2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Mini get's too hot

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Level 1

17 points

2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Mini get's too hot

My Mini get's too hot. It has functioned perfectly up until now for a couple of months. After I installed Leopard on it, I got a few Kernel Panics. I got more and more when downloading or unpacking RAR files, watching HD video, etc.. Then I started to monitor the system to see if I could determine the cause of the panic, since it always happened under load.

The machine get's too hot. Every time the CPU temp hits around 82 degrees centigrade, it locks up with a kernel panic. I can't watch a 720i HD film or even a DVD from harddisk without heating up the Mini to 80 degrees. Now I set the minimum fan speed at 2750 rpm and only then can I watch HD with the temperature at 78 or 79 degrees, bordering to another panic...

Is this a malfunction???

Message was edited by: Cenobyte

2Ghz Mini Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X (10.5)

Posted on Nov 7, 2007 12:15 PM

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Answer 1

Boece

Level 5

6,264 points

Nov 7, 2007 12:43 PM in response to Cenobyte

The Intel Mini should be able to cool itself well enough not to kernel panic.

If it truly overheated, it should do a protective shutdown instead of a kernel panic, AFAIK. The Panic log in the Utilities > Console program might shed some light on what is happening.

The most common cause of kernel panics is defective RAM. Has the RAM in your Mini been upgraded since it left the factory -- or is it factory-installed ram?

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Answer 2

Cenobyte Author

Level 1

17 points

Nov 7, 2007 1:03 PM in response to Cenobyte

The machine came as it is from Apple: with 2GB of RAM.

I use the machine as a mediacentre: I watch DVD's and HD material from harddisk and up until now, it did that perfectly. Ever since I installed Leopard, it get's too hot. Kernel panics always occur at around 80 - 83 degrees centigrade, with the exception of one just now: that occured at a CPU temp of just 75 degrees, but right after a reboot with another 81 degrees panic.

I'm also beginning to wonder if it's not another part of the machine, since the C2D CPU can run up to 90 degrees without problems, according to Intel's website...

Message was edited by: Cenobyte

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Answer 3

zigy24

Level 1

50 points

Nov 7, 2007 1:54 PM in response to Cenobyte

My mini used to get into the mid to upper 80's(degrees). I installed Fan Control 1.2 & Now it hasn't got over 75 degrees under a prolong load. The web site says it's for a MacBook Pro but it works great on my Mac Mini. Now my Mini runs in the low 50's.

http://www.lobotomo.com/products/FanControl/

Message was edited by: zigy24

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Answer 4

Cenobyte Author

Level 1

17 points

Nov 7, 2007 2:35 PM in response to Cenobyte

Well, I seem to have solved the problem, for now...

I reinstalled OSX Leopard, now doing a clean install, and I also installed smcFanControl.

Strange... In FanControl, I set the minimum rpm of the fan to 2000 (normally 1500) and let it rock away with an HD episode of Desperate Housewives. Despite the faster fan, the temperature goes all the way up to 90 (!!) degrees centigrade, but no kernel panic! I do not want to raise the minimum rpm, because the Mini get's noisy then.

I will keep my eye on the machine for now...

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Answer 5

AndyO

Level 6

17,064 points

Nov 8, 2007 4:59 AM in response to Cenobyte

Given there are widespread reports of a variety of problems caused when upgrading to Leopard rather than doing a clean erase and install, it's more probable that your kernel panics were related to that upgrade rather than the temperature of the system - particularly in light of the fact the system now appears to be running up to and above the temperature at which panics seemed to occur previously.

I would therefore be inclined to remove smcFanControl and see if the system continues to behave correctly without an artificial control over the system's cooling.

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Answer 6

Nov 8, 2007 12:18 PM in response to Cenobyte

I use handbrake quite often using the 2 pass encoding with h.264 with the processor in the 170% range and I am only showing a temp of 48-50 degrees Celsius according to the istat widget

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Answer 7

Cenobyte Author

Level 1

17 points

Nov 8, 2007 12:27 PM in response to MacMan666

I think you're getting the CPU A temp. iStat gives me two CPU temperatures: one fairly cool, like yours, and one very hot, up to 90 degrees centigrade.

I also noticed the computers gets the hottest while doing graphical stuff: showing HD material in full screen get's it hot.

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