Is the iMac (20" Not base model) as quiet as the MacBook?

[Jammy1254]

I currently own a MacBook and thinking of selling my PC ... finally! Im doing a full conversion as i no longer need a PC.

As the title says, is the iMac as quiet as the Macbook?

Thanks!

J

 

[Beric]

It's a lot quieter than the Macbook. The Macbook is actually pretty loud, especially with its fans cranking on full blast, due to lack of a good graphics card. The only real noise you hear from my Dad's iMac is its optical drive. Other than that, it runs silent.

 

[CWallace]

My 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo 24" iMac is quieter then my 2.0GHz Core Duo MacBook. My MacBook is usually quiet, but the fans can really crank-up if I push her. The fans never spin-up significantly on my iMac no matter how hard I work her.

 

[Detektiv-Pinky]

I currently own a MacBook and thinking of selling my PC ... finally! Im doing a full conversion as i no longer need a PC.

As the title says, is the iMac as quiet as the Macbook?

Thanks!

J

I can't speek for high load conditions, as I very seldom do any kind of gaming, etc.

Under light load conditions however, the Macbook is much more quiet than my iMac. The iMac has a constant fan noise, that is not very pronounced during the day, but it is there anyway and very noticeable at nights. Maybe it is just my iMac, as other people are reporting completely silent systems.

The noise seems to come from the middle of the screen (upper half). So if you stop at an Applestore you could check it yourself.
I called Applecare about it, but they told me that I could not expect a perfectly quiet system. They also said that it could be my setup, with the iMac standing right in front of a wall, that would lead to sound reflections.

 

[netdog]

The iMac is much quieter under load (which includes things like Flash applets on Web pages). When not under load, both are very quiet.

 

[AppleFan360]

I have both and both are very quiet. The only time I hear the macbook is when the fan cranks up due to high load but that's about it.