I often want to access my home iMac from work or when traveling, so I have the energy saver setting set to never sleep. The problem is the iMac gets really hot and I'm thinking that's not good for it. Is there a way for me to allow it to sleep, but still be woken up remotely, with Logmein Iginition or perhaps another app/service etc? Thanks!
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Any way to allow my iMac to sleep and still be woken up by Logmein?
- Thread starter Soundhound
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I don't know of any way to have LogMeIn wake a sleeping Mac. It shouldn't hurt to leave it running without sleeping, though. Caffeine will temporarily override your energy saver settings and keep your Mac awake with a click on the Menu Bar icon. Another click turns it off.
For remote access, I use TeamViewer, which is free for personal use and works with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Ubuntu, iPhone, iPad, etc. It's very secure and quite simple to set up and use (no messing around with ports), which comes in handy if providing remote support to those who aren't very computer literate. You can talk them through the setup on their end and be connected to them in less than a minute. I prefer it over LogMeIn because it includes free file transfers between computers, a feature I use frequently.
Thanks, ill look into teamviewer. There's no one else accessing the iMac though, just me.
As far as leaving the Mac on, do you think it's okay? I notice it does get very hot. But then I had it sleeping last night, and this morning it was cooled off. But I've even working on it for a while today, and its hot again...
As far as leaving the Mac on, do you think it's okay? I notice it does get very hot. But then I had it sleeping last night, and this morning it was cooled off. But I've even working on it for a while today, and its hot again...
You can set up TeamViewer for unattended access, using a pre-set password. I use it daily.
The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat. CPU Tjmax = 105C (221F), GPU Tjmax = 100C (212F) on i3, i5, i7 processors. (Source: Intel)
If you're not already using it, iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) will give you accurate readings of your temps and fan speeds, among other things.
Unless there is a rare defect in a Mac, most temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload being put on it. Websites with Flash content, games and other multimedia apps will put higher demand on the CPU/GPU, generating more heat. This is normal. If you're constantly putting high demands on your system, such as gaming or other multimedia tasks, expect temps to rise and fans to spin up accordingly. It's just your Mac doing its job to maintain temps within the normal range.
It is also quite normal for your Mac to become extremely hot to the touch during intensive operations. The aluminum body transfers heat more effectively than other materials used in computer casings, so you will feel the heat more. This doesn't indicate that it's overheating and will not harm the computer to be hot to the touch.
Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm (for MBPs) or 1800 rpm (for MBAs, MBs and minis). iMacs have 3 fans with minimum speeds in the 800-1200 range. They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level.
If your fans are spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC.
(PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help.)
The intake and exhaust vents are in the back of the computer near the hinge on all Mac notebooks (except the new MBP with retina display, which has intake vents along the sides at the bottom). The iMac vent is a slot on the back near the top of the computer. Make sure the vents remain unblocked to allow your computer to perform at its best.
Learn about the fans in your Mac
Apple Portables: Operating temperature
For Flash-related issues:
- Find your Flash version and make sure it's the latest version available.
- Install ClickToFlash (Safari), Flashblock (Firefox) or FlashBlock (Chrome) to control which Flash content plays on websites.
- Use the YouTube HTML5 Video Player to watch YouTube videos, when available. (May impact fullscreen viewing. See link for details.)
Thanks for that comprehensive info! I do use iStat pro and yesterday while working the fans were at 2000 rpm for one, 1500 for another and not sure of the third. In the settings there seems to be a control for showing temp at celsius etc, but I didn't see a readout for the actual temperature.
This morning, after leaving the imac awake (not allowing sleep) last night, it's feeling much cooler to the touch, though still warm, and the readouts are all at about 1000. When I work on this iMac I'm using Logic with a lot of plugins and it's pretty intensive stuff, so I guess that's what causes the heat. But it's considerably less so when just left on, so I guess I'll leave it in non-sleep mode as I've done before.
Thanks again, really appreciate all the info and effort!
This morning, after leaving the imac awake (not allowing sleep) last night, it's feeling much cooler to the touch, though still warm, and the readouts are all at about 1000. When I work on this iMac I'm using Logic with a lot of plugins and it's pretty intensive stuff, so I guess that's what causes the heat. But it's considerably less so when just left on, so I guess I'll leave it in non-sleep mode as I've done before.
Thanks again, really appreciate all the info and effort!