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How warm is too warm?

B

benguild

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 29, 2003
827
39
As of today, I have my Mac Pro in my desk cubby and honestly I'm not that happy about it. The cubby is noticeably warmer but not too warm...... How hot is too hot to cause damage or premature wear to the components or power supply?

My Mac Pro is v1,1 and has never been repaired for anything. Bought in Summer 2006 I believe.
 
i'd keep your Mac Pro out in the open under the desk if you can....or buy a new desk that will allow you to do this. from what i understand, excess heat for lengths of time can definitely shorten the life of various components in a Mac Pro. i'm not sure how hot is too hot, though. Mac Pro's get hot in the first place....keeping it in the "cubby" of your desk might not be a good idea. i know i'd never keep my Mac Pro in a desk "cubby". i keep mine out in the open under my desk where it can breath fresh cool air.
 
That was my thinking, like it's always been out in the open .. but I'm just not sure. My gut is that this will have an effect but I'm not sure how much of one since it pulls fresh air from the front, which is out in the open. I'm just wondering about reduced fan efficiency trying to fill a space with three walls and a roof.
 
If you really want to leave it in there, I would suggest not leaving the machine on 24x7. Maybe let it go to sleep after a while or shut it down at night. This will give the air inside time to cool down so the heat doesnt build up too much.

Also using smcfancontrol is a good idea. Watch the temps, and if the components are getting too hot, turn the fans up.
 
smash said:
That was my thinking, like it's always been out in the open .. but I'm just not sure. My gut is that this will have an effect but I'm not sure how much of one since it pulls fresh air from the front, which is out in the open. I'm just wondering about reduced fan efficiency trying to fill a space with three walls and a roof.
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Can you get a hole saw, and cut some ventilation holes in order to improve air flow in the cubby you've stuffed the MP in?
 
Yeah, I'm a little wary of manually controlling my fans. I'm probably going to go the hole-saw route and just widen the gap ... but I'm just not sure it's going to really help that much.

We'll see, I suppose.
 
Smcfancontrol has been used by allot of folks. No need to be afraid of controlling the fans yourself. Used it in both of my Mac pro's. Have it in my mini now. Fairly simple to use. Won't harm anything. Also, make sure you blow out the dust bunnies from time to time.
As for the Mac raising the fans itself, not until it hits a high temp threshold. I think it's to high myself. Better to keep it cool all the time. You can always uninstall it if you dont like it.
 
personally I would cut a hole in the back of the desk and mount an AC Rack Fan in the back to increase air flow around the Mac Pro. They are cheep but can be noisy.
 
bearcatrp said:
As for the Mac raising the fans itself, not until it hits a high temp threshold. I think it's to high myself. Better to keep it cool all the time. You can always uninstall it if you dont like it.
Click to expand...

Then why not build a refrigeration unit to constantly blow cold air on the computer? I mean, better to keep it cool all the time, right? ;)

What gives you the notion that the Apple cutoff is too high? Are Mac Pros being returned by the thousands because they have been running too hot? Had the insides of your Mac Pro started to melt before you installed SMCfancontrol?

Apple has only done the research and has tested, designed and built millions upon millions of units over the last 30 years, yet you believe that they have failed miserably at determining what level of heat their computers can tolerate? You REALLY believe that?
 
And as for the OP, I think you should really think about a different placement, or getting that slot or two cut out of the back of the 'cubby' in order to improve airflow. The internal fans can only do so much when the airflow is essentially blocked on 3 sides. :(
 
mstrze said:
Then why not build a refrigeration unit to constantly blow cold air on the computer? I mean, better to keep it cool all the time, right? ;)

What gives you the notion that the Apple cutoff is too high? Are Mac Pros being returned by the thousands because they have been running too hot? Had the insides of your Mac Pro started to melt before you installed SMCfancontrol?

Apple has only done the research and has tested, designed and built millions upon millions of units over the last 30 years, yet you believe that they have failed miserably at determining what level of heat their computers can tolerate? You REALLY believe that?
Click to expand...

Yep. My last two Mac pro's (2006, 2008) fans would not spin higher until around 180 when ripping. Would rather adjust the fans to keep them cool all the time instead of waiting for the the temps to get high then the fans kick in. Helps prolong the life of the system.
 
bearcatrp said:
Yep. My last two Mac pro's (2006, 2008) fans would not spin higher until around 180 when ripping. Would rather adjust the fans to keep them cool all the time instead of waiting for the the temps to get high then the fans kick in. Helps prolong the life of the system.
Click to expand...

Did you have any actual problems with the Mac Pros? Or did you just not like having the internal temp being at 180?

Being worried about a temperature versus actually having physical problems with your setup are two completely different things.

As for prolonging the life of the system, what does that matter to you if you upgrade every 2 years?:p
 
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