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Should my new Mac Mini be this quiet?
- Thread starter Sir Ruben
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If the new fan is better, I wonder if we can modify the 2011 Mini to accept it. Or maybe it will just fit as a simple swap out?
Are sure that all of your CPU cores hits %100 with only one run of "yes >/dev/null"?
I tried that on my rMBP only one of my cores hits to %100 means that %12,5 of total usage. So I opened 3 terminal windows and run "yes >/dev/null" in everyone of them to get ~%35 total usage.
Could someone just try a Handbrake encode and see what happens to the fans noise level under 100% CPU???
Saying that "new Mini is ridiculously quiet" without specifying the conditions is meaningless. My 2011 Mini is also completely silent under normal load. It's the full CPU load that makes it start sounding like a small jet engine.
Update: I installed iStat and it tells me that the fan is at 1803rpm.
Guess it really IS that quiet which is fantastic
Same here, it sometimes jumps up to 2200rpm if i've got a few things open. When manually changing fan speeds it stays silent right up until 3000ish
Same here, it sometimes jumps up to 2200rpm if i've got a few things open. When manually changing fan speeds it stays silent right up until 3000ish
How do you manually change the fan speed?
111F is not very hot. The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat. CPU Tjmax = 105C (221F), GPU Tjmax = 100C (212F) on i3, i5, i7 processors. (Source: Intel)
My point wasn't about temperature, it was about silent fan operation. With my previous mini's, increased temps meant increased fan rotation and audible noise. Not getting that so far with the new model.
It's good to hear again and again. A computer with a annoying fan is the last thing I want to have - I used my MBP for years in clamshell mode, and man, that was not fun at all!
My Mini comes Halloween, delivered right by scary zombies from hell.
Only time I hear anything from my Mini is during start up. Some whirring sound, probably the HDD spinning up. I've played a few movies but nothing intensive.
The weather also happens to be quite cold in Tokyo now, I think it's about 13 degrees C maybe? Maybe that helps lessen the fan's load somewhat. I don't have any heating because I like the cold.
Anyway I just bought a BD reader last night so I'm gonna try ripping and encoding a video later.
The weather also happens to be quite cold in Tokyo now, I think it's about 13 degrees C maybe? Maybe that helps lessen the fan's load somewhat. I don't have any heating because I like the cold.
Anyway I just bought a BD reader last night so I'm gonna try ripping and encoding a video later.
Ripping a BD now using MakeMKV. Temperature was 49C at idle, now it's around 51~53C. Only thing I hear is the disc spinning. Using the BRP-U6CK drive from IO DATA.
If I'm reading it correct, it's at about 3% and stays there.
I've finished ripping 2 BDs, first one was a 2 hour film, took about an hour to rip. 2nd one was 1.5 hours, completed in half an hour. As far as I could tell, CPU process didn't exceed 5% even once.
I'm encoding the shorter film now using the AppleTV3 preset in Handbrake. Temp has gone up to 92~94C, fan's spinning at ~3500rpm. My room's dead silent now (4am in the dead of night) so I can hear the faint whirring sounds of the fans, but nothing annoying. It's soft enough that it'll fade into the background as white noise once you're doing something else.
It's actually quite a soothing sound, especially compared to the scramble jets on my Samsung series 5.
If it stays on and doesn't feel hot, it should be perfectly fine and I wouldn't worry about it.
If the fans were going full on and it was really warm, then I would be questioning it.
If the fans were going full on and it was really warm, then I would be questioning it.
calm down there is nothing wrong with it. Anyone who has owns a PC ultrabook will tell you ivy bridge cpu runs cooler. i've been running my mac mini 2012 with upgraded 16gb crucial ram for 5 days straight. i have yet to turn it off. the system is cool to the touch and the fan is blowing silently. just enjoy the improvement of technology.
Nice read reports of more silent operation than the 2011 quad core version. I just started unboxing a refurb yesterday and the first thing I noticed was the fan noise at idle. Subjectively, the 2011 mini quad core did not seem to be any quieter than a 2012 base model MP that used to be in the same room.