User profile for user: zhanghuaien
zhanghuaien Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

iMac shuts down when watching YouTube/NBA livestream

Hello! I am having a problem with my iMac 27" 2019. Whenever I am watching a YouTube video or watching a NBA livestream game it shuts down. I touch the power on button later and it looks okay. It started happening since like february 2020. These couple months it happened like 2-3 times but now it happens frequently. I can run Lightroom and Photoshop together and it works perfectly but whenever I go watch a YouTube video or NBA livestream game it shut down itself. One thing I have noticed is that it happens on Google Chrome. I tried watching a NBA livestream game the other day on Firefox and it worked fine. What could be the problem?

iMac 27″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Aug 21, 2020 8:50 PM

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User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
77,738 points

Posted on Aug 27, 2020 8:44 AM

I don't know what can be the cause,


A shutdown without a warning followed by a normal restart 10 minute later sounds like a thermal safety shutdown. Your Mac has sensors all over to detect excessive temperatures that could harm components inside the computer. If the sensors report potentially dangerous temps, the system shuts itself down.


I've not used Brave, but Chrome is a known resource hog and will run up temps. Videos work the CPU and GPU quite hard and can also run up the temps. The two together could trigger a safety shutdown.


However, also check your computer's cooling vents. The intake is along the bottom edge of the case:



and the exhaust is behind the upper portion of the stand:



1) Do not stack anything between the intakes and your work surface. Any reduction in that roughly 3 inches of clearance can reduce cooling effectiveness.


2) Make sure those vents are not clogged with dust.


3) Do not tip the display full-forward. That puts the stand too close to the exhaust vent and that can cause overheating as well.

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User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
77,738 points

Aug 27, 2020 8:44 AM in response to zhanghuaien

I don't know what can be the cause,


A shutdown without a warning followed by a normal restart 10 minute later sounds like a thermal safety shutdown. Your Mac has sensors all over to detect excessive temperatures that could harm components inside the computer. If the sensors report potentially dangerous temps, the system shuts itself down.


I've not used Brave, but Chrome is a known resource hog and will run up temps. Videos work the CPU and GPU quite hard and can also run up the temps. The two together could trigger a safety shutdown.


However, also check your computer's cooling vents. The intake is along the bottom edge of the case:



and the exhaust is behind the upper portion of the stand:



1) Do not stack anything between the intakes and your work surface. Any reduction in that roughly 3 inches of clearance can reduce cooling effectiveness.


2) Make sure those vents are not clogged with dust.


3) Do not tip the display full-forward. That puts the stand too close to the exhaust vent and that can cause overheating as well.

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User profile for user: BDAqua
BDAqua
User level: Level 10
250,253 points

Aug 25, 2020 8:27 PM in response to zhanghuaien

Interesting... Brave is like Chrome without google& without all the ads, they use the same frameworks.


To find out if it's system wide or user specific, try this...


Open System Preferences>Users & Groups, unlock the lock, click on the little plus icon, make a new admin account, log out & into the new account.


Does it work in the new account?

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User profile for user: Jaxdew
Jaxdew
User level: Community Specialist

Aug 22, 2020 3:30 PM in response to zhanghuaien

Hi zhanghuaien,


We see you're unable to stream with Google Chrome while using certain apps. Have you also tried Safari to see if the behavior persists? If the behavior only occurs with Chrome, try uninstalling and re-installing the app. How to delete apps on your Mac.


Then continue with the remaining steps listed in this article: If your Mac restarted because of a problem.


Cheers!

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User profile for user: zhanghuaien
zhanghuaien Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

Aug 27, 2020 7:23 PM in response to Allan Jones

Hello,


Today I switched up my RAM slots to see if it helps, don't remember if I got back to where it was because I switched it like three times.


I also checked that my intake vents are kind of dusty so I will clean it up with a vacuum later on the weekend and see if it helps. I also used iStat Menus and on Sensors I switched Fans from System Control to Automatic Fan Rules.


So far, switching the RAMS and changing the fans from system control to automatic it looked like I could watch the NBA games, but after 15mins it shut down.


I will keep you guys updated over next week and see if it got resolved by vacuuming. Thank you so much for your time. :)

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iMac shuts down when watching YouTube/NBA livestream

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