If I put an SSD into my iMac, can I disable the stock HDD fan?

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Hi everyone,

I know this isn't the PPC forum, but I have already asked about it there, and I guess not man people have had experience with this. This is sort of an unconventional idea of mine.

So I have an iMac G5 iSight (yes, PowerPC) in which I am putting a compatible SATA II SSD. This will make my machine quieter, snappier, and will remove a source of significant heat generation.

However, the machine was designed for a mechanical HDD, of course; so it still has this fan that seems like it's solely dedicated to cooling off the HDD bay.

My main question: Would it be alright to just disconnect this fan entirely? The SSD will produce little to no heat - and this fan happens to be the loudest in the system, or at least closest to the front of the machine. It exhausts from the grill underneath the iMac (near where the speakers are), and I can hear it from across the room. All RPM are normal - it's just THAT loud. So would it be a bad idea to just leave it out once I install the SSD?

Thanks for any suggestions,

-MDD

 

[zacster]

I wouldn't count on the SSD not producing heat. I put one into my 2006 Intel iMac and the main problem with the machine is that it overheated. I could hear the fan struggling to keep the thing cool.

 

[zhaoxin]

I think you can do it safely, if you are sure it is only the hard drive fan. Also, you need to monitor you system's temperature(cpu, gpu, ssd...) for some time to make sure you are right after you do it.

 

[bogg]

I wouldn't count on the SSD not producing heat. I put one into my 2006 Intel iMac and the main problem with the machine is that it overheated. I could hear the fan struggling to keep the thing cool.

A normal SSD draws a maximum of about 3 watts of power, if the manufacturer of your ssd isn't using very very inefficient tech in their SSDs that is about how much your will draw as well.
A 3.5" hard drive uses about 5-10 times that when fully utilized.
So your ssd should therefor output 5-10 less heat than your hard drive. If your computer temps goes up because of your ssd the ssd is probably defective or something else is messed up in your computer

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd leave the fan installed and running (slowly).

You want all the interior cooling you can get.

 

[tyche]

Can you get any software that reports the temp sensors in that model? Then you just need to verify the other fans in the machine are keeping things cool enough. As long as the machine has proper airflow and you're not blocking any vents I think it should be fine but it's your hardware.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Thanks for the replies. I have iStats, so I will keep an eye on the temps. I'll leave the temperature sensor on the SSD and make sure the read-outs for that are accurate. As for fan control, it is not possible with PowerPC Macs... I so wish I could. I guess I'll see what happens, then.

 

[torquer]

There are utilities that allow you to control the fan speed so you don't have to disable it entirely.

Also, props for sticking to that platform for so long.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

There are utilities that allow you to control the fan speed so you don't have to disable it entirely.

Also, props for sticking to that platform for so long.

There is apparently no way to control the fans in a PowerPC Mac. Thanks - you should see the other enthusiasts over at the PPC forum. I didn't go Intel until 2012, and - even then - I stuck with this iMac more because it was a desktop and my first Intel machine was a laptop. Since then, however, I have acquired a 2009 Mac Pro, so I'm now back to Intel as my everyday platform. I still use PowerPC on the side, though. I've been using this iMac G5 since 2009 or 2010 and continue enjoying it. This SSD will boost any lackluster operation just a bit. My gripe is the fan noise, though, which is why I'm considering plucking that HDD fan out once the SSD is installed.

 

[torquer]

I don't blame you, that'd suck. Too bad those utilities are Intel only. A lot of people might call you crazy for still using an old platform, but I think theres a lot of value in seeing what you can do with the older stuff and nostalgia is just plain fun. A few years ago I had a lot of fun playing with an old Tangerine G3 iMac and finding old "upgrades" for it like the VRAM upgrade. I won't say it ended up being particularly speedy, but it was fun to play with. I'm always tempted to pick up an old iBook or something

 

[havokalien]

The SSD may not create much heat on its own but without air moving it will get hot from surrounding heat. I would leave the fan run personnally.

 

[bogg]

I've still got my 2005 Mac mini (first gen) just because it's nostalgia for me (first Mac I got after being a Amiga and Linux user since 92 and 97 respectively. I don't use it but it's nice to have around

I don't blame you, that'd suck. Too bad those utilities are Intel only. A lot of people might call you crazy for still using an old platform, but I think theres a lot of value in seeing what you can do with the older stuff and nostalgia is just plain fun. A few years ago I had a lot of fun playing with an old Tangerine G3 iMac and finding old "upgrades" for it like the VRAM upgrade. I won't say it ended up being particularly speedy, but it was fun to play with. I'm always tempted to pick up an old iBook or something

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

I don't blame you, that'd suck. Too bad those utilities are Intel only. A lot of people might call you crazy for still using an old platform, but I think theres a lot of value in seeing what you can do with the older stuff and nostalgia is just plain fun. A few years ago I had a lot of fun playing with an old Tangerine G3 iMac and finding old "upgrades" for it like the VRAM upgrade. I won't say it ended up being particularly speedy, but it was fun to play with. I'm always tempted to pick up an old iBook or something

Yeah, I'd kill for some fan control. There are plenty of people who call us crazy. As far as the iMac G5 goes, though, I actually would rather use a 2006 iMac over it: they are virtually the same on the outside, and the 2006 model is better in every single way. However, I still PPC Macs in general, and there are - of course - very unique models. They are fun machines to toy around with. I have iMac G3s as well, and they are actually very speedy on OS9. As for nostalgia, my first Mac was an iMac G5 (OG) in 2004. Anything prior I never lived with, so I have no nostalgia for them. Something about them attracts me, though.

The iMac here is a special case because it's one of the two PPC Macs I ever owned when they were still current. I actually remember preferring using an iMac G3 back when this iMac G5 was only 5 years old, because I felt as though the G5 was too current and modern xD. Time changes everything; I now view it as a vintage machine.

Get yourself a Snow iBook G3 or an iBook G4; they have hit their rock bottom values - esp. the G3s. If you want OS9, try a G3. These things are everywhere and are usually in great condition. I have three fully-working iBook G4s, and they are such pleasurable machines to use.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

The SSD may not create much heat on its own but without air moving it will get hot from surrounding heat. I would leave the fan run personnally.

I was actually contemplating the idea of hot air building up within the left side of the machine, but if the fan area is more of a duct, it may not matter at all. I haven't seen very clear pictures, but I'm certain that the fan is housed within a fairly enclosed area.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

I've still got my 2005 Mac mini (first gen) just because it's nostalgia for me (first Mac I got after being a Amiga and Linux user since 92 and 97 respectively. I don't use it but it's nice to have around

It's nice that you still have your first Mac! Mine was the original 2004 iMac. Sadly, these were horribly unreliable machines. The HDD went (which wasn't a huge deal), and then the GPU later died just from sitting still. We sold the thing for parts.

 

[bogg]

It's nice that you still have your first Mac! Mine was the original 2004 iMac. Sadly, these were horribly unreliable machines. The HDD went (which wasn't a huge deal), and then the GPU later died just from sitting still. We sold the thing for parts.

My dear Mac mini really was a fighter, two weeks after it arrived i spilled a full can of soda over it, which the fans of course sucked up from the ventilation holes in the bottom. Which basically made the graphics instantly break and just display lines instead of the usual glory of OS X Panther , a few seconds later it shut down completely. I ripped out the cables, broke it open, cleaned it up with rubbing alcohol and let it air dry for a few days, even though a few surface mount capacitors and resistors were burnt it booted straight up (the capacitors and resistors have since been replaced). So I thought "What the heck" and just overclocked it from 1.42GHz to 1.5GHz with help from the guide at http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/macmini/
Later on the DVD reader started acting up so I got to break it open again, replacing it with another one, after a year or so I dropped it on the floor while it was running (stupid mistake trying to move it around while it was powered on). So I had to break it open once again and replace the hard drive.

In mid 2006 I replaced it with the first intel Mac Mini (a 1.66GHz Core Duo), but kept it on with Linux running on it as a home server. In 2008 a Plasma globe i had put on top of it basically overheated and burnt the top of the poor mac mini so it now has a huge blob of molten plastic and a brown-blackish colour to it instead of the nice white it once used to be...

Still works fine though, I just let the poor computer retire to storage, it has lived through enough tragedy already

I migrated to Intel Macs fairly quick, in 2005 I bought both a Mac Mini and an iBook G4 12", during 2006 both were replaced with their intel equivalents (Mac Mini Core Duo and a White Macbook).
My usage of PowerPC Macs was thus quite short, but I still love the PowerPC architecture and one of my favourite computer designs is still the iMac G4 (I had longed for Macs for years before taking the plunge, but as a student couldn't afford one before the Mac Mini came along). In the other half of 2005 I started working and my economy allowed me to indulge myself

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

My dear Mac mini really was a fighter, two weeks after it arrived i spilled a full can of soda over it, which the fans of course sucked up from the ventilation holes in the bottom. Which basically made the graphics instantly break and just display lines instead of the usual glory of OS X Panther , a few seconds later it shut down completely. I ripped out the cables, broke it open, cleaned it up with rubbing alcohol and let it air dry for a few days, even though a few surface mount capacitors and resistors were burnt it booted straight up (the capacitors and resistors have since been replaced). So I thought "What the heck" and just overclocked it from 1.42GHz to 1.5GHz with help from the guide at http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/macmini/
Later on the DVD reader started acting up so I got to break it open again, replacing it with another one, after a year or so I dropped it on the floor while it was running (stupid mistake trying to move it around while it was powered on). So I had to break it open once again and replace the hard drive.

In mid 2006 I replaced it with the first intel Mac Mini (a 1.66GHz Core Duo), but kept it on with Linux running on it as a home server. In 2008 a Plasma globe i had put on top of it basically overheated and burnt the top of the poor mac mini so it now has a huge blob of molten plastic and a brown-blackish colour to it instead of the nice white it once used to be...

Still works fine though, I just let the poor computer retire to storage, it has lived through enough tragedy already

I migrated to Intel Macs fairly quick, in 2005 I bought both a Mac Mini and an iBook G4 12", during 2006 both were replaced with their intel equivalents (Mac Mini Core Duo and a White Macbook).
My usage of PowerPC Macs was thus quite short, but I still love the PowerPC architecture and one of my favourite computer designs is still the iMac G4 (I had longed for Macs for years before taking the plunge, but as a student couldn't afford one before the Mac Mini came along). In the other half of 2005 I started working and my economy allowed me to indulge myself

What a story! That thing has been through a lot. People still use G4 Mac Minis are home servers, but the deal-breaker (other than speed) has to be the slower ethernet. I probably have spoiled myself with this 2009 Mac Pro, but it would still be cool to have a Mac Mini. Other than the integrated graphics, I like the compact form factor and quietness.

We have a 2009 Mac Mini Server edition; these things are nice little beasts. They come stock with a 1TB RAID set-up and a nice, 2.53Ghz C2D and 4GB of RAM.