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iMac Overheat Worry

Halon X said:
I've never understood why people worry about the case of their iMac feeling too hot to the touch? What are people doing touching it that they need to worry, it's not like it's a laptop sitting on your lap!

I trust the Apple engineers to know enough (a heck of a lot more than me at least) to design the computer with a proper case, adequate cooling and enough fail-safes to protect the system should it ever overheat.
Click to expand...

Obviously you didn't read what I've written...The AppleCare people told me there was a problem with mine...they told me not to use it, to unplug it immediately, pack it up, and bring it back. They were going to test it but just decided to do an exchange. The Apple store Genius told me that there have in fact been some issues with some units having the case get too hot. He witnessed it first hand in the store with some of the demo units on the floor. He said yes that the cases do get quite warm and are supposed too but they should not get as hot as mine which got hot enough to cause injury. Mine reached an excessive external temp of 150 F (65.556 C) which is hot enough to burn the skin on the inside of my arm or that of a child.

The new one is NOT doing that and has much cooler internal temps according to the istat and this one has not locked up or frozen at all like the other one did.

Even the best product can have a lemon here and there, and I think I had a lemon...maybe it got dropped sometime in the manufacturing /packing process, or maybe the power supply was not installed correctly, or some component was defective in some way...who knows. I'm not saying that iMac is bad or I wouldn't have exchanged it for another. I am only saying that mine (and obviously others) had issues with some of them.

Obviously Apple acknowledged the issue or they wouldn't have exchanged it no questions. They did not charge a restocking fee or anything either. They even transferred all the data from one to the other for me. (Gotta love Apple service.) I've had awesome experiences dealing with Apple, the Apple Stores, and Apple Care and I love my PowerPC G5...I hope my son has as much satisfaction with his iMac as I do with my PowerPC G5.
 
Well, that was short lived

Well so much for the new replacement iMac being ok...my son just turned it on and nothing...the screen sort of just glows, no chime nothing, it just sits there.

You could hear the fans start and the drives start but then the screen just sort of glows blue...maybe there is a problem with the iMacs...I am now 2 for 2 in less than 1 week.

I'm not so sure I am liking this iMac now.

The Store told me to just bring it back and they will exchange it again. This is starting to annoy me though.
 
1st gen imac g5 17" overheating

hey guys,

I stumbled across this board as i have been searching for what to do with my imac that i bought used from the local university.

i am or was a mac "wannabe" but my first experience hasnt been great. started using the imac back in march, did a few things with it, but the more i used it, the more i realized something was not right. fan kept progessively working harder over the weeks as i played with it. id get frustrated and then shut it down and go back to my PC. FINALLY THE THING JUST WOULD START UP, WORK ABOUT A MIN OR TWO THEN SHUT DOWN.

oops, sorry about caps. took it to mac store that said some sensor is telling it is overheating when it isnt and causes it to shut down. they want 450 for a new motherboard and 80 for labor.

not sure if that helps with the concerns about overheating. he swore up and down that it is not a common problem, but there is a free fix listed on the mac site for this imac for shut down issues for people that bought theirs new, so apparently there has been some problems.

what i want to know is, does anyone know where or how i can get a good used or new motherboard without paying 4-500 bucks?

any insight would be helpful.

thanks,
rob
 
that's why you get applecare

imac's are complicated machines that are riskier than the common desktop PC since you can't open it up yourself and fix stuff.

replacing the motherboard in an imac is expensive. i would not ever get a used one b/c what if something is wrong w/ that and the seller isn't telling you?
 
imac123 said:
that's why you get applecare

imac's are complicated machines that are riskier than the common desktop PC since you can't open it up yourself and fix stuff.

replacing the motherboard in an imac is expensive. i would not ever get a used one b/c what if something is wrong w/ that and the seller isn't telling you?
Click to expand...

I got ApppleCare on both the G5 and the iMac because I do not work on computers. I have a son that is certified to work on PC's and did add RAM to my G5 but he won't touch the iMac. I love AppleCare.

He is also military and stationed in another state so I can't have him run over and fix things for me anymore.
 
as i said, im new to mac, so what is applecare?

remember i bought this used. if i bought a new one, i would buy the support etc, but do they offer that for used ones? and if so, how come the rep at the store didnt mention it and instead just said it's gonna be $560 to fix?
 
rob1961 said:
as i said, im new to mac, so what is applecare?

remember i bought this used. if i bought a new one, i would buy the support etc, but do they offer that for used ones? and if so, how come the rep at the store didnt mention it and instead just said it's gonna be $560 to fix?
Click to expand...

my bad, didn't see the "used" part. i guess mainly i was just sharing my opinion on "buying imacs" though - since they are basically like laptops (all in on) but w/ even more high performance components , there is a greater risk for things to go wrong. And if/when they go wrong, it's almost impossible to fix it without taking it to the apple store for professional help (compared to just opening up a PC tower and troubleshooting). For that reason, if one can afford it, I would recommend only purchasing an imac through apple or amazon.com (or another reputable place) new or refurbished with applecare protection plan. If money is an issue and you decide to go for a used one from somewhere else w/o an applecare warranty, be aware of the risk you are taking - if something goes wrong, it'll be $$ to fix. Only you can decide if it's worth it and how much $ you want to spend..

anyway, having said all that, you can google "applecare" to read more about it. I don't know all the rules, but I think you can only get it in the 1st yr of buying a NEW product. After that, you're on your own.
 
Originally Posted by Halon X
I've never understood why people worry about the case of their iMac feeling too hot to the touch? What are people doing touching it that they need to worry, it's not like it's a laptop sitting on your lap!

I trust the Apple engineers to know enough (a heck of a lot more than me at least) to design the computer with a proper case, adequate cooling and enough fail-safes to protect the system should it ever overheat.
Obviously you didn't read what I've written...The AppleCare people told me there was a problem with mine...they told me not to use it, to unplug it immediately, pack it up, and bring it back. They were going to test it but just decided to do an exchange. The Apple store Genius told me that there have in fact been some issues with some units having the case get too hot. He witnessed it first hand in the store with some of the demo units on the floor. He said yes that the cases do get quite warm and are supposed too but they should not get as hot as mine which got hot enough to cause injury. Mine reached an excessive external temp of 150 F (65.556 C) which is hot enough to burn the skin on the inside of my arm or that of a child.
Click to expand...

No offence to the genius guy, but the store iMacs aren't exactly taxed. Sitting here just on the internet, the case is cool, maybe luke warm. As soon as I fire up a game on it, the aluminium case becomes roasting. I can't hold my hand on for more than a couple of seconds without some serious pain.

I'm happy your machine has been swapped, but without seeing your machine I can't decide whether it is faulty and I'm the clueless one, or the Apple guy isn't the geniu he's supposed to be.
 
AlexisV said:
No offence to the genius guy, but the store iMacs aren't exactly taxed. Sitting here just on the internet, the case is cool, maybe luke warm. As soon as I fire up a game on it, the aluminium case becomes roasting. I can't hold my hand on for more than a couple of seconds without some serious pain.

I'm happy your machine has been swapped, but without seeing your machine I can't decide whether it is faulty and I'm the clueless one, or the Apple guy isn't the geniu he's supposed to be.
Click to expand...

Before I went to the store I called AppleCare and they were the ones that told me that it should not get up to 150 degrees F on the case (I measured it with 3 seperate thermometers that I attached to the outer case). I was just saying that when I returned it to the Apple Store the Genius confirmed it. What you said about the machines in the store not being taxed actually confirms it further since he said he saw it happen to the demo ones they had on the floor, which since they aren't taxed much then they definitely shouldn't get hot at all but they did.
 
rob1961 said:
as i said, im new to mac, so what is applecare?

remember i bought this used. if i bought a new one, i would buy the support etc, but do they offer that for used ones? and if so, how come the rep at the store didnt mention it and instead just said it's gonna be $560 to fix?
Click to expand...

Macs come with a 1 year limited warranty. Within that 1 year period you get free repairs and have the option to purchase Applecare coverage which extends the coverage to 3 years. If you know your used iMac was originally purchased over 1 year ago you're out of of luck but you can check to find out exactly.

Click the Apple logo on the top left of your screen, then click About This Mac and then More Info. On the right side copy your serial number and then enter that number here.

I failed to buy Applecare on my prior iMac, a 20" Core Duo back in 2006 and its logic board failed 6 weeks over the one year warranty. I ended up paying $560 to get it replaced. :(

I purchased Applecare right away on my current 24" aluminum iMac. ;)

I've had my LCD panel replaced a few times for problems but have thankfully had no overheating issues.

Best of luck.
 
thanks for the applecare info. if and when i do buy a new one, i will purchase the protection. however, since im new to mac, and it is used, i was hoping to find a OEM motherboard for around $1-200 and replace it myself. if i cant do that, i guess ill just sell it for scraps or whatever. im not going to pay 600 to fix a used one. does any have insight on how to find or purchase a motherboard for this machine?

also, maybe its because we are on a message board where people are looking for help, but it seems like there is a lot of problems with logic boards, overheating, and other issues, even with the new units.

maybe i should stick with my Dell PC, at least it is a lot easier to repair.
 
rob1961 said:
thanks for the applecare info. if and when i do buy a new one, i will purchase the protection. however, since im new to mac, and it is used, i was hoping to find a OEM motherboard for around $1-200 and replace it myself. if i cant do that, i guess ill just sell it for scraps or whatever. im not going to pay 600 to fix a used one. does any have insight on how to find or purchase a motherboard for this machine?

also, maybe its because we are on a message board where people are looking for help, but it seems like there is a lot of problems with logic boards, overheating, and other issues, even with the new units.

maybe i should stick with my Dell PC, at least it is a lot easier to repair.
Click to expand...


I had a hand me down HP Pc for the past few years. Had it running pretty good, then I got whacked by a nasty virus a few weeks back. I had the decision of resurrecting the PC or buying something new and starting over. I can't bash the PC due to my stupidity but, it was getting to the point that I kept throwing more time and effort into fixing something than I was using it. The hardware was outdated and becoming obsolete fast and some of the programs I was running had no business even being installed on the machine let alone running, beating the proverbial dead horse so to speak.

I always maintained that if I was ever to buy a computer it would be a Mac and I stuck to that. I won't ever look back. Bought the Applecare too. I had to call them once, my own fault though, and they spoke English and were a joy to work with. I won't ever own another PC again.

As for lots of problems with the units, keep in mind that they are machines and not all of them are perfect. Tons of variables pop up in manufacturing and such, you said it though you are in one place that everyone convenes to talk about Macs worldwide. Stick with a Mac and you won't regret it, I sure as hell didn't:D
 
iMac Overheats and Shuts Self Down

This thread was really the only one I could find in here that addresses what I think is the problem with my Mac. I will be sitting at the computer uploading photos or typing an email or any other thing, and the computer will just shut down by itself. Usually the fan has been running for a while, and the top back of my iMac (intel based) feels really hot to the touch. It is not in a confined space, and the room itself isn't any hotter then 70-80 F.

My guess is the computer overheats and shuts itself down. Sometimes it will start right back up by itself momentarily, other times it does not turn back on, and when I try to turn it on, it is 10-15 minutes before it will turn on.

Has anybody else had their iMac repeatedly shut down spontaneously? Is it overheating, you think? Or something else?

Thanks for you help-
 
etsymac

suddenly shutdown can def come from heat problems....it used to happen to my g5

but touching the case is not a guide coz its meant to give heat as its metal

install iStat Pro widget to see your real temperatures

if u want to test if its heat u can install smcfancontrol and set the fans to 50 or 75% and see if u still have shutdowns

many people say heat is no problem and apple is good designer and smcfancontrol is a waste and if u only read web and email its true but if u run bootcamp for games or do serious rendering and such heavy tasks i dont think its stupid to watch the heat settings
 
My iMac 20" just shut down by itself a few days ago too, so no, it's not just you. I believe heat may have been a factor too, since I was running a processor-intensive program. I don't have iStat yet, mainly because I'm a chronic worrier and don't need the extra anxiety, but now I'm a lot more heat conscious. I've had computers nearly burst into flame before when the fans failed, and the electronics smell I noticed in my room was the same.
 
Morrius said:
My iMac 20" just shut down by itself a few days ago too, so no, it's not just you. I believe heat may have been a factor too, since I was running a processor-intensive program. I don't have iStat yet, mainly because I'm a chronic worrier and don't need the extra anxiety, but now I'm a lot more heat conscious. I've had computers nearly burst into flame before when the fans failed, and the electronics smell I noticed in my room was the same.
Click to expand...

What processor do you have? 2.66, 2.4...?
 
2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo.

Here are the results from iStat after some casual surfing and then after about 5 minutes of running WoW.

Casual surfing/typing
CPU A 39
GPU 55
Diode 59
Heatsink 55
Ambient 24
Mem Controller 43
Airport Card 60
HD Bay 1 47


World of Warcraft
CPU A 50
GPU 66
Diode 72
Heatsink 67
Ambient 24
Mem Controller 51
Airport Card 62
HD Bay 1 49

My fans are running as follows:

CPU Fan: 1200 rpm
Hard Drive: 1230 rpm
Op rive: 1000 rpm



...And in the time that it took me to type all that, the temps have gone back to normal after playing WoW. So the fans are doing their job, but the unexplained shut down still alarms me.
 
Here is my 3ghz iMac after about 10mins of WoW.

Picture+3.png
 
Those hard drive temperatures really aren't that good for the hard drive.

This is one thing I ran across on the internet:

Manufacturers measure off quite a modest range of operating temperatures for hard drives, from +5 to +55°C as a rule, and occasionally to +60°C. This operating range is much lower than processors, video cards, or chipsets. Moreover, hard drive reliability depends heavily on their operating temperatures. According to our research, increasing HDD temperature by 5°C has the same effect on reliability as switching from 10% to 100% HDD workload. Each one-degree drop of HDD temperature is equivalent to a 10% increase of HDD service life.
Click to expand...
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000748.html

So, the cooler, the better. Also, just for reference, the hard drives in my windows machine stay below 30C.
 
More on Overheating

So if overheating is the cause of my iMac spontaneously shutting down, and sometimes it starts right back up by itself, and sometimes there's nothing I can do to get it to come back on except wait and give it time to cool down... is there a solution to the problem? I don't really want to haul my computer 2 hrs to the closest service center if I don't have to, but I don't really want it to continue to crash, either. Aside from this problem, I love my Mac!

I tried downloading the smcfancontrol, but haven't been able to get it to install. I click on the folder in my downloads folder, and nothing happens. It just sits there looking at me like I'm... stupid. Hey, I'm a recent convert from "Windows", and it's taking me some time to adjust to Mac.

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it.
 
Is heating a problem on MacBook Pro?

My computer has been on for 30 minutes. I have smcfan control.

Readings: CPU A temp 68 C
GPU temp 52 C

CPU/HDD fan speed after 20 minutes 4500rpm. The setting is "Default".

Should I be concerned? Computer works well. I can hear the fan.

Thank you for answering!
 
webctbob said:
My computer has been on for 30 minutes. I have smcfan control.

Readings: CPU A temp 68 C
GPU temp 52 C

CPU/HDD fan speed after 20 minutes 4500rpm. The setting is "Default".

Should I be concerned? Computer works well. I can hear the fan.

Thank you for answering!
Click to expand...

Is this during idle?
 
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