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Mac Mini 2012 overheating, and is it time to consider a new one?

Hi,

My question is two fold. I have this Mini late 2012 i7 that's still pretty fast but it overheats and hangs very quickly during CPU intensive tasks in Mojave, where it should not. It is clean inside and the fan works, but I wonder if I should consider replacing the heat sink compound (I have not yet checked if it is removable). Any advice would be welcome.


My other concern is about the opportunity to buy a Mini 2018. The next releases will probably come with OS Catalina, so is the Mini 2018 the last that will support 32 bit apps? Or is there a chance that some newer Mini 2019 Mojave compatible might show up? Thanks!

Posted on Sep 15, 2019 10:15 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 15, 2019 10:35 PM

It isn't the hardware that presents an issue with 32-bit software, but macOS. Mojave will soon be replaced by Catalina which will not run 32-bit software. We cannot tell you when or if there will be a 2019 Mini.


As for overheating:


Use Activity Monitor to Kill Runaway Processes


     Use Activity Monitor on your Mac

     Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan activity.


Should the above not prove helpful, then make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for service. If you need to find an Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple.


A Troubleshooting Procedure that may Fix Problems with macOS El Capitan or Later


You should try each, one at a time, then test to see if the problem is fixed before going on to the next.


    Be sure to backup your files before proceeding if possible.


  1. Shutdown the computer, wait 30 seconds, restart the computer.
  2. Disconnect all third-party peripherals.
  3. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
  4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
  5. Reset your Startup Disk and Sound preferences.
  6. Start the computer in Safe Mode. Test in safe mode to see if the problem persists, then restart normally.
  7. Use Apple Hardware Test to see if there is any hardware malfunction.
  8. Repair the disk by booting from the Recovery HD. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears. Choose Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list.  Click on the First Aid button in the toolbar. Wait for the Done button to appear. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Restart the computer from the Apple Menu.
  9. Repair permissions on the Home folderResolve issues caused by changing the permissions of items in your home folder.
  10. Create a New User Account Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password when prompted. On the left under Current User click on the Add [+] button under Login Options. Setup a new Admin user account. Upon completion log out of your current account then log into the new account. If your problems cease, then consider switching to the new account and transferring your files to it - Transferring files from one User Account to another.
  11. Download and install the OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 Combo Update or 10.12.6 Combo Update or Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Combo Update or Get MacOS Mojave now from the Mac App Store as needed.
  12. Reinstall OS X by booting from the Recovery HD using the Command and R keys. When the Utility Menu appears select Reinstall OS X then click on the Continue button.


Similar questions

22 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 15, 2019 10:35 PM in response to alpshiker

It isn't the hardware that presents an issue with 32-bit software, but macOS. Mojave will soon be replaced by Catalina which will not run 32-bit software. We cannot tell you when or if there will be a 2019 Mini.


As for overheating:


Use Activity Monitor to Kill Runaway Processes


     Use Activity Monitor on your Mac

     Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan activity.


Should the above not prove helpful, then make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for service. If you need to find an Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple.


A Troubleshooting Procedure that may Fix Problems with macOS El Capitan or Later


You should try each, one at a time, then test to see if the problem is fixed before going on to the next.


    Be sure to backup your files before proceeding if possible.


  1. Shutdown the computer, wait 30 seconds, restart the computer.
  2. Disconnect all third-party peripherals.
  3. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
  4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
  5. Reset your Startup Disk and Sound preferences.
  6. Start the computer in Safe Mode. Test in safe mode to see if the problem persists, then restart normally.
  7. Use Apple Hardware Test to see if there is any hardware malfunction.
  8. Repair the disk by booting from the Recovery HD. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears. Choose Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list.  Click on the First Aid button in the toolbar. Wait for the Done button to appear. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Restart the computer from the Apple Menu.
  9. Repair permissions on the Home folderResolve issues caused by changing the permissions of items in your home folder.
  10. Create a New User Account Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password when prompted. On the left under Current User click on the Add [+] button under Login Options. Setup a new Admin user account. Upon completion log out of your current account then log into the new account. If your problems cease, then consider switching to the new account and transferring your files to it - Transferring files from one User Account to another.
  11. Download and install the OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 Combo Update or 10.12.6 Combo Update or Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Combo Update or Get MacOS Mojave now from the Mac App Store as needed.
  12. Reinstall OS X by booting from the Recovery HD using the Command and R keys. When the Utility Menu appears select Reinstall OS X then click on the Continue button.


Sep 15, 2019 10:37 PM in response to Kappy

13. Erase and Install OS X Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Apple logo appears. When the Utility Menu appears:


     1. Select Disk Utility from the Utility Menu and click on the Continue button.

     2. When Disk Utility loads select the drive (out-dented entry) from the Device list.

     3. Click on the Erase icon in Disk Utility's toolbar. A panel will drop down.

     4. Set the Format type to APFS (for SSDs only) or Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)

     5. Click on the Apply button, then wait for the Done button to activate and click on it.

     6. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.

     7. Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button.


Continued from above:


14. If none of the above helps then see How to Downgrade macOS High Sierra and macOS Reversion- 

      How to Downgrade from High Sierra.

15. If you get here without success then it's time to make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for 

      service. If you need to find an Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple.

Sep 16, 2019 5:50 PM in response to alpshiker

Oh happy day' the thermal paste was bad.


Not sure who, but someone in the distant past had it apart and did a lousy job re-pasting the heat sink. Looked like maybe a BestBuy or Fry's hack job with enough cheap-o paste to do three Mac Mini heat sinks.


I opened almost every native macOS App at the same time and the CPU and GPU temps hardly even budged.



Under the same conditions the CPU was running at 185-195 range and the GPU which still had had a decent seal was running in the 150-160 range.


Wow what a difference, before the whole case was getting hot and I was reluctant to use it for fear of cooking the SSD.

Sep 17, 2019 7:15 AM in response to alpshiker

Thanks! Yea' what a difference! Even pushing it for awhile, the temps held nicely and the outer case barely gets warm. With a little help from the Sensor Based Control of MaFanControl the temps stabilized at around 160F with the fan only running at 2400rpm.



FWIW your 2012 Mac Mini i7 is a very desirable model to have and from your initial explanation, it sounds like it may have the same problem.

Sep 19, 2019 3:24 AM in response to den.thed

den.thed wrote:

Oh happy day' the thermal paste was bad.

Not sure who, but someone in the distant past had it apart and did a lousy job re-pasting the heat sink. Looked like maybe a BestBuy or Fry's hack job with enough cheap-o paste to do three Mac Mini heat sinks.


Did it look somewhat like this? This is the factory condition after 7 years of a light usage. About 30% of the surface was not conductive.


Mac mini late 2012 i7 2.3 GHz




Sep 20, 2019 2:41 PM in response to alpshiker

Ouch'


Glad to hear that.


Yea' the Sensor Based Control of MFC is a little tricky at first. On my Mid 2012 I use the GPU PECI sensor and have it set at 145F and 190F. So that when the temp starts going over 145F, the fan slowly starts creeping up to help maintain a decent temp, instead waiting and then rapidly shooting up to full speed.




Sep 16, 2019 5:44 AM in response to alpshiker

Funny you mention replacing the thermal paste on the heatsink, because that's exactly what I was thinking of doing to the following Mac Mini.


A few years ago my brother-in-law called me and said his Mid 2011 Mac Mini was cooking. After that day, it has never been the same and suffers from exactly the same issue as you describe. It's fine for real light usage, but the CPU temp spikes sharply when you ask it to do anything else. Then last week he hands it to me and say's, here add this to your collection of Mac Mini's. I'm like OK great, I'll just fix up another Mac Mini for the grandkids to use. Only problem now is, doing anything causes the temp to spike and the fan to kick-up.


Heck' at this point I figure if CPU is not too badly toasted, then there is no harm in replacing the thermal paste.


------------------------


I've had my eye on a 2018 Mac Mini, but as long as I have a couple of working 2012 Mac Mini's, I'll probably just wait and buy a used 2018 sometime next year or two. Nope' after the 2018, the next (2019 or 2020) model will only run Catalina and later.

Sep 16, 2019 7:51 AM in response to Kappy

Kappy wrote:

Hi,

Many thanks for describing this whole procedure.

So what I did so far was the Apple hardware test : passed.

Reinstalling High Sierra and reinstalling only the imaging software that is so demanding.

This time it held for a good while, while cataloging the 3TB drive, but I could hardly access the finder. It has reboot only once so far after 50 Gb read, which is much better than on the previous system which had Mojave and all my apps on, but is still not sturdy on the long run.

I skipped the PRAM and NV RAM reset, so I will do it after the nexte crash. I have to figure what the subsequent step should be. ? Maybe refreshing the heatsink conducting paste, and if this helps, then I could invest in 16 Gb of Ram (8Gb present) to improve the stability.



Sep 16, 2019 8:24 AM in response to den.thed

den.thed wrote:

Funny you mention replacing the thermal paste on the heatsink, because that's exactly what I was thinking of doing to the following Mac Mini.

I did this to my MBP Retina which was always on fan while I was working on images, and it helped. It still heats up, but when the fan goes on it now quickly regulates and slows down. I have used no widget to monitor the temperatures, but my impression is that it stays cooler.

On the mini however, it seems to me that the fan runs at a too slow pace when the air exhaust gets hot. So the problem could be something else.


It is relatively easy to replace a dried compound with fresh one, provided some care for the tiny connectors and no spill of conductive paste over the circuitry.


Sep 16, 2019 3:57 PM in response to alpshiker

alpshiker wrote:

I did this to my MBP Retina which was always on fan while I was working on images, and it helped. It still heats up, but when the fan goes on it now quickly regulates and slows down. I have used no widget to monitor the temperatures, but my impression is that it stays cooler.
On the mini however, it seems to me that the fan runs at a too slow pace when the air exhaust gets hot. So the problem could be something else.

Yup' sounds very similar to what I'm seeing with this 2011 Mac Mini compared to all of my other Mac Mini's. I've been monitoring all of them with MacFanControl for years and this one gets hot real fast and then requires a lot longer to cool back down. Which is why I believe that either the thermal paste has failed or that the heatsink is slightly warped.


It is relatively easy to replace a dried compound with fresh one, provided some care for the tiny connectors and no spill of conductive paste over the circuitry.

Yea' wish me luck, I just returned with some fresh thermal paste.

Sep 16, 2019 10:21 PM in response to den.thed


Wow what a difference, before the whole case was getting hot and I was reluctant to use it for fear of cooking the SSD.

Congratulations! It's funny how a small link can make a huge difference. The compound itself can make a difference as they vary in thermo-conductivity and durability. I have used an average compound that I had at hand for the MBP, but I am ordering some GC-Extreme for the Mini and I will also redo the job in the MBP.

Sep 19, 2019 2:38 AM in response to den.thed

I got that acclaimed compound and renewed the heatsink fitting on the MBP first. It was a good move. I had noticed that the benefits of the paste replacement had not last very long and was shocked to find that just after a few days, nothing of it was left as it had all migrated outside the CPU/GPU surfaces and only a thin layer of silicon oil remained. So I would strongly advise against using cheap compound like ZP-360 for those tiny processors. The Gelid GC-Extreme has another consistence and sticks better. I have done the Mini as well, and so far so good. It did crash again in Mojave, probably due to memory overload —8GB is a little short for applying filters on 4+ Gb files—, but it runs steady in El Capitan under heavy load. I have ordered a pair of 8 GB Ram to improve it. This should smoothen the processes and also increase the V-RAM and make it pass from 512 to 768 MB. The MBP and Mini processors are still flirting with boiling temperatures under load, but from what I have gathered, this is pretty normal. They seem to behave normally. If all works well, I shall ad a larger SSD. All these upgrades have a cost and it isn't the most efficient move considering the long run, but the late Mini's, though desirable, have a price tag that make you think!

Sep 19, 2019 4:51 AM in response to alpshiker

I was evaluating if removing the base cover and placing on an aluminum plate with spacers would help, but it is probably not a good idea since the base cover is made in such a way that it conducts the air flow from the drive side towards the outlet, even though it's perhaps not as indispensable with an SSD. But while searching, I have seen that others have tackled the cooling issue and came up with a solution that's worth considering, especially for a new Mini assigned to heavy processes.


Speed Cooling Base

Mac Mini 2012 overheating, and is it time to consider a new one?

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