Mac mini - Temperature

HREsquivelO,

1. What are the new, hotter temperature readings?
2. What's the ambient temperature/relative humidity in the room?
(The normal ambient temperature here is much higher than there.)
3. Is the fan in your mini running constantly now?
4. Why aren't you satisfied with the answers you received?

-Wayne

Hi,

First post from me! Anyway i was interested in your original question. So i've installed the temp monitor on my mini.

Now mine averages between 50-60c which is about 10c lower than your readings. However i note your room temp is around 32c whereas mine is 22c

I've only recently had my mini so can't comment about temperatures when it gets hot (outside temp - very rare in the UK).

As for your point about the rubber side feeling hot, yes mine is. Its not a burning heat but enough to not want it next to your skin for a while.


I do have a question of my own for the forum (saves another temperature related thread).

Which Mini runs cooler the G4 or the Intel?

Reason i ask is i've got an idea about using one a quiet Webserver. I recently noticed how quiet life has become once all the PCs are turned off.

Power isn't really a huge requirement for the server so any Mini will do

Are you a new mac user?

Yes, been one for 2 weeks now. Enjoying it very much. So much so i've just bought a 2nd Mini to use as a small (and much quieter and less power consuming!) Webserver.

One tip i've read to get the mini running cooler is to put it on a small cake stand. I guess anything to get air underneath is a good thing. I do that with the small form factor PC i'm using as the webserver. Though i dont use a cake stand (its too heavy for that) i use 4 old DAT tapes. It lifts up the unit and gives it a better airflow

Columbia does indeed sound very hot and humid so i can see why your mini gets hot.

Mac Mini - Intel Duo Core 512mb 80gb - Intel Solo Core 512mb 60gb Mac OS X (10.4.7)

I'd suggest saving up and buying an air conditioner. A computer that small will get hot under even the most ideal circumstances. My place stays at 23c, and my mini gets pretty warm even at that temperature. The internal temperature sensor is normally 50-55c, and 60-70c under full load.

HREsquivelO,

The bottom of your Mini is a heatsink.
Heat dump, heatsink , disipador de calor , . ( Ingeniería aeroespacial ) 1. Un tipo de dispositivo de protección capaz de absorber calor y utilizado como protección para el mismo.

It's supposed to get hot: It removes heat from the inside of your mini.

Requisitos eléctricos y ambientales
Cumple los requisitos de la norma ENERGY STAR
Tensión: de 100 a 240 V de CA
Frecuencia: de 50 a 60 Hz, monofásica
Consumo máximo continuo: 110 W
Temperatura de funcionamiento: de 10° a 35° C
Temperatura de almacenamiento: de -40° a 47° C
Humedad relativa: de 5 % a 95 % sin condensación
Altitud máxima: 3000 m

From your posts earlier, your mini is operating normally. Given your environmental conditions, it is likely that your mini is running hotter than mine, but the difference is explained by the difference in ambient temperature. I generally keep the temperature below 30C in the room where my computers run (unless they're in sleep mode).

Since the inside of your mini is as packed as a notebook computer (and most of the mini's components are used in / designed for notebooks) and your ambient operating conditions are not ideal for your mini, you might want to look into one of these or a powered laptop/notebook cooler like it to help.

-Wayne

I agree with ParentalUnit - it seems to me that in an environment where your ambient air temperature is higher than others, the mini is certain to run somewhat hotter since it relies on the difference between internal/component temperatures and the temperature of the air flowing through it for effective heating. A good test is to take your system to a location where room temperature is lower, and check the reading then. You'll find a difference of some kind, even if it doesn't match the difference in air temps.

Also of note, as had been said, is that the base of the mini is designed to be part of the cooling of the unit. Indeed, there is a heat pad between the lower board and the base-plate of the mini to help drain heat away from the components and dissipate it. As such, the base should feel hot to the touch when the system is running. You can assist cooling by lowering the air temperature of course as above, and also by placing the mini on a surface composed of a good thermal conductor to help drain the heat away more effectively. A laptop cooling pad would be a good example, but a metallic surface should be just as effective.

If your mini were to be defective, I suspect the first sign would be a DROP in temperature of the base and rise in temperature of the processor. This would indicate the failure of the heat pad. A not uncommon problem with some minis that have been opened by users. Another common problem with G4 minis was slightly loose processor heatsinks, also sometimes caused by users incorrectly reassembling units (also by Apple service reps doing the same!). For those with this problem, the mini would show high temperature from within a couple of minutes of powering up, and the fan would come on and run constantly at high level after no more than maybe 5 minutes.

If your mini shows neither set of symptoms, I'd assume it to be in good working order with nothing to be concerned about except trying to either moderate the higher air temp, or provide effective dissipation at the base.