Mac Mini (late-2012) runs HOT...

My MacMini i7 2011 version has been running for 6 years with temps at 98 degrees c, with the top of the case hot enough to fry an egg. This morning I considered cracking it open to add new thermal paste, but having read this old thread, I think it's just how the Core i7 cpus roll. Am rather relieved.

Depending on local air quality conditions, you may consider having a

technician open the unit up and clean out the dust; while in there, have

PRAM clock battery replaced. And ask about a diagnostic in advance.

The whole event should be under an hour shop time, less a diagnostic.

My quad core i7 2.3GHz Late 2012 Mac Mini (server) has a temperature

control software mentioned in previous post, mostly as a guide. I figure at

about three years, (next December) before AppleCare expires, I may have

new PRAM Clock battery installed and the unit vacuumed out.

The unit is still running as-shipped Mavericks OS X and has 16GB RAM;

the two 1-TB 5400-RPM HDDs are rather slow, but aren't worked much.

If the work location is rather dusty, the fan will pull in extra debris and that

may affect the cooling; so that heat may cause other issues over time.

{Using G4 Mini Late 2005 model here, now; does OK but could use an SSD

or faster spin-rate HDD due to lack of physical RAM upgrade past 1024MB.}

In any event...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

appleab wrote:

PS: if you know a way to increase the fan speed in OSX that would make be feel better...

smcFanControl allows you to set the fan speed you want. You mustn't set a fan speed higher than 2000 rpm if you don't want problems with the Mac mini.

Apart from that, note that aluminum gets hot quickly, so it may not be a sign of overheating. Download Temperature Monitor and tell us all temperatures. Also, reset the SMC > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

Besides above suggestions, you can consider opening the back panel & clear up the dust (if any).

I doubt there's a lot of dust on a Late 2012 Mac mini, but it's a good idea for old computers

The Man mini is designed to run hot, unless you are having an actual issue with it stop worrying about it. The cpu is designed to run up to 105C before throttling.

I don't mean to resurrect dead threads but I'm experiencing the same thing and this was the first Google result.

I'm curious why OSX is designed to allow the cpu to get so hot before increasing fan speeds. My MacMini cpu regularly reaches 95°-98°C before any fan speed increase and even then it is sometimes only 1-2k RPM increase (fan maxes out around 5k). Is it just to save the fan bearing so the fan will last longer?

I'd feel a lot safer seeing at least a small fan speed increase around 90°, but then again what do I know.

Have you tried resetting the SMC?

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SM

Just gave the SMC reset a try and it doesn't seem to have changed much. I fired up Netflix, which since Maverick's release always gets my cpu to 95°+ and one core hit 98° before the fan did anything. Granted the cpu average was 93°.

I have the same concerns as those noted here. My Mac Mini, purchased in March of this year, also runs very hot. It's alarming to find out just how hot. Though everything I've read says it's normal. From what I've read the processor in the Mini will throttle when the temp reaches 221(f)/105(c) degrees. This reduces the temperature, the risk of damage to the processor and the performance of the machine.

Frankly, I like to be more pro-active and I can't image running at nearly 200(f) degrees can be "good" for a processor. I found Mac Fan Control (http://www.crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control) yesterday and it seems to do what it advertises. I suspect reducing the CPU temperature by even just 5 degrees (f) will extend it's life to some extent.

FWIW: I've tested this program on a Mac Pro (Dark Tower) and a Mac Book Pro (late 2013). They don't get nearly as hot. As such, I don't see a need to override factory settings. However, on the Mac Book Pro I did note the unit was more comfortable on the lap when aggressively cooled using the app.

My 2014 model I just bought New Years day is always COOL to the touch. But if it began running hot, I would buy one of those small desk personal fans and point it at the Mini, as I do my Modem/router