Late 2012 iMac fan randomly speeds up and is always able to be heard.

Question

Late 2012 iMac fan randomly speeds up and is always able to be heard.

Is this normal?

1200rpm idle but i can clearly hear it. Every 30 minutes or so the fan kicks up to about 1800 rpm with nothing running and can be more clearly heard as if you are revving an engine (obviously not as loud). After about 30-40 seconds the fans go back down. It is not loud or abnoxious but the fans are definetly noticable

I am on the last day of my exchange policy tomorrow. What do you guys think?+

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Mar 19, 2013 12:39 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

mende1

Level 10

93,538 points

Mar 19, 2013 12:40 PM in response to nikhilfromeagleville

That's not the normal behaviour, but first, try resetting the SMC > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 This will reset your fans speed, so this should solve the problem.

If it doesn't work, return your iMac and get a new one without that problem. It could be related to the hardware of your computer

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Answer 2

Mar 19, 2013 12:42 PM in response to mende1

I did the SMC reset, just take out the powercord for 15 seconds and plug it back in and wait. Then turned it back on.

The issue is I bought the computer in a tax free state. If i exchange it here they will charge me the tax. I am going to try and call applecare and get them to send me one.

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Answer 3

mende1

Level 10

93,538 points

Mar 19, 2013 12:43 PM in response to nikhilfromeagleville

Now, check that the problem doesn't happen. If it appears, return the iMac and get a new iMac without paying anything

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Answer 4

Mar 19, 2013 12:58 PM in response to nikhilfromeagleville

I would like some more feedback from some current imac owners.

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Answer 5

OBDave

Level 1

13 points

Mar 20, 2013 5:59 AM in response to nikhilfromeagleville

I have a new iMac that I just received a few weeks ago (27-inch, late 2012, 3.4 GHz, 16GB, GeForce 680MX, 768G SSD). This machine was shipped with 10.8.2 and I rarely heard the fan run. I upgraded to 10.8.3 yesterday and now I hear it running all the time. SMC reset did not resolve the issue, nor did zapping the PRAM.

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Answer 6

Apr 11, 2013 8:34 PM in response to OBDave

i got my computer in december and it was perfect. only recently i can hear the fan spinning at 1200rpm according to iStat Menus and it is very irritating. it sounds like it is clogged with dustballs or the blades are loose. adjusting the speed to its maximum to clear the vents and dropping it down to the minimum did not alleviate the idle noise it makes.

i too upgraded to 10.8.3 recently. the possibility of it being 10.8.3 is more sensical than dust and loud music dislodging the fan blades. i am sure apple tests the hardware rigorously. some uber ereet apple code hax0r probably got over zealous and ruined the software while trying to make a name for him or herself. or it is annoying little green men and their stupid space machines ruining peoples stuff on earth.

please dont make me take my 27inch imac to the apple store, i utterly hate it when imacs lose their factory seal.

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