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2017 27" base model noisy fan?
- Thread starter Tjmckay4
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I am counting five:
- Keep the machine and learn to live with it
- Return iMac and keep old one
- Return iMac and have it replaced
- Return iMac and buy mid-tier model (in another thread discussion dealt with potentially different fans in the different models - due to different thermal requirements)
- Take iMac to an Apple store and have the fan replaced
You may likely not be happy with a replacement either.
No iMac is "silent." If it has a fan, it makes noise, and it obviously has a fan (and often a hard disk).
The differences in opinion about noise you hear of are are generally about the varying levels of people's environmental background noise as well as their hearing and sensitivity to noise.
I'm very sensitive, and initially disliked the fan noise. I've gone to lengths to minimize it (look around for a partial solution), and at this point I consider it tolerable. That said, I'd like to hope that Apple eventually introduces a fan-less iMac, even if it's less powerful.
No iMac is "silent." If it has a fan, it makes noise, and it obviously has a fan (and often a hard disk).
The differences in opinion about noise you hear of are are generally about the varying levels of people's environmental background noise as well as their hearing and sensitivity to noise.
I'm very sensitive, and initially disliked the fan noise. I've gone to lengths to minimize it (look around for a partial solution), and at this point I consider it tolerable. That said, I'd like to hope that Apple eventually introduces a fan-less iMac, even if it's less powerful.
I have the exact same model specs... I cannot hear a thing. Quietest computer I ever owned... I will not profess to have golden ears though, I'm older now ;-)
My complaint is that the mouse has no cursor until 10 seconds after the desktop appears... So nothing's perfect...
My complaint is that the mouse has no cursor until 10 seconds after the desktop appears... So nothing's perfect...
I wasn't suggesting keeping a defective machine. It's about getting the defective part replaced. Your principles seem to be more about you making some kind of a statement or teaching Apple a lesson.
Apple does offer the option for 14 days though so go for it. Personally, I think there's more of a chance of getting a new machine with different problems than Apple not being able to fix it, although low probability on both. I've sent iMacs in under AppleCare many times over my 11 years as a Mac user and they've never failed to fix the issue once.
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Fan sounds normal. Mac is in the corner of a room on a table and room has nothing I can see but hard surfaces.
1) If you have to be in to corner - put a couple of fabric hangings on the walls - the thicker the fabric the better.
2) Put a nice mat on the desk under the iMac with a felt (or similar) surface.
3) move out of the corner
4) Put sound deadening on the stand (so it doesn't reflect right back at you)
1) If you have to be in to corner - put a couple of fabric hangings on the walls - the thicker the fabric the better.
2) Put a nice mat on the desk under the iMac with a felt (or similar) surface.
3) move out of the corner
4) Put sound deadening on the stand (so it doesn't reflect right back at you)
That's the thing, I was trying to find out whether the noise is "normal". Hard to tell in shops and some people in this thread say that they can't hear anything until they put their head to the case. I could hear mine from about 1.5m away in a 100% quiet room. The clicking sound bothered me more than anything.
I have now returned it and about to use the supplied gift card. Even the Apple guy said that it should be whisper quiet.
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Same here. I've just printed the label and will take it back to UPS this afternoon. I have not decided what to do next, though. Are you going to order a new (and/or different) one, Tjmckay4?
That was a quick return Andrinho. Yeah, ordered a new same one; 3.4, 570, 512gb SSD. I don't think there would be different fans in the mid and high models.
Oh yes, I simply could not live with it. When my wife - who is generally not as picky as me when it comes to such things - entered the room and I asked her to use the iMac and tell me (open question) what she thinks, she responded: "It is thinner, right? And the screen looks different. And it's also a lot noisier" it was clear to me that getting used to it is not an option.
Now sitting in front of my 2011 i5 3,1 GHz with a 1TB Samsung Pro SSD. Dead silent.
It would be great if you could report back once you have the replacement. Very much appreciated!!!
Now sitting in front of my 2011 i5 3,1 GHz with a 1TB Samsung Pro SSD. Dead silent.
It would be great if you could report back once you have the replacement. Very much appreciated!!!
My wife couldn't actually tell which one was which when I put the new one on the bar (ikea) table and the old one on the kitchen bench.... But she could tell the new one was noisier.
I should get the replacement in just over a week and I'll let you know.
Also a base iMac 27" 2017 owner. And yes the whooshing of the air from the fan at 1200RPM idle is definitely louder than my near silent late-2009 iMac. I will keep the iMac and deal with the noise as I do not think replacing it will be any better and might even introduce other issues. I also thought about going back to the old iMac as I'm not overly impressed with this new $2000+ machine, but I'm already at the point of the 14-day return policy and I still haven't completely made up my mind.
Luckily I don't have any clicking sounds, that would drive me insane!
Luckily I don't have any clicking sounds, that would drive me insane!
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The (slight) clicking sound came on after a few days and it didn't really annoy me any more than the fan noise as I could only hear it when I put my ear around the back. However, the fan noise did annoy me more than the hard drive noise from my 2011 iMac....
It was more that the clicking sound didn't seem "normal" and could develop into something else.... Other than that the machine was really nice. Beautiful screen.
Hoping to hear good news. There is no question that you should not be hearing clicking noises.
[doublepost=1503099979][/doublepost]
Yeah, good luck hearing an idling fan at 1200rpm in an Apple Store.
If you put your head (your ears) close to the screen, especially back of the iMac, you will hear slight operation (i.e. fan or air circulating) noise even at idle. There is no iMac that is completely dead silent at every angle unless it's shut off - don't care what anyone else claims.
Now what matters is whether one can hear it from while using it in front in a normal position (i.e. not with your head right next to the back of the screen).
I've had mine for about a week now and it's silent - that is, I don't hear fan noise while I am using it at all - but even I can hear slight machine noise if I press my head on the back. But it doesn't matter if it is quiet enough that I never hear it when using it normally.
I listened to some of video clips OP posted and heard way too much room ambient noise to really tell how severe it was, but if it was loud enough to bother him while using it, guess it was.
Now what matters is whether one can hear it from while using it in front in a normal position (i.e. not with your head right next to the back of the screen).
I've had mine for about a week now and it's silent - that is, I don't hear fan noise while I am using it at all - but even I can hear slight machine noise if I press my head on the back. But it doesn't matter if it is quiet enough that I never hear it when using it normally.
I listened to some of video clips OP posted and heard way too much room ambient noise to really tell how severe it was, but if it was loud enough to bother him while using it, guess it was.
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I could clearly hear mine in a 100% quiet room sitting about 80cm away and up until about 1.5m standing up.....
Like I've said in previous posts, I was more worried about that clicking noise. Passingapple, did you listen to the audio files?
[doublepost=1503124789][/doublepost]I must say that I miss the 5k screen already... Marking students work on my 27" 2011 iMac is a struggle.... Maybe partly because it's Saturday afternoon and I'd rather be watching AFL.....
Like I've said in previous posts, I was more worried about that clicking noise. Passingapple, did you listen to the audio files?
[doublepost=1503124789][/doublepost]I must say that I miss the 5k screen already... Marking students work on my 27" 2011 iMac is a struggle.... Maybe partly because it's Saturday afternoon and I'd rather be watching AFL.....
same. i'm 2 to 3 feet away and its very audible.
no clicking here either.
For those of you who own a silent iMac from whichever year, can you confirm that you hear no difference between idle and shutdown?
I am currently working on a Macbook Pro which has a fan/airflow that is audible to me when idling, but not to a degree that is disturbing.
Should the imac be less noisy than a notebook if it is not faulty? I have been hesitant about getting an iMac because of thinking bigger fan = bigger airflow = bigger noise.
