Concerns about maintenance/dust in the iMac 24 M1

[4419867]

Don't know which one to buy, Mac mini M1 or iMac 24 M1. Hard to decide on a display for Mac mini but also afraid of maintenance/dust in iMac 24. iMac 24 is far from easy to open but has 1 or 2 fans depending on the model. How is it cleaned after a while? If there is a fan, there will be dust.

The same goes for the Mac mini, but it's not as sweaty to open for cleaning as an iMac where the entire display has to go off. I have opened an old MacBook Pro 13 from late 2012 which after a cleaning became noticeably cooler. Dust in the computer affects heat generation and performance over time.

What do you think who has bought an iMac 24? Is this not something that worries you or do you change your computer before dust even becomes a problem?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

It’s pretty well sealed so unless you live in a highly dusty environment I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m in IT and we don’t even open servers anymore since it’s just unnecessary as long as it’s properly stored.

You’re overthinking it.

 

[glenthompson]

I just opened up a 2011 iMac with a dying GPU to extract the SSD in it. Hadn’t been opened since the SSD was installed 7 years ago. For the past year it’s been sitting in my workshop for reference when needed. Very little dust inside and this was a computer not that far from 2 saws and a lathe.

I wouldn’t worry about it in an office environment. Most computers with dust issues were towers sitting on the floor. The M1 runs cooler so the fans don’t have to pump that much air.

 

[4419867]

It’s pretty well sealed so unless you live in a highly dusty environment I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m in IT and we don’t even open servers anymore since it’s just unnecessary as long as it’s properly stored.

You’re overthinking it.

So the MacBook Pro 13 from late 2012 wasn't sealed enough? Being a laptop and all.

I use my computer several hours a day and for many years. I do clean a lot but even so, you can always find dust on keyboard after some time etc. No problem if I can dust it off, but if I can't, I would be nervous.

I just opened up a 2011 iMac with a dying GPU to extract the SSD in it. Hadn’t been opened since the SSD was installed 7 years ago. For the past year it’s been sitting in my workshop for reference when needed. Very little dust inside and this was a computer not that far from 2 saws and a lathe.

I wouldn’t worry about it in an office environment. Most computers with dust issues were towers sitting on the floor. The M1 runs cooler so the fans don’t have to pump that much air.

In my own experience, my 5 year old MacBook Pro 13 (late 2012) became much quieter and cooler after opening it and cleaning out the dust. I did use it daily for those 5 years (many hours a day) and in the end I used it for light video editing (1080p) in iMovie. It was quiet for the most parts but the fan started spinning sometimes and while exportering. Cleaning it out did a lot.

Even if M1 runs cooler and the fans won't have to pump that much air, I still think the fans will kick off when/if you video editing. It might not be a problem at first but I don't trust I can use it as much as I do and not get dust inside. If Apple could open it and clean it for me for a smaller fee, fine, but I don't think they do that unless repairing.

 

[6Foot6Dude]

So the MacBook Pro 13 from late 2012 wasn't sealed enough? Being a laptop and all.

I use my computer several hours a day and for many years. I do clean a lot but even so, you can always find dust on keyboard after some time etc. No problem if I can dust it off, but if I can't, I would be nervous.

In my own experience, my 5 year old MacBook Pro 13 (late 2012) became much quieter and cooler after opening it and cleaning out the dust. I did use it daily for those 5 years (many hours a day) and in the end I used it for light video editing (1080p) in iMovie. It was quiet for the most parts but the fan started spinning sometimes and while exportering. Cleaning it out did a lot.

Even if M1 runs cooler and the fans won't have to pump that much air, I still think the fans will kick off when/if you video editing. It might not be a problem at first but I don't trust I can use it as much as I do and not get dust inside. If Apple could open it and clean it for me for a smaller fee, fine, but I don't think they do that unless repairing.

I agree with your concerns, have you found an answer to your questions as I have the same queations and did not want to start another thread?