Mac mini (Late 2012) heat issues

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Mac mini (Late 2012) heat issues

Here is my problem :

I have a Late 2012 Mac mini, and recently I've noticed that when I do a little bit more demanding things on it, the mini gets extremely hot, extremely fast, and the "kernel_task" process eats up all the CPU, until the mini gets cooler, right now it's at a point where if I hear the fan speeding up, then "kernel_task" takes over completely and the mini gets really unresponsive, to the point of unusability. I did the Apple diagnostics, the first test took about 3 and a half minutes, and did not report any faults, the second, more in depth test took about 23 mins but I did not report any errors either. I've tried cleaning the vents, did an SMC reset, but I still have the problem. The fan is obviously working, as I can hear it, according to iStat Pro, the fan is spinning at 5500 rpm at it's fastest. Could this be the fan or something else ?

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Jul 19, 2015 2:50 PM

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Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,513 points

Jul 19, 2015 2:59 PM in response to koalamaci

What is ambient temperature?

iStat includes that.

What are temperature shown by iStat?

Is the Mac in a little cubbyhole nad not getting good ventilation?

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Answer 2

koalamaci Author

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Jul 19, 2015 3:14 PM in response to lllaass

Thanks for replying, the Ambient temp is between 49-51 C, Ambient 2 is the same. The mini itself is lukewarm right now, fan is barely noticable as is the cpu usage is around 20%. It has to be noted, that we're experiencing extreme hot weather here in Hungary, but the mini itself has enough room, it's not enclosed in anything, last summer was hot too, but I didn't experience behaviour like this.

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Answer 3

lllaass

Level 10

210,513 points

Jul 19, 2015 3:29 PM in response to koalamaci

Your problems are not unexpected since the operating temperature is 35C max

Electrical and Operating Requirements

Line voltage: 100-240V AC
Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz, single phase
Maximum continuous power: 85W
Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
Storage temperature: -40° to 116° F (-40° to 47° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing

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Answer 4

koalamaci Author

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Jul 19, 2015 4:14 PM in response to lllaass

The real world temperature is definietly not 50 C in this room, not even 35 C, I've tried moving the mini on it's side, but the ambient temps go up, so it's no use. The sensor seems to be fine tho, because iStat says the same ambient temp on my MacBook white as the mini. Would something like this make things better for the mini ? : http://www.notebook.hu/cooler-master-notepal-npl1-notebook-hutopad

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Answer 5

lllaass

Level 10

210,513 points

Jul 20, 2015 2:20 AM in response to koalamaci

Try blowing the out the vents. maybe it is dust clogged.

You can also take the bottom black disk off and look.clean the inside.

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac_mini2012_mem/

Also. run Apple Hardware Test

Using Apple Hardware Test

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