iMac 27" i7 graphic crash overheating slow

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iMac 27" i7 graphic crash overheating slow

iMac 27" i7 models slowly melt down!

Have you ever been wondering why you'r iMac 27" i7 is getting slower and freezing?

Everytime you put the graphics under pressure by gaming or working with hardcore graphics, 3D, etc. for a longer period (like 3-5 hours) you'r iMac 27" i7 gets hot... VERY HOT.

Everytime your iMac gets hot, it makes a small damage to the processor, and the computer gets slower and slower and slower...

It all starts with the graphics getting slower, which make you feel your computer is getting slower!

(if you'r a iMac 27" i7 owner and you'r computer never gets slower, please go to wikipedia and search for MIRACLE)

Then the reboot time gets longer and longer, and sometimes the "killer screen" appears at start-up (screen freeze and turns white or light blue)

Right before your iMac 27" i7 take it's last breath, screen flickering appears on you'r desktop and applications, and finally you got a screen with only stripes or graphic parts or just one color.

From now on you'r iMac will only boot when it's cold and after 15 mins when it get's warm.. gues what?.... FREEEZE #?§!""##

You know the processor is completly dead when you'r not able to reboot anymore, and find yourself on your way to the nearest apple repair store.

Here is what i think...

The big 27" SCREEN, the i7 PROCESSOR and the big GRAPHIC CARD PROCESSOR requires alot of power which heating up the small space alu cabinet.

The fans is factory set to make minimum noise and just barely cool down "normal tasks" like surfing the net, sorting pictures, watching movies, working in numbers and pages and so on...

As soon you start working with more demanding graphic app's or games, the fan does not cool properly, and you get NO warnings that you'r computer is about to get very sick!

I also suspect the heat causes damage to the built in WiFi and CD/DVD drive, since the i7's have alot of problems with lost wifi connections and brooken CD/DVD drives.

I've had all imac 27" i7 models since it first came on the market, and every single one of them ended up with a overheated and smashed processor.

Today my 3rd iMac i7 crashed..

I work with Logic Pro, Final Cut, Photoshop, Illustrator and play Battlefield 3 in Windows 7 on my mac...

WARNING! Windows only speed up the "melt down" process!

Hope it helps you?

Thomas

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.2), 8 GB Ram

Posted on Jan 15, 2013 4:32 PM

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Answer 1

MichelPM

Level 10

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Jan 15, 2013 5:13 PM in response to Thomazb

This is nothing new.

I have been saying what you've been saying since I got my first, uses 2009 iMac almost 9 months, ago.

I have written numerous posts in this forum about this issue.

Sensitive computer electronics do not like heat. Especially too high or unusually high heat like what these newer design iMacs internally generate.

High or excessive heat shortens the life of electronic components. Especially the electronic components in computers and iMacs, specifically.

The design of 2009-2012 iMacs simply are not designed sufficiently to properly exhaust the internal heat build up inside these iMacs.The iMac aluminum backplate enclosure absorbs and holds much more heat on the inside than is convected outward from the outside of the enclosure.

How have I dealt with this.

First, I removed the front glass of the iMac.

This has had two effects. One is that the screen is not as glossy any longer and two, it allows some of the heat, more or less convect out from the front of the iMac more freely.

Third, I run Sofware fan controls for the fans and have ramped them up enough to keep the iMacs internal temps cooler without over revving the fans to cause them to prematurely fail. The iMac is a little noisier, but not annoyingly so.

Fourth, I run a small external fan on the iMac's aluminum backplate/enclosure to cool my iMac from the rear.

I Am hoping all of these things will extend my iMac's life cycle.

Having a Mac burn out within 3-5 years in completely unacceptable to me.

Especially given that I still have an almost 10 year old PowerMac G4 MDD that is going strong that has many, many hours of use and upgrades within it.

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Answer 2

Thomazb Author

Level 1

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Jan 17, 2013 5:38 AM in response to MichelPM

Finally i got the answer why all my iMac 27" i7 models dies.

Today Apple made a test on my iMac 27" i7, with some kind of hardware i didn't see before, connected by networkcable?

As expected, the mainboard was overheated and serval components was burned to death.

The cooling gel has evaporated so the processor gets too hot and melted the solder.

The cooling gel suppose to be stiff when the machine is cold, and when it get's warm the gel should melt and cool the surface. There was no gel at all.

Thats the problem... No more no less... Apple iMac 27" i7 just can't handle the heat

This problem only seems to appear on model with the i7 processors

Feel free to comment this 🙂

Have a nice day

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Answer 3

Jan 17, 2013 6:04 AM in response to Thomazb

Apple provides the Mac Pro for those with extreme hardware duty cycles. Yes, the marketing, financial, and hardware allure of the iMac, entice us to use it far beyond its intended design goals.

There is a point, however, when multiple hardware meltdowns communicate that either Apple needs to design an iMac that looks like a Mac Pro, or move up to a Mac Pro and stop melting our tools.

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Answer 4

weave2d2

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Sep 26, 2013 12:09 PM in response to Thomazb

This sounds disgustingly and exactly like the problem I'm currently having with my mid-2011 27" i7. I do a lot of photo editing and the unit bombed immediately after a huge image download a few weeks ago. Subsequently it's freezing w/ the odd graphics behavior pretty frequently. It passed tests at the Genius Bar but that was from a cold startup. Off to the repair shop I guess.

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Answer 5

Thomazb Author

Level 1

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Sep 26, 2013 2:16 PM in response to weave2d2

Update on my case...

After 2 brand new chrashed iMac 27" on 1 month, Apple gave me a brand new iMac full loaded with all the best components.. NICE 🙂

The unofficial explanation from apple was: "You use your iMac to much!" WHAT???
But Apple is right... The i7 models (fat model) simply can't cool the machine on heavy daily tasks!,
and you slowly burn down the components inside..

My symptomes was:

Overheating graphic card

Overheating WiFi receiver

Overheating motherboard/processor

On my last model, the engineers showed me melted components on the motherboard!

My best advice...
Get ridd of your "fat model" iMac i7 and buy the new "slim model", it doesn't even get warm no matter how hard you ride it... FANTASTIC

Good luck to all of you 🙂

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Answer 6

Dec 10, 2013 2:52 PM in response to Thomazb

Hi Thomazb

How are things going now with your imac?

When you say 'fatter model' i7 what do you mean?

I just bought the i5 newest one (is slim) bit haven't even opened the box due to this overheating issue.. I had a 2007 model and just repaired that but I was wondering if the fat and slim were referring to the body -- l

So you're saying all the newer slim bodies are ok per your last comment? You just might make or break me keeping the new i5 (1799.00) !

Also what computer work do you do on them?

Thanx for this thread!

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Answer 7

Thomazb Author

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Dec 11, 2013 1:20 AM in response to Onthefenceimac

Hi 🙂

Things going very well with my slim model imac 27"

What i ment about "the fat model" is all imac 27" models with build in super/cd drive 🙂

The new imac models (without super/cd drive) are just amazing.

I use my imac for LOGIC PRO, PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR, DREAMVEAWER and finally im playing BATTLEFIELD 4 on a windows partition, with no problems at all!

My imac don't even get close to get warm, no matter how hard i push it 🙂

So just open and enjoy your new imac 😉

Thomas

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Answer 8

Apr 29, 2015 8:06 AM in response to Thomazb

Can you please specify which iMac model you are using? Is it an i7?

I just bought an i7 Retina with the AMD M295x graphics card and it runs hot as all **** when running any game. (105º C on the GPU)

The surface of the computer doesn't get hot, but the fan runs near max which I would guess it should.

I'm very concerned and planning on returning it before the 2 weeks are over.

Very sad that apple no longer makes a computer to fit my needs. :-(

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