.
Books, papers, wrappers, DVDs, tools, and everything imaginable gets piled onto and around the minis.
What very little clearance there is for the bottom sucking fan (which Apple most likely tested on a pristine uncluttered desktop) is blocked an obscured. No airflow = shorter life.
Click to expand...
 
minton said:
Eh, I defer to darknite's response, but my overheating problems weren't rectified until I moved it up on its side using
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If you're comfortable with your decision and don't want to get to the bottom of why it overheats under normal conditions then that's your choice. Myself, I'd be trying to root cause the issue as it clearly is a problem somewhere. Operating a computer on the side like this when it's designed to be used flat will possible create hot spots where outflow air movement is restricted.
 
dogslobber said:
If you're comfortable with your decision and don't want to get to the bottom of why it overheats under normal conditions ...
Click to expand...

The problem in my case is that when it's horizontal, the rear vents are barely above the desk surface and gets clogged with dust. I cleaned those vents after moving it up sideways - so it's not so much that the move "fixed" the problem, it's more proper to say that it prevents the dust build up which caused my problem in the first place.
 
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