How noisy/quiet is new 5K iMac compared to the standard display versions? I returned three 27" iMacs (3.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7) back in May because they were too noisy for me. Is this 5K machine any different?
You must have extremely sensitive hearing as all iMacs are very quiet. Go to your local Apple Store or reseller and test one out for yourself to see if it meets your standards.
No it's not that, it's just that I have a quiet bedroom.
It's impossible to test iMacs for noisiness in Apple Stores because the ambient noise is miles above that of a bedroom.
And I disagree that the latest iMacs are exceptionally quiet. They have a clearly audible wispy sound in a quiet room and they are noisier than my 2008 iMac. The 2008 iMac was exceptionally quiet.
Sadly. my iMac5k is not very quiet at all! The fan is constantly running at 1200 RPM... even though the CPU and GPU temperature is only about 90F.
Please update the firmware to lower then fan speed. There's no need to spin up the fan when the temperate is at this low...
What is the fan speed for non retina iMac do you know?
Thanks trungpham. That's made up my mind. Getting a Mac Mini instead.
There is a detailed review here:
of which this is a part:
Noise levels became conspicuous at full tilt, particularly in graphics tests, with all hot air seeming to exhaust from a slated hatch just under the screen hinge at the back. In normal use though, even with a 3.5in SATA disk comprising part of the flash/HDD hybrid storage solution, the iMac Retina 5K was suitably near-silent in operation.
Klaus1 wrote:
In normal use though, even with a 3.5in SATA disk comprising part of the flash/HDD hybrid storage solution, the iMac Retina 5K was suitably near-silent in operation.
I don't believe that for a second, there's no reason to believe this machine is any quieter than the current iMacs with standard displays (trungpham's experience is exactly mine with the standard display iMacs). And if anything this machine will be noisier because of the hardware needed to drive so many pixels. What constitutes "suitably" near-silent is different depending on the person you're talking to and the environment they're in. It doesn't say where they tested it but most probably it was in an office environment where it would indeed be "suitably near-silent".
I don't fancy going through the process I went through with the current standard display iMacs (I returned 3 of them because they're too noisy), it's the Mac Mini for me.
Interesting topic. I'm thinking of buying a new Imac with 5K display and will definitely test it out before I'll buy one. I'll have a 2009 model now and that's acceptable, but I know how annoying a noisy computer can be. Before I used Apple I owned a Compaq laptop and that sounded like it could take off to the moon any moment.
Well, I think the model they reviewed was the base 3.5GHz i5 290x model. That one actually has a lower thermal output than the 2013 3.4GHz i5, so it's not surprising that it's also quiet in operation. The 4Ghz i7 295x however has the highest thermal output of any iMac so expect it to be noisy.
I honestly think that it's a bit too powerful for the design of the iMac. At least if you are looking for a quiet computer. I think we'll have to wait for future more energy efficient CPUs to be able to get that power in an AIO without it heating up too much. The i7 QC Mac Mini was also quite a noisy little fellow.
If low noise is important for you then look at the i5 models. If you can't live without the powerful processing then I'd suggest you pony up for the Mac Pro which is incredibly silent for what it packs.
Not to argue with your experience, however I have the iMac 27-inch Retina 5k with M295X GPU, i7 CPU and 3TB Fusion drive. Ordered with 8 GB and I upgraded to 32 GB. I have found the opposite to be true in my experience. No matter what I use it for I haven't heard any fan noise. Also, it runs much cooler than the prior 2209 iMac I had. So far...very impressed with no reservations. Maybe there are some setting/preference differences that account for the disparity?
I agree. My iMac 5K Retina is very quiet. Haven't heard a fan yet.
Someone considering an iMac with Retina display chooses a Mac Mini instead? Whoa big mistake.
I love the 5k monitor, there is nothing comparable to it. But I find the fan noise very annoying to the point of considering to return it. I don't know if I have a faulty fan or over sensitive hearing. Sigh.
I can share my experience. I maxed out the new 5K and even from a cold start the fan was running and would generate heat that was noticeable if you placed your hand behind the monitor. Ultimately I did take it back to the store and they were convinced that this is a firmware problem. I support all of your who believe your fan is running when it shouldn't. To prove this is real, he took my 5K and booted it in a diagnostic mode while connected to an ethernet cable which supported access to special mac hard drives and utilities. We both noted that even when switching during times when the machine should have no reason for the fan to turn on it was on. Furthermore, simply running video on Hulu in the store generated a fair amount of fan rpm and heat. We all have come to expect a "fanless" experience with our Macs and so do those who support us in the store. Part of the issue is most people who support us (novice user like me) at the store level (in his own words) do not have enough experience with these new models to accurately trouble shoot. I suspect this issue will be resolved, but not with any smart weblink I can provide but with time
-AAA
imac 5k sadly has a very active fan, especially in the combination of i7 and the amd r9 m295x gpu (4gb).
check the forums (wow, cod etc.) where many people are currently complaining and returning their mac (me as well considering it).. while gaming the fan speed is at 2700 rpm which is around 38 db (very loud!) and the gpu is 105C (not fahrenheit!).
all processor (cpu) intensive tasks like handbrake, rendering etc. will make the i7 go warm and the fan go loud.
all graphics (gpu) intensive tasks like any game will make the amd m295x go hot and the fan go very loud.
regular surfing, photoshop etc. is not affected!
in normal mode, it's always at 1200 rpm where it is not audible to me.
if you want it as quiet as possible go with the i5 and the cheaper graphics card (290x).
just be aware that this is the loudest imac or even mac ever (louder than current mac pro) and I'm not sure if constant heat (105C) is affecting life expectancy and I've been having them since 1991.
mine is silent as can be, I can't hear a sound coming from it. Could it be that those who are hearing sounds are hearing their hard drive? I have a 1T SSD in mine, and of course it has no moving parts and no sound.
I love my new Mac, a wonderous machine. If you can afford it, do not pass go, go straight to the store and get yourself one of these.
Peter
How noisy/quiet is new iMac with Retina 5K display?
