Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Might just be a defective iMac and could be replaced for free. Do a demo of the iMac Pro in 2018. Get the 18-core model. See if it is the same noise level. If the maximum sound from the fans is the same as your video, I will get one and if the memory and storage is easy to replace.
 
People buy the i7 because they either actually benefit from the power or because it's the best option and they just....have...to.....max.....o_O

Yeah, pretty much this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I got the i5 7600K / Radeon Pro 580 model. ETA Monday. Will be happy to report on the thermals.

The i7 model can trigger the fans with CPU load alone (see the video above -- looks like cinebench CPU is all that is running). From anecdotal internet reviews, previous i5 models haven't been able to trigger the fan with CPU alone.

Fingers crossed that all my coding (I do some intensive MATLAB) and photo editing will be done in silence, and only the occasional game I play will spin the fan at a moderate rpm...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Neo999955
Yeah, pretty much this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I got the i5 7600K / Radeon Pro 580 model. ETA Monday. Will be happy to report on the thermals.

The i7 model can trigger the fans with CPU load alone (see the video above -- looks like cinebench CPU is all that is running). From anecdotal internet reviews, previous i5 models haven't been able to trigger the fan with CPU alone.

Fingers crossed that all my coding (I do some intensive MATLAB) and photo editing will be done in silence, and only the occasional game I play will spin the fan at a moderate rpm...


Thanks. Looking forward to your review of the i5.
[doublepost=1497622526][/doublepost]
His old iMac was a 3.2 GHz i5-6500 (Turbo to 3.6 GHz). It's not a fair comparison. A 4.5 GHz processor is hotter and noisier than 3.6 GHz processor.

If you want a machine that's quiet under heavy CPU load, don't get the i7.

Shouldn't it be quiet under low load? Some reviews are saying the noise level is audible even when not under heavy load.
 
Did you guys see already this video? So not only takes lot more power like I wrote in my previous thread, it's now confirmed it's noisier than before, go to 3:01, just noise 3:40, so frustrating

I own two and I can tell you it's not noisier then the previous 2, 5k iMac's.

It's not noisier because the GPU doesn't get very hot under load. I can only get the fan to spin up to around 1800 RPM while doing heavy gaming or work.

Go get a iMac with the m295x and then talk about how loud it gets. It's quite obvious with your latest posts you don't want a new iMac.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Plutonius
The i7 model can trigger the fans with CPU load alone (see the video above -- looks like cinebench CPU is all that is running). From anecdotal internet reviews, previous i5 models haven't been able to trigger the fan with CPU alone.

yeah, on my 2014 i5 it takes something like Prime95 stress-- and only after 3-4 minutes. Plus, although the 1500-2400 rpm band is noticeable, it's nowhere near as loud as 2700 rpm. The m290x GPU will trigger the fan, at full blast, given a non trivial workload. I guess that's what "Music' is for.
Cinebench isn't enough to even take the fan above idle. Of course, the score isn't particularly boastworthy either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Moriarty
with an spl meter, placed on the stand, with the mic between screen and support, (ie. far closer than one usually computes)
1200 rpm 41.6 dB (too low to meter)
1500 rpm 41.6 dB (too low to meter)
1800 rpm 47 dB
2400 rpm 53 dB
2700 rpm 56.5 dB
 
At any rate, when I get my iMac delivered soon, I'm curious to see just how noisy the thing gets when pushed. Wish I had both an i5 and i7 iMac side by side for comparison.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Falcon80
At any rate, when I get my iMac delivered soon, I'm curious to see just how noisy the thing gets when pushed. Wish I had both an i5 and i7 iMac side by side for comparison.

Wondering whether I should get i5 or i7. I do a lot of recordings with Screenflow; would be nice if the fan didn't kick on. (Im getting an SSD.) also do quite a bit of photography with LR and PS, so was leaning toward the 4.2 i7.
 
Wondering whether I should get i5 or i7. I do a lot of recordings with Screenflow; would be nice if the fan didn't kick on. (Im getting an SSD.) also do quite a bit of photography with LR and PS, so was leaning toward the 4.2 i7.

i have the same dilemma.. Still waiting to see more reviews on i7.
 
Seems louder then my 6 core xeon under full load. Anyway that fan noise is to be expected on a i7 especially in a smaller AIO chassis. As long as it doesn't throttle, I'd personally be fine with the noise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Falcon80
I hear a second sound after half an hour, it's sort of like a broken fan that makes a constant whirring ticking sound... Anyone else?
 
the i5 3.8+580 is running a lot cooler even in games than i7+580
Ambient temp around 24C, but the i5+580 never goes over 90C so the fans are remaining at 1200rpm-1300rpm max
but with the i7 i always get 95C after 1 min after starting the app, and the fans goes at 2100rpm and settle after that at around 1800rpm
 
And it’s hard to know if you can have better performances with i5 or i7
 
Last edited:
the i5 3.8+580 is running a lot cooler even in games than i7+580
Ambient temp around 24C, but the i5+580 never goes over 90C so the fans are remaining at 1200rpm-1300rpm max
but with the i7 i always get 95C after 1 min after starting the app, and the fans goes at 2100rpm and settle after that at around 1800rpm

You have both setup to compare?
 
  • Like
Reactions: drthom and kaibob
the i5 3.8+580 is running a lot cooler even in games than i7+580
Ambient temp around 24C, but the i5+580 never goes over 90C so the fans are remaining at 1200rpm-1300rpm max
but with the i7 i always get 95C after 1 min after starting the app, and the fans goes at 2100rpm and settle after that at around 1800rpm

Very useful information, thank you! So I'll go for the i5 3.8 then - silence > future-proofness
 
the i5 3.8+580 is running a lot cooler even in games than i7+580
Ambient temp around 24C, but the i5+580 never goes over 90C so the fans are remaining at 1200rpm-1300rpm max
but with the i7 i always get 95C after 1 min after starting the app, and the fans goes at 2100rpm and settle after that at around 1800rpm
Wow so happy I ordered the i5
 
Yeah, pretty much this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I got the i5 7600K / Radeon Pro 580 model. ETA Monday. Will be happy to report on the thermals.

The i7 model can trigger the fans with CPU load alone (see the video above -- looks like cinebench CPU is all that is running). From anecdotal internet reviews, previous i5 models haven't been able to trigger the fan with CPU alone.

Fingers crossed that all my coding (I do some intensive MATLAB) and photo editing will be done in silence, and only the occasional game I play will spin the fan at a moderate rpm...

The 7th Gen i5 is no slouch. I'd also order that config unless I was going to work on 4K video every day. The 7700k does do 4K quite a bit faster. :apple:
 
Last edited:
I'm also interested in the i5 7600K 3.8Ghz noise level.

I've had mine for 4 days so far. I haven't even heard the fan at all yet. I've done some 4k editing in FCP, as well as some heavy gaming in both OS X and Bootcamp.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zapp21
I've had mine for 4 days so far. I haven't even heard the fan at all yet. I've done some 4k editing in FCP, as well as some heavy gaming in both OS X and Bootcamp.
Are you on the i5 or i7? I plan on playing WoW and CS GO with my config. I ordered the i7 512 SSD 32 ram (OWC) not apple lol, and the 580. Should I be worried about the fan?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.