how exactly does the macbook fan work?

[BrianSalts]

sometimes it's completely silent, and sometimes it's just whirring like no tomorrow.

i know that the fan is where the screen hinge is on my black macbook, but where does the computer suck in air and where does it blow it out?

i'm afraid i may be blocking some vents because of the huge fan whirring for no reason sometimes.

 

[TaylorB]

Well, I can't tell you much about the fans themselves, but i've always been told to just keep it elevated. Don't stick something in the center, but on both sides so the middle center has a nice half inch gap for heat to escape. The worst thing to do is to be trapping the heat. Sorry I couldnt tell you more about the fans. I hope this helps though.

(edit: i've also found alot of great MacBook and MacBook Pro stands on eBay and places like that.)

 

[Benjamindaines]

It spins =]

 

[Fearless Leader]

their are two fans. most of the time running at 1000rpm. when the computer gets above a certian temp it kicks the fans faster, the whirrling. just using the conputer will spike temp, making the fans spike.

 

[JonMan]

I have the same problem -- black macbook, and out of nowhere, the fans kick in and it gets LOUD; loud enough so people start giving me looks.

I'm thinking of calling Apple to get it fixed..is this common? It really is quite loud, and I never heard anything like this on my Powebook g4.

 

[Scarlet Fever]

It spins =]

 

[Abstract]

The fan spins when the internals get too hot. If you don't want the fan to turn on, it'll damage the internals of the computer.

 

[JonMan]

I really don't mind the fans kicking in. What I'm asking, however, is whether the fan is supposed to sound like a plane taking off...

Can any other macbook owners comment on whether their fan -- when it kicks in -- gets loud enough so that people around start to look at you funny?

It usually gets loud when watching an HD trailer or when I have a lot of Word documents running...

I need to know whether I have a defective blackbook...

Thanks,
JM

 

[skunk]

I really don't mind the fans kicking in. What I'm asking, however, is whether the fanis supposed to sound like a plane taking off...

Can any other macbook owners comment on whether their fan -- when it kicks in -- gets loud enough so that people around start to look at you funny?

I need to know whether I have a defective blackbook...

Thanks,
JM

I have only heard mine once. Almost silent.

 

[JonMan]

Will they send me a new macbook if I just got mine 3 weeks ago? Or will I have to send it in?

Thanks.

 

[MalcolmJID]

Dude, it's normal. If it bothers you that much, download the app thats floating around other threads (smcFanControl) and make the minimum fan speed to 2500/3000rpm, you can hear it a bit more, but it will keep you a lot cooler.

And yes, the fan speeds up when you watch movie trailers etc coz theres a lot of heat generated by the CPU/GPU and so the fan needs to spin up to cool it down sufficiently. After a minute, the fans slow down again etc.

 

[JonMan]

I thought it was normal initially, but now I am not so sure. The reason being that I have a lot of friends with (white) macbooks, and have never heard their fan as loud as mine.

And yes, I downloaded SMC Fan control, but this does nothing to stop the fan from kicking in when it needs to. Again, it's not the fan coming on that bothers me; it is the airplane like noise it generates. And no, it does not shut off after a minute; it keeps on picking up...

I will be calling apple tonight.

 

[MalcolmJID]

Have a search on YouTube for the MacBookPro and its *early* defective fan. That was seriously bad. But no seriously, just crank your fans up to 6000rpm on smcFanControl, is that what it sounds like when the fans kick in? It sounds normal to me. Theres a great woosh of air, and you hear a high whine that picks up in pitch, a bit like an airplane. It's perfectly normal.

 

[JonMan]

Yes, when I crank it up to 6000rpm I hear the sound I'm talking about. I guess there is no way for us to compare fan noises, but my question is why I never hear any other macbooks make the "airplane-like" noise...

Honestly, I would rather my laptop get extremely hot -- like my PB g4 -- than deal with this annoying noise whenever I do anything processor intensive.

JM

 

[skunk]

At the risk of sounding smug, mine sits at about 23C with no fan activity, even when I'm Photoshopping, Illustrating, copying, surfing and iPhotoing at the same time. I'd be more than a little teed off if it sounded like a vacuum cleaner.

 

[MalcolmJID]

Are you sure? Does it vary at all. That temp sounds far too low. Whatever temp my MacBook boots at, thats the reading I get till I restart again, then it just stays at that temp (according to all the temp readers I've got). It's an error in the CoreDuo chip or something, but it's really annoying!

 

[XP Defector]

MacBook does it's thing, if it hits 70ºC then fan kicks in and takes her back down to around 50ºC.

 

[xfiftyfour]

I really don't mind the fans kicking in. What I'm asking, however, is whether the fan is supposed to sound like a plane taking off...

Can any other macbook owners comment on whether their fan -- when it kicks in -- gets loud enough so that people around start to look at you funny?

It usually gets loud when watching an HD trailer or when I have a lot of Word documents running...

I need to know whether I have a defective blackbook...

Thanks,
JM

Mine kicks in quite often, and when it does, it's definitely loud. Typically this is only when I've played an HD trailer/movie, or am working in Photoshop... but sometimes they kick on while doing other stuff as well.

I never heard my PB's fans, but I just assumed this was normal (the MB that is). It's annoying, but surely it's better than having worse problems because the laptop has gotten too hot.

Let me know if you call Apple and they actually say it's a problem.. would hate to be sitting on a defect without knowing it!

 

[miles01110]

Yeah, might as well call and see if it is a problem.

 

[KD7IWP]

I just wish my fans came on...

On my MBP I find that the fans never speed up. Sure they are always idling at 1000 RPM, but even when CoreDuoTemp reports that my processors is at 90C (which is unbelievably high, and that temperature was reported at the same time by Temperature Monitor) my fans don't speed up. I know that its possible for them to operate at 6000rpm because I have been able to make them go that fast with SMC fan control. My question is this: at what temperatures are others noticing that the fans are speeding up?
For example, if I play a game such as Redline, I got the fans to come on once, and it was at 75C. However, when I was compiling a DVD and it was at 85C, the fans didn't come on. Any reasons why this would be?