Loud fan in macbook air

No it's not normal however please try a SMC reset and see if the loud fan continues:

SMC RESET

• Shut down the computer.
• Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
• On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
• Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
• Press the power button to turn on the computer.

PRAM RESET

• Shut down the computer.
• Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step
• Turn on the computer.
• Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
• Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
• Release the keys.

Roger

I've came out this problem after latest EFI upgarade. The temperature of CPU rise up to 85-90 degrees. But I noted that depends on programm you use. If I use Safari on Youtube temperature was average 60-70. With Google Chrome — 85-90...

My Mcbook Air started with the fan noise last week, and the reset does not fix it. The battery is also going down twice as fast as before. Not watching videos or anything, but I do have it hooked up to power source and external screen, which has been the case for the past 2 years. Is there any way of knowing what the Mac us running? It must be running something in the background, but since there is no Ctl-Alt-Del in the Mac world, I don't know what it is running. I tried app IStat, and that brought in a virus and other garbage apps which I did not want. Are there other reliable diagnostics tools for Macbooks?

Resetting the SMC for fan related issues is what Apple recommends. I'm sure you're aware of this bulletin but just in case here is the word from the horses mouth:

SMC Reset

While I agree suggesting a SMC reset is a very common suggestion it frequently does fix different problems therefore it's correct to suggest it. In addition resetting the SMC doesn't hurt and if nothing else eliminates what might be a potential cause to an issue.

Your situation may be totally different. Your situation could be totally normal because video works a computer pretty hard, however it doesn't hurt to try a SMC reset. Also he noted the suggestion was the correct answer so that leads one to believe it solved his problem.

thomasfromaalborg wrote:

Well.. the fan shouldn't go crazy because of 5-10 min of videostreaming..?

However the reset seems to have helped.. at least a bit. So thanks! 🙂

Your welcome.

It has a 1 year warranty so take it to an Apple Store or AASP and have it looked at.

My 13 inch Macbook Air get's very warm when playing video's. Especially Neflix or HD YouTube. But I never have had a shut down. But I could see a condition where the ambient air temp is high enough it could trigger a shut down. I know my MBA towards the bottom left of the screen on the keyboard gets so hot its uncomfortable to touch.

The same thing I'm having a problem with.. I didn't notice it when I was "testing" the MBA at the local store, but I think I'll pay them a visit and try it out and have a talk with them. It seems exstreem that it gets THAT hot after a short periode of time.

Having this issue AFTER applying the latest EFI firmware on my 2011 edition MBA. Machine was very quiet before, but now, the fans hum all the time. It's pretty bad. Will try the SMC reset and see what happens.

I have always felt that Apple's parameters for fan speed are much more dramatic then many other PC makers. They try and keep the fan noise to a minimum for as long as possible. But then when it does become neccesary for the fan to cool it has to play catch up. I have found the is more apparent with the MacBook Air. Probably because of the limited cooling space. I have run temperature tests before and have typical found Apple Mac's to run a bit higher before the fans begin to speed up and cool. I have never seen them reach unsafe levels. Many PC's tend to run a higher RPM even at minimum and some simply have a more on or off method of cooling which seems to be the most annoying. I do prefer Apple's gradual increases over a rapid RPM increase. If you are getting constant high speed fan operation then something is wrong.

I think resetting SMC is such a overused "fix for all" solution. It goes right along with permission repairs. As someone who repairs Mac's I think a more practical solution is to find out if a thread or program is causing it rather then just saying its the SMC. In fact I find many times people are complaining about a normal operation and are trying to fix what is not broken. I do agree the "Me Too" does nothing for finding a solution to one persons problem. They may in fact have a different problem with similar results. But suggesting a SMC reset is pretty much creating a generic solve all answer too.

As I have read the bulletin it seems to read to me to use the SMC as a last resort if all other tests and solutions do not resolve the issues. Its very much like having a miss in a engine. You don't just replace the engine you try and find the cause of the miss. I have just encountered some users who have messed up their computers more doing a incorrect SMC reset. Yes, sometimes as the bulletin states their is no other solution. I was just simply stating that their are other things and that in solving ones issues more questions need to be aksed and answered before suggesting any solution.

Did this work? I have the same problem as soon as I stream videos (eg from IMDB)..

Well.. the fan shouldn't go crazy because of 5-10 min of videostreaming..?

However the reset seems to have helped.. at least a bit. So thanks! 🙂

SMC Reset did the trick. It's as quiet as ever now.