Is my early model 2009 Mac Mini running hot

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Level 1

6 points

Is my early model 2009 Mac Mini running hot

I recently had some work done to my early model 2009 Mac Mini and specifically had additional RAM, from 2GB to 4GB, installed and a SSD to replace the HD. Since this work was done, the computer seems to be running hot.

I therefore purchased and installed Temperature Gauge 4.7.2. Below is a screen shot from Temperature Gauge just running iTunes playing music in Apple lossless.

I searched for information about the safe range for the items listed but could not find anything that I can understand and the Northbridge Core temp seems out of line with the other hardware temps.

Is all well or do I have a problem and if so what should I do? I really appreciate the help.

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Sep 14, 2015 3:48 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Sep 14, 2015 4:16 PM in response to David Goldy

Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan acti…

Pre-Mavericks

Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time (>=70,) then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.

It doesn't appear that the fan is running any faster, but then to know anything reliable you need to uninstall TGPro. Then try Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC). Rely on the computer's method for controlling heat. Anything that is externally controlling temperature without knowing just the temps can be misleading. There are no docs from Apple stipulating what the normal temperatures are for each of their models.

Based on what you have posted there is no evidence to suggest the computer is running hot.

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Answer 2

David Goldy Author

Level 1

6 points

Sep 14, 2015 4:38 PM in response to Kappy

For some reason I cannot locate where to change the version of OS X I am running. I have upgraded to the latest version of Yosemite.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Sep 14, 2015 4:49 PM in response to David Goldy

Mavericks and later

Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the View menu. Click on the CPU tab in the toolbar. Click twice on the %CPU column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of %CPU, then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.

This is for Yosemite.

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