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Mac Mini M4 thermals
- Thread starter aiyaaabatt
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I decided to do a Dr. Strangelove and "stop worrying and love the design" with my base M4. I have a TG Pro fan curve set for high intensity stuff like Handbrake just in case but for my day to day usage I've been letting the system handle things.
When raiding or doing dungeons in WoW the temperatures do climb when there is a lot going on. But they go down fairly quickly. The fan still rarely goes above 1000rpms which is silent to me. I just wish the fan wasn't so piercingly loud when at full blast. If I do ever have any serious Handbrake jobs running I am going to leave the room and close the door. The nice thing about keeping my tower desktop around is that when under load or when idle the noise doesn't noticeably increase. The benefit of having multiple fans creating a solid flow of cool air.
I have test this settings on my M4 Pro but its to loud but its a good base to start.
Yes you can.
I test now this Fan settings and looks ok. Which settings are you recommend?
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The radiator in the mini is very weak. Not only is it aluminum, it has very few plates in the heat exchanger.
The radiator base is a copper insert, which obviously does not transfer heat well to the pipes.
That's why the processor is under 100 degrees, and the case is cold and the air from the radiator is slightly warm.
I see that someone has a temperature of about 37 degrees at rest. Almost like the M2.
But mine does not go below 42 after replacing the thermal interface. Before the replacement it was 45.
I don't know what to do. It will not be possible to replace the radiator. It will not be possible to improve it either.
It is a little easier for him when he lies on his back - with the power button and the grill up.
The idea of placing the radiator with the heat exchanger down is stupid in my opinion. I regret buying it. I am sorry that they ruined the case of an already small computer.
What to do - I do not know.
In sleep mode, when it cannot use the fan, its heating scares me.
The radiator base is a copper insert, which obviously does not transfer heat well to the pipes.
That's why the processor is under 100 degrees, and the case is cold and the air from the radiator is slightly warm.
I see that someone has a temperature of about 37 degrees at rest. Almost like the M2.
But mine does not go below 42 after replacing the thermal interface. Before the replacement it was 45.
I don't know what to do. It will not be possible to replace the radiator. It will not be possible to improve it either.
It is a little easier for him when he lies on his back - with the power button and the grill up.
The idea of placing the radiator with the heat exchanger down is stupid in my opinion. I regret buying it. I am sorry that they ruined the case of an already small computer.
What to do - I do not know.
In sleep mode, when it cannot use the fan, its heating scares me.
My Mac Mini M4 Pro 12c get with CB23 19100 points and System Fan Settings 105 celsius, this is very very high. With my Fan settings from above i get 90c and 19700 points but the fan are very loud with max 4500rpm.
The fact that I can get up to 105 degrees Celsius and then have to downclock the chip is not normal.
System Fan:
My Fan settings:
The fact that I can get up to 105 degrees Celsius and then have to downclock the chip is not normal.
System Fan:
My Fan settings:
My 10core 16GB 512GB mac Mini m4 stays around 36c-40c. I have 2-3 browsers open. One streaming youtube or music and the other just surfing the net in general.
Should Apple compile a special OS version for the Mac mini pro? that could be a solution for the noise/temp problem.
The point here is not that the mini has nothing to do, but that the M4/M4 Pro can get too hot.
The Mini M4 is similar to an AC/heater: cooling/warming a small room, versus cooling/warming a large room using the same appliance. Turning the Mini upside down may help a little since heat rises, but still does not solve the problem. Adding heat-sinks such aluminum cooling fins would help a little, but eventually the cooling fins have to rely on cooling air from the fan. Now, having a larger case, aluminum cooling fins by the M4 chip and SSD, and having cooling air drawn over this heat-producing components (the top hot areas of the Mini), would make a big difference. The space in a larger or roomier case takes longer to warm, compared to a much smaller space.
Now, one of the worst ideas is having the air exhaust port near the air intake ports at the bottom. The air intake port should be at the bottom, but the air exhaust port (s) should be directed along the the hot components components, straight to the back and top portion of the Mini's case. Most of the heat is produced by the M4 chip/RAM, and SSD.
I decided to not buy a Mini M4. I figured early on that the small case would create cooling problems. If you look at the case of the Mac Studio, you can easily tell that it is well designed, is roomy, and the warm air exits out the back. I will continue using my 27" 2020 iMac for the time being. It runs cool and quiet, although slow. Also, I am not interested at all in the no user upgradeable 2024 24" iMac, so I will have to wait to see what Apple does for the Mac Studio. If the they cripple it like the M4 Mini, I have no idea what do next.
See, the problem I have with new Macs is the high cost of Apple's RAM and SSD. It does not matter if I can afford it or not.
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The problem with that heat sink is that it doesn't do much for what is inside the Mini's case. In fact, if the Mini is pushed hard without blowing cool air thought the fins, the heat sink adds an additional layer of aluminum to the top of the Mini's case. But lets say that the heat sink is in close proximity to the M4 chip and SSD/RAM inside the case, and that the cooling air is ported so that it cools the heat sink, and then is exhausted toward the top, then the Mini would run cooler. As I mentioned before heat rises (cool air warms up and rises). In a glass full of warm water, the warmest spot is by the top of the glass, and the coolest is near the bottom. Porting the hot air to the bottom makes no sense.
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My mini doesn't get such temperatures. Minimum 43 degrees. Maybe if put it in the freezer for half an hour.
The radiator on the lid can't help in any way. It's more of a joke.
The idea that when the processor is heated to 100 degrees, and the air coming out is warm, but not hot, makes me think that there is poor heat exchange between the components. For example, between the copper plate and the radiator base.
I should have taken a photo. There may well be a problem there.
A lot of thermal paste was applied at the factory. The spring plates press the radiator weakly, excess thermal paste was not squeezed out.
If someone has 36 degrees at rest, and mine has 43 degrees, then there is a chance that something can be fixed.
The radiator on the lid can't help in any way. It's more of a joke.
The idea that when the processor is heated to 100 degrees, and the air coming out is warm, but not hot, makes me think that there is poor heat exchange between the components. For example, between the copper plate and the radiator base.
I should have taken a photo. There may well be a problem there.
A lot of thermal paste was applied at the factory. The spring plates press the radiator weakly, excess thermal paste was not squeezed out.
If someone has 36 degrees at rest, and mine has 43 degrees, then there is a chance that something can be fixed.