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iMac fans running constantly

A

allenmertes

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 1, 2005
52
0
South Bend, IN
I recently installed new RAM into my older Intel iMac. Ever since, the internal fans will not stop running. I checked the activity monitor and nothing is hogging the CPU. I also tried putting the computer to sleep, shutting it down, and resetting the SMC.

I'm not sure if it's related to the new RAM- I used the crucial online tool and know that the RAM is correct for the computer. Any other ideas? Thanks.
 
Even after taking the new ram out and/or unplugging the computer for a minute or two?
 
allenmertes said:
I recently installed new RAM into my older Intel iMac. Ever since, the internal fans will not stop running. I checked the activity monitor and nothing is hogging the CPU. I also tried putting the computer to sleep, shutting it down, and resetting the SMC.

I'm not sure if it's related to the new RAM- I used the crucial online tool and know that the RAM is correct for the computer. Any other ideas? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Install iStat Pro to monitor your fan speed, among other things. The fans are designed to always run when your Mac is on. They just speed up as needed when temps are sustained at a higher level. For example, the minimum fan speed on the MBP is around 2000 rpm. I assume is similar for the iMac.
 
It may be dust clogging the back port of the iMac that is causing the machine to heat up and consequently make the fans run at a higher speed than usual.

I think with bad RAM, you'd be seeing a Kernel Panic aka "Black screen of death" and not a major increase in fan usage ... unless you are doing heavy duty work on the iMac.
 
TMRaven said:
Even after taking the new ram out and/or unplugging the computer for a minute or two?
Click to expand...

Yeah- I tried reseating the RAM several times.

Install iStat Pro to monitor your fan speed, among other things. The fans are designed to always run when your Mac is on. They just speed up as needed when temps are sustained at a higher level. For example, the minimum fan speed on the MBP is around 2000 rpm. I assume is similar for the iMac.
Click to expand...

I downloaded it, but I'm not sure what to do with the info. Internal temperatures were ranging from 30-49 degrees. Hard drive fan speed is at 5000 RPM and CPU fan is at 900 RPM.

I think with bad RAM, you'd be seeing a Kernel Panic aka "Black screen of death" and not a major increase in fan usage ... unless you are doing heavy duty work on the iMac.
Click to expand...

I don't think the RAM is bad, either. The computer is much zippier and system preferences is showing that the RAM is ok...
 
allenmertes said:
I downloaded it, but I'm not sure what to do with the info. Internal temperatures were ranging from 30-49 degrees. Hard drive fan speed is at 5000 RPM and CPU fan is at 900 RPM..
Click to expand...
Your temps are certainly normal, but your HD fan speed is excessive. Does it do the same after you reboot?
 
Have you ever replaced the hard drive yourself? One last thing you can do is boot up hardware test and it will tell you if you have a faulty temp sensor on your motherboard.
 
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