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Mac Mini getting too hot
- Thread starter crashwarez
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- heating up mac mini m4
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Because the app screenshot includes it, I want to highlight thermal state (“Thermal Pressure”).
Just like yours, on my M4 Pro mini, even heavy workloads don’t push the system beyond Apple’s thermal guidelines (i.e., “Nominal”).
I must know. What is normal usage for a cat's belly? 😺
That's hilarious 😂; my sentence's structure indeed leaves a bit to be desired.
Three rubs–then murder!
Your Mac is too hot. Is she on Instagram, bro? You should get your Mac on OF. We needed some humor on this thread.
@crashwarez
The screenshots you provided showing temperatures of around 50 ℃ look normal to me. I have just purchased a Mac mini M4 and our climate is similar to yours, so I will let you know what the running temperatures look like once I start using it, but I don't anticipate any issues.
I have been using a 2017 iMac for years without any problem, and several years of which without any air conditioning. During the wet season, the ambient air temperature would sometimes reach as high as 40 ℃, but my iMac still ran fine (yes, I know, a bit much without air conditioning – I eventually got a unit installed).
About a year ago, I got the CPU in my iMac repasted and that dropped the idle temperatures by several degrees, but generally speaking, the idle CPU temperature hovers around 50 ℃, and under heavy load around 75 ℃. Bear in mind, this is for an x86 CPU running in an environment with an ambient air temperature of 25 to 30 ℃ given that I now have air conditioning. I'm guessing it will be much the same, if not better, for the ARM CPU in the Mac mini M4 since it doesn't have the baggage of x86. In any case, I'll let you know after I start using my new Mac mini.
I'm a bit puzzled how a CPU temperature of 50 ℃ could make the Mac mini "too hot" to the touch, though.
I'm pretty sure cats are planning our murders regardless!
The screenshots you provided showing temperatures of around 50 ℃ look normal to me. I have just purchased a Mac mini M4 and our climate is similar to yours, so I will let you know what the running temperatures look like once I start using it, but I don't anticipate any issues.
I have been using a 2017 iMac for years without any problem, and several years of which without any air conditioning. During the wet season, the ambient air temperature would sometimes reach as high as 40 ℃, but my iMac still ran fine (yes, I know, a bit much without air conditioning – I eventually got a unit installed).
About a year ago, I got the CPU in my iMac repasted and that dropped the idle temperatures by several degrees, but generally speaking, the idle CPU temperature hovers around 50 ℃, and under heavy load around 75 ℃. Bear in mind, this is for an x86 CPU running in an environment with an ambient air temperature of 25 to 30 ℃ given that I now have air conditioning. I'm guessing it will be much the same, if not better, for the ARM CPU in the Mac mini M4 since it doesn't have the baggage of x86. In any case, I'll let you know after I start using my new Mac mini.
I'm a bit puzzled how a CPU temperature of 50 ℃ could make the Mac mini "too hot" to the touch, though.
I'm pretty sure cats are planning our murders regardless!
Same issue here! My M4 mini runs warm even idle. Apple Diagnostics found nothing, but Activity Monitor showed some hidden background processes chewing CPU. Try checking there or booting in Safe Mode to see if it's software-related. If Apple won't help, maybe a clean macOS reinstall? Frustrating since it's supposed to be energy-efficient.
Just a wild stab in the dark, but could this have something to do with power supplies? If your Mini runs hot, are you in a country that has 240 volt line power? All I know is that mine runs on 120 volt power and is so cold to the touch that I wouldn't even know it's turned on, in spite of the fact that it's inside a closed cabinet with very little air circulation.
The cpu temps are clearly fine. The one thing I haven’t seen addressed or asked is:
What peripherals are plugged into the Mac mini?
If the power supply is providing significant power to devices, it will generate extra heat and may well result in the casing feeling hotter than normal. If there is a power hog that stops drawing power because the process responsible for operating it ends when the user logs out, it may well explain the issue.
When I got my work issued 13” MBP with an M1 I was so excited for its power sipping capabilities. Guess what happened the first time I used it to connect to a projector for a lecture? It used a similar percentage of battery as my previous machines because the main power draw is not the SOC, it’s the connected peripherals for that usage.
Power Monitor App is a nice tool that provides a good sense of a Mac’s power usage. I’m sure not as good as monitoring at the outlet, but it clearly shows what happens when peripherals are plugged into and resource usage ramps up.
What peripherals are plugged into the Mac mini?
If the power supply is providing significant power to devices, it will generate extra heat and may well result in the casing feeling hotter than normal. If there is a power hog that stops drawing power because the process responsible for operating it ends when the user logs out, it may well explain the issue.
When I got my work issued 13” MBP with an M1 I was so excited for its power sipping capabilities. Guess what happened the first time I used it to connect to a projector for a lecture? It used a similar percentage of battery as my previous machines because the main power draw is not the SOC, it’s the connected peripherals for that usage.
Power Monitor App is a nice tool that provides a good sense of a Mac’s power usage. I’m sure not as good as monitoring at the outlet, but it clearly shows what happens when peripherals are plugged into and resource usage ramps up.
Thats why we really pay for internet service so not wasted bandwidth… 😂 😂(apologies for the wasted bandwidth)
"I'm pretty sure cats are planning our murders regardless!"
Of course they are, to them, we are just a large food source that doesn't need refrigeration.
Hello, I’ve had the M4 for a few weeks now and I'm really enjoying it. My question is that l've plugged two USB HUBS that connect a Bluetooth receiver (Mouse) a Midi keyboard, and a Audio interface in the two thunderbolt ports on the back instead of the two USB ports at the front purely for better aesthetics. Would this cause my Mac to run hotter than usual?
I also haven't tweaked any of the system settings or changed anything out of the box since l've had it. is there anything I can do to minimise this? I don’t know what to change and what to leave.
I should also note that my flat has extremely poor ventilation and was wondering if there is anything I can do to minimise this also. Should I raise it up a bit? It’s just resting on a standard wooden desk. Apologies for the newbie question.
Any help is really appreciated, thank you
I also haven't tweaked any of the system settings or changed anything out of the box since l've had it. is there anything I can do to minimise this? I don’t know what to change and what to leave.
I should also note that my flat has extremely poor ventilation and was wondering if there is anything I can do to minimise this also. Should I raise it up a bit? It’s just resting on a standard wooden desk. Apologies for the newbie question.
Any help is really appreciated, thank you
My M4 CPU temps are a bit below 40C at idle, and a bit above 40C with light usage. Room temp is about 21C.
My Mini tends to run in the 40-42C range under normal load. When under heavier load, the highest I've seen is 80-85C. I did get it to peg at 105C, but that was only while running Cinebench in the ten minute stress test. Even then the machine did not throttle or throw any temperature alerts.
Have not followed this thread but I share my own experience with my M4 Pro Mini.
Most of the time (under normal load) the temperature is around 40-50C. Have lot's of apps and tabs open.
But when gaming it becomes hot absolutely. Thats the only time I have heard the fans start when not using a third party app for controlling the fans. Playing Civ7. Don't know the temperature exactly but pretty sure it's been 110C and that's too hot for me. Downloaded Macs fan control (free version) and every time I start playing I change manually to 2500 RPM and everything runs pretty cool from there. A simple solution. When done playing I change to automatically in Macs fan control. A couple of mouse clicks both ways.
Most of the time (under normal load) the temperature is around 40-50C. Have lot's of apps and tabs open.
But when gaming it becomes hot absolutely. Thats the only time I have heard the fans start when not using a third party app for controlling the fans. Playing Civ7. Don't know the temperature exactly but pretty sure it's been 110C and that's too hot for me. Downloaded Macs fan control (free version) and every time I start playing I change manually to 2500 RPM and everything runs pretty cool from there. A simple solution. When done playing I change to automatically in Macs fan control. A couple of mouse clicks both ways.
@crashwarez
I said that I would provide a follow up after I start using my M4 Mac mini. This new Mac mini is being used in a room at 28 ℃ / 82.4 ℉ with 70% humidity.
Even under a reasonable amount of load, the CPU appears to stay between 45 to 50 ℃ (113 °F to 122 °F), and I've never seen the fan go above 1,000 RPM (which I believe is the lowest setting). These statistics are being reported by iStat Menu. The Mac mini remains either cool or lukewarm to the touch. These temperatures are normal and appear to be consistent with the temperatures that you have been reporting.
I have the base Mac mini configuration (16 GB RAM) but with a 1 TB SSD.
I said that I would provide a follow up after I start using my M4 Mac mini. This new Mac mini is being used in a room at 28 ℃ / 82.4 ℉ with 70% humidity.
Even under a reasonable amount of load, the CPU appears to stay between 45 to 50 ℃ (113 °F to 122 °F), and I've never seen the fan go above 1,000 RPM (which I believe is the lowest setting). These statistics are being reported by iStat Menu. The Mac mini remains either cool or lukewarm to the touch. These temperatures are normal and appear to be consistent with the temperatures that you have been reporting.
I have the base Mac mini configuration (16 GB RAM) but with a 1 TB SSD.
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May be smart--but might this setting also *limit* your fan's speed if you develop long-term heat or your ambient temp changes? I only mention this because the range is up to 5000rpm, and under I guess extreme situations that speed might be needed?
Maybe. But without third party help I have never seen fans ramping up over 40 percent and that with CPU temps well over 100. I have not made this to a science but my feeling is that the fans do not start in a considerable way before a bit higher than 100C. In Civ7, pretty far in to a game with fans at 35 percent-ich temps is never over 100C. Pretty stable around 75-85C. Apple have obviously decided high temps are okey. Are they? Probably.
I play in window mode. So I can see temps all the time if I want to. So far, no extreme situations have occurred (temperature-wise) with my Mac mini - especially when it comes to Civ7.